Roman Inc - Saint Thomas Aquinas - Patron of Universities and Students

ROMAN INC - SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS - PATRON OF UNIVERSITIES AND STUDENTS

Figurine comes nicely displayed in a box with a front window, with a prayer on the front and the story of the Saint on the back, and a prayer card inside.

"A Student's Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, Divine Creator, true source of light and fountain of wisdom! Pour fourth your brilliance upon my dense intellect, dissipate the darkness which covers me, that of sin and of ignorance.
Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive memory, method and ease in learning, the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself. Guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to successful completion.
This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true man, living and reigning with You and the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
St. Thomas Aquinas"

Thomas Aquinas was born to a noble family of southern area Italy in 1225. As a member of a noble family, he was educated in the finest schools. In 1239, Thomas began attending the University of Naples. He joined the order of Dominican monks, receiving his habit in 1243. When his family learned of it, they had him abducted and held captive in a tower for a year, but Thomas persisted in his vocation. His mother finally arranged for his escape, and Thomas went back to the Dominican order. He continued his studies with the Dominicans in Naples, Paris and Cologne, earning a bachelor's, master's and doctorate in theology.

During his lifetime, medieval thought struggled to reconcile the relationship between faith and reason. For the first time, Christian believers and theologians were faced with the demands of scientific rationalism. Thomas argued that "both kinds of knowledge ultimately come from God" and were compatible. He was a prolific writer, penning close to 60 works ranging from short to thick volumes, including his most famous, Summa Theologiae. The influence of his writings was so great, an estimated 6,000 commentaries on his work exist.
In 1273 Thomas had a mystical vision. He heard Christ speak to him from a crucifix, "Thou hast written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have?" Thomas responded, "Nothing but You, Lord." Afterwards, when Thomas was urged to keep writing, he replied, "I cannot, because all that I have written seems like straw to me." He never wrote again. In January of 1274, Thomas was called to the Second Council of Lyon. While journeying to the meeting, he hit his head on the branch of a fallen tree and fell ill. He stopped at the Fossanova Abbey where the monks cared for him. Thomas Aquinas died there on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in 1323.

Feast Day: January 28

Material: Resin, Stone Mix
Dimensions: Approx. H 10cm x W 4.5cm