Saint Thomas Aquinas is widely recognised as one of the greatest minds in the history of the Church and the leading voice in bringing faith and reason into harmony. Known as the Angelic Doctor, he is honoured as a Doctor of the Church for the enduring depth and clarity of his teaching.

Born into a noble family, Thomas was sent at a young age to the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino. While studying later in Naples, he encountered the philosophy of Aristotle, which would profoundly shape his thinking. Against his family’s wishes, he chose the Dominican way of life, a decision that led to a period of captivity at home before he was allowed to pursue his vocation.

Thomas studied under Saint Albert the Great and went on to teach in Paris and elsewhere, serving the Church as a theologian, teacher and advisor. His work sought to show that human reason and divine revelation are not opposed but together lead us to truth, since both come from God.

His greatest work, the Summa Theologiae, was intended to present the whole of Catholic theology. After a profound spiritual experience near the end of his life, he ceased writing, saying that all he had written seemed like straw compared to what had been revealed to him. He died in 1274, leaving a legacy that continues to shape Catholic thought to this day.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.