A big thanks to everyone who filled out the survey! Earlier this month, we sent a survey about our long-awaited course for absolute beginners. We had an incredible response rate, and we are still sifting through the data to make sure we cover everything. This amazing course is the culmination of over two years of work, and we want to make sure we get it right!
I am blessed to be able to share the teachings of St. Thomas and see how they transform lives, like my own.
Keep reading or watch this video of me discussing how reading St. Thomas changed my life!
In my own life, after a reversion back to the Catholic Faith, I read the Bible, the Catechism, and the Confessions, but I wanted to go deeper: a lot deeper. After discerning that I was not called to the priesthood, I got a Master’s in Theology from Franciscan University. This is when I began to love Saint Thomas. He was exactly what I had been looking for. I’d read small parts of the Summa before my MA, but honestly, it was a little intimidating. It seemed unwieldy, filled with jargon and difficult concepts. I lacked guidance, a community and knew I didn't want to misinterpret the text or miss out on anything crucial in it! At times, a part of me wished I had a tutor and a higher IQ.
Yet I realized what St. Thomas offered so I made some key changes, found a community interested in St. Thomas, and after two and a half years of study, I finished the entire Summa! I still remember the feeling of reading that last page: a simultaneous sense of accomplishment and a bit of sorrow that it all had to end so soon! While I was far from a wise man, I began to see the world through the eyes of the Angelic Doctor, and I was forever changed. Saint Thomas was the remedy for the formation (or lack thereof) I received growing up in public school only going to mass on Sundays. Not only did he answer every imaginable objection, but he provided a worldview free from contradiction or confusion. I felt like I had been set free, and through my journey, I discovered a community of people just like me and developed study habits that will last a lifetime. If I had been educated this way from the beginning, I never would have needed a reversion in the first place. After I had learned how to defend the faith and accurately articulate my beliefs, I decided I wanted to help others be able to do the same, so I went into teaching and never looked back.
Now, with the method I've developed, I teach people how to read, understand, and fall in love with St. Thomas without feeling lost, confused or overwhelmed. It works!
I have helped an adult RCIA class know St. Thomas so they could better understand the sacraments.
I have helped a group of high school read with St. Thomas so they could read Scripture and the Catechism better.
I helped a group of fathers learn St. Thomas so they could pass on their faith to their children, even though they never studied theology!
I helped a group of seminarians understand and love St. Thomas so that he could be their guide even as they prepare to study other theologians in their formation.
It was exciting to see! In the next email, I want to share some of the best tips and tricks I used to make sure I was able to read and understand St. Thomas even though I had a busy schedule with a full time job and a family.
In the meantime, here is a pro tip for those looking to buy their own Summa: I would use the English Translation by Alfred J. Freddoso, you can also listen to the Summa on Audible which is what I did for part of it.
Also, if you've got a minute, would you do me a favor?
Would you mind sharing with me your two biggest obstacles to finding time to pick up the summa and reading it today?
Thanks for reading,
Cameron
That's a brilliant idea. I love Thomas method of looking at both sides to get to a conclusion.