http://www.ai.edu RSS feeds for Aquinas Institute of Theology 60 http://www.ai.edu/AboutUs/PressReleases/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/57/Faith-in-Gods-Healing-Power-Draws-Crowd-to-Relic-of-St-Jude.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.ai.edu/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=69&ModuleID=402&ArticleID=57 http://www.ai.edu/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=57&PortalID=0&TabID=69 http://www.ai.edu/AboutUs/PressReleases/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/57/Faith-in-Gods-Healing-Power-Draws-Crowd-to-Relic-of-St-Jude.aspx A piece of bone from the arm of St. Jude drew hundreds of believers to Aquinas Institute of Theology last week, where they paused to touch or kiss the reliquary containing the bones and ask God through the intercession of St. Jude to heal them. The Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, based in Chicago, held the Mass and healing service in cooperation with Aquinas Institute of Theology. The Dominican order of priests and vowed religious sponsor both the school and shrine. “It was remarkable to witness the deep faith in God’s healing power expressed by so many through this event,” said Fr. Charles Bouchard, O.P., president of Aquinas Institute. “So many who came to the Mass clearly brought their pains, their sufferings, and they brought the hope that can come only from faith.” After Mass, the crowd of worshippers, many of whom participated in Mass from outside the open chapel doors, stayed to spend seconds near the relic and pray. They also shared with lay ministers in the chapel a prayer petition and then received a blessing with St. Jude oil. “It was a blessing for me to see how moved people were as they walked away from the chapel,” said David Stocker, a student at Aquinas Institute who coordinates liturgies. “They were weeping. You could tell the Spirit was moving, and I got caught up in that.” Earlier that day, faculty members, students and guests from Saint Louis University gathered for a discussion on how popular Catholicism, or traditions such as praying novenas, venerating relics or praying in the company of statues of saints, relates to the larger Catholic Church and to liturgy. Sr. Catherine Vincie, RSHM, associate professor of sacramental and liturgical theology, characterized popular Catholicism as something that should “both come from the liturgy and return to the liturgy.” “It is a Spirit-driven affair that comes from cultural experience and liturgical tradition,” she said. However, such practice is not without worries. Vincie said it can become problematic if a devotional practice becomes excessive, or becomes more important than devotion to Christ. She noted as well that these practices lack content in Scripture and can become utilitarian, or “magic.” Find out more about the shrine of St. Jude in Chicago by clicking here. Read an article about the event in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by clicking here   Fr. Jim Spahn, O.P., director of the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus in Chicago, holds the relic of St. Jude while worshipers pause and venerate the relic. SuperUser Account Sun, 15 Jan 2006 18:42:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:57 http://www.ai.edu/AboutUs/PressReleases/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/76/Move-to-Former-Factory-Means-Prosperity-for-School-Midtown.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.ai.edu/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=69&ModuleID=402&ArticleID=76 http://www.ai.edu/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=76&PortalID=0&TabID=69 http://www.ai.edu/AboutUs/PressReleases/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/76/Move-to-Former-Factory-Means-Prosperity-for-School-Midtown.aspx Students from Aquinas Institute of Theology, a seminary and graduate school formerly located on the campus of Saint Louis University, began the spring semester in a newly restored, century-old factory. The building is the first piece in a $50 million restoration project in this blighted block of Forest Park Avenue and a symbol of the dramatic growth this Catholic school has experienced in the last decade. The move to the intersection of Spring and Forest Park avenues has more than doubled the amount of space at Aquinas Institute. It has created an environment for work and study that has stunned its new occupants. “Nine months ago, this building was dark and filthy,” said Fr. Charles Bouchard, O.P., president of Aquinas Institute. “The windows were covered, and pigeons had made a mess of the floors. Today, it’s nominated for architectural awards.” New 14-foot windows and a second set of windows built into the two-tiered roof are among the building’s most distinctive features. The renovation also combines the building’s industrial past —- exposed brick, duct work and wood beams -— with its 21st-century purpose. The chapel features low-hanging chandeliers. The library offers wireless internet access. A preaching laboratory is equipped with digital recording technology. The $5 million project was funded in part through a capital campaign. Donations exceeded the initial $2 million goal set by the board of trustees. Fundraising continues to meet additional expenses related to construction. Aquinas Institute, which is sponsored by the Order of Preachers, prepares priesthood candidates for ordination. They study alongside vowed religious women and laypeople who want to pursue careers in the Catholic Church or simply better understand their faith tradition. The school moved to St. Louis in 1981 and had 55 students its first year. Today, enrollment has climbed to more than 300 as Aquinas Institute has responded to needs of the Church. “Our success is linked to changes in the Church and changes among the faithful,” Bouchard said. “As laypeople have assumed more leadership roles in Catholic education, Catholic health care, and parishes, as people have taken a much more active role in understanding their own spiritual selves, Aquinas Institute has grown.” The school offers master’s degrees and certificates to men and women who will become priests, sisters, administrators in parishes without resident priests, CEOs in Catholic health care, principals in Catholic high schools, campus ministers, hospital chaplains and theology teachers, among other things. “This bold move to a bigger building reflects confidence in our mission,” Bouchard said. “We are fulfilling a critical need in the Catholic Church.” Paric Corp. oversaw the development at 23 S. Spring Ave., which intersects with Forest Park Avenue a block west of Grand. Chiodini Associates was the architectural firm. Developers also are renovating neighboring buildings for use as residential and commercial space. SuperUser Account Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:11:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:76 http://www.ai.edu/AboutUs/PressReleases/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/77/Explore-the-Promises-and-Perils-of-Marriage-at-AIs-Theology-on-Tap.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.ai.edu/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=69&ModuleID=402&ArticleID=77 http://www.ai.edu/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=77&PortalID=0&TabID=69 http://www.ai.edu/AboutUs/PressReleases/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/77/Explore-the-Promises-and-Perils-of-Marriage-at-AIs-Theology-on-Tap.aspx Marriage in a secular sense can be as simple as a contract—a list of minimal expectations each party must fulfill. Marriage in the sacramental sense is a covenant in which couples are called to discover what God asks of them in their relationship and to offer it in an ever-abiding love. But how can couples stay true to that covenant amid the reality of paying bills, shuttling children and keeping the refrigerator stocked? Aquinas Institute will host “Marriage: Promise, Peril, and Possibility,” at the next Theology on Tap. The event begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Tap Room at Locust and 21st streets. The 30-minute presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. Ken Homan, Ph.D., and Sharon Homan, Ph.D., will speak. Ken is professor of systematic and pastoral theology and dean of enrollment management at Aquinas Institute. Sharon is professor of biostatics and community health at Saint Louis University. They are married with four children, three dogs, and years behind them on the journey of raising a faith-filled family. Aquinas Institute of Theology is a seminary and graduate school in Midtown. Part of the mission of the school is to engage Catholics in conversation that will help them to keep their faith lives relevant amid the demands of their professional and personal lives. Theology on Tap is designed to provide a casual gathering place for Catholics to sip beer, hear brief presentations and ask questions. To find out more about Theology on Tap or the presentation Jan. 12, call Aquinas Institute at 314.256.8857. Log on at www.ai.edu/events. SuperUser Account Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:15:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:77