Administration & Staff

Fr. Mark Wedig, OP
President

Dominican Fr. Mark Wedig serves as the 10th President of Aquinas Institute of Theology. Fr. Mark is a member of the Province of St. Martin de Porres (Southern USA).  A seasoned academic administrator, he comes to Aquinas Institute from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, where he served as Chair of the Department of Theology and Philosophy for 19 years. In addition Fr. Mark served as Professor of Theology and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

Fr. Mark holds the PhD in Liturgical Studies from the Catholic University of America, the MDiv from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA; the MA in Systematic Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley; and the BA in history (medieval studies) from Southern Methodist University. A widely published scholar, frequent visiting lecturer, and keynote speaker, Fr. Mark has scholarly interests in the intersection between culture studies, liturgy, and the hermeneutics of the visual arts.

Fr. Michael Mascari, OP
Vice President
Academic Dean

Dominican Fr. Michael Mascari serves as Academic Dean and Vice President of Aquinas Institute, from which he graduated in 1987 with an MDiv and an MA in Theology. He was a member of the faculty from 1996 until 2003, when he was elected as Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of Saint Albert the Great. During his tenure as Prior Provincial from 2003 until 2011, he was chair of the Members of the Corporation and a member of the Aquinas Institute Board of Trustees.

In 2012, the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadoré, OP, called him to Rome to serve the universal Order as the Socius for the Intellectual Life. In this capacity he resided for six years at Santa Sabina in Rome, where he served as President of the Board of Directors of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (Angelicum), as a member of the Conseil scientifique, École biblique et archéologique française (Jerusalem), and as President of the Order's Permanent Commission for the Promotion of Studies.

In addition to his academic degrees from Aquinas Institute of Theology, Fr. Michael  holds a PhD in Early Christian Studies from the Catholic University of America (1996), a JD from DePaul University School of Law (1978), and an AB degree in history from Georgetown University (1975).

Brian Matz, PhD, STD
Associate Dean for Academic and Administrative Assessment
Professor of Historical Theology

Dr. Matz serves Aquinas Institute as Professor of Historical Theology and Associate Dean for Academic and Administrative Assessment. He comes to Aquinas after having served as the CSJ Endowed Chair in Catholic Thought at Fontbonne University. Professor Matz also previously taught at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. A recipient of numerous awards, honors, and grants, with the most recent through the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) and the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the North American Patristics Society, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the Society of Biblical Literature.

Donna Thro
Executive Director of Business Affairs

Donna Thro serves as the Executive Director of Business Affairs of Aquinas Institute, from which she graduated in 2009 with  a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS).  She has been a member of the administrative staff since 2017.  Prior to joining Aquinas, Ms. Thro was the Business Manager at St. Teresa of the Child parish in Belleville, Illinois from 2010 – 2017.  Ms. Thro attended Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) for her education in accounting and business and worked for CPA firms from 1983 – 1993. 

Fr. Patrick Baikauskas, OP
Director of Major and Legacy Gifts

Ordained in 2008, Fr. Patrick began serving Saint Thomas Aquinas - The Catholic Center at Purdue University (and the largest parish in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana) for 14 years – 10 years as pastor.  The center experiencing exciting growth under his leadership, growing from 200 students actively involved in parish life to nearly 3000.  The number of resident parishioners expanded from 250 to 1500.  The center also expanded ministry opportunities from less than ten to nearly 50.   In 2016, Pope Francis named him a Missionary of Mercy – an appointment that was recently made permanent.  He was named one of 60 priests to serve at preachers for the Eucharistic Revival in the U.S.  In addition to his duties at Aquinas, he also serves as a parochial vicar at Saint Margaret of Scotland.  Fr. Patrick had a long career in public service, working for several elected officials, including a congressman, three governors, and the President of the United States.