History of Aquinas Institute

St Dominic receives the approval of Pope Honorius III in 1216 to found an Order of Preachers dedicated to preaching with an emphasis on theological study as a constitutive element of Dominican life.

Dominican friars from the Province of England come to the frontier of Kentucky and establish St. Rose of Lima Priory, where a parish and house of formation is quickly established. 

In 1925, the Dominican Province of St Joseph establishes a school of philosophy for the training and formation of Dominican brothers in River Forest, IL. 

A new Province of St. Albert the Great is formed in the central part of the United States with its House of Studies in the former school of philosophy in River Forest.

The Province moves its school of theology to St. Rose of Lima Priory in Dubuque, Iowa, with philosophical studies remaining in River Forest.

Aquinas Institute accepts its first women students, religious sisters and lay, and becomes one of the first Catholic theological schools to receive accreditation with the Association of  Theological Schools (ATS). 

The Province of St. Martin de Porres is formed in the southern part of the United States from the territory of the Provinces of St. Albert the Great and St. Joseph, with the new province eventually sending its brothers in formation to Aquinas Institute of Theology.

At the invitation of the President of St. Louis University, the Province of St. Albert the Great moves its House of Studies from Dubuque  to St. Louis, Missouri, where it forms a partnership with the Jesuit sponsored St. Louis University in which Aquinas students are able to take advantage of the many new resources, including the University's library and recreation center.

In 2006, Aquinas Institute moves from its former location and establishes itself in a new building adjacent to the campus of St. Louis University, in the heart of the Midtown neighborhood and in an area experiencing rapid growth and development. 

The Dominican friars celebrate the 800th year of their founding, proud to follow in the footsteps of St. Dominic, St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Martin de Porres, St. Rose of Lima, and the many Dominican saints who have preached in word and deed in service to the Church.