Friends of Thomas Aquinas
Presenting Sponsors

The Ravarino Family

Don and Nancy Ross

Drury Hotels

Thursday, November 13, 2025

6:00 pm Cocktails
followed by dinner and presentation of the awards.

Hilton St. Louis Frontenac

1335 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63131

HONORING

Emil Frei & Associates

Fr. Paul Murray, OP

Great Preacher Event Information

Emil Frei & Associates is a liturgical design studio specializing in the design and restoration of custom stained glass and mosaics. Born in Bavaria in 1869, Emil Frei, Sr. realized his calling as an artist and enrolled in the Munich Academy of Art. He immigrated to the United States. Emil Sr. eventually started his own stained-glass company, Emil Frei Art Glass, in 1898, in St. Louis. During the tenure of Emil Sr., the studio became known for some of the highest quality Munich pictorial stained glass windows in the world. Today, four members of the fifth generation of the Frei family have been working at the studio since the mid 1990s. They serve in various roles - glazier, cutters, cementers, installers, and theological advisors. In 2016, Aaron Frei was named the fifth successive generation of the family to lead the firm.

Paul Murray, OP is an Irish Dominican, professor emeritus of the Angelicum University. He joined the Dominican Order in 1966. After studies in Dublin and Rome, he completed in 1984 a doctorate thesis T.S. Eliot and Mysticism, at University College Dublin. In 1994 he was invited to teach at the Angelicum and was appointed Spiritual Director at teh Convitto Internazionale San tommaso. In 2000-2001, Father Murray occupied the Paluch Chair of Theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary, Chicago. From the period 2001 to 2005 he was Vice Rector of the Angelicum University, and in 2007 he was elected President of the Institute of Spirituality at the same university and re-elected in 2009. In 2010 he was invited to give a lecture on Christian Contemplation at The House of Lords, London. On 17 January 2012 he was conferred with the STM (Master in Sacred Theology) by the Dominican Order. He has published over 20 books, including Aquinas at Prayer: The Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry (2013) and God's Spies: Michelangelo, Shakespeare and Other Poets of Vision (2019) . His most recent work is one of the books on prayer requested by the Vatican for the Jubilee Year. It's entitled Praying with Saints and Sinners (2024).

Sponsorships

Great Preacher Award Sponsorship Opportunities

Presenting Sponsorship - Friends of Thomas Aquinas - $25,000

Two tables of ten, preferred seating
Sponsorship name listed on event invitation
Sponsorship name and logo acknowledged in the event program and on the Aquinas Institute website
Full page color ad in event program with your logo and messaging
Two exclusively branded social media posts

Friends of Dominic - $10,000

Two tables of eight, preferred seating
Sponsorship name and logo acknowledged in the event program and on the Aquinas Institute website
Full page color ad in event program with your logo and messaging
Social media posts highlighting our sponsors

Friends of Catherine of Siena - $5,000

One table of eight, preferred seating
Sponsorship name and logo acknowledged in the event program and on the Aquinas Institute website
Half page color ad in event program with your logo and messaging
Social media posts highlighting our sponsors

Table Sponsorship - $2,500

One table of eight, preferred seating
Sponsorship name and logo acknowledged in the event program and on the Aquinas Institute website

Download the complete 2025 Great Preacher Award Sponsorship Information Packet here.

Required

Become a Sponsor

If you would rather speak to someone in our office regarding your sponsorship, please contact Diane (henderson@ai.edu or 314-256-8856)
or Erin (hammond@ai.edu or 314-256-8808) for assistance.

Please indicate the sponsor's name as it should be displayed in our event program and marketing materials.

Sponsor Namerequired

Information for Primary Contact

Prefix

Firstrequired

Lastrequired

Suffix

Title

Address required

Address 2

Cityrequired

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Ext

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Please upload your logo (or photo) which will be displayed in our sponsorship acknowledgements.

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Sponsorship Levelrequired

Friends of Thomas Aquinas - Presenting Sponsor ($25,000)

Friends of Dominic ($10,000)

Friends of Catherine of Siena ($5,000)

Table Sponsorship - $2,500

Payment OptionsrequiredPlease indicate how you would like to provide payment for your sponsorship.

I would like to complete the payment online (link provided in confirmation email)

I will provide payment via check

Please contact me regarding payment

Please indicate how you would like to provide payment for your sponsorship.

Past Honorees

1995 Reverend James Cormack, C.M.
1996 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin +
1997 Monsignor James T. Telthorst +
1998 Reverend John F. Kavanaugh, SJ +
1999 Most Reverend Paul A. Zipfel +
2000 Reverend Gary Braun
2001 Sister Joan Delaplane, OP
2002 Wilton Cardinal Gregory
2003 Reverend Donald R. Wester
2004 Reverend Joseph Kempf
2005 Monsignor William A. Drennan +
2006 Reverend Dale Wunderlich
2007 Reverend James Krings +
2008 Monsignor Patrick Hambrough
2009 Monsignor Vincent Bommarito
2010 Francis Cardinal George, OMI +
2011 Reverend Mr. Dennis Chitwood
2012 Most Reverend J. Terry Steib, SVD
2013 Monsignor Michael E. Turek, VF
2014 Bishop Emeritus Robert J. Shaheen +
2015 Most Reverend Robert Barron
2016 Monsignor William J. Hitpas and Reverend John Rogers Vien
2017 Reverend Edward Stanger and Reverend Jeffrey H. Goeckner
2018 Monsignor John Costello + and Reverend Matthew O’Toole
2019 Reverend Charles E. Bouchard, OP and Reverend Craig Holway
2020 Reverend Harry Byrne, OP and Reverend Jude Siciliano, OP
2021 Sister Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP and Reverend Ralph Siefert, SM +
2022 Monsignor James Ramacciotti and Reverend Edward Foley, OFM Cap
2023 Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski and Reverend Paul Whittington, OP
2024 Very Reverend Chris Martin, VE, DMin and St. Margaret of Scotland Music Ministry

+ - indicates deceased

Event Program Ads

Information for Event Program Advertising

Artwork submission deadline: October 31st
For Congratulations Wall messages, submit copy no later than October 31st

Program Trim Size: 7" x 9"

Ad Size	Width	Height	Cost
Full Page	7"	9"	$500
Half Page (vertical)	3.125"	8.5"	$300
Half Page (horizontal)	6.5"	4.125"	$300
Quarter Page	3.125"	4.125"	$150
Congratulations Wall Message*			$50

* - thirty (30) word limit

Full Page Bleed Ads: Extend bleed .125” past trim on all sides. Keep all live matter .25” away from trim edges.

Digital Specifications: High resolution, press-optimized PDF files with crop marks required. Fonts must be embedded. Convert all colors to CMYK, minimum 300 dpi.

Ad Design Service: Send copy, logo and/or photos. Logos should be provided in vector format or high resolution jpg. Logos and images should CMYK and a minimum of 300 dpi.

Thank You To Our Event Sponsors

Friends of Thomas Aquinas
Presenting Sponsors

The Ravarino Family

Don and Nancy Ross

Friends of Dominic Sponsors

Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great

Friends of Catherine of Siena Sponsors

Angie and Dale Doerr

Tom and Cheryl Erman

Liz and Dave Foshage

Stephen Frei

Daniel L. O'Brien, PhD

St. Dominic Priory, St. Louis, Missouri

Table Sponsors

Jennie Weiss Block, OP

Msgr. Dennis Delaney

James and Mary Lewis

Bo Mehan

Jim and Trudy Pomeroy

Kathy and Tom Sommers

Deacon Pat Toole

Tom Van Osdol EVP and Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension

The Wedig Family

Sponsor list current as of November 3, 2025

Established in 1995, the Great Preacher Award is presented to those who embody the “Holy Preaching” which Dominicans understand as a comprehensive and dynamic response to God’s presence in our lives and in the world. We honor preachers who proclaim, in word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the coming and presence of the reign of God.

Friends of Thomas Aquinas Presenting Sponsors

The Ravarino Family

Don and Nancy Ross

Drury Hotels

Thursday, November 13, 2025 6:00 pm Cocktails followed by dinner and presentation of the awards.

Hilton St. Louis Frontenac

1335 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63131

HONORING

Emil Frei & Associates

Fr. Paul Murray, OP

Thank You To Our Event Sponsors

Friends of Thomas Aquinas Presenting Sponsors

The Ravarino Family

Don and Nancy Ross

Friends of Dominic Sponsors

Dominican Friars Province of St. Albert the Great

Friends of Catherine of Siena Sponsors

Angie and Dale Doerr

Tom and Cheryl Erman

Liz and Dave Foshage

Stephen Frei

Daniel L. O'Brien, PhD

St. Dominic Priory, St. Louis, Missouri

Table Sponsors

Jennie Weiss Block, OP

Msgr. Dennis Delaney

James and Mary Lewis

Bo Mehan

Jim and Trudy Pomeroy

Kathy and Tom Sommers

Deacon Pat Toole

Tom Van Osdol EVP and Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension The Wedig Family

Friends of Thomas Aquinas
Presenting Sponsors

Thursday, November 13, 2025

6:00 pm Cocktails
followed by dinner and presentation of the awards.

Friends of Thomas Aquinas
Presenting Sponsors

Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great

Tom Van Osdol EVP and Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension

The Wedig Family