Arrows Attend St. Thomas Relics Mass

On Wednesday, December 4, nine students and six faculty members traveled to Providence College to attend a very special Mass. The skull of St. Thomas Aquinas, normally kept in Toulouse, France, was present at the Mass. This major relic is on tour of the United States for the first time ever, in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the great saint’s birth and the 750thanniversary of his death. Providence College was the lone stop in New England for the relic’s cross country tour. The Mass was celebrated in St. Dominic’s Chapel, with veneration of the skull before and after the liturgy. St. Sebastian’s Chaplain Fr. John Arens concelebrated the Mass with Providence Chaplain Fr. Damian Day and Fr. Henry Bodah. The Arrows were joined by alumnus Jack Foreman (’24), a freshman at Providence, and Michael Kalinichenko (’23), a sophomore at Dartmouth. Mrs. Barbosa’s son Johnny also tagged along with his mother and faculty from the Religion Department. Following the Mass, the group enjoyed a hearty dinner at Sicilia’s Pizzeria in Federal Hill, before returning to Needham. Everyone came away with their spirits lifted and memories to keep the rest of their lives. Some also brought home their own third-class relics of St. Thomas, with which to pray for the intercession of the Dumb Ox. St. Thomas Aquinas, Patron of Students, pray for us!