Summer Theology Program: St. Thomas on Galatians with Daily Latin Mass

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Each summer brings with it a number of opportunities for further education in congenial Catholic settings. This August 12-16, the Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine and the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies are partnering with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to offer a five-day theology program studying the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians with the aid of St. Thomas Aquinas’s superb commentary.

Themes: Galatians as well as the commentary bring forward important considerations on the unchangeableness of sacred doctrine (“even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be anathema”), on the mystical identification of the Christian with Christ, on the setting-aside of the Old Covenant in consequence of its messianic fulfillment, and on the confrontation of Church hierarchs by their subjects — all subjects under considerable discussion in our day. The daily schedule will include seminars as well as lectures. A highlight of the program is the formal scholastic disputation to be held on August 15 in honor of the solemn feast of Our Lady’s Assumption.

Liturgy: The program will be held at St. Mary’s Oratory in Wausau, WI, a parish of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The 19th-century church, renovated in the first years of the 21st century, is considered one of the most beautiful examples in North America of German High Gothic. Canons of the Institute will offer daily Mass in the usus antiquior (“extraordinary form”) as well as hours of the Divine Office. The Assumption will feature a solemn high Mass and procession.

Faculty: We are happy to announce the faculty:

• Dr John Joy is Senior Theologian to the Bishop of Madison. He also serves as Managing Editor for The Aquinas Institute and President of the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies. He has published on soteriology and ecclesiology.
• Dr Alan Fimister is Assistant Professor of Theology and Church History at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and a Fellow of the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies. He has published on European political history and Thomistic political philosophy.
• Rev. Dr Thomas Crean, O.P. is a friar of the English province of the Order of Preachers and a Fellow of the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies. He has published on apologetics, liturgy, and natural theology.
• Dr. Taylor Patrick O’Neill is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Mount Mercy University. He specializes in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Thomistic commentatorial tradition.

Course Book: Each participant in the program will receive a beautifully hardbound copy of vol. 39 of the Aquinas Institute’s Opera Omnia series, a volume that has the commentaries on Galatians and Ephesians.

To Apply: The 2019 USA Session is open to all applicants 18 years and older. No previous university-level theological studies are required. Deadline for applications is July 15, 2019. A simple online application form may be filled out online here.

Location: The course will be held at St. Mary’s Oratory, in Wausau, Wisconsin. Wausau is a city of about 40,000 people on the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin. The nearest airport, Central Wisconsin Airport (code CWA), about a 20-minute car or taxi trip, has daily connections to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit. For those driving, Wausau is about 2 hrs by car from Green Bay; 2 hrs from Madison; 2.5 hrs from La Crosse; 3 hrs from Milwaukee; and 3 hrs from Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Cost: Program fees are scaled as follows:

• Option 1. Tuition only (for commuters): $250.
• Option 2. Tuition plus accommodations in a shared double hotel room: $500.
• Option 3. Tuition plus accommodations in a private single hotel room: $750.

Payment can be made by check or credit card. $250 deposit due upon acceptance of application. Remainder (if applicable) due by August 1.

Hotel: We have reserved rooms at the Jefferson Inn in downtown Wausau. It is a 3-minute drive or an 11-minute walk from the inn to St. Mary’s Oratory. If choosing to stay at the inn, please arrange it through us rather than booking directly with the hotel, so as to avoid confusion.

Meals: Lunch will be provided each day on site for all participants. Breakfast is included at the hotel for those staying there. For dinner, guests are welcome to make their own plans. There is a restaurant in the hotel and many other local eating places are found in the surrounding blocks. If you have any special needs or requests, please contact us directly.

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(For more information on the church and more photos, see the Facebook page or the parish website.)