Matt PotvinMr. RodgersNew TestamentMay 26, 2014St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas was born into a rather noble family despite having been divided by Aristotle for 900 years. Born in 1225 in Roccasecca, Italy, his father Landolfo, count, d'Aquino, his father sent him to Monte Castro. There he received the care of the Benedictines and excelled among his students not only in studies but also in virtues. After five years at Monte Castro he then moved to the University of Naples where he became interested in contemporary monastic orders and continued his studies on Aristotle. He also found a strong interest in those who chose to pursue a more spiritual life instead of being more relaxed with their spiritual views. In 1243, despite the strong resignation of his family, he joined the Dominican monastic order of Cologin. His parents went to the extent of sending impure women to break his spiritual virtue. However, he knew how to resist these temptations and preserve his vocation. When that failed, it is said that his parents went to kidnap him to downplay his spiritual faith. After a year of imprisonment he managed to maintain what the Church and the University had taught him. Thomas Aquinas was able to receive from God the gift of perfect chastity, thus receiving the nickname "Angelic Doctor". From 1245 to 1252 St. Thomas Aquinas continued his studies with the Dominicans in Naples, Paris and Cologne. He was ordained in Cologne, Germany, in 1250. He then went to teach theology at the University of Paris. Under the guidance of St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas earned his doctorate in theology. Consistent with the prediction of the hermit saint who predicted about St. Thomas Aquinas... middle of the paper... in 1323 making him a saint. All of us are called to sainthood, however only canonized saints obtain the title saint with a capital S. Everyone else like you and me is currently given the lowercase saint title. Even all those who are not canonized in heaven are lowercase saints. I don't think it's possible to aspire to become a saint with a capital H, I think it's earned over time. Obviously the best way to start is to get baptized and live a life of virtue and faith. Most canonized saints performed two or more miracles and acted with strong confidence in their faith despite the political and economic challenges of the time. I chose St. Thomas Aquinas for this reason because I enjoyed learning about the five ways/truths in class. He took all the doubts and other philosophical ideas of the time and combined them with what he had learned through faith and school.