Last month, I traveled to Washington, D.C., with a fellow Hope student, Kamaron Wilcox, to attend a Thomistic Circles Conference and retreat at the Dominican house of studies. This event was hosted by the Thomistic Institute (TI), which is part of the Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies and “exists to promote Catholic truth in our contemporary world by strengthening the intellectual formation of Christians at universities, in the Church, and in the wider public square.” Students, professors, and religious were invited to the conference to attend seminars and discuss the topic “virtue and divine grace.” The speakers, Professor Jacob Wood, Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P., and Professor Angela Knobel, shared their interpretations of Aquinas’s work on infused and acquired virtue, a topic I was surprised to learn is quite nuanced and even divisive. Students attending the conference stayed at the Washington Retreat House run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement. Aside from attending seminars, we joined the Dominican brothers for daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, and a holy hour.
The TI retreat had a profound impact on me for several reasons. First, as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, my studies thus far have been primarily focused on the natural sciences. I knew the Catholic Church had a beautiful intellectual tradition, but aside from some occasional reading and SBI events, I hadn’t had much exposure to it. The conference was a great opportunity to step out of my STEM bubble for a weekend, and I was absolutely captivated by the combination of faith and intellect. In fact, my experience at the retreat contributed to my decision to declare a second major in Christian History and Theology. Like a lot of students, I came into college thinking the only purpose of being here was to take the classes necessary to get a good job. But God has been gently redirecting me to see this as a unique time to think and learn about what is true, good, beautiful, and leads me to him, regardless of if it will help me get a particular job.
The second reason why the TI retreat meant so much to me was because it really deepened my relationship with God. Attending the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, and a holy hour with the Dominicans was fantastic. It was a privilege to be able to devote so much time to prayer, especially surrounded by the admirable faith of the brothers and fellow students. I also grew a lot in trust of the Lord. Prior to the conference, I had never traveled alone, and I was understandably nervous. Yet, I felt called to go, so I put my trust in God and I went. The wonderful experience I had at the conference showed me that if the Lord is calling me to something, I can trust him to be with me in it.
Karlie Platz is a sophomore from Sand Lake, MI. She is double majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Religion.
I felt uncertain about going all the way to the Thomistic Institute (TI) in Washington, D.C., for a few reasons: I didn’t want to miss school, which takes a lot of time—a scarce resource. I’ve never been to D.C. before, so I didn’t really know what I was doing to get around. Above all, I have never made a trip like this, so the thought of going to a conference in a place I had never been before with a bunch of people I had never met was daunting. It seemed exciting, too. I would not have gone alone, but because another student, Karlie, wanted to go, I felt encouraged to make the trip. It was the right choice.
When we got to D.C., we were scrambling to try to find a place to go to Mass. The best we could do was to get to Mass about fifteen minutes late if we hustled and made no mistakes in catching all the right metros. God knew better than us, of course. When we just missed the metro we needed to take to get to the Catholic University of America (CUA), we looked at the website of St. Patrick’s Parish—a five minute walk from our location—and they had Mass in ten minutes! In God’s providence, our mistake ended up allowing us to make Mass with a few minutes to spare. So far, it was a great start to the weekend.
At the retreat, we were welcomed generously by the sisters and TI staff. Everyone was so kind, and many other students attending the conference were intrigued to learn that two STEM majors from a mostly unknown small college in Michigan that doesn’t have a TI chapter were attending a conference about philosophy and theology.
The talks by the guest speakers baffled me because the level of philosophy was far beyond my knowledge. However, this encouraged me and awakened a deep desire to dive into Thomistic philosophy and theology rather than discouraging me from seeking to grow in philosophical endeavors. I learned about disagreements among Thomists regarding the compatibility of the acquired and infused virtues. Another area of disagreement is whether the existence of acquired virtues within a person can in any way aid the development and growth in infused virtue. These topics fascinated me as I tried to wrap my head around what these speakers were sharing. I loved every second of it.
Karlie and I also had the opportunity to participate in the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass with the Dominicans at their house of studies. This gave the conference grounding in spirituality. I took what I had been learning and allowed it to transform the way I worshiped. Furthermore, God brought me closer to him through praying the Liturgy of the Hours in that large community of people. I often felt drawn to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, pouring my heart out before the Lord. Jesus pulled me in toward him, and I found great peace in his presence. Having a Blessed Sacrament chapel in the same building I was staying at made a huge impact! At night I would often go down to the chapel by myself just to be with Jesus, and I felt truly at rest in his presence.
Overall, the conference and retreat were wonderful. I met amazing students who all sought to live faithfully and to grow in knowledge of heavenly things, and we had the opportunity to worship and pray with the Dominicans. During the retreat, the Holy Spirit fixed my eyes upon heavenly wisdom and the mysteries that God has given his Church to meditate on. I grew in my desire to know God more and to continually submit myself to him.
Kamaron Wilcox is a senior majoring in Physics and minoring in Mathematics. Kam enjoys altar serving at Mass and is a member of the diving team.