The Province of St. Joseph held the 2018 Provincial Chapter this past June, at the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas at Providence College, Rhode Island. Chapters occur once every four years, acting as an elected governing body for the province. Among other things, the Chapter elects the Prior Provincial—Fr. Kenneth R. Letoile, O.P. was re-elected for a second term.

During the Provincial Chapter new Student Masters were also appointed. Fr. John Chrysostom Kozlowski is now Student Master at the Dominican House of Studies, and Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell is Student Master at St. Dominic Priory, both located in Washington, D.C.

On September 8th, the Thomistic Institute began this academic semester by facing the revelations of the scandals in the Church with a special conference, entitled The Future of the Catholic Church after the Scandals of 2018. Speakers included Mary Eberstadt (Faith and Reason Institute), Fr. Thomas Berg (St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie), Ashley McGuire (The Catholic Association), Dr. Robert Royal (Faith and Reason Institute), John Garvey (Catholic University, President), and Dr. John Haldane (University of St. Andrew’s & Baylor University).

On the weekend of September 28th-29th, the Thomistic Institute held the fall Thomistic Circles Conference, entitled Friendly Rivals: Franciscan and Dominican Intellectual Traditions. Speakers included Msgr. John Wippel (Catholic University of America), Dr. Timothy Noone (Catholic University of America), Dr. Gregory LaNave (Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception), Dr. Thomas Prügl (University of Vienna), and Dr. Michael Gorman (Catholic University of America).  

The House of Studies has seen some notable improvements to the maintenance of the physical building. A generous donation of new bed frames and mattresses will have the brothers sleeping soundly, and a repaved driveway will have them smoothly driving out to preach around D.C. The generosity of our benefactors allows the work of formation to continue, and with gratitude we remember them in prayer often.

On September 1st, The Hillbilly Thomists appeared at Appaloosa Music Festival, in Front Royal, Virginia. Despite the rain, a good time was had by all.