Fr. Ferrer Quigley, OP, appointed to Board of Trustees of the Angelicum
September 30, 2014
Fr. Ferrer Quigley, OP, no stranger to the Eternal City, has a new position. Following a direction from the Acts of the last General Chapter of the Order of Preachers, Fr. Quigley was appointed to the new Board of Trustees of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, more commonly known as the Angelicum. Fr. Quigley is one of three friars preachers from around the world appointed by the Master of the Order. They join seven laymen and women on the Board which aims to develop the institution along the lines of mission, finance, and fundraising. The Angelicum has its roots in the very beginnings of the Order, developing from the general studium (House of Studies) of the Order given to the Dominicans in Rome by Pope Honorius III in 1222. The original house was located at Santa Sabina, and this is where St. Thomas Aquinas joined it as Master of Studies in 1265. Here St. Thomas directed the program of studies for the school, along with his writing much of his great masterpiece, the Summa Theologiae. Following St. Thomas departure, the school moved to the convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in 1288 and remained there until 1873 when the Italian government took control of the convent. Happily the Angelicum was restored by Pope Leo XIII in 1879 and was lauded by Pope Pius XI as the place “where Thomas could be said to dwell in his own house.” Today the college resides next to the Dominican Church of Santi Domenico e Sisto, not far from its previous locations. The Angelicum remains attached to St. Thomas’ teachings: “Our overriding aim is to contribute to the diffusion of the traditional catholic doctrine in the contemporary world. Accepting all the radical changes, but without compromise, we would like to be modern disciples of Thomas Aquinas.” Fr. Quigley made simple profession in the Order of Preachers in 1959 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1965. Following ordination Fr. Quigley began teaching in the theology faculty at Providence College in 1969, serving as executive vice president of the College from 1989-1993. In 2005 he went to the Pontifical North American College in Rome to take up the Father Carl J. Peter Chair of Homiletics, teaching and serving as a formator for seminarians. Fr. Quigley is also a chaplain to the alumni association of Providence College.
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Image: The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome