Our Stories

Saint Thomas Aquinas House public charity has been the chief financial support of a Catholic men’s community-in-formation called the ‘Canons Regular of St. Thomas Aquinas,’ which in 2019 took up residence in the Diocese of Springfield in IL at the invitation of the Most Rev. Thomas J. Paprocki.

The brothers began discernment in 2012 at the invitation of the Most Rev. Francis R. Reiss, and enjoyed the generous authorization and sponsorship of the Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit from 2013 to 2017.  Aquinas House began its support of the brothers in 2013 and remains committed in its support for this new religious community as they continue with their vowed life of common prayer seeking eventually to establish a permanent monastery.

Here are some facts and statistics about the Canons Regular of St. Thomas Aquinas:

• Discernment began in 2012 at the invitation of Most Rev. Francis R. Reiss
• Start Date: 15 August 2012
• Starting Membership: 3
• Members in Final Vows: 2
• Total Entered (including left): 14
• Average Entering Age: 27.3

The brothers initially relocated to a rural setting outside of Michigan in December 2017, where they continued their common life of prayer and contemplation uninterrupted before moving into an old friary in Madison, IL.  They may still be contacted through either the P. O. Box listed on this website or via the email link.