Timeline
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September 13, 1925 |
Aquinas founded in River Forest, IL, as the Dominican House of Studies, providing philosophical studies for the Province of St. Joseph (New York). |
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December 22, 1939 |
Province of St. Albert the Great established. The House of Studies at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest becomes the theology and philosophy school for newly formed province of St. Albert the Great in Chicago. |
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November 23, 1943 |
Pontifical faculty of philosophy established at River Forest. |
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1951-1956 |
The House of Studies expands to two campuses with the construction of St. Rose Priory in Dubuque, IA. |
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1961 |
The two Houses are reorganized as the Aquinas Institute of Theology and Philosophy. |
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1963-1979 |
Aquinas collaborates with Lutheran Wartburg Theological Seminary and Presbyterian University of Dubuque Seminary to form one of the first ecumenical consortiums in the United States. |
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1964 |
Aquinas accredited by North Central Association and enrolls its first lay students. |
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1966 |
Academic program at Mt. St. Bernard’s Seminary is discontinued and it becomes a residential seminary, with students taking courses at Aquinas. |
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1967 |
Women begin to enroll at Aquinas |
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1968 |
Aquinas receives ATS (Association of Theological Schools) accreditation. |
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September 1971 |
River Forest House of Philosophy closes and merges with Dubuque campus. |
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1972 |
Aquinas Institute grants its first PhD in theology to a woman. |
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1974 |
Aquinas Institute establishes a Board of Trustees. |
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April 1979 |
Aquinas Institute Board of Trustees decides to relocate the school from Dubuque and enter into an Agreement for Cooperative Theological Education with Saint Louis University, in effect replacing the university’s Divinity School which closed in 1974. |
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July 1, 1981 |
Aquinas relocates to St. Louis, MO. |
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1981 - 1982 |
The Congregation of the Resurrection (the Resurrectionists), the Conventual Franciscans of the Province of St. Bonaventure, the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of Mid-American and the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette of the Midwest Province of Mary the Queen begin sending theological students to Aquinas. |
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Fall 1984 |
A study house for four congregations of Dominican sisters, is established for pursing graduate degrees in theology at Aquinas. |
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Summer 1988 |
Aquinas hosts the first Aquinas Summer Preaching Institute. |
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Fall 1988 |
The Collaborative Dominican Novitiate (CDN) established in St. Louis by 15 Dominican Sister Congregations, and remains in St. Louis until it is moved to Chicago in 2019. These sisters begin to study at Aquinas. |
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1992 |
In the Company of Preachers, a book exploring the ministry of preaching through various theological disciplines written by Aquinas faculty, is published. |
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1993 |
Aquinas inaugurates first Catholic doctoral program (Doctor of Ministry) in preaching. |
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1993 |
Dominicans from the Provinces of St Albert the Great and St. Martin de Porres collaborate to institute a joint formation program in St. Louis. |
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1995 - 1998 |
Aquinas establishes satellite Master’s degree programs for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma and the Diocese of Colorado Springs. |
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1995 |
Aquinas’s Certificate in Spiritual Direction program is launched. |
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1998 |
Aquinas awarded the Lilly Endowment Grant to Improve Congregational Ministry of $1.49M to fund the Ministry in the Mountains project. |
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2000 |
Aquinas reformats its Doctor of Ministry in Preaching to be a hybrid program. |
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2000 |
Aquinas awards the first Millennium Scholarships to foster the education and formation of a younger generation of lay ecclesial ministers. |
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2001 |
Master of Arts in Health Care Mission program in a hybrid format founded. |
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2004 |
Vocare Center founded. Aquinas begins collaboration with Ascension Health Care in a multi-year leadership education program and with several other Catholic Health Care systems. |
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2004 |
Aquinas awarded $1.7M Lilly Endowment New Models of Ministry Grant to fund Apollos Project and a $2M gift from the Incarnate Word Foundation. |
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2005 |
Aquinas purchases the Spring Ave property and inaugurates a capital campaign to renovate the former Standard Adding Machine factory. The Micheletto family were lead givers in the capital campaign. |
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January 2006 |
Aquinas holds first classes in its newly purchased building at 23 South Spring Avenue. |
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2006 |
Aquinas begins to offer a degree program training students in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. |
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2009 |
Aquinas Institute receives a $500,000 gift from the Kenosha Dominican Sisters as part of the capital campaign of the Province of St. Albert the Great. |
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2011 |
Ashley-O’Rourke Center for Health Care Ministry founded. |
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2011 |
Dominican Friars of the Provinces of St. Albert the Great and St. Martin de Porres move into their new home of St. Dominic Priory on Lafayette Avenue in December. |
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2012 |
Aquinas receives $350,000 grant to fund The Montesinos Project from the Henry Luce Foundation. |
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2013 - 2018 |
Aquinas Institute awarded Lilly Endowment Grants of $750,000 to fund the Delaplane Initiative for Preaching Excellence. Also, Aquinas receives a $250,000 for Pursuing Financial Freedom for New Church ministers project. |
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2019-2020 |
Aquinas inaugurates the Aquinas Scholars program. Initial fund-raising of $1M enables Aquinas to attract its first cohort of 5 Scholars for Fall 2020. |
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February 10, 2021 |
The Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) and Aquinas formally enter a Ministerial Cooperation and Facilities Sharing Agreement to strengthen their organizations. |
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July 2022 |
Aquinas begins its In Medio Ecclesiae 2022-2027 Five-Year Strategic Plan. |
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July 2022 |
Aquinas awarded Lilly Endowment Phase Two Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative grant of $1M to fund the Aquinas Path for Tomorrow Project, which features the Center for Community Engagement and Evangelization. |
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2022 - 2023 |
Aquinas awarded Lilly Endowment Phase Two Compelling Preaching Initiative grant of $1.25M to fund and sustain the New Frontiers in Preaching to Underserved Catholics program. |
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March 2023 |
Aquinas receives $4M permanently restricted gift for the Aquinas Institute Scholarship Fund from the St. Jude Legacy Fund of the Province of St. Albert the Great. |
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March 11-14, 2024 |
Aquinas hosts a symposium on The Pastoral Charge for Lay Catholic Eucharistic Preaching, the proceedings of which are gathered and later published as Lay Eucharistic Preaching in a Synodal Catholic Church (2025). |
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March 2025 |
Aquinas awarded the Lilly Endowment Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative grant of $1.25 M to fund the Aquinas Children’s Worship Partnership program. |
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May 2025 |
Aquinas kicks off its Centennial Celebration and Campaign to raise $10M in restricted and unrestricted funds. |