100 Years of Studiorum Ducem

“For science truly deserving of the name and piety, the companion of all the virtues, are related in a marvelous bond of affinity, and, as God is very Truth and very Goodness, it would assuredly not be sufficient to procure the glory of God by the salvation of souls-the chief task and peculiar mission of the Church-if ministers of religion were well disciplined in knowledge and not also abundantly provided at the same time with the appropriate virtues” (Studiorum Ducem 1). Pope Pius XI mentioned the reasons for emulating St. Thomas Aquinas in the formation of future priests. In 2023, the Church will be celebrating 100 years of Studiorum Ducem.

A. St. Thomas and Virtues

1. Relation between virtue and wisdom. St. Thomas Aquinas did not fail to make the combination that is expected by God in every Christian which is the relationship between faith and good works. Pope Pius XI said that in St. Thomas the “combination of doctrine and piety, of erudition and virtue, of truth and charity, is to be found in an eminent degree in the angelic Doctor and it is not without reason that he has been given the sun for a device; for he both brings the light of learning into the minds of men and fires their hearts and wills with the virtues” (Studiorum Ducem 2). The relationship between virtue and wisdom will advance the search of the human person for God, the value of their relationship in the search for truth and salvation. For it is in virtue and wisdom that the person can penetrate into the “secrets of God.” The Pope remarked “how the practice of the virtues disposes to the contemplation of truth, and the profound consideration of truth in turn gives luster and perfection to the virtues. For the man of pure and upright life, whose passions are controlled by virtue, is delivered as it were of a heavy burden and can much more easily raise his mind to heavenly things and penetrate more profoundly into the secrets of God, according to the maxim of Thomas himself: “Life comes before learning: for life leads to the knowledge of truth” (Comment. in Matth., v); and if such a man devotes himself to the investigation of the supernatural, he will find a powerful incentive in such a pursuit to lead a perfect life; for the learning of such sublime things, the beauty of which is a ravishing ecstasy, so far from being a solitary or sterile occupation, must be said to be on the contrary most practical” (Studiorum Ducem 2).

2. The importance of the moral virtues- St. Thomas Aquinas was an exemplar of a saint who possessed to a “high degree” the grace of moral virtues. Pius XI described the saint to have insisted on the virtues that form the virtue of charity as the head of all virtues. The moral virtues find themselves truncated towards the virtue of charity “as he himself insists should be the case, they formed one whole in charity “which informs the acts of all the virtues” (II-II, xxiii, 8; I-II, Ixv). The virtue of chastity has to be guided, guarded and surrounded “by the angels with a mystic girdle” (Studiorum Ducem 4). The virtue of poverty is as equal as the grace of purity. Purity of mind and intention will lead towards the virtue of detachment from worldly things and affairs. The Pope said: “This perfect regard for purity was accompanied at the same time by an equal aversion for fleeting possessions and a contempt for honors; it is recorded that his firmness of purpose overcame the obstinate persistence of relatives who strove their utmost to induce him to accept a lucrative situation in the world and that later, when the Supreme Pontiff would have offered him a mitre, his prayers were successful in securing that such a dread burden should not be laid upon him” (Studiorum Ducem, 4).

3. Humility as an important virtue in communal life- Pius XI described the remarkable humility of St. Thomas Aquinas. With the exemplary mind of a great philosopher and theologian, the humility of St. Thomas is unsurpassable in the contemporary world. He was not proud of possessing a laudable and estimable mind. The Pope simply described the humility of the St. Thomas in these words: “That humility was the foundation upon which the other virtues of Thomas were based is clear to anyone who considers how submissively he obeyed a lay brother in the course of their communal life.” Besides, St. Thomas used his greatness for the advancement of truth rather than the advancement of his own prestige and honor compared to the philosophers of his times and today. The Pope clarified this admirable virtue saying that “the most magnificent illustration of it is to be found in the fact that he devoted the faculties of his divine intellect not in the least to gain glory for himself, but to the advancement of truth. Most philosophers as a rule are eager to establish their own reputations, but Thomas strove to efface himself completely in the teaching of his philosophy so that the light of heavenly truth might shine with its own effulgence” (Studiorum Ducem 5).

4. A Life of Piety- Seminary life both in the theology and philosophy years has to be patterned from the life of St. Thomas Aquinas who combined intellectual prowess with purity of heart and “sedulous devotion prayer.” When these are practiced, then the power of the Spirit can work in every person. Pope Pius XI further said: “humility, therefore, combined with the purity of heart We have mentioned, and sedulous devotion to prayer, disposed the mind of Thomas to docility in receiving the inspirations of the Holy Ghost and following His illuminations, which are the first principles of contemplation.” St. Thomas has also developed a life of asceticism, devotion to Jesus, and confessed to St. Bonaventure. To attain a pious life, the Pope said: “he would frequently fast, spend whole nights in prayer, lean his head in the fervor of his unaffected piety against the tabernacle containing the august Sacrament, constantly turn his eyes and mind in sorrow to the image of the crucified Jesus; and he confessed to his intimate friend St. Bonaventura that it was from that Book especially that he derived all his learning. It may, therefore, be truly said of Thomas what is commonly reported of St. Dominic, Father and Lawgiver, that in his conversation he never spoke but about God or with God” (Studiorum 6).

5. Contemplation on the Wisdom of God- Pope Pius XI said that St. Thomas Aquinas was accustomed to search for the things that are above and the things that are of God as the Efficient Cause. He was a follower of his own writings in Summa Theologiae that human wisdom can be related and be in union with divine wisdom. St. Thomas was preeminent among theologians because he reached the heights of acquired and infused wisdom. The Pope described this saying: “it was easy for him to follow in his Summa Theologica no less than in his life the two kinds of wisdom before referred to. He himself describes them as follows: “The wisdom which is acquired by human effort . . . gives a man a sound judgment with regard to divine things according as he makes a perfect use of reason. . . But there is another kind of wisdom which comes down from above . . . and judges divine things in virtue of a certain connaturality with them. This wisdom is the gift of the Holy Ghost . . . and through it a man becomes perfect in divine things, not only by learning but also by experiencing divine things” (II-II, xlv, 1, ad 2; 2)” (Studiorum Ducem 7). St. Thomas was the undisputed master of dogmatic, moral, mystical, and ascetical theology.

6. The priority of Charity- Pope Pius XI lauds the wisdom of the St. Thomas that leads towards charity. He said “wisdom, accompanied by the other gifts of the Holy Ghost, continually grew and increased in Thomas, along with charity, the mistress and queen of all the virtues” (Studiorum Ducem 8). For St. Thomas, the commandment of love of God: “You shall love the Lord God with all your heart…” is the purity of heart. St. Paul wrote Timothy saying: “no standard of measure is applicable to the end, but only to such things as conduce to the end (II-II, clxxxiv, 3).” So, St. Thomas Aquinas understands the commandment of love by God in relation to its goal or end. Pius XI says that: “the end of the commandment is charity from a pure heart, and a good conscience and an unfeigned faith… Moreover, as “it is the characteristic of charity to make man tend to God by uniting the affections of man to God in such a way that man ceases to live for himself and lives only for God” (Studiorum Ducem 8). St. Thomas continues to say that: “The love of God is the source and origin of goodness in things” We were also told that St. Thomas “exerted himself strenuously to rouse their hearts to make a return of His love to God, the Creator of all things” (Studiorum Ducem 9).

B. St. Thomas Aquinas and the Popes

The teachings and example of St. Thomas Aquinas have preeminence of his doctrine and “marvelous authority” in the Church. Pius XI said that his predecessors had extolled him during their papacy.

         a. Alexander IV- He called St. Thomas Aquinas as a “beloved son.” “To Our beloved son, Thomas Aquinas, distinguished alike for nobility of blood and integrity of character, who has acquired by the grace of God the treasure of divine and human learning” (Studiorum Ducem 10).

         b. John XXII- He described St. Thomas Aquinas the doctor who enlightened the Church. “He alone enlightened the Church more than all other doctors; a man can derive more profit in a year from his books than from pondering all his life the teaching of others.”

         c.  Pius V- He moved to enrol St. Thomas Aquinas as “angelic.” He was “moved to enroll him officially among the holy Doctors with the title of Angelic. Again, could there be any more manifest indication of the very high esteem in which this Doctor is held by the Church than the fact that the Fathers of Trent resolved that two volumes only, Holy Scripture and the Summa Theologica, should be reverently laid open on the altar during their deliberations?”

         d. Leo XIII-He revived the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas during his papacy. He relied heavily on Thomistic political principles. There was also the revival of scholastic philosophy and Thomism is both a methodological and substantive component of Catholic social teaching, including the principle of subsidiarity.

         e. Pius X- through his Motu Proprio Doctoris Angelici where the Pope said: “No true Catholic has ever ventured to call in question the opinion of the Angelic Doctor that: the regulation of studies is the special concern of the authority of the Holy See by which the universal Church is governed and the need is met by the establishment of Universities.” Pius X desired that seminarians be formed according to the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. “We have already discharged this great duty of Our office elsewhere, and more particularly on the 1st September, 1910, when in the Letter Sacrorum Antistitum, addressed to all Bishops and Superiors of Religious Orders duly charged with the duty of educating young men for the priesthood, We counselled them in the first place as follows: "So far as studies are concerned, it is Our will and We hereby explicitly ordain that the Scholastic philosophy be considered as the basis of sacred studies. . . . And what is of capital importance in prescribing that Scholastic philosophy is to be followed, We have in mind particularly the philosophy which has been transmitted to us by St. Thomas Aquinas.”

         f. Benedict XV- For Benedict XV, St. Thomas Aquinas should not only be the angelic doctor but the universal doctor of the Church. “he was entirely of the same opinion and he is to be praised for having promulgated the Code of Canon Law in which “the system, philosophy and principles of the Angelic Doctor” are unreservedly sanctioned. We so heartily approve the magnificent tribute of praise bestowed upon this most divine genius that We consider that Thomas should be called not only the Angelic, but also the Common or Universal Doctor of the Church; for the Church has adopted his philosophy for her own, as innumerable documents of every kind attest. It would be an endless task to explain here all the reasons which moved Our Predecessors in this respect, and it will be sufficient perhaps to point out that Thomas wrote under the inspiration of the supernatural spirit which animated his life and that his writings, which contain the principles of, and the laws governing, all sacred studies, must be said to possess a universal character.”

C. Relevance of Thomism with Theology and Philosophy

Pope Pius XI made some interesting reasons for the revival of Thomistic principles:

         a. Intimacy with God through intellectual and spiritual life. One of the reasons of Pius XI’s use of Thomistic principles is to remind the theologians the relationship between intellectual and spiritual life. He “he provides theologians with a striking example of the intimate connection which should exist between the spiritual and the intellectual life and he said that “the aim of the whole theology of St. Thomas is to bring us into close living intimacy with God” (Studiorum Ducem 12).  

         b. Perfection of the Mind- Pius XI reacted that the most important remedy to prevalent questions, the quest for truth, the study of God, virtues, the sacraments and “Again, discussing the causes of the sterility of such studies, namely curiosity, that is to say the unbridled desire for knowledge, indolence of mind, aversion from effort and lack of perseverance, he insists that there is no other remedy than zeal in work with the fervor of piety which derives from the life of the spirit. Sacred studies, therefore, being directed by a triple light, undeviating reason, infused faith and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, by which the mind is brought to perfection, no one ever was more generously endowed with these than Our Saint” (Studiorum Ducem 13).

         c. Wisdom and order of the Sciences- Pius XI exhorts us that St. Thomas Aquinas did not only encourage diversity of studies but he “also teaches us firm and enduring principles of each single science… It is the function of the wise man,” he declares, “to put things in order, because wisdom is primarily the perfection of reason and it is the characteristic of reason to know order; for although the sensitive faculties know some things absolutely, only the intellect or reason can know the relation one thing bears to another.” The sciences of reason bring us to the intimacy with God and the truth. 1) rational philosophy or logic, whose function is to consider the order of the parts of speech in their mutual relations and in relation to the conclusions which may be drawn from them; 2) It is for natural philosophy or physics to consider the order in things which human reason considers but does not itself institute, so that under natural philosophy we include also metaphysics. 3) order of voluntary acts is for the consideration of moral philosophy which is divided into three sections: the first considers the activities of the individual man in relation to their end and is called ‘monastics’; the second considers the activities of the family group or community and is called economics; the third considers the activities of the State and is called politics” (Studiorum Ducem 14).

         d. Power of the Human Mind- Pius XI said that when we speak of St. Thomas Aquinas, “the human mind has a natural knowledge of being and the things which are in themselves part of being as such, and this knowledge is the foundation of our knowledge of first principles” Such a doctrine goes to the root of the errors and opinions of those modern philosophers who maintain that it is not being itself which is perceived in the act of intellection, but some modification of the percipient; the logical consequence of such errors is agnosticism, which was so vigorously condemned in the Encyclical Pascendi” (Studiorum Ducem 15).

         e. The 5 Ways of Proving the Existence of God- The Ways to prove the existence of God remain a very important aspect of Catholic doctrine and philosophy. Pius XI described this: “The arguments adduced by St. Thomas to prove the existence of God and that God alone is subsisting Being Itself are still to-day, as they were in the Middle Ages, the most cogent of all arguments and clearly confirm that dogma of the Church which was solemnly proclaimed at the Vatican Council and succinctly expressed by Pius X as follows: “The certain knowledge of God as the first principle of creation and its end and demonstrable proof of His existence can be inferred, like the knowledge of a cause from its effect, by the light of the natural reason, from creation, that is to say the visible works of creation” (Motu Proprio Sacrorum Antistitum of the 1st September, 1910) (Studiorum Ducem 16).

         f. Relationship between Theology and Philosophy- Philosophy is undoubtedly a most noble science, but as things are not constituted by divine Providence, it must not be said to excel all others, because it does not embrace the whole universality of things. However, St. Thomas Aquinas “describes another order of things set above nature and eluding the grasp of reason, an order which man would never have suspected unless the divine goodness had revealed it to him. This is the region in which faith is supreme, and the science of faith is called Theology. Science of this kind will be all the more perfect in man in proportion as he is the better acquainted with the evidence for faith and has at the same time a more fully developed and trained faculty of philosophizing. There can be no doubt that Aquinas raised Theology to the highest eminence, for his knowledge of divine things was absolutely perfect and the power of his mind made him a marvelously capable philosopher.” This is the reason why he is called the “Prince of teachers” in our schools “ (Studiorum Ducem 17).