Saint Thomas Aquinas Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Students & Scholars

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students and Scholars

Thomas was born around 1225 near Aquino, in what is now Italy, the son of a count. Sent to the Benedictines at Monte Cassino at five, he was expected to rise through that order and perhaps become abbot himself. Instead, at nineteen, he announced he wanted to join the Dominicans, a newer order committed to poverty and preaching rather than the settled life his family had planned for him. His mother had him seized by his own brothers and held for close to two years in the family castle, where by some accounts they even sent a woman to tempt him from his vow of chastity. He held to his decision and was eventually released. As a student he was so quiet that classmates nicknamed him the Dumb Ox, until his teacher Albertus Magnus is said to have remarked that his bellowing would one day be heard across the world. He went on to write the Summa Theologiae, one of the most influential works of Christian theology, and to teach in Paris and across Italy until his death in 1274. Tradition holds that a sun appeared to him in a vision, later becoming his emblem for the way his teaching illuminated the Church, and that a dove near his ear signified the divine inspiration behind his writing. This medal is worn by men and women alike.

A Gift For...

• Students, graduate students, and anyone defending a thesis or dissertation
• Teachers, professors, and academics at Catholic schools and universities
• Philosophy and theology majors
• Someone who thinks their way toward faith rather than feeling their way toward it
• A graduation gift for high school, college, or an advanced degree
• Writers, publishers, and booksellers

A Confirmation Gift for Thomas

Engrave "Veritas" (Latin for "truth") on the first line and the confirmation date on the second. Thomas suits a confirmand who asks hard questions and wants a saint who spent his whole life answering them rather than avoiding them.

The Saint Thomas Aquinas Medal

Saint Thomas Aquinas is shown half-length in a hooded habit, a radiant sun on his chest, an open book in one hand, his other hand raised in a teaching gesture, with a dove near his head and a border of floral scrollwork. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.

Personalization and Engraving

The reverse can be engraved in Tangerine cursive, up to 2 lines of 20 characters each. Some ideas:

• "Veritas" / a graduation year
• "Class of 2027" / a degree or major
• "Seek truth" / a thesis defense date
• A school name / "Doctor of the Church"

Saint Thomas Aquinas's feast day is January 28. He was declared a Doctor of the Church, a title given to theologians whose writing has shaped the whole Church's understanding of the faith, and his Summa Theologiae is still studied in seminaries and universities today.

Related Devotions for Scholars and Seekers of Truth

• Saint Albert the Great Medal: Aquinas's own teacher, patron of scientists and a fellow Dominican who first recognized his student's genius.
• Saint Jerome Medal: another scholar-saint, known for his translation work and fierce devotion to getting the text right.
• Saint Catherine of Alexandria Medal: patron of students and philosophers, for a female counterpart in the same intellectual tradition.
• Graduation Gifts for Students & Scholars: browse the full collection, including fellow scholar-saints Albert the Great and Catherine of Alexandria.