Deepertruth: Stand in the Gap with us and Saint Thomas of Villanova

Stand in the Gap with us and Saint Thomas of Villanova 9/10/2023

Thomas composed beautiful sermons, among which stands out the Sermon on the Love of God, one of the great examples of sacred oratory of the 16th century

He began his episcopacy by visiting every parish in the Archdiocese to discover what the needs of the people were.

He wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself. The canons and domestics were ashamed of him, but they could not convince him to change. Several hundred poor came to Thomas’s door each morning and received a meal, wine, and money.

When criticized because he was at times being taken advantage of, he replied, “If there are people who refuse to work, that is for the governor and the police to deal with. My duty is to assist and relieve those who come to my door.” He took in orphans and paid his servants for every deserted child they brought to him. Thomas of Villanova (1486-1555) was known for his promotion of studies and missions in the Order of Saint Augustine, and for his love and care for the poor. Thomas García Martínez was born in 1486 in Fuenllana, Ciudad Real, Spain. He spent his childhood in the family home in Villanova de los Infantes.

Saint Thomas of Villanova is a Spanish friar who is celebrated by the Augustinians on his feast day, October 10. He is the patron saint of Villanova University, an Augustinian school named one of the Top 50 of the Nation's Best Colleges and Universities by U.S. News & World Report.