By Alex Gay, Publications Intern
Over the past few weeks, Thomas More College has welcomed the Class of 2030 to campus.
Their time at the College began with New Student Orientation. Students and faculty made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Fr. Sébastien Rale in Maine. Fr. Rale was a Jesuit missionary to the Abenaki Indians who was killed by militiamen. Fr. Jim Nadeau of Christ the King Parish (Bingham, Madison, and Skowhegan, Maine) celebrated Mass at the tomb and displayed artifacts from the site, including Fr. Rale’s host press and ornately woven baskets.
The following day, students and faculty explored the remote area around Mount Bigelow and Flagstaff Lake. Fr. Rale and his fellow missionaries would have traversed these areas on their route from Quebec City to the Abenaki tribes. Zoe Lucio-Stockwell ’30 appreciated that the trip was a unifying experience. “We were all going out of our way,” she said, “away from everyday tasks and distractions, not only to meet each other, but to do something together.”
Likewise, Emmet Hare ’30 remarked that the fourteen-mile hike up Mount Bigelow was a challenge that fostered a spirit of camaraderie between him and his new classmates. After completing the trail, “we went down to the lake and looked back at what we had just hiked,” he said. “It gave us such a feeling of achievement, and one that we shared with each other.” Between their shared struggle and “the peaceful beauty that set our minds at ease,” Mr. Hare said that Orientation prepared him well for the beginning of the academic year.
Since their return from Maine, the Class of 2030 has begun to settle into the College’s routine. Mr. Hare was drawn to TMC by the College’s focus on providing a liberal arts education. So far, Humanities I has stood out to him more than any other class. There, the Freshmen have been studying Homer’s Iliad under the guidance of Dr. William Fahey. “It’s like a breath of fresh air,” Mr. Hare commented. “It’s enjoyable and thought-provoking, even at the end of a long day.”
Miss Lucio-Stockwell remarked upon the College’s commitment to providing a truly personal education, saying that it was something that had set TMC apart when considering her options. “The College,” she explained, “has a certain intentionality about it: ‘We know what we are about,’ it seems to say, ‘and we would be happy to welcome you.’” The spirit of Christian fellowship, she continued, permeates not only the communal life but also the education of the College. “I noticed it during the Great Books Summer Program,” she said, “and I felt drawn by it.”
Another decisive factor for Miss Lucio-Stockwell was the Oath of Fidelity that the faculty makes each year. “It shows how seriously the College takes their Catholic faith,” she said, “and that was important to me.” Similarly, Mr. Hare was impressed by the centrality that the College gives to the sacraments: “It was an unexpected joy to discover that, every day before lunch, the College pauses everything to keep an open window for daily Mass. It has been very helpful,” he said, “in giving order to the whirlwind of my first few weeks of college.”
After the inauguration of the College’s new president, Dr. Matthew Walz, the College ceremoniously welcomed the new class into the community at Convocation on September 11, 2026. Called forward by the Dean, Dr. Denis Kitzinger, each student signed the College’s matriculation book and officially embarked upon their collegiate journey. The College looks forward to witnessing their growth over the coming years.
For further reading:
Matthew Walz Inaugurated as Fourth President of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
