THOMAS MORE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
Faith & Reason Scholarship Competition 2023

In his Motu Proprio declaring St. Thomas More Patron of Statesmen and Politicians, Pope St. John Paul II observed:

Whenever men or women heed the call of truth, their conscience then guides their actions reliably towards good. Precisely because of the witness which he bore, even at the price of his life, to the primacy of truth over power, Saint Thomas More is venerated as an imperishable example of moral integrity.

To a student of the Great Books of Western Civilization, the martyrdom of St. Thomas More recalls the condemnation of Socrates, a pre-Christian witness to “the primacy of truth over power.”

Like More, Socrates fulfilled his civic duties. Like More he combined his public service with even greater dedication to reflection, conversation, and philosophy. And like More, he was finally condemned by his fellow citizens for failing in his duties as a citizen. In his defense, Socrates argued that, far from being a threat to the city, the life he led—a life of examining himself and others—was the greatest service to it.

In proclaiming St. Thomas More Patron of Statesmen and Politicians, St. John Paul was responding to “the need felt by the world of politics and public administration for credible role models able to indicate the path of truth at a time in history when difficult challenges and crucial responsibilities are increasing.” In the same spirit, I am pleased to announce the 2023 Faith & Reason Scholarship Essay Contest. Applicants are invited to consider Plato’s Apology of Socrates and to submit an essay of 3 to 4 pages in answer to the question: Was Socrates a good citizen? If so, how and why so? If not, how and why not?

Essays must be submitted by January 1st.

In Christo Rege

William Edmund Fahey, Ph.D.
President