Thomas of Villanova

Thomas of Villanova was born Tomás García y Martínez in 1488 in Fuenllana, Spain, to a miller father who regularly distributed food and provisions to the poor. Growing up in Villanueva de los Infantes in Ciudad Real province, Thomas demonstrated extraordinary charity from childhood, reportedly giving away his clothing to those in need despite his family's wealth. He studied arts and theology at the University of Alcalá de Henares, eventually becoming a professor there. In 1516, at age twenty-eight, he entered the Augustinian friars in Salamanca and was ordained a priest in 1518. Thomas gained wide renown as an eloquent and moving preacher in Salamanca, composing beautiful sermons including his famous Sermon on the Love of God. King Charles V is said to have exclaimed after hearing him: "This monsignor can move even the stones!" He served as royal court preacher in Valladolid and held important positions within the Augustinian order, including Prior Provincial for Andalusia and Castile. In 1533, he pioneered missionary work by sending the first Augustinian friars to Mexico. Though offered the position of Archbishop of Granada, he declined until his superior commanded him to accept the See of Valencia in 1544, at age fifty-six. As Archbishop of Valencia, Thomas undertook a pastoral reformation of the neglected archdiocese. He visited every parish personally, established educational institutions, founded the Presentation Seminary in 1550, and created a college for Moorish converts. Known as the "Father of the Poor," he distributed vast sums to the needy, multiplied food miraculously, and earned the admiration of people across all social classes. He died on September 8, 1555, after eleven years of service. Thomas was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1618 and canonized by Pope Alexander VII on November 1, 1658. His feast day is celebrated on September 22, and numerous institutions across the Americas, including Villanova University, bear his name as a testament to his enduring legacy.