St. Thomas philosophy professor Gloria Frost speaks to a crowd at an “800 Years of St. Thomas Aquinas” event. Frost was the first St. Thomas professor to be appointed to be appointed to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas in May 2024. (David Hyunh/The Crest) 
Students, faculty and alumni watch professor Gloria Frost talk about her involvement of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. (David Hyunh/The Crest)
St. Thomas philosophy professor Gloria Frost was recently celebrated at “800 Years of St. Thomas Aquinas,” an event that paid tribute to her status as the first St. Thomas professor appointed into the Vatican Pontifical Academy on Oct. 28 in Iverson Center for Faith.
Frost is only the fifth woman to be inducted into the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. She was inducted in May 2024.
“There was one other scholar appointed in the year that I was, and she is also a woman as well, so I think the fact that they appointed two women this past year shows that they want to involve women in this project as well,” Frost said.
The academy, founded in 1879, is a group of 50 scholars from around the world in the fields of philosophy and theology who are charged with helping the church interpret the ideas of St.Thomas Aquinas.
Frost praised all the scholars before her who opened up the opportunity for her to hold her position in the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.
“I’m very grateful for all the other women and people before me who’ve kind of been part of some of the changes that have had to happen for me to have this opportunity for sure,” Frost said.
As the first St. Thomas professor to earn this honor, Frost acknowledged the university as a place where she can let her knowledge of Aquinas shine.
“It is personally meaningful to be at the university that values Aquinas and is named for Aquinas, and also just a Catholic University where I have the freedom to do the sort of thing that Aquinas did in his project to integrate faith and reason,” Frost said.
One of Frost’s medieval philosophy students, junior Abby Elfner, commended Frost for her knowledge and way of teaching.
“Dr. Frost is by far one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable professors I have ever had in my time at St. Thomas, it is so clear how much she cares about the work she researches and teaches; she really knows Aquinas’ thought so to hear she is apart of such academia like the pontifical academy is so wonderful because if anyone deserves it, it’s her,” Elfner said.
Frost also highlighted that her appointment shows more than just her accomplishments; it also proves the excellent work that the university’s philosophy department is doing in Aquinas’ honor.
“Now, having a professor from St. Thomas on the academy, I think, is a recognition of our whole university, and especially the philosophy department’s excellence for this area of study on Aquinas’ thought,” Frost said.
During her time in undergraduate school at the Catholic University of America, Frost enrolled in a philosophy course about Aquinas taught by the Rev. John Whipple, a man who would change the outcome of the rest of her scholarly life.
“He was one of the greatest scholars in the world for Aquinas’ thought, and he had this really carefully designed two-semester introduction to the metaphysical thought of Aquinas,” Frost said.
Whipple, who was also on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, died last year. Frost said that her spot in the academy today feels like a full circle moment from the time she was learning under Father Whipple.
“Father Whipple’s classes were really foundational for me learning Aquinas’ thought,” Frost said. “It’s almost like following in his footsteps to be on this academy that he was such a big part of.”
Now, Frost, as a philosophy professor, wants to incorporate the same ideas she was taught in college and encourages her students to learn the truths of Aquinas’ thoughts and use them as a guide.
“Aquinas is a model truth seeker, and college is a really unique time in your life as a student where you have so much time to devote to studying and learning truths,” Frost said. “Aquinas is a very good guide for doing that.”
Frost reiterated that St. Thomas and its community are an outlet that allows her to continue to do what she loves and presents the opportunity to give others her insight into her knowledge of Aquinas.
“There’s a whole community at St. Thomas of students and faculty who really want to integrate faith and reason, and so it’s really valuable for me as a scholar and meaningful as a scholar of Aquinas, to be able to be in a community where people specifically care about the project of Aquinas,” Frost said.
Livy Dunlap can be reached at dunl3109@stthomas.edu.