LAY STUDENT RYAN FRANCK
RECEIVES 2018 PRITZL SCHOLARSHIP
“One thing that makes the
PFIC unique is the clear, well
thought-out class structure;
the entire program aims at a
systematic investigation of
Thomas’ thought.”
Thomas’ thought. There is a coherent whole. And
the generosity of the Pritzl Scholarship made my
matriculation possible.
Pritzl Scholarship winner Ryan Franck with PFIC
President Fr. John Langlois, O.P.
Ryan Franck is the recipient of the Fr. Kurt
Pritzl, O.P., Scholarship for Lay Students, which
provides financial aid to qualified lay students
in the Master of Arts in Theology program.
Tell us about your interest in St. Thomas Aquinas.
As an undergraduate at the University of St.
Thomas in Minnesota, I actually very much disliked
Thomas Aquinas – I really didn’t understand his
theological format (the so-called questio form),
and thought him quite inaccessible/dry. But the
more philosophy classes I took, coupled with
the subtle realization of what exactly Aquinas’
“project” was all about, the more I became aware
of how privileged the Church is just by having the
Angelic Doctor.
What you do like about studying here?
One thing that makes the PFIC unique is the
clear, well thought-out class structure; the entire
program aims at a systematic investigation of
Faith & Reason - Volume V, Issue II
The PFIC also presents the opportunity to be a
lay student with classmates who are religious,
sometimes priests. My Dominican classmates
and those of other religious orders clearly draw
from their own unique encounters living their
perspective Rules of Life. My fellow lay students
and I equally bring something unique, and we
have certainly formed a community all our own.
What are your plans after you graduate?
The PFIC is preparing me for a future career in
academics. I really enjoy making technical and
complicated things accessible to those trying
to understand. As a student, I have noticed the
strange and mysterious characteristic that
teachers possess in planting the “germ” of an
idea, and then never seeing it grow into a whole,
lifelong endeavor. I would like, in my own small
way, to do something similar.
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To donate to the Pritzl
Scholarship, visit dhs.
edu/donate and choose
Designation “Scholarships
for Other Students.”
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