St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was educated in Naples. He entered the Dominican Order in 1244 and devoted the rest of his life to comprehending God's Revelation through reason, contemplation, and prayer. In the course of a brilliant career, he preached widely throughout Europe and wrote over 100 volumes. St. Thomas died in 1274, was canonized in 1323, and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church in 1567.