Our NSTI Liturgical Customs Page

We at the New Saint Thomas Institute are a global community and we pray and celebrate the saints and liturgical cycle together. On this page, you’ll discover our special memorial days, learn about our special patron saints, and find prayers to them as you study Catholic theology:

Our NSTI Plan of Life

These are recommendations for all active Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute. These norms are not required, but we do encourage our Members to cultivate a daily plan of life and study.

5 Norms for Daily Life:

  1. Pray the Morning Offering as soon as your eyelids flip open.
  2. Read or listen to the Holy Bible for 5-30 minutes daily.
  3. Engage in Mental Prayer for at least 5 minutes per day. Mental Prayer is talking to God about your joys, fears, hopes, plans, and life in general. Set a timer for 5 minutes, get in a quiet place, and talk to God. Listen to Him.
  4. Recite the Angelus before lunch. Set the timer on your phone for “Angelus” at 11:55 am daily.
  5. Do a 1-minute Examination of Conscience on your knees every night before getting in bed using PALEGAS or another similar examen. Finish with the Act of Contrition.

If you are not aware of our NSTI Oxcart charity project, please visit here to learn more about our initiatives as a community.

4 Norms for Study:

  1. Pray: “Veni Sancte Spiritus” or “Come Holy Ghost,” and “Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us,” before beginning each video or lesson unit.
  2. Get to know our 3 NSTI patron saints (described below) and pray to them for help when you study.
  3. Commit to at least one NSTI video, lesson, post, or podcast per week. Choose a day/time for every week and schedule it.
  4. Choose a recommended book every month from the NSTI-recommended Lifetime Catholic Reading Plan. Many of the great theological books by the Saints are available in your NSTI Digital Library.

3 NSTI Patron Saints:

  1. Saint Thomas Aquinas
  2. Our Lady of Guadalupe
  3. Saint Justin Martyr

Our 3 NSTI Patron Saints

thomas-aquinas (3)Saint Thomas Aquinas. Our chief patron. We encourage all Members to pray “Saint Thomas, pray for us,” before beginning each lesson unit. The New Saint Thomas Institute is named after Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1880, Saint Thomas Aquinas was declared patron of all Catholic schools and educational establishments. The title Doctor Communis dates to the fourteenth century. His title Doctor Angelicus dates to the fifteenth century. His feast days are January 28 (New Calendar) and March 7 (Old Calendar).

NSTI Prayer to Saint Thomas Aquinas:

Almighty and Merciful God, you are the Prime Mover of all that moves, the infinite Creator of our finite creation, and the Lifegiver of all that lives, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary you chose Saint Thomas Aquinas to be the universal teacher of Catholic doctrine and the silent ox of divine contemplation. Through his intercession enlighten the intellect and heart of every member of the New Saint Thomas Institute and please grant me the favor that I request: ________________, through Christ our Lord.

PAINTING OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPEOur Lady of Guadalupe. The crown on the academic seal of the New Saint Thomas Institute signifies that Our Lady is our Queen and the Seat of Wisdom.

We are the New Saint Thomas Institute because we are using new technology to convert both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world. The conversion of millions through the visual medium of Saint Juan Diego’s miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is our sign to plant the Gospel throughout the world in new ways while retaining the ancient and apostolic orthodoxy of Holy Mother the Church.

NSTI Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe Exterminatrix:

Our Lady of Guadalupe you are the Exterminatrix of All Heresies and the Woman that crushes the serpent of sin. Sweet Mother, tenderly envelop the Members of the New Saint Thomas Institute, _______, and myself under your blue mantle of mercy. Holy Mother, grant to me a special grace to lead everyone I encounter into the Eucharistic embrace of Your beautiful Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

justin martyrSaint Justin the Martyr. Sometime around AD 130, Justin founded the first Catholic school in Rome for students of Catholic philosophy and theology. Saint Justin is our particular patron for NSTI Members studying Catholic Apologetics. The Romans arrested Justin along with his students around the year AD 165. His love for the true philosophy of Jesus Christ led Justin and his students to the glorious crown of martyrdom. Saint Justin Martyr demonstrates that faith leads to works. Apologetics isn’t merely a mental exercise but may include a supernatural vocation to martyrdom. Moreover, Saint Justin is an example for laymen to study Catholic theology and philosophy.

NSTI Prayer to Saint Justin Martyr:

Almighty and Merciful God, you are the Author of nature and the Teacher of all nations, through the intercession of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, you chose Saint Justin of Rome to become a worthy instructor of the Wisdom of Christ against the folly of false philosophy. As you once chose Justin, so also choose me as a teacher of truth and a defender of the teachings of Christ and His Apostles, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our 7 NSTI Feast Days

January 28: Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas (New Calendar post-1968). Saint Thomas’ remains were transferred to the Church of the Jacobins in Toulouse on January 28, 1369.

March 7: Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Old Calendar pre-1968). Saint Thomas died on March 7, 1274 while listening to monks recite the Canticle of Canticles.

April 14: Old Feast of Saint Justin the Martyr, our patron saint for those studying Apologetics. The feast in the Roman Rite was held on April 14 (the day after his martyrdom on April 13), but since this date often fell within Easter, it was moved in the 1968 Roman Rite’s calendar reform to the Byzantine date of June 1.

June 1: New Feast of Saint Justin the Martyr, our patron saint for those studying Apologetics. The feast in the Roman Rite was held on April 14 (the day after his martyrdom on April 13), but since this date often fell within Easter, it was moved in the 1968 Roman Rite’s calendar reform to the Byzantine date of June 1.

July 18: Canonization anniversary of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Pope John XXII canonized Thomas Aquinas on July 18 1323, just 59 years after his death.

October 7: Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the anniversary of the founding of the New Saint Thomas Institute by Dr. Taylor Marshall on October 7, 2013.

December 12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.