Instaurare | Winter 2002 by Christendom College

NSTAURARE

INSTAURARE

The Christendom College Update Instaurare (vt. to restore, strengthen, renew)

December 2002 Volume X, Number IV

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

Semester in Rome page 3

A History of Christendom College pages 4-5

Vocations Day 2002 page 7

Bringing Light to the Darkness – page 2 Financial Blessings & Challenges – page 6 The Clash of Orthodoxies – page 6 Confessions of a City Priest – page 7

Celebrating Twenty-Five Years

Christendom College began celebrating its 25th Anniversary year with many festivities over the weekend of September 13-15, 2002. From its modest beginnings with 26 students and five faculty members in rented buildings, Christendom College has grown to include over 350 undergraduate students, 180 graduate students, more than 40 faculty members, and three campuses. On September 13, the College community gathered in the Crusader Memorial Gymnasium to attend an Academic Convocation. Jan Cardinal Schotte, Secretary General to the World Synod of Bishops, received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, and US Ambassador to the Vatican James Nicholson was awarded the College’s Pro Deo et Patria Medal for Distinguished Service to God and Country. “Over the years, it has been a pleasure to have followed the growth and development of At the College’s 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Dance on September 14, Jan Christendom College, by reputation from its Cardinal Schotte speaks with Mother Assumpta Long and US Ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson. Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas is in the background.

see ANNIVERSARY, page 3

Christendom Ranks Tops Among Colleges

Christendom College’s ranking in the 2003 edition of US News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” issue marks the fourth consecutive year that Christendom has been found to be one of the best 217 Liberal Arts colleges in the US. And for the third consecutive year Christendom College ranked first among all Catholic national liberal arts colleges in America in the category of “least debt incurred by its graduates.” The study revealed that the average debt incurred among the 76% of Christendom graduates who acquired student loans was $8,000. The amount of debt that students accumulated from educational loans at national liberal arts colleges throughout the country reached as high as $24,448 at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In addition to being recognized in the category of “least debt,” US News ranked Christendom first in its tier in the area of SAT scores amongst incoming freshmen (1110-1350), first in graduation rates, and third in freshmen retention.

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Christendom’s Board of Directors Elects New Members

Fall Play: Fiddler on the Roof – page 8 At the annual fall meeting of Christendom’s Board of Directors, three long-time Board members announced their retirement, and five new members were elected. Leaving the Board of Directors are Christopher N. Cuddeback, Thomas I. Baldwin, and Philip T. Crotty. Joining the Board are Claire Huang, Richard Esposito, David Vicinanzo, Marjorie Teetor, and Robert Crnkovich. Claire Huang is the Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for American Express Financial Advisors. Prior to joining AEFA, Huang was the Worldwide Head of Marketing for the American Express Travelers Cheques Group; Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Wise Foods; Vice President of Marketing, North America, at The Haagen-Dazs Company; and Director of Marketing at Mott’s USA. Richard Esposito is a graduate of Fordham University in New York and is the Senior Vice President of Weiss Peck and Greer, New York, NY. Esposito had been Vice President for The Bank of New York, a chartered financial consultant, a district supervisor for Striano Financial Group, and manager of sales development for Revlon, Inc. He and his wife are the proud parents of five homeschooled boys. David Vicinanzo is a trial lawyer and a partner in the Boston and New Hampshire offices of Nixon Peabody LLP, one of the largest law firms in the country. Before joining Nixon Peabody, Vicinanzo was a highly regarded federal prosecutor for 13 years. Vicinanzo serves as General Counsel to the New Hampshire Republican Party, and is a member of the Party Platform Committee. He is also an appointed member of the Federal Court Advisory Committee and the Federal Rules Comsee CHANGES, page 6 Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1112 Merrifield, Virginia

INSTAURARE, December 2002

Lighting a Flame in the Darkness

It was the year 1968, a year of wide spread dissent and open rebellion against the Church’s Magisterium. Many people were leaving the Church. Dr. Warren Carroll, responding to God’s grace, decides to come in. What a gift! We salute you dear Warren, our Dr. Carroll, for saying “yes” to the grace God gave you to become a Roman Catholic and found Christendom College. This is a night for gratitude. How far we have come since 1968 and the chaos of the 70’s, particularly with this glorious pontificate which commenced on a warm, clear October evening in Rome in 1978. Our beloved Holy Father has given nearly 25 years of teaching and pilgrimage all over God’s earth, pouring himself out, strengthening the brethren. Throughout his pontificate he has been guiding the authentic implementation of the Second Vatican Council in giving us that sure guide, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Now apparently in the winter of his pontificate, he continues to speak of the new springtime. He is certainly the most recognized man on earth. His life and body contain much of the history of the troubled 20th Century just ended. In an era obsessed with eternal youth and good looks, he came to Toronto barely able to walk, body racked with pain, laboring to speak, struggling at times to lift a drooping head, periodically wiping his drooling mouth. But in his weakness and frailty he rallied. He rallied and became a living embodiment of what it means to live the Faith, to make commitments and keep them out of a deep, deep love for Jesus Christ. He came, we saw, and Christ conquered. What a man he is! What a priest! From that first night in Rome until today, his message has been the same. “Non abbiate paura! Non abbiate paura,” he cried out. “Be not afraid, open wide the doors to Christ.” He exhorts us to swim against the secular tide, to have the courage of faith and put on Jesus Christ, to be counter cultural.

Timothy T. O’Donnell

Despite the scandals rocking our Church, how many of our shepherds are doing good and faithful work? Let us thank Cardinal Schotte as he celebrates 50 years of priesthood in faithful service to the Holy See. Your Eminence, we salute you this evening. We salute Archbishop O’Brien, who serves our men and women in uniform; Bishop Morlino, who steadfastly and faithfully serves the good people of Helena, Montana; Bishop Welsh, who poured out his life in years of service to his flock. And how could we fail to mention our own shepherd, Bishop Paul Loverde, particularly for his constant, courageous witness in his teaching and in his presence to the sanctity of human life. May God bless you all. As I look out, I see so many good and faithful men

On the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady Sunday, March 9, 2003, join us for the

11th Annualof thePatronal Feast Notre Dame Graduate School Keynote by Rev. William P. Saunders for invitation information please contact the Development Office at (800) 877-5456 ext. 255

wearing Roman collars. I would like to express tonight, on behalf of all here present, our heartfelt gratitude to all the good priests here tonight. I would like to thank them for reconciling us to God as His ambassadors in the sacrament of reconciliation, that glorious reality, that mysterious manifestation of Christ’s merciful love. I would like to thank them for feeding us with God’s Word and above all else for giving us His Precious Body and Blood. Without you we would starve to death. Thank you for saying “yes,” and for following and loving Jesus. In a special way I would also like to honor all those present who have followed our Lord in the consecrated and religious life. Your witness is so beautiful as an eschatological sign to all of us to live for eternity and to have a holy desire for heaven! We are engaged in a great war between what our Holy Father has called a culture of life and a culture of death. A battle is raging for the soul of our beloved nation. Will it follow the way of life enshrined in our Judeo-Christian tradition? Or will it follow the way of Baal in the culture of death? Our young people need heroes who serve our nation faithfully and heroically and are not ashamed of being Catholic; individuals who bring the Faith to bear on everything they do. God bless Ambassador Nicholson for his faithful service to God and our country. Mr. Ambassador, we are delighted to have you with us this evening.

the new millennium. We are, thanks to God’s grace, an integral part of the new evangelization. We are educating students to know their past, for if you don’t know the past, you cannot know the present! They know the past to help them to act on the present in order to help build the future. We are forming students who know who they are, and what our Lord expects of them as believing, committed Roman Catholics. May our Lord bless abundantly the parents and the benefactors here tonight, and those who could not come. May He bless every member of our distinguished faculty and staff who have made this authentic, Catholic education possible. As we look to the future with a confidence given to us by our Faith, as exemplified by the launching of our Rome program next week, let us recommit ourselves tonight, as faithful Roman Catholics, to stand with our crucified King Who beckons us to His side, to battle against evil, and win the hearts of men for whom He died. Let us stand in our academic apostolate with our Holy Father against the culture and forces of death, against the effort to demoralize the world. Let us defend the dignity of the human person, made in the image and likeness of God. Let us stand in defense of the whole truth about God, man, and the created order. Defending the truth, we must defend the life of the mind, and the freedom of the will in its ability to pursue the true, the good, and the beautiful. Let us again affirm that there are objective truths, norms and standards which the mind can know. Tonight let us together pledge to hand on the torch of Christian wisdom to a new generation, defending the Christian order of things. Our Lord cried out, “take courage it is I!” and just before His death, “Fear not, for I have overcome the world.” “Be not afraid” is the loving cry of His vicar on earth. Filled with the confidence and love which comes from the certitude of our Faith, let us cry out with Montalembert, “we are the successors of martyrs, and tremble not before the successors of Julian the Apostate. We are the sons of the crusaders and will not retreat before the sons of Voltaire.” Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

We are forming students who know who they are, and what our Lord expects of them as believing, committed Roman

In Novo Millennio Ineunte our Holy Father challenges us all to duc in altum, to “put out into the deep.” Tonight, again following our Holy Father’s inspired leadership, we seek to “start afresh from Christ.” As outlined by Pope John Paul II, holiness must be the ground of all we do. Beginning with prayer, strengthened by the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, we must always acknowledge the primacy of grace which makes Christianity unique among the religions of the world. We then must listen intently to God’s Word and lastly, courageously proclaim that Word to all of our brothers and sisters. As our Holy Father teaches, we cannot today settle for a life of mediocrity; rather we must strive for what he calls “the high standard of ordinary Christian living.”

Catholics.

In 1977, rather than cursing the darkness, Dr. Carroll and the founding faculty - Raymund O’Herron, Kris Burns, William Marshner and Jeffrey Mirus, all of whom are here tonight - decided to light a candle, to build an authentically Catholic college, proud of the name. That candle has today become a strong flame. They unfurled the banner of Christ the King, and stood on the field of battle with their crucified Savior, pledging their loyalty to His vicar on earth, and the teaching of His bride, the Church. An education rooted in reality, using the two Divine gifts of faith and reason to be open to and grasp “the whole truth about man, the sovereignty of God, and the created order which comes from His hand,” – an education directed toward the acquisition of, and the living out of, the true, the good and the beautiful. “The tree is known by its fruit.” The vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the marriages and families that have sprung up from this work, along with the lives that have been touched by our alumni all over this nation and world, serve as living testimonies to the goodness of the tree. Thanks be to God! We are educating future leaders for our Church and nation in

Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KCeHS, is the President of Christendom College. This address was delivered to those in attendance at Christendom’s 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Dance at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA, on September 14, 2002.

Published quarterly by the Christendom College Development Office. Managing Editor, Layout, Design: Tom McFadden Copy Editor: Kathleen Blum Photos: Tom McFadden, Cindy Rodney, Ken Furlong Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 (800) 877-5456 ~ www.christendom.edu

INSTAURARE, December 2002

Christendom’s Rome Program Students Are Immersed in Art and Culture For thirty Christendom College juniors, fall semester 2002 will likely be a highlight of their time at Christendom. Being the first Christendom students to take part in the newly initiated Semester in Rome Program, they will have the first of many stories and adventures about studying in the Eternal City. The students spend each morning, from 8:15 a.m. to noon, in class. They are taking Christendom’s core curriculum classes of theology, philosophy, and English literature, and are studying art and architecture and Italian as electives. When not in class or in the study hall, the students are able to take advantage of their surroundings and immerse themselves in the history and culture of Italy. Program Director, Rev. Anthony Mastroeni, has led student trips to the tomb of St. Maria Goretti; to the Gothic Basilica in the town of Orvieto; to the Abbey

of Montecassino which was founded by St. Benedict in 529; and to Santa Maria della Concezione, fittingly called the “Bone Church,” on the feast of All Souls. (The Capuchins have a cemetery in the crypt of their church with is decorated with bones of faithfully departed.) Additionally, the Christendom community attended the canonization of Jose Maria Escriva; heard Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran on the special feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran; and visited the Gesu and the rooms of Raphael in the Vatican Museum with a guided tour of the premises by well-known art historian and expert Dr. Breda Innis. From October 14-20, the Rome Program moved to Florence. While there, the students visited the nearby Baptistery of St. John the Baptist; the Basilica of San Lorenzo; the Cathedral of Florence; the Basilica of Santa Croce; the Uffizi; and the monastery of San Marco,

ANNIVERSARY... foundation and in more recent years through various visits and continued contact,” began His Eminence. “When on May 15, 1993, you awarded me the Pro Deo et Patria Pro Deo et Patria recipient James Nicholson Medal, I felt (US Ambassador to the Vatican) with his that my bonding wife Suzanne. with Christendom College was solidly certified. Today’s academic honor places me even more in your debt.” The Cardinal explained that in an effort to stay current and compete with the secular universities, many Catholic colleges are failing to fulfill their Catholic mission and are losing their identities. “As an honorary doctor of Christendom College, I pledge you my prayers for the enduring fidelity of your institution to its Catholic identity and mission. Wear that badge proudly and strive always Tom McFadden, Christendom’s College Rela- to share its savtions Officer, and Emcee, Raymond Arroyo. ing message, all for the glory of Almighty God,” concluded Cardinal Schotte. Following this address, Ambassador Nicholson was awarded the Pro Deo et Patria Medal by Dr. O’Donnell. “It makes me very proud to receive this award from you because I now know who you are and what you stand for,” said Ambassador Nicholson. The highlight of the celebration weekend was the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Benefit Gala Dinner Dance held at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA,

Bishop Robert Morlino (right) speaks with Cardinal Schotte and Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde.

which houses the incorrupt body of St. Antoninus. The students also travelled to Siena – where they saw the head of St. Catherine – and Assisi. As is the nature of Christendom students, they have formed a choir, under the direction of student Dominic Luckey. They have already sung at a number of Masses in Rome, including one celebrated by Bishop Robert Morlino of Helena, MT, in the Crypt of St. Peter’s. Fr. Mastroeni has even written to the Vatican in the hope of having the Christendom choir sing at one of the Pope’s private Masses. On a number of different occasions, the students have been given long weekends so that they might travel to other cities or even other countries. One student was able to visit her brother in Poland, while others purchased EuroPasses and traveled to France and Austria. Continued from Page 1

on Christendom’s actual anniversary date, September 14. The event was attended by an astonishing 560 of Christendom’s friends, faculty, staff, and students. Warren Carroll, Kristin Dr. Warren Carroll, College Founder. Burns, Jeffrey Mirus, Raymund O’Herron, and William Marshner, the original five founding faculty members, attended as did many of the founding board members and benefactors. Dr. Damian Fedoryka, the College’s second president, and his wife Irene were also present for the evening. Although not in attendance that evening, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, served as the Chairman of the Honorary Dinner Committee. Emceed by EWTN news anchor Raymond Arroyo, the evening included a video presentation of the history of Christendom College. Board Chairman Donna Bethell, Founding President Warren Carroll, Jan Cardinal Schotte, Ambassador Nicholson, and College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell all made remarks. Anniversary congratulations had flowed in to the College and two particularly prized letters were read that evening. Ambassador Nicholson Class President, Johnny Sower, tickles pleased his hearers Senior the ivories at the Gala Dinner Dance. with a letter from President George W. Bush. Then Cardinal Schotte read a telegram from the Holy Father in which His Holiness bestowed the Apostolic Blessing on the College.

Christendom’s Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Donna F. Bethell, with Jan Cardinal Schotte.

dedication and selfless activity have seen to it that they have been a source of good, like leaven in the dough, not simply in the College community but in the Church and the world. In relation to others, the individual cannot be isolated from the future, for all our actions and failings leave a trace in the life of others and in society as well as in the Church.” The weekend concluded with a spectacular fireworks display and a dance at the College, featuring a seventeen-piece swing orchestra. Christendom students John Paul Schafer, Matt Akers, Louis Massett, and Daniel McGuire.

All guests received gift bags which included a bottle of wine with a Christendom label and a commemorative etched wine glass; two books published by Christendom Press; and a Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Commemorative Book that included a history of the College, quotations from the founding faculty, and many letters of endorsement and congratulations from such dignitaries as Cardinals Ratzinger, George, Bevilacqua, McCarrick, and Stafford. On Sunday morning, Jan Cardinal Schotte celebrated a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving at the College’s Chapel of Christ the King during which he told the congregation that “on this Silver Anniversary of Christendom College, our thoughts turn to the legacy of the founders, staff members, benefactors and alumni who through their

Christendom students having a swingin’ good time at the 25th Anniversary dance held at the College at the end of the weekend.

25th ANNIVERSARY

1977

A HISTORY OF CH

The Founding of Christendom College

Christendom College is a unique educational institution. Its purpose of imparting an authentic Christian education with emphasis on preparing the laity for their apostolic duties in modern society distinguishes it from the majority of colleges existing today. The story of how the College came to be is no less unique. December 1965 brought the close of the Second Vatican Council. Many in the Church were using the Council to promote all manner of heterodox teaching. September 1966: enter Triumph magazine, a plucky Catholic monthly of uncompromising orthodoxy. Founded by L. Brent Bozell and Frederick Wilhelmsen Bishop Thomas J. Welsh was the first Bishop of the Diocese of of the University of Dallas, Arlington, which was established by Pope Paul VI in 1974. Bishop Triumph sought to fill the Welsh strongly supported and encouraged Dr. Warren Carroll in need for a truly Catholic the founding of Christendom College. journal of opinion in the United States. Its editorial policy placed emphasis on bringing Christ’s message to bear on the public order. Triumph counted among its contributors some of the finest Catholic intellectuals of the time: men like Sir Arnold Lunn, Charles Cardinal Journet, and Christopher Dawson. It was a journal of considerable intellectual acumen and moxie. In 1973, Warren Carroll, holding a Columbia University Ph.D. in history, became a contributor to Triumph magazine. That same year Dr. Carroll took charge of the Christian Commonwealth Institute, an educational program held in Spain. The Institute as well as Triumph magazine and a speaker’s bureau were sponsored by an umbrella organization, the Society for the Christian Commonwealth. Held at San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the Institute offered students a chance to study and experience the achievement of Christian culture first-hand. The palace of Escorial was a perfect setting for this kind of study. Built during the reign of Philip II, the complex includes, in addition to the palace and monastery, a college, a royal mausoleum, a basilica, and a small town. It embodies the triumphant Catholic culture of 16th century Spain.

The founders of Christendom spent a great deal of time planning the College: Dr. Onalee McGraw (left), Dr. Warren Carroll, Dr. William Marshner, Mr. Raymund O’Herron, and Mrs. Anne Carroll.

Designed for families, courses were offered for adults, teens, and grade schoolers. The program was held at an AFL-CIO labor camp located in the Shenandoah Valley. William Doherty, the supervisor of the camp, made it available to Catholic groups during the off-months at a very low cost. Dr. Carroll helped to organize the program and taught some of the courses, although at the time he had no idea the camp would one day be the site of the College he would later found. After Triumph folded, Warren Carroll began seriously considering starting a four-year liberal arts college. There had been a consensus at Triumph that a more extensive educational effort than the S.C.C. was needed, but plans had never gone beyond a one-year institute. In the Fall of 1975, Dr. Carroll decided to go ahead with his plans for a college and began looking for support. He appealed to former Triumph subscribers and those who had attended the program in Spain. Then Miss Regina Graham, a former C.C.I. student, sent $5,000. Two more contributions for the same amount followed.

The Founders of Christendom Dr. Warren H. Carroll

Dr. Jeffrey A. Mirus

Convinced by these and other donations that he had enough support, Dr. Carroll began looking for teachers. Using the contacts he had developed while working for Triumph and the C.C.I., he gathered four more members for his founding team: Kristin Popik Burns, Raymund P. O’Herron, Jeffrey A. Mirus, and William H. Marshner.

With these five teachers, a great deal of faith, and a minimum of material Mr. Raymund P. O’Herron Dr. William H. Marshner Dr. Kristin Popik Burns Those attending the Institute learned resources Christendom College began the joys of living as the Spanish do, in the Fall of 1977. In fact, when the with a siesta each afternoon and plenty of time for leisurely reflection. Once a week College opened its doors in Triangle, VA, on September 14, 1977, it had only $50,000 students went on day trips to nearby sites of interest, such as the town of Avila and in the bank and twenty-six students enrolled. By the spring of that year, the College’s the ‘Valley of the Fallen’. Surrounded by this living Catholic culture, students received first Board of Directors was formed: Dr. Sean O’Reilly, Dr. Onalee McGraw (both instruction in Philosophy, Theology, and other disciplines. Teachers came from all Triumph readers), founding faculty member Dr. Jeffrey Mirus, Mrs. Anne Carroll, parts of Europe and America, many being contributors to Triumph. Along with and Dr. Warren Carroll. After Christendom’s second year in Triangle, the College their growth in wisdom and culture, students were encouraged to grow spiritually. found the campus in Front Royal which Spiritual direction from a priest/faculty member, daily Mass and weekly Benediction it currently occupies, and moved locawere all available. tions in the Fall of 1979. The integrated philosophy of education that informs Christendom College grew directly out of these summer sessions in Spain. Dr. Carroll continued his role as director of the Christian Commonwealth Institute until 1975. But by 1975 Triumph and the Society for the Christian Commonwealth were experiencing serious financial difficulties. In July of that year the last issue of Triumph was published. The last Institute in Spain under the direction of the Society for the Christian Commonwealth was held in July and August. In September the Society for the Christian Commonwealth also sponIn 1979, the College moved to its current campus, overlooking the Shenandoah River, located just outside the historic town of Front sored its last educational program in this country. Royal, VA.

If any members of the first Christendom classes were expecting luxurious accommodations, they certainly did not find them. What they found, however, was something much better, something unique: a liberal arts education of high academic quality that was thoroughly, and unashamedly, Catholic.

Fr. Cornelius O’Brien, currently Pastor of St. James Parish in Falls Church, VA, served as the Diocesan College Chaplain from 1977-2001.

HRISTENDOM

2002

25th ANNIVERSARY

The Building of Christendom College The Glory of Christendom College When Christendom College first came to its location in Front Royal there were but four buildings on the property: an old hunting lodge, a barn, a motel style building, and another small building. Today, the College has eighteen buildings on its campus. Under the leadership of Dr. Carroll, in 1982 the first new building was added to the campus: St. Edmund Campion Hall, a women’s dormitory. Also during that time, the College was able to purchase four residential houses across the street from the main campus. These houses were and are used for student dormitories and priest residences. Under the presidency of Dr. Damian Fedoryka, Blessed Margaret of Castello women’s dormitory was completed in 1988, as was McCarty Hall, the student recreation building. Additionally, due to the growing student body at the time, the Chapel was extended and an addition was added to the O’Reilly Memorial Library. In 1989, the first of the new men’s dormitories was built, St. Joseph Hall. Since 1992, under Dr. Timothy O’Donnell’s administration, the College Dr. Damian P. Fedoryka, has increased College President 1985-1992. the number of buildings on campus to eighteen. The St. Lawrence Commons was built in 1994; the Chapel of Christ the King and St. Francis Hall men’s dormitory in 1995; the Regina Coeli Renovation in 1996; St. Benedict Hall in 1997; Crusader Memorial Gymnasium in Christendom’s new 39,000 square foot neo-Colonial 1998; St. Catherine of Siena Hall in 2000; style library will be nestled in the woods above a and the St. John the Evangelist Library scenic bend in the Shenandoah River. due to be completed in 2003.

Christendom offers a unique setting and Christ-centered atmosphere suitable for fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life, as well as to the lay apostolate and married life. The students are able to attend daily Mass and pray the Rosary daily with the community. In addition, students are given ample opportunity to attend Eucharistic adoration and volunteer their time to various apostolic groups. Christendom has ever sought to imitate the most fundamental unit of society – the family – in developing its community life. Some of these efforts include the commitment to maintaining a small student body, and providing activities which foster social virtues, such as the on-campus Legion of Mary.

Fr. Kevin Peek, Class of 1992, Pastor of St. Peter and Paul Parish in Decatur, GA. Sr. Eileen Tickner, Class of 1982, is a Salesian sister who teaches in a school in New York, NY.

Although Christendom was founded with the primary purpose of preparing lay men and women to transform the social order in Christ, it was always part of the College’s mission to provide an educational experience that would aid its young men and women in responding to the Lord’s call.

At last count, Christendom College has helped 46 men and 30 women choose the religious life, with a number of other young men and women in the seminary or novitiate. In addition to aiding young men and women respond to the Lord’s call to the priesthood and religious life, over the past twenty-five years, Christendom College has helped foster over 140 alumni to alumni marriages, which includes 90 degree-earning to degree-earning alumni marriages. The number of all alumni children is in the range of 900 and already seven of the 900 have enrolled at the College.

The above aerial photo of Christendom’s Front Royal, VA, campus was taken in June of 2002.

Beginning with the basic undergraduate liberal arts curriculum, Christendom has greatly expanded its programs to include both a graduate school and a “Semester Abroad” program. Christendom’s Notre Dame Graduate School (NDGS), located in Alexandria, Virginia, is the result of a 1997 merger between the Notre Dame Institute (NDI) and Christendom College, and is accredited by the Commission Christendom President Dr.Timothy O’Donnell on Colleges of the Southern Association of signs the official merger papers with then-NDI Colleges and Schools to award the Master of president, Rev. William Saunders. Fr. Saunders was Dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School Arts degree in Theological Studies. Students from 1997-2002. may obtain a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies with concentrations in Catechetics, Spirituality, Dogmatic Theology, and Sacred Scripture.

Christendom’s newest campus is located just outside of Vatican City in Rome.

In the Fall of 2002, the College began a Semester in Rome Program for juniors. Accompanied by selected Christendom faculty, students continue their studies in philosophy, theology, and English. In addition to the core curriculum, the juniors are able to experience the beauty of Rome additional studies in Art, Architecture, and Italian.

Christendom’s 1200+ alumni, a number of whom are seen above at a Dr. Carroll Tribute Dinner held in 1998, are employed in almost every field, from Information Technology to Education, Marketing to Medicine, Law to Academia.

In 1977, Christendom College opened its doors to 26 students. Over the years, due to more public recognition of the great academic program offered at the College, the enrollment has grown at a steady pace, reaching 354 undergraduate students in the fall of 2002. In fact, including the fall semester of 2002, the College has recorded nine consecutive years of record enrollment. Over the years, the College has enrolled undergraduate students from all fifty states, and many foreign countries, including Canada, Ireland, Hungary, Costa Rica, Mexico, Switzerland, Australia, and the Philippines.

INSTAURARE, December 2002

College’s Many Blessings Bring New Financial Challenges During the Christmas Season

For a number of reasons, I ask that you keep Christendom College among your primary beneficiaries this Christmas season and in your prayers throughout the year. Last spring, our Board of Directors approved the College’s most ambitious budget in our history. For the 20022003 fiscal year (ending May ‘03), President O’Donnell must lead the effort to raise a record $1,692,000 for operations to meet the demands of a student body population which has more than tripled since 1992.

John F. Ciskanik

I personally assure you that your consideration of Christendom College today is deeply appreciated by President O’Donnell and by all of us who strive to adhere to our mission of providing the best in Catholic higher education. Furthermore, I assure you now that your donated monies will be applied with prudence to foster our vital Catholic educational mission. I would like briefly to explain Christendom’s -prudent management of resources. If today you were to analyze Christendom’s financial situation according to the Con-

solidated Financial Index (CFI) - a respected analytical tool - you would find Christendom College scoring 8 out of a top score of 10. Let us not miss the significance of this measure. According to the CFI designers, a small college scoring in the 7 to 9 range is recognized as a very well- managed institution.

O’Donnell is confident that we shall reach our targets, he needs your financial help today. As of this writing (mid-November), barely $300,000 has been raised for operations which is about 20% of our annual goal and is well behind the 35% to 45% of goal typically accomplished by this time in past years.

In today’s highly competitive collegiate market, Christendom has registered its ninth consecutive record enrollment and has celebrated its 25th Anniversary. In the face of insecure economic markets and new war clouds on the horizon, Christendom has managed to close its books in the black seven out of the past eight fiscal years and has persevered successfully through the closing months of our first-ever capital campaign.

So dear friends and benefactors, with confidence that Our Lord will provide for those who ask in faith, I ask you to rally to Christendom College today. To those who have stuck with us and to those who have resolved already to make a gift this season, thank you so much! For those who have not pledged to the College for some time and have “in the back of their minds” considered stepping up again, today is an excellent time to come back home.

Yet, before I lose you to the next Instaurare article thinking that “all’s well” – stop! Don’t go just yet. I said the College is well-managed, not well stocked. There is a substantial difference and, along with our many blessings, its seems we are never short of new challenges. Today, due to the prevailing uncertainty in the financial markets, our fund raising tally for operations is well behind the pace set over past years. While President

Please make your most generous gift to Christendom College today! May Our Lord bless you during this Holy Christmas Season.

John F. Ciskanik is Vice-President of Development, Planning & College Relations.

Princeton Professor Robert George Explains Clash of Orthodoxies to Christendom College

“It is a common supposition among many of our cultural elites that a constitutional ‘wall of separation’ between church and state precludes religious believers from bringing their beliefs to bear on public matters. This is because secular liberals typically assume that their own positions on morally charged issues of public policy are the fruit of pure reason, while those of their morally conservative opponents reflect an irrational religious faith,” began Dr. Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, in his talk on “The Clash of Orthodoxies” at Christendom on November 11.

implicit in secularist arguments, and he demonstrated the flawed reasoning behind the idea that the state ought to be neutral regarding competing understandings of the nature and value of marriage.

The talk was based on George’s newest book, “The Clash of Orthodoxies,” which is about the contemporary conflict of worldviews in the political domain, in the courts of law, and in the Church.

He said that these people typically claim that “reason” or “conscience” requires them to dissent from the firm and constant teaching of the Church. In fact, they demand that the Church revise her teachings on sexuality and the sanctity of human life to bring them “up-to-date.” “It seems to me, though, that these people have things completely backward. The Church’s moral teachings are in line with reason; secularist ideology is not,” George added.

Challenging liberalism’s claim to represent the triumph of reason, George argued that on controversial issues like abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, homosexuality, and same-sex marriage, traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs are rationally superior to secular liberal alternatives. George drew on the natural law philosophical tradition to demolish various secularist arguments, such as the notion that the very young and very old among us are somehow subpersonal and not worthy of full legal protection. He revealed the dubious person/body dualism

CHANGES... mittee in the District of New Hampshire. Vicinanzo is married to the former Mary Williams, a 1985 graduate of Christendom. Seven of Mrs. Vicinanzo’s siblings also attended Christendom. The Vicinanzo’s are the parents of eight sons. Marjorie (Mickie) Teetor of Great Falls, VA, is the founder of the Narnia Catechetical and Cultural Institute in New York City. Additionally, with her husband, Charles, she founded Nettle Creek Industries, which became a major manufacturer of textiles and decorative home furnishings. The mother of two daughters, Teetor converted to Catholicism in 1973, after which she initiated the Chapin School Alternative Speakers

“As I see it, many Catholics and other Christians have abandoned authentic Christian moral principles in favor of what is sometimes called ‘lifestyle liberalism.’ Of course, they still consider themselves to be faithful Christians; but the morality they embrace on abortion, homosexuality and other fundamental issues is essentially secularist rather than Christian,” said George.

According to George, one of the biggest problems with the “secular orthodoxy,” as he calls it, is that it views man in a dualistic way. Continued from Page 1 Bureau, formed to present conservative and anti-abortion assembly speakers to the girls of the Chapin School in New York City. Robert Crnkovich is a senior partner in the National Tax Department Partnership and Joint Venture group in Washington, DC, where he specializes in the taxation of partnerships and real estate. An attorney and former CPA, Crnkovich is also an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.

“We are not ‘ghosts in machines’,” he said, “each of us, rather, is a dynamic unity of body, mind and spirit. Our bodies are not subpersonal instruments or possessions, but are aspects of our personal reality. You and I are essentially human, physical organisms. We are not mental or spiritual entities that ‘have’ organisms that we possess and use; rather, we are rational-animal organisms. “Because the human person is a bodily entity — not a mere consciousness inhabiting and using a body — all human beings, including embryonic and fetal human beings, newborn infants, retarded human beings, and frail, demented and dying human beings, are persons whose rights deserve respect and protection. This, of course, is precisely what the Church teaches, and it is fully vindicated by rational inquiry,” he concluded.

Spring Break in the Eternal City with Dr. & Mrs. Timothy O’Donnell

Rome ~ Assisi ~ Siena March 20-30, 2003

$1650.00 (Christendom students/faculty/staff) $1750.00 (all others) Price includes: airfare, transfers, hotel accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, overnight in Assisi, all local transportation, all entrance fees (including the Vatican Museum and the Catacombs, the Seven Basilicas of Rome, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and more...)

Contact Christina Lundberg at 800-877-5456 ext. 211 for more information on this trip.

INSTAURARE, December 2002

Reaping What You Sow: Students Hear Confession of a City Priest that it is not really available. Some parishes schedule Vocations Day ‘02 “Every day I could write a book about what happens On September 30, Christendom held its annual Vocations Day. Organized by the Career Development Office, this year’s Vocations Day drew more than 50 different religious orders to the campus. Among those represented were the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Sisters of Life, various Franciscan, Dominican, and Carmelite orders, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Fathers of Mercy, the Sisters of Charity, the Congregation of St. John, the Poor Sisters of St. Joseph and representatives from the Diocese of Arlington, VA, and the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. Along with many Christendom students, in attendance throughout the day were students from Guardian Angel Academy (Staunton, VA), Holy Family Academy (Manassas, VA), Seton High School (Manassas, VA), and Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington, VA).

Deacon Thomas Longua, FSSP, (Christendom Class of 1991) and Seminarian Gerard Saguto, FSSP, (Class of 1998) were among those present at Vocations Day.

Christendom’s annual vocations day gives many local residents and school students the opportunity to visit with many different priests and religious. A number of area schools travel by the busload to attend the special day each year.

Professor Thomas Lloyd Speaks at Conference Dr. Thomas Lloyd, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, gave a paper at the Conference on Christianity and Literature on October 19. The conference was sponsored by the English Department of the University of Dayton, OH. The Conference on Christianity and Literature is a national organization interested dedicated to both scholarly excellence and collegial exchange. This year’s conference theme was “Speaking of Beauty and Truth,” with the keynote address given by New York University Professor Denis Donoghue. Lloyd’s topic of discussion was “Poetry and Catholicism in an Age of Fragmentation.” Additionally, Dr. Lloyd wrote an essay entitled “The Gothic Coleridge: Mythos and the Real,” which is published in the recently released, Seeing Into the Life of Things: Essays on Religion and Literature (Fordham University Press, 2002).

in a parish in New York City, and I don’t mean that as any kind of exaggeration. It would make the world’s greatest soap opera! I could make a fortune, of course, if I were not bound by the seal of the confessional,” playfully confessed Rev. George Rutler to the Christendom College community on October 7.

confession for 30 minutes per week - some not at all. Additionally, the churches themselves are not very

Speaking on the topic of “The Public Diary of a City Priest,” Fr. Rutler, pastor of The Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan, NY, spoke about the important role that priests play in the world today and particularly about the work that he does in the city of New York. Born in 1945 and reared in the Episcopalian tradition in New Jersey and New York, Fr. Rutler was an Episcopal priest for nine years, and the youngest Episco- On October 7, Fr. George Rutler spoke to the Christendom College Community on “The Public pal rector in the country when Diary of a City Priest.” he headed the Church of Good aesthetically pleasing or welcoming so many people Shepherd in Rosemont, PA. He was received into the just never enter them. “It depresses me sometimes to Catholic Church in 1979 and was sent to the North visit other parishes and see churches that look like livAmerican College in Rome for seminary studies. ing rooms or country clubs, not Catholic churches,” remarked Fr. Rutler. “Some have fireplaces and catering According to Fr. Rutler, despite what many may think, halls, while others have large grand pianos in the center the parish is the heart of the Church, not the Chancery. of their buildings. I suppose they think Liberace saved The reason the parish is so important is that it is made mankind!” up of many different people and families, and the family is the “domestic church.” As a pastor, said Fr. Rutler, Ending his discussion of priestly work, Fr. Rutler reone needs to keep reminding oneself of that. counted how, on September 11, 2001, as then-pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Manhattan, he spent most of his day Fr. Rutler stressed the importance of confessions. “If at what’s now called Ground Zero, hearing confessions you only knew what happens in the confessional durand administering the last rites to the many firemen who ing lunch hours throughout the week; how lives are were to risk their lives for the many victims. In fact, changed. So often when I feel I have to leave the conhe had been working right next to the one priest who fessional because either it’s too hot in there or I’ve had was killed, Fr. Michael Judge. “Everyone who was there too much tea,” quipped Fr. Rutler, “somebody comes in was very changed. After this, people began realizing and says ‘Bless me Father, I’ve never been to confession that there is holiness in this world, and there is also evil. before,’ or ‘Bless me Father, it’s been thirty years.’ The These are two things that people have neglected for a life changing confessions that happen every day would long time,” concluded Fr. Rutler. absolutely astonish our media.” But Fr. Rutler believes that one of the many reasons that people do not go to confession very often anymore is

Parents Travel Back in Time to Medieval Christendom

On November 2, the Feast of All Souls, Christendom College celebrated its Fourth Annual Medieval Fest. Happily, this celebration coincided with the scheduled Parents’ Weekend. During the weekend, students, faculty, staff, parents, and visitors traveled back in time to Medieval Christendom. After the exciting Friday night men’s basketball game, all attended the Medieval Pig Roast and Bonfire, held in the glade behind St. Catherine’s dormitory. The pig, later to be named Voltaire, was a 180lb swine. On Saturday, parents could sit in on classes and experience Christendom’s academic rigor for themselves. Following Mass, brunch, and a campus tour, Medieval Fest officially began with the entrance of the pig. Following this ceremony, students demonstrated their many talents in fencing, juggling, dancing, singing, and wine-tasting. After the great Feast of the Pig, parents and guests were entertained with student acts, skits, and musical performances.

Dr. Tom Lloyd opens Medieval Festival with the naming of the pig: Francois Voltaire.

INSTAURARE, December 2002

Students Break Legs Fiddling on the Roof Construction on New Library Continues

The Christendom Players, under the direction of student Mike Powell, presented four superb performances of the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof ” from November 7-10. The scene is set in Anatevka, a small turnof-the-century peasant Jewish village in Czarist Russia. The story revolves around the poor milkman-philosopher Tevye (played by Bill Powell, the brother of the director) and his wife Golde (senior Laura Henderson), who scheme to marry off their five daughters according to the family’s “traditions.”

her marry a poor tailor, Motel (senior Pat Scanlon), rather than the middleaged butcher, Lazar Wolf (freshman Derek Rogers), Tevye must choose between his own daughter’s happiness and his traditions. Once the tradition of deferring to the Matchmaker (junior Lauren McCool) is broken, his other daughters, Hodel (sophomore Maggie Bolger) and Chava (sophomore Lorien Randolph), follow Tzeitel’s lead. Hodel falls in love with Perchik (Mike Powell), and Chava with Fyedka (sophomore Anthony Smitha), and all sorts of family troubles begin.

Petrine Construction, under the ownership of Christendom alumnus Frank O’Reilly (‘83), continues construction on the new 39,000 sq. ft. St. John the Evangelist Library.

The library, to be completed in the fall of this year, is nestled in the woods behind the St. Lawrence Commons and overlooks the Shenandoah River.

When his eldest daughter, Tzeitel (freshman Michele Winslow), begs him to let

Alumni Hoopsters Take Students to School Over Homecoming Weekend 2002 Golde (Laura Henderson) listens to the advice of Yente the Matchmaker (Lauren McCool). True? of course, true!

The Rabbi (Mike McGuirk) blesses Motel’s (Pat Scanlon) new sewing machine.

Chava (Lorien Randolph), Tzeitel (Michele Winslow), and Hodel (Maggie Bolger) sing about their dreams of finding the perfect spouse.

The Constable (Chris Lane) informsTevye (Bill Powell) and the others that they have to leave Anatevka.

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Golf Tourney On Saturday, September 28, twenty-two foursomes hit the links at Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, VA, to swing their clubs for charity in a fund drive for the College. Due to the tremendous efforts of Christendom College Alumni Association President Greg Polley and his fellow board members Joshua Petersen, Steven Storey, and Karla Kuykendall, the 25th Anniversary Tournament brought in over $16,000. Sponsors for the event were Novus Consulting Group, Lighthouse Underwriters, the Cecconi Family, and Long & Foster real estate agent Andrew Garlichs (703)

631-3200. This year’s tournament was a definite step-up from last year’s, said many of the participants. “If future golf tournaments continue to be as ‘top class’ as this one, you will see me every year,” said Steve Daly, winner of the “Longest Putt” competition.

In last year’s Alumni VS Crusaders Homecoming Basketball game, the alumni fell a little short in scoring and lost by almost 30 points. This year, the alumni basketball team redeemed itself by showing the current Christendom students that good health, regular exercise, and youth don’t always matter. The final score of the game was 76-68, with the alumni emerging victorious. The Alumni VS Crusaders game is part of the

Crusader Kevin Fox drives the lane for the bucket.

Homecoming festivities which take place yearly over the Columbus Day Weekend. But the alumni would not remain victorious for long. As an opening of the season scrimmage, Coach Tom VanderWoude gathered together his own select team of former Crusader basketball stars and put them to work on his current team. Due to the great skills of sophomore Patrick VanderWoude and junior Kevin Fox, the Christendom Crusaders were able to narrowly defeat the alumni team by a mere three points.

The Alumni Association is already in the early planning stages for next year’s tournament which is scheduled to be held again at Westfields Golf Club. Sponsorships and advertising opportunities are available by contacting the College at 800-877-5456 ext. 239 or emailing alumni@christendom.edu.

Alumni Hoopsters: (l to r) John Echaniz, Greg Bodoh, Mike O’Herron, Joe O’Herron, Jim Kelly, Peter Jensen (with ball), Scott Halisky, Paul Kucharski, Greg Rice, John Hofbauer, & Tom McGraw. Missing: Dan VanderWoude & Coach Tom McFadden.

Seton High School (Manassas, VA) student, Bobby Lytle, crushes the ball off the tee. His foursome, which included Mike Hoover, Phil Daniel, and Joe Daniel, won the 25th Anniversary Golf Tournament.

Novus Consulting Group was one of a number of sponsors of the 25th Anniversary Golf Tournament.

The Heisler twins, Peter and Joseph, enjoy the day golfing at Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, VA.