NSTAURARE
The Christendom College Update Instaurare (vt. to restore, strengthen, renew)
October 2005 Volume XIII, Number III
INSIDE THIS ISSUE . . . President’s Message – page 2
Student Center Gets New Funds page 4
High School Summer Program page 6
Pope Benedict XVI at Christendom
NDGS Graduates Ten – page 3 College Ranked Among Top 160 in US – page 5 Alumna Brigid Kelly Dovel, RIP – page 7 Legacy Students – page 7
Blessings Abound as College Begins 29th Academic Year Christendom Experiences Steady Growth, New Building Projects & Increased Interest
C
Christendom began its twenty-ninth academic year with a Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde in the Chapel of Christ the King on August 21. As is customary at this Mass, the entire faculty made a profession of faith and took an oath of fidelity to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. Christendom remains one of only two Catholic colleges in the United States where the entire faculty – not simply those in the theology department – takes the oath. In his homily, Bishop Loverde focused on the role of God the Holy Spirit in the lives of each of us “His role is to enable us to grow in holiness,” he began, “to become more and more like Jesus, to deepen our friendship with God. Each one of us is called to holiness, whatever the specific nature of our individual vocation: bishop, priest, deacon, consecrated religious, married person, single person.”
It is the Holy Spirit’s purpose to train us in holiness by leading us in prayer, both personal and liturgical, His Excellency explained. “If we are attentive to the Holy Spirit in our daily personal prayer, He will draw us into ever-deepening holiness of life. The Holy Spirit also aids us in liturgical prayer, especially when we meet the Lord Jesus in the sacramental celebrations of Penance and Holy Eucharist. Indeed, in the closing months of the Year of the Eucharist, let us allow Him to draw us into deeper intimacy with Our Blessed Lord, Who comes to us, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, under the appearance of bread and wine, and Bishop of Arlington Paul S. Loverde celebrated the opening Mass and then blessed see NEW YEAR, page 6 a new crucifix that now hangs in the library.
Frs. Benedict Groeschel and Mitch Pacwa Speak at Summer Institute on the Year of the Eucharist
C
Christendom’s 16th Annual Summer Institute took for its theme “The Year of the Eucharist.” Despite the withering July heat, 425 people from the near and far reaches of the country packed into the Crusader Gymnasium for a conference featuring five riveting speakers. “I’ve been to the last four or five of these conferences,” said Jim Maxwell from Gobles, MI. “I always come away from here feeling so proud to be Catholic. The speakers are always exciting, the food is great, and you can’t beat the relaxing, breathtaking atmosphere of the Shenandoah Valley. It’s a nice spiritual pick-me-up!””
Fr. Benedict Groeschel delivered a talk on Eucharistic adoration at the Summer Institute on July 16.
Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive Front Royal, VA 22630
Return Service Requested
The day-long conference began with a presentation by Fr. Edward Hathaway, Pastor of St. John the Baptist
Church in Front Royal, VA.. Fr. Hathaway spoke on the Eucharistic sacrifice as the source of parish community. It is in the parish that the ordinary life of a Christian is nurtured and embraced, he said. “The Eucharist builds the Church. Nothing else even comes close to building up the Church. Not even bingo,” he joked. “As Catholics, we revel in our universality and international communion. For this reason, it is necessary for the parish Mass to be celebrated in communion with the
see SUMMER INSTITUTE, page 5 Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6445 Merrifield, VA 22081
2
G
INSTAURARE, October 2005
What Will You Do With Your Freedom?
Good afternoon and a heartfelt welcome back to each and every one of you. It is so good to see all of you and so many familiar faces. The good God in His providence has brought all of us here together. Particularly at the start of an academic year, I find myself reflecting upon the incredible fact that from all eternity God knew that you would be here and I would be here on August 21, 2005, the Feast of Our Lady of Knock.
were patterns in high school or previous years which were destructive. This is a chance for a new beginning, a new start.
We all have a chance now for a new start – a new academic year, a new class, new courses, and a new pope to guide Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS our Church, Pope Benedict XVI, who has been continuing the legacy of John Paul the Great at World Youth Day in Cologne. It is also significant to recall that we are now moving toward the end of the Year of the Eucharist, which will be brought to a conclusion at the end of October.
Here at Christendom we all have an opportunity to “start afresh from Christ,” as the late, great John Paul II used to say. The liberal education you will receive here is designed and structured to free you. It can free you from ignorance, error, and enslavement to unruly passions. It is an education which is designed for the free man: the man and woman of virtue who has self possession and can direct his action according to right reason (which was a dream of the ancients) now made possible in Jesus Christ. This has been made possible in our age for we have right reason illumined by faith and the grace of Jesus Christ. We must come to recognize that it is only when you have self mastery that you can give yourself fully and completely in loving service to your brothers and sisters. It is only in loving and giving service that we truly find ourselves.
What an opportunity we all have before us. It is a kairos, a moment of grace. There is a powerful scene in the movie Braveheart when a poorly equipped, outnumbered army of Scots face a large, well-organized, highly trained and well-equipped army of Norman knights from England. It was an army which appeared terrifying. Many in the Scottish ranks began to waver and lose heart at the sight of “so many.” At a crucial moment a man by the name of William Wallace rides forth and rallies the Scottish forces. It is interesting to note that he does so by affirming their dignity as free men. He goes on to ask them fundamental questions, “What will you do with your freedom?” Will you fight or run away and take the easy way, the way of the coward? What will you do with your freedom? This very question was raised by Pope Benedict XVI to the young people gathered at World Youth Day. This is a great question. You have come here to Christendom to pursue an arduous good. You have come here to seek wisdom through your study of the liberal arts. You have set before you here a chance to do something noble, something great and yes, in this day and age, I would say something heroic. Sadly, we live in an age which in many ways no longer believes in nor values wisdom. You have a wonderful, gifted faculty here to mentor you. You have great priests and a dedicated staff here to help you in this noble quest. Here you can form a true fellowship, sharing in the mutual love and pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful. Perhaps there
Every student here, at least in spirit, should be an RA or proctor, desiring to contribute to and strengthen the common good. Freedom can be “used” to drink excessively, to violate the rules, the moral law, to get entangled in unhealthy relationships with premature dating and “hooking up.”
John Paul II in his last apostolic letter to us Mane Nobiscum Domine said that this Year of the Eucharist must be marked by a “profound interiority. If the only result of this year were the revival in all Christian communities of the celebration of Sunday Mass and an increase in Eucharistic worship outside Mass, this year of grace would be abundantly successful.” (#29) A simple restoration of the centrality of Sunday Mass and an increase in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside Mass are the two things which the Pope asked of us. Here at Christendom College our founding charism has always given us a special attachment to the See of Peter and an affectionate loyalty to the person of the Holy Father. John Paul II writes, speaking almost directly of the Christendom College mission instaurare omnia in Christo, “this is especially urgent in the context of our secularized culture, characterized as it is by a forgetfulness of God and a vain pursuit of human self sufficiency. Incarnating the Eucharistic ‘plan’ in daily life where people live and work – in families, schools, the workplace, in all of life’s settings – means bearing witness that human reality cannot be justified without reference to the creator: ‘without the Creator the creature would disappear.’” (Mane Nobiscum Domine #26)
The liberal education you will receive here is designed and structured to free you. It can free you from ignorance, error and enslavement to unruly passions.
The great St. Bernard of Clairvaux once said, “you must be a reservoir before you can become a river.” To become this “river” for others you must not only study hard, you must be open to what Christ wants to give you. The Holy Eucharist is His greatest gift, and how He longs to give Himself to us. I recall when I first went away to College, my mother packaged some goodies up for me and father sent a note in which he wrote, “never forget, son, there is a small, red candle flickering in the silence where the best friend you will ever have is waiting for you.” I pass that on to you today. In this Year of the Eucharist recommit yourself as a believing, committed Roman Catholic to spend time with Him. Spend time with Him especially at our Sunday, 10 am Mass, which our priests and Dr. Poterack strive to make so beautiful and so central to Sunday as the Dies Domini, the Lord’s day. This is so important in the cultural war that we are fighting. Celebrate fully the Lord’s Day here, yes, right here on our campus and let the Sunday Mass here on our campus be the center from which radiates our life as a Catholic community. This is so important as we live in an age in which a hostile secularism is seeking to drive out Jesus Christ from the marketplace and from all public discourse. We must stand up in opposition to this.
Again, I raise the question, what will you do with your freedom? Will you fight? Will you stand at the side of your crucified Redeemer, who beckons you to His side bearing the noble wounds of the warrior in His hands, feet and side, and wounded heart? Will you bear with Him the burden of the day and joyfully, yes, joyfully pursue the arduous good which is set before you? Let us remember always that if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I have every confidence that you will stand with Him. Let us stand together. Study hard. Pray hard. And let us have a great year together. College President O’Donnell delivered the above address to the students and faculty at the beginning of this academic year.
Planning for the Future Gifts made as part of your overall financial plan that benefit you now and Christendom later are known as planned gifts. Through planned giving, you can plan future support for those areas and programs at Christendom that are of the most interest to you–and often make a larger gift than you might have thought possible–while also benefitting yourself. Explore how you can help Christendom while making sound financial plans for yourself. The benefits to you: -Provide life-time income for you and, if you wish, another beneficiary -Receive a substantial federal income tax charitable deduction -Turn low-yielding assets into a higher income stream -Reduce or eliminate taxes on capital gains -Eliminate or reduce federal estate taxes -Ultimately provide a meaningful gift to Christendom. For further information please contact John Ciskanik, Vice President for Development, at (800) 877-5456 or ciskanik@christendom.edu.
Published quarterly by the Christendom College Admissions & Marketing Office Managing Editor, Layout, Design: Tom McFadden Copy Editor: Kathleen Blum Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 (800) 877-5456 ~ www.christendom.edu Copyright © 2005. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided the following credit line is used: “Reprinted by permission from INSTAURARE, the quarterly newsletter of Christendom College (www.christendom.edu).” SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST.
3
INSTAURARE, October 2005
Christendom’s NDGS Sends Forth Ten Graduates to Restore All Things in Christ
C
Christendom College’s Notre Dame Graduate School held its graduation ceremony on Saturday, July 30. Ten students earned their Master of Arts in Theological Studies, and two of them also received the Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma.
devilish conceit, to redefine the meaning of existence, especially his own.”
Christendom’s graduate school (NDGS) is the result of a 1997 merger between the Notre Dame Institute and Christendom College. NDGS offers a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies with concentrations in Catechetics, Systematic Theology, and Moral Theology. It also offers the Basic and Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma.
“Through our alma mater, we graduates participated in the compelling beauty of truth. This is a priceless gift worth all our sacrifices. Having received this gift, we are obliged to participate in the labors of NDGS to share it with others. We do this above all by living in hopeful contemplation of the liberation of all things in Christ, and seeking to share this vision with others.
The Baccalaureate Mass was offered by Fr. Paul deLadurantaye who is the Secretary for the Office of Religious Education for the Diocese of Arlington and
“This is a great work, for by living and sharing this vision of holy and universal liberation, we participate in the mission of Christ through His holy and universal Church, which Vatican II teaches is ‘the seed and beginning of the kingdom of God.’ As co-laborers with Christ in His Church, we strive to cultivate, in ourselves and others, openness to the Holy Spirit, who yearns to plant in every heart a seed of hopeful longing for the beauty of holiness.”
He urged his classmates to continue to share the gift of their education with others.
He concluded by charging the graduates to find ways to help those around them catch a glimpse of the fulfillment of their best hopes in Christ. “We are acutely aware of the dark urgings at work in human hearts, yet we never forget that, as Vatican II teaches, the Church embraces all that is genuinely human. So we do not refute or despise man’s natural longings. Rather, we seek to open minds and hearts to the redemption of their natural hopes in Christ.” The ten graduates come from diverse academic backgrounds and are involved in various fields of work.
instructor for the Boy Scouts’ Ad Altare Dei Award. Sister Guadalupe Therese Licea, PCI, from Mexico, is an alumna of Christendom College (’03) and the Mother Superior of the Front Royal convent of the Pax Christi Institute Sisters. William J. Lippe is a religion teacher at St. Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington, DC. He moved to the DC area from Boston, MA, to attend NDGS. Susan W. Reilly is the Director of Religious Education for Queen of Apostles Parish in Alexandria, VA, and the United States representative of Centre International D’Etudes Liturgigues, based in Paris, France. Sister Jane Stafford, SDSH, the first American Superior General of the Sisters Devoted to the Sacred Heart, is now the Assistant Superior General and very active in novice formation. She lives in California. Freddie Stewart, Jr., a convert to Catholicism, is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a prior master’s degree in systems engineering. He has published in The Catholic Faith and is a frequent speaker on theological topics in the Washington, DC, Metro area. Shannon D. Woloszynowski is a former police officer, a convert to the Faith, and mother of four who has been accepted at the Institute for Psychological Sciences for further graduate study. The NDGS offers courses in the Fall and Spring at its Alexandria, VA, campus and offers a six-week residential program during the Summer on Christendom’s Front Royal, VA, campus.
Benjamin D. Akers is an alumnus of Christendom College (’98) who is studying for a doctorate in theology at the Angelicum in Rome and serving as the Director of Christendom’s Rome Campus. NDGS graduate Freddie Stewart, Jr, delivered the Graduate’s Address at the NDGS graduation on July 30.
an NDGS Professor of Theology. The ten graduate students received their degrees from College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. Freddie Stewart, Jr., of Reston, VA, delivered the 2005 Graduate’s Address in which he reflected on the great responsibility that their comprehensive education in the Faith at NDGS imposes upon these graduates. “We are here today as beneficiaries of sacrifices by others. Indeed, we labored and paid to receive our education. Yet, without generous donations by others, we would not have this institution. We would not have our excellent professors, but for their labors to qualify as teachers. Of course, the ultimate value of the education for which we labored and paid derives from our Lord’s sacrificial labor, which paid for our redemption,” he began.
Andrew D. Cannon is a volunteer at the Culture of Life Foundation and at the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-Fam) in Washington, D.C. He has an MBA in international finance, and is recently retired from a career in information technology. Mattias A.Caro works at Aid to the Church in Russia. He plans to pursue further studies but for now he is using his degree to start a website dedicated to exploring politics, culture, and leisure from the perspective of Catholic social teaching (www.icarusfallen.us). Thomas W. Howard is a supervisory transportation specialist at the Federal Highway Administration. He has two previous master’s degrees, and he is also his parish’s
Sr. Guadalupe Therese Licea, PCI, with other members of her order, the Pax Christi Institute.
“Though we each pursued different concentrations, we all gained deeper appreciation for the inexhaustible richness of the basic truths of faith and reason. In our contemplation, we glimpsed the meaning of our existence, and that of all creation, illuminated in Jesus Christ. We firmly believe that He is the divine Truth Who dwelt among us in the Flesh, and Who really and truly continues to dwell among us in the Eucharist. So for us, truth is no abstract ideal, but the very real splendor of God’s infinite beauty, reflected in mankind and creation and revealed in Christ, the light of man and the world.” Yet, the light of Christ is no rose-colored optimism, he cautioned, because the face of Christ, so brutally marred through His Passion, reveals the deep distortion in the fallen world’s reflection of God’s beauty. This distortion, he said, is “the futile attempt of man, deceived by
The Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College Class of 2005 with faculty.
4
INSTAURARE, October 2005
President O’Donnell Meets with New and Old Friends of the College
C
College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell has been traveling the East Coast to discuss the College’s growth with old friends, and to greet newcomers to the Christendom family. This past year, Christendom has hosted dinners in McLean, VA, Philadelphia, PA, Williamsburg, VA, and Boston, MA, as well as the annual President’s Dinner, held in Front Royal the evening prior to the Summer Institute. The site of this year’s President’s Dinner was the beautiful setting of the College’s St. John the Evangelist Library. “Meet Christendom College” dinners gather 20–40 guests for a cocktail reception and dinner. Brief testimonies of local Christendom alumni have featured prominently at these dinners, as have encouraging reports from the College chaplain and elec-
trifying words from President O’Donnell himself. At the President’s Dinner, guests were treated to a lovely catered dinner on the second floor of the library and were extra blessed with the company of Fr. Benedict Groeschel.
“One of the qualities I love most about Christendom is the strong feeling of family that you find wherever friends of the College gather—be they students, alumni or the wonderful people that make the day-today life of the College possible through their prayers and donations,” said John F. Ciskanik, Vice President for Development and Planning. “There is nothing I enjoy more than spending a pleasant afternoon or evening with the good people who share a common Mr. John McNeice of Boston recently made a love for Christendom and for the $50,000 matching pledge to help fund the John Church. And I am so grateful to Paul II Student Center.
have their friendship and support besides.” Boston’s “Meet Christendom College” dinner, held on June 16, included a special appeal to support the Pope John Paul II Student Center, and was a rousing success, with over $95,000 in pledges to the project. The evening was hosted by John and Margarete McNeice at the distinguished Algonquin Club of Boston. Once O’Donnell had explained the need for the new Student Center, McNeice rose and issued a $50,000 challenge pledge—promising to give $1 of his own for every other local dollar raised by the College in connection with the event. Then, again unexpectedly, Jack Shaughnessy, a close friend of McNeice, stood up and responded that he would supply the first $25,000 of matching funds. “The Student Center is a worthy and much-needed project. I am so grateful to John McNeice for his immediate, generous response, and also to Jack Shaughnessy and the others who are helping us meet the challenge pledge,” said O’Donnell.
Golf Tournament Raises $20,000 for New Student Center
C
Christendom’s second annual President’s Invitational Golf Tournament on September 12 was a great success. Held at the beautiful Bull Run Golf Course in Haymarket, VA, the tournament brought together College alumni and friends and raised $20,000 for the planned Pope John Paul II Student Center project, a renovation—already underway—of the former O’Reilly Memorial library.
“Under the leadership of my predecessor, Dean Michael Brown, the student body itself raised $96,000 for this project,” said Tournament co-chairman Joe Wurtz, Dean of Student Life. “That’s a significant accomplishment for busy College students, and I think it shows you how much this Center means to them.”
With the format for play being Captain’s Choice, the winning low score of 58 was achieved by Floyd Foley, Chip Gruver, Mark Nelis and James O’Brien. Noah Gordon won the longest drive competition, while Dr. Patrick Keats and Sean Kay won the two closest-tothe-pin contests. The Student Center will be the first building that visitors will see as they enter the main entrance to the campus. The conversion of the old O’Reilly Memorial Library building will take place in a number of phases.
The College must raise $400,000 for the Student Center by the spring of 2006 in order to complete construction by fall of the same year. Prior to the Tournament, the College had raised over $250,000.
Phase one will focus on the remodeling of the upstairs of the building which will include a café, a recreational room, Student Life offices (Dean, Associate Dean, Alumni and Career Development Director, and Chaplain), and students’ mailboxes. Additionally, phase one will provide for an outdoor lighted basketball court behind the Center. Phase one should be complete in the Spring of 2006.
“I am so grateful to all the participants and sponsors for helping to make this tournament such a great success,” said Stephen Grundman, Tournament Chairman and the College’s Director of Development. “With their help, we have advanced $20,000 closer to the completion of this vital new Student Center.”
Phase two will aim at transforming the downstairs of the building into a student lounge which will also offer areas for the various clubs and organizations to meet. Phase three will be the outside of the building, adding the facade, colonnade, outdoor seating, and a courtyard.
GOLF TOURNAMENT SPONSORS Intercollegiate Studies Institute O’Brien and Keane Architect K&B Underwriters, LLC Petrine Construction
Alumnus Tom Kosten looks on as Rick Storey pitches up to the green.
Dr. Timothy O’Donnell putts a 12-footer as the Heisler brothers look on in anxious anticipation.
The completion date for the entire project is still uncertain due to the fact that the College plans to raise the entire $400,000 prior to finishing the project. For more information about the Student Center or to make a donation to this worthwhile project, please contact Stephen Grundman at 800.877.5456.
vvvvv Jonathan Carlson Custom Homes Cavalier Maintenance Services, Inc. Dr. and Mrs. Dan Cavazos Complete Building Services Congress Asset Management Company Crisis Magazine A. J. Gallagher & Co. Mr. and Mrs. Dan Gorman JK Moving & Storage Lake Lithograph Rappahannock Cellars Schenck Foods Co. The TruGreen Companies Valley Drilling Corp. of Virginia Yount, Hyde & Barbour P.C.
2005 Winners of the President’s Invitational: Jim O’Brien, Floyd Foley, Chip Gruver, and Mark Nelis.
5
INSTAURARE, October 2005
Christendom Ranked Among Top 160 Liberal Arts Colleges in US Christendom’s ranking in the 2006 edition of US News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” issue marks the seventh consecutive year that Christendom has been found to be one of the best liberal arts colleges in the US. In fact, this year, Christendom moved up a tier in the rankings, from the fourth to the third tier, placing it among the top160 liberal arts colleges in America. Additionally, Christendom ranked first among all Catholic national liberal arts colleges in America in the category of “least debt incurred by its graduates.” This is the sixth consecutive year that Christendom has been awarded this unique ranking.
The study revealed that the average debt incurred among the 56% of Christendom graduates who acquired student loans was $11,240. Of the 89 mentioned on the “least debt” listing, Christendom was the only Catholic college even in the top twenty. “What this ranking means,” says Director of Admission Tom McFadden, “is that after 4 years of college, our graduates are burdened with a minimal amount of debt, thus helping them to start off their lives out in the world with less of a weight hanging over them.” In addition to being recognized in the category of “least debt,” US News ranked Christendom second in
SUMMER INSTITUTE... universal Church. The liturgy has to become an expres-
its tier in the area of SAT scores amongst incoming freshmen (1130-1330) and first in percentage of freshmen in the top 10% of their high school class (60%).
Continued from Front Page died, a young nun had a vision of Christ asking her to establish a feast of Corpus Christi. Pope Urban XI answered that call, and the feast day was established. Corpus Christi is still celebrated as a holiday throughout Europe. “If you were a young Catholic growing up in my time, you did Corpus Christi processions,” Fr. Groeschel said, adding that the priest would process the monstrance through a carpet of rose petals.
Rev. Edward Hathaway opened the conference with a discussion of the Eucharistic Sacrifice as the source of parish communio.
sion of communion so it doesn’t become meaningless play-acting or simply private prayer,” Fr. Hathaway said. “The Mass as sacrifice involves not only the offering of the Son to the Father through the priest, but also the offering by all the faithful who give themselves through their work, their study and in the sacrifice of prayer, especially their prayer at Holy Mass.” Following Fr. Hathaway’s discussion of parish life, Christendom College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell spoke on Mary as mother of the Eucharist. He based his talk on the writings and teachings of Pope John Paul II, especially his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharista. Quoting John Paul II, O’Donnell said, “If we wish to rediscover the relationship between Christ and the Eucharist, we cannot neglect Mary, the mother of Christ.” According to O’Donnell, the late Pope John Paul II urged Catholics to try to have the same love that Mary bore for her son.
“Adoration of the Eucharist should bring us joy, even those trapped in sinful lives, who can’t receive Holy Communion. All you have to do is open your heart and kneel down with a sense of mystery,” he said. “If I had one wish for the church, I could wish for reform of clergy; I could wish for the resurrection of religious life; I could wish for the moral conversion of our country; but I would wish for a powerful renewal of devotion to the Eucharist, for all of these things, including the end of abortion, would come about [as a result],” concluded Fr. Groeschel. Fr. William Saunders, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls, VA, and theology professor at the College’s Notre Dame Graduate School, discussed Eucharistic miracles. In his PowerPoint presentation, Fr. Saunders outlined five of the more well-known Eucharistic miracles, giving some in-depth explanation of each one. He explained that on a number of occasions, it has been documented that the Eucharistic Host has bled, or has turned into true physical Flesh, and in other cases, Hosts have been preserved from deterioration.
“Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the institution of the Eucharist,” said O’Donnell. “By offering her womb for the Incarna- Fr. William Saunders discussed Eucharistic Miracles. tion, she became a living tabernacle, “They all point us to the miracle the first tabernacle of Christ. Can you imagine that? we have, we cherish, that Christ gave us — the miracle When we receive the Eucharist, we should thank Mary of the Mass,” Fr. Saunders said. “Christ gave us these and seek to unite our life with hers,” he concluded. miracles to help increase our faith. Love the miracle.” Next was Fr. Benedict Groeschel, internationally loved writer, speaker, EWTN personality, and founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. In his talk on Eucharistic adoration he called for increased devotion to the Eucharist through active participation in the liturgy and frequent praying in the presence of the Lord.
And wrapping up the conference was Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, author, speaker, and host of EWTN Live. He explicated the “Bread of Life Discourse,” found in the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel, alluding also to various prefigurations of the Eucharist in the Old Testament.
“The Holy Eucharist was in the Church 700 years when someone got the idea of reserving the Eucharist outside of Mass for adoration,” he said. Although no one knows who it was, Fr. Groeschel said that the first monstrance was shaped like a tower with a crystal window where the Eucharist was placed. When adoration first began, people came and prayed at the Church all day and all night.
“In the Gospel, Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish, just as God sent manna to the people in the desert in Exodus. In Exodus, the blood of a lamb is sprinkled on doorways to save the Israelites. Looking forward to John’s Gospel, instead of the blood of a lamb, it is the Lamb of God whose blood is smeared on the cross to save us,” he said.
At some point, the tradition of adoration came to St. Francis of Assisi, and he promoted it. After St. Francis
An understanding of the richness of John 6 is what separates Catholics from Protestants,
Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, gave the audience tremendous insight into the Bread of Life Discourse as found in Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel.
said Fr. Pacwa. “The role of Catholics is to share this richness with other people to let them know the eternal light that Jesus gives them as he moves down through the eternal light of faith. It is the fact of Him taking Flesh in the Incarnation that makes our salvation possible. In the Incarnation, He came down to our level. In the Eucharist, He makes a move toward us. Through the Eucharist we come into a deeper communion with Jesus Christ Who comes to us Himself.” The conference concluded with a beautiful candle-lit Eucharistic rosary procession and adoration. Next year’s conference is tentatively scheduled for July 22. His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Fr. Benedict Groeschel have once again agreed to return to Christendom and serve as featured speakers.
College Chaplain Fr. John Heisler kneels in adoration prior to the Eucharistic procession.
6
INSTAURARE, October 2005
High School Summer Program Draws Students from Across US and Beyond
S
Spending two weeks on Christendom’s beautiful campus in the Shenandoah Valley seemed very natural for over 70 high school students this past summer. They came from across American and even from Spain and Ireland to attend Christendom’s annual High School Summer Program for juniors and seniors. The Summer Program is a sort of “immersion experience” of Christendom College’s Catholic culture and student life.
The students spend their mornings in class taking classes such as Theology, Philosophy, and History.
High School Summer Program participants Brian Gallagher, from NC, and Kyndra Carder, from TX.
The Barn Dance at College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell’s house is always a favorite activity.
Javier Ciguela, from Barcelona, Spain, listens intently as Fr. Tom VanderWoude teaches a Faith & Reason class.
During their two-weeks on campus, the students took part in a highly structured program led by Christendom graduate Siobhan O’Connor ‘05 and a group of committed camp counselors who were both current students and recent alumni. The students attended History, English, Theology, and Philosophy classes taught by Christendom College’s own professors each morning. Afternoon and evening activities and excursions included canoe trips and hikes; going to a baseball game in Baltimore; sightseeing in Washington, DC; and exploring Luray Caverns and the historic Front Royal area. Each year, one of the events most appreciated by the students is the barn dance held at College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell’s house. Students enjoyed the live Irish music provided by Dr. O’Donnell on guitar and vocals and College chaplain Fr. John Heisler on the tin whistle. Following a rousing sing-a-long, the students put on their dancin’ shoes for the Virginia Reel. Next year’s program will be held from June 18-30 and from July 9-21. Applications are already available on the College’s website at www.christendom.edu.
High School Summer Program students during the second session of the Program which was held July 10-22, 2005.
NEW YEAR... Who dwells among us in His Real Presence in each tabernacle throughout the world.” Bishop Loverde explained that the Holy Spirit will lead us to apprehend and perform our mission in the Church and service to others. We are “trained in true holiness of life in order that we might make God’s Presence in the world tangible and felt,” he said. “Whatever our individual gift or gifts, the Holy Spirit is the source and these are given for some benefit to the Body of Christ. Attentive to the Holy Spirit, we discern our particular gifts and with generosity of heart, we use these for the service of others, both within the household of faith and in the wider human community. “You are now gathered as the community of Christendom College. Christendom College is a fully integrated Catholic institution of higher education. Here, authentic Catholic education takes place, including ongoing formation in faith. Surrender your lives to the lead of God the Holy Spirit. Let Him draw you into new ways of holiness, so that what you are and do will continue
Continued from Front Page to equip you for living out faithfully your call to holiness and the individual vocation God gives you,” he concluded. Following Mass, the College community walked in solemn procession to the St. John the Evangelist Library where His Excellency blessed and dedicated a large crucifix donated to the College by longtime faculty members Dr. and Mrs. Robert C. Rice. This arresting crucifix now hangs above the information commons area of the library.
school students make either a day or overnight visit to the campus. I recommend anyone interested in either visiting Christendom or applying to the College to do so as soon as possible by contacting the Admissions Office.”
The day’s Mass and festivities made a solemn and joyful beginning for what promises to be a great academic year. A new record was set as the College enrolled 379 undergraduates this semester. 129 of them are new students, and 105 are Freshmen. Besides being the largest entering Freshman class in the College’s history, they are also one of the most confident and active classes the College has seen in a long while. Part of this confidence derives from the fact that 40 of the Freshmen are siblings of either current or past students and have been familiar with Christendom for a number of years. And twelve of the Freshmen have known about Christendom since birth because either one or both of their parents attended the College. This year also saw the largest number of applications, 309, which resulted in the College’s biggest waiting list in its history.
Mrs. Mary Alice and Dr. Robert Rice donated the funds to buy the crucifix for the library.
“We had a 16% rise in applications this past year,” said Admissions Director Tom McFadden, “and already we are beginning to receive a lot of applications for the Fall of 2006. Additionally, we had 10% more high
The College “lifted high the cross” onto the wall of the St. John the Evangelist library on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
INSTAURARE, October 2005
Alumna Brigid (Kelly) Dovel Dies Unexpectedly
A
Alumna Mary Brigid (Kelly) Dovel died unexpectedly following a seizure as she slept in her home on Monday, August 22, 2005, the feast of the Queenship of Mary. Please pray for her soul’s repose and for her husband and seven children.
Flannery O’Connor Library Exhibit Extended In the Fall of 2004, Dr. Thomas A. O’Connor, proud parent of Siobhan O’Connor (Class of 2005) and Flannery (Class of 2007), loaned a set of autographed 1st editions of Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood and A Good man is hard to find, and other stories, and an unpublished letter by this great, Catholic American author. Though the exhibition was to end with their daughter Siobhan’s graduation this past May, Dr. O’Connor has graciously extended its duration. Andrew V. Armstrong, MSLS, Director of the Library, was thrilled; the relics of this talented woman have drawn the interest of many in the Christendom community.
Brigid attended Christendom during the 1981-82 academic year. Following her marriage to Mike Dovel (Class of 1983) and the birth of her children, Brigid and her family moved to County Cork, Ireland, in 1997. Brigid leaves behind her seven children. Michael (21) is attending University County Cork in Cork city. Amy (19) is beginning her second year at Thomas Aquinas College. Therese (17), Michelle (15), Joe (13), Mary Rose (11), and Mia (8) round out the group. Brigid’s son Mike composed a beautiful guitar composition upon his mother’s death, and he and sister Therese played it at her funeral. Brigid was buried in a churchyard in Ireland alongside her sister Megahn and her niece Cecilia King. May she rest in peace.
7
Alumna Brigid (Kelly) Dovel, pictured above left with her daughter Therese, died unexpectedly on August 22.
Prof. Blum Writes Feature Article for Logos Journal
T
The current issue of LOGOS: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture features Christendom History Professor Christopher O. Blum’s essay “Vézelay: The Mountain of the Lord.”
and signifies the truth that the fullness of Revelation can be understood only in Christ. It is a fitting example of the rich spiritual meaning of the art of the abbey church.
The essay, with seven accompanying photographs, is an introduction to one of the greatest monuments of Romanesque art, the abbey church of St. Mary Magdalene at Vézelay, in the Burgundy region of France. The image reproduced on the journal’s cover shows one of the column capitals of the abbey church’s nave, the capital of the Mystic Mill, sculpted in the early twelfth century. The sculpture depicts St. Paul milling flour from grain poured into a hand mill by one of the prophets of the Old Testament
Professor Blum first visited Vézelay in the summer of 1998 when he was a participant in a National Endowment for the Humanities summer faculty seminar on Gothic and Romanesque architecture in France. Since then he has regularly taught classes involving medieval Catholic art, and hopes to incorporate more art history into the history section of the College’s core
curriculum.
In addition to those volumes already mentioned, Dr. O’Connor sent a copy of one of Flannery O’Connor’s favorite books, The Letters from Baron Friedrich von Hugel to a niece (1953), which she had autographed for a friend who was in hospital. Flannery O’Connor, quite possibly the greatest shortstory writer of our time, was born on March 25, 1925, in Savannah, GA. She was the daughter of Edward Francis and Regina (Cline) O’Connor. She received her A.B. in 1945 from the Women’s College of Georgia (now Georgia College) and her MFA in English Composition from the State University of Iowa in 1947. She died of Lupus on August 3, 1964, in Milledgeville, GA.
Copies of Flannery O’Connor’s works signed by the author are in the College’s Rare Books Room.
College Sees Large Increase in Second Generation Christendom Students
Alumni children in the Freshman class: back row (l to r) Joseph Vicinanzo (David and Mary Williams Vicinanzo ‘85), Joseph Hambleton (Bob ‘77-’79 and Amy Francis Hambleton ‘79-’80), Francis O’Reilly (Frank ‘83 and Angelique Syverson O’Reilly ‘83), Andrew Briggs (Doug ‘83 and Nancy Popik Briggs ‘82), Thomas Francis (Tom ‘81-’83 and Anne McCosker Francis ‘85), Mark McShurley (Mark and Holly Flagg McShurley ‘85); front row (l to r) Rosemary Scheetz (Ed ‘79-’80 and Loretta Pincus Scheetz ‘81), Annie Scheetz (Peter ‘81 and Mairin Kelly Scheetz ‘84), Monica Horiuchi (Lon and Ann Hambleton Horiuchi ‘78-’85), and Elizabeth McShurley (Mark and Holly Flagg McShurley ‘85). Ginny Norris (Tony ‘85 and the late Aimee Seibert Norris ‘95) and Richard Scrivener (Robert ‘81 and Anne Marie Hinkell ‘80-’81) were unavailable for the picture.
8
INSTAURARE, October 2005
College Celebrates Italian Night with a Vatican Twist
A
Although Christendom’s campus normally inclines more toward things green and Irish, a couple of times a year the campus adds red to the green and celebrates the Roman and Italian heritage that is ours through being Catholic. This year’s Italian Night was a great success, with mouth-watering homemade breads, meatballs, sausages, antipasto, and a generations-old red sauce recipe, prepared by a group of students of Italian descent led by Junior Sarah Bruno.
of the students, she unveiled an original oil portrait of Pope Benedict XVI, painted by Tim Langenderfer, a Dayton, OH-based portrait artist. The students responded by immediately chanting “Benedetto...Benedetto,” led by the group of Seniors who spent last semester studying in Rome during the election of Benedict XVI. Popp continued to tell the audience about the artist and her organization. She explained that Langenderfer, the artist, received his BFA from Ohio University in 1984 and has been a Professor of Art at the University of Dayton for 13 years. Langenderfer has created illustrations for General Electric, Coca Cola, and Bath and Body Works. He has painted portraits of Arnold Palmer, Tom
“Although this college
Italian Night organizer Sarah Bruno. seems to have a number
of prominent Irishmen at its helm,” said Bruno, “I think that all the students appreciate the many traditions and influences that Italians have made not only to American culture, but to the Catholic culture. I think they tend to prefer Italian food to Irish food anyway, but maybe I’m just biased,” she laughed. “Besides, we’re more like a big Italian family than an Irish clan.” During the dinner, the College was pleased to welcome Mary Popp from the Society for the Preservation of Roman Catholic Heritage (SPORCH). To the delight
On Italian Night, everyone’s part of the family.
Watson, and Oliver North, as well as for such clients as Anheuser Busch and the University of Dayton.
Mary Popp and Dr. O’Donnell unveil an original oil painting of Pope Benedict XVI.
SPORCH will sell paper and canvas reproductions of the portrait to help fund its campaign to promote loyalty to the Vatican among Catholics. The prints and reproductions are available in various sizes through their website: www.sporch.org. Since 1993, SPORCH has rescued endangered Catholic sacred art and artifacts, and provided needed ecclesiastical items to poor parishes and priests. SPORCH also seeks to educate Catholics about the historical and spiritual significance of these items in an effort to preserve Catholic tradition. Italian Night concluded with the students swing dancing in the Piazza San Lorenzo to the classic songs of such beloved Italian artists as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin.
College Graduates Now Presidential Fellows in History at Saint Louis University The Salutatorian of the Class of 2003, Christopher Lane, has just joined his class’ Valedictorian, Brendan McGuire, as a Presidential Fellow at Saint Louis University.
was well-prepared to join the medieval history scholars at SLU, who are ably shepherded by Professor Thomas Madden, an expert on and defender of the Crusades. Lane will study Early-Modern European religious history, and is taking a course this fall from Professor James Hitchcock, the well-known columnist, who is a long-standing friend and supporter of the College.
After writing his senior thesis on the spirituality of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, Lane enrolled as a part-time student at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. There he took a course on medieval preaching that nourished his growing love for the history of the Church. When it came time to consider a PhD program, he was encouraged by his friend and fellow graduate to consider St. Louis’ venerable Jesuit institution. McGuire began his doctoral studies at SLU in the summer of 2004, after taking a year off studies to work in his native New York and to win the hand of Susan Erwin (‘03). Having studied medieval history at Christendom,
Class of 2003 Valedictorian Brendan McGuire (left) and that year’s Salutatorian Chris Lane are now studying at St. Louis University.
and also in central France with a Columbia University summer study-abroad program (thanks to the generosity of two Christendom College Board Members), McGuire
Both gentlemen won Saint Louis University’s prestigious Presidential Fellowship, a competitive grant awarded to the top half-dozen graduate students in the University as a whole. The fellowship provides full tuition and an ample stipend–the kind of material support that is crucial for successful progress in a PhD program. The College wishes both her sons well as they labor to extend the heritage of Warren H. Carroll’s Catholic view of history.
Alumni Summer Weddings 2005
Alumni Summer Weddings (clockwise from top left): Elizabeth Ascik ‘03 and Mike McGuirk ‘04; Lori Oman ‘03 and Ryan Meyer ; Patrick VanderWoude ‘05 and Jill Menke ‘04; Jamie Dresch ‘03 and alumnus Craig Spiering; Shalon Spring ‘99 and Mark Riddle ‘05; Joe Sayler ‘04 and Mary-Theresa Mead ‘04 ; Jennie Kacsir ‘02 and Daniel McGuire ‘03; Heather Wier ‘05 and Mike Hambleton.