Instaurare | Fall 2012 by Christendom College

The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine

Instaurare Fall 2012 Fall

Launching Our th Anniversary Year

High School Summer Program Continues to Change Lives Students Excel at Summer Internships on the Hill

Astronomy Professor Witnesses Historic Moment College Ranked Top-College for Home SchoolFall Graduates 2012 1

From the President

Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS

My dear friends, how far we have fallen today from the awesome reality proclaimed by St. Iraeneaus, “The glory of God is man fully alive!” As a society, when we continue to divorce ourselves from God, the result is that we also become divorced from each other. We have started to think of the truth of the faith as a purely subjective reality. This fundamental objective reality, which is the Catholic Faith, is what Pope Benedict is calling us all back to by proclaiming this the Year of Faith.

and not forget it during meals: even when your body is asleep, you must watch over it with your hearts.”

Here at Christendom College we long to sentire cum ecclesia. In his apostolic letter Porta Fidei, our Holy Father speaks immediately of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and how we as Catholics must profess our faith in “the Father who in the fullness of time sent His Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ who in the mystery of His death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s return.” Continuing, Pope Benedict exhorts the Church as a whole and all of her pastors to, like Christ, “lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life towards friendship with the Son of God towards the One who gives us life, and life fe in abundance.”

We need to live the intellectual charity, displayed by our great patron Thomas Aquinas, and manifest a living faith, which is expressed in authentic love and fidelity to Jesus Christ. Christendom College will be great to the extent that it remains humble and recognizes its dependence on Almighty God.

We have all been given a great gift in this precise moment of our history to have a unique and irreplaceable role to play in the renewal of authentic Catholic higher education. Here, we are blessed to have a faculty totally committed to giving the finest possible Catholic education in the pursuit of truth and wisdom. Tragically, today the very notion of objective truth and wisdom is mocked and thought to be irrelevant. Let us remember always that in fidelity to our mission, the renewal of our Church and society will be achieved by God’s grace; by the witness offered by the lives of believers. That witness will be effective only if we live love, love of God and neighbor, in every facet of our lives.

‘In this age of unbelief, how important it is

for all of us to frequently make acts of faith and to make public professions of the Credo.’

The Holy Father is summoning each and every one ne of us this year “to an authentic and renewed conversion to o the Lord, the one Savior of the world.” If we deepenn our faith, we will rediscover the incredible “joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating the faith.” The great St. Augustine exhorts us to help “many people in search of God to find the right path towards the door of faith.” He wants us to celebrate in cathedrals, churches, homes, families, ies, and communities in order that we may “transmit to future generations the faith of all times.” In this age of unbelief, how important it is for all of us to frequently make acts of faith and to make public professions of the Credo. The Pope in this document also turns our attention to the Doctor of Grace, the great St. Augustine who in his homily on handing on the creed wrote: “The symbol of the Holy Mystery that you have all received together and that today you have recited one by one are the words on which the faith of Mother Church is firmly built above the stable foundation that is Christ the Lord. You have received it and recited it, but in your minds and hearts you must keep it ever present, you must repeat it in your beds, recall it in your public squares

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I still recall being present and hearing the words of Pope John Paul addressing the young people in St. Peter’s Square in August of the Jubilee Year. With a heart full of emotion in the attentive prayerful silence of that massive square, he said: “It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness, He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is H He who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you y to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the r choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”

As we begin this historic 35th Anniversary year together, let us take these words of the Holy Father to heart. Let us not forget to turn and ask for Mary’s help. She wants more than anything to bring us to experience His love. If only we could recognize the incredible and unfathomable love contained in the words: “Behold your mother!” This is the great task set before us all in this Year of Faith: “to believe in the one He sent”, to stand with Christ, to stand with His Vicar. If we do this together, we will fulfill our mission and we will have a great year. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Table of Contents 2 35th Anniversary Year Begins Christendom College launched its 35th anniversary year on August 19 with a convocation and Mass celebrated by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde.

12 A Life Changing Program Meg Hopkins discovers that “mother knows best” as

she has the best week of her life at this year’s Experience Christendom Summer Program. 5 Alumni Find Success With Koch Foundation 6 Seventeen Graduate with Masters Degrees 8 Astronomy Professor Witnesses Historic Moment 10 Alumnus Becomes Supporter of Graduate School

14 Students Excel at Summer Internships on the Hill 16 History Professor Dr. Shannon Wins Fellowship 17 O’Donnell Addresses Eucharistic Congress 18 Philosophy Professor Films Courses & Lectures

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19 Volunteers Represent Christendom 20 Rome Program Welcomes New Structure and Faculty 22 Top-College for Home School Graduates

Published quarterly by the Christendom College Admissions & Marketing Office.

23 Advancement Office Notes

Executive Editor: Tom McFadden Managing Editor & Layout: Niall O’Donnell

24 Photos: Campus Life

Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 800.877.5456 ~ christendom.edu

25 Wonder & Fear in the Pursuit of Wisdom

Copyright © 2012. 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 magazine of Christendom College (christendom.edu).” SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST. Instaurare magazine (pronounced “in-sta-rar-ay”) receives its name from the Latin in the college’s motto, “Instaurare Omnia In Christo” or “To Restore All Things in Christ.” Christendom College does not discriminate against any applicant or student on the basis of race, sex, color, or national origin.

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Launching Our 35th Anniversary ary Year

Christendom College launched its 35th anniversary year on August 19 with a convocation and Mass celebrated by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde. The College welcomed 123 new students to its Front Royal, VA, campus, making a total enrollment of 388 undergraduate students. During his homily, Bishop Loverde encouraged students to participate in the Church’s primary mission of evangelization and to make the most of their time at Christendom. “As your bishop, your shepherd, your father in Christ, I urge you to make the most of this grace filled opportunity to grow— each one—in a deepening faith, in a closer union with the Lord Jesus,” he said. “Then more alive with the joy that comes from believing, with the peace that results from the union with the only one who can heal our hearts—from all that—you and I can go forth and proclaim Jesus by our witness, as well as by our words. We can go forth and live out our identity and our mission.” His Excellency also drew attention to the College’s unique and distinctly Catholic identity that is found in its mission. Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Loverde said that Christendom is Catholic, not only because of its mission, but because “it is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals His transforming love and truth.” Following the homily, College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell led the entire faculty in a profession of faith and an oath of fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Christendom remains one of a handful of Catholic colleges in the nation where the entire faculty makes this oath, ensuring that the faith will be taught in its entirety across the various disciplines. Following Mass, the bishop joined the faculty, staff, and students for a festive brunch. Afterwards, O’Donnell addressed the entire College community, informing them of recent campus enhancements and the past year’s success in fundraising and admissions. According to the College’s admissions office, it was one of the best recruiting years in recent history, beating its goals by almost 18%. “I think a lot of our hard work over the years is starting to

Following the homily, College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell led the entire faculty in a profession of faith and an oath of fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Christendom remains one of a handful of Catholic colleges in the nation where the entire faculty makes this oath, ensuring that the faith will be taught in its entirety across the various disciplines.

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For the 35th Anniversary, stone work was recently the Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima, the patroness of Ch

Celebrating 35 Years

finally pay off,” says Admissions Director Tom McFadden. “In recent years, we have been focusing on informing potential students about all of the unique aspects of a Christendom College education, making sure they are aware of just how important a Catholic liberal arts education can be in today’s marketplace. It’s refreshing to see so many eager, young men and women come to our campus so that they can become tomorrow’s leaders in society.” The 105 students in the freshman class come from 33 different US States, as well as from Ireland, England, Canada, and Greece. Fourteen are children of alumni, while 50 are siblings of either current students or alumni. Their average SAT score of 1820 is well-above the national average of 1500.

On September 14, the College celebrated its 35th Anniversary with an academic convocation, followed by a festive reception with fireworks on campus. The convocation featured Rev. Wojciech Giertych, the Theologian of the Papal Household, who delivered an address and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate.

Students chat with Fr. Giertych after his address, which can be downloaded at Christendom on iTunes U: christendom.edu/itunesu

completed around hristendom College.

Following Fr. Giertych’s address, the College celebrated with a cocktail reception in Piazza San Lorenzo and fireworks. A beautiful hand-crafted headstone now marks the grave site of Dr. Carroll.

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This year’s freshman class is also the first to take part in the College’s new career development initiative, the “Education for a Lifetime Program (ELP).” The goal of the ELP is to enhance the students’ learning environment by integrating their career discernment into their liberal arts education, and features courses that consist of both classroom sessions and mandatory workshops. Through these courses, students will not only demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of a liberal arts education, but also gain leadership skills and become more aware of their personality preferences. The program, which is the first of its kind, will establish a commitment to do more as a college in instilling a greater confidence in the students’ ability to take their next steps following graduation, whatever those next steps may be.

Celebrating 35 Years

After Mass on Sunday, the entire community processed to the grave of College Founder Dr. Warren Carroll. Below, College Chaplain Fr. Donald Planty blesses the new headstone.

Although the College has launched this new initiative this year, it has always done very well in helping its alumni find their vocations and careers. Many Christendom alumni are leaders in their fields, with a number of them having attained graduate degrees from a wide variety of graduate programs. For more information on what Christendom College alumni have done with their liberal arts degrees, please go to christendom.edu/leaders. Christendom will host a number of other anniversary events throughout the year, including its Gala Dinner Dance on April 6, 2013. Look to christendom.edu/35 for more information.

Let Your Retired DVDs find a New Home in Our Library Christendom’s library has a collection of DVDs that its constituents may check out and view, but it is looking to increase the number of titles it has in its collection. In order to continue to build this valuable collection, we turn to you – our friends and donors. If you are like many of us, you have DVD collections that fill up many shelves or boxes, but see very little actual use. We invite you to look through your collections for titles that you may no longer need, but would be a great resource for the Christendom community.

christendom.edu/dvd 4

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To help you make decisions about possible donations, a page has been set up on the College’s website (christendom.edu/dvd) to see which DVDs the library already has, as well as to view wish lists of titles and collections it would like to build. For more information, please contact Sarah Mason, Library Donations Assistant, at smason@christendom.edu or 540-636-2900, ext. 1232.

Alumni Find Success With Charles Koch Institute

Confronted with America’s current economic crisis and the threats to religious freedom and private property, Christendom graduates are feeling the call to defend human dignity and our nation’s founding principles. In recent years, several graduates have pursued that avenue with the Charles Koch Institute in Arlington, VA. Armed with their Christendom liberal arts degrees, Clint Atkins (’07), John Mavretich (’09), Bonnie Wunderlich (’10), Joe Norton (’10), Tyler Lowe (’11), and Vincent D’Agostino (’12) have excelled in the Institute’s programs that provide professional education, research, and training in o rd e r t o p re p a re professionals for careers in advancing economic freedom.

big picture better than if I had not had a liberal arts education,” she says. “The truth is that most of us would not have the opportunity to gain a college education, much less a liberal arts one, without the success and freedom of choice the free market has made possible,” she says. Norton’s commitment to freedom has inspired him to not only participate in the Institute’s programs, but to work for it as well. “I gave up a better salary to work at a place where I was challenged to solve society’s problems in creative ways,” he says. “I feel very strongly that the dignity of the human person is most respected in a society that is free. People are able to serve God, themselves, and others by the things they produce or make. Preserving this freedom from secular state control

“ Wo r k i n g a t t h e Alumni John Mavretich, Tyler Lowe, Bonnie Wunderlich, and Joe Norton. Koch Institute was an intellectually stimulating environment where I’d often discuss is important.” and debate political philosophy,” Mavretich says. “Thanks to Working at the Institute, Norton says that he uses his my liberal arts education, I was able to assert that a free society Christendom education “literally everyday.” His understanding is only a means to an end. As Catholics, our end goal is to use of human nature, coupled with his ability to think and our individual free will not just to advance our own individual communicate, has enabled him to work across various fields. desires, but to glorify God in all that we do.” After a year at the Institute, Mavretich was offered a job at a non-profit that focused on energy policy. Within a year, he was promoted to Director of Communications.

“Someone without a liberal arts degree would find that difficult to do, I think,” Norton says. “I was able to find fulfilling work after going to college, instead of trying to guess what that would be during college.”

“Christendom ingrains two skills that are not taught at other schools—the ability to reason and the ability to write,” Mavretich says. “These two skills enabled me to advance in the organization very quickly.”

Norton says that he works alongside atheists, Jews, Muslims, other Christians, and non-practicing Catholics toward a shared goal.

Wunderlich, who works as a Human Resources Coordinator for CW Financial Services, found that she too was able to succeed at the Institute and beyond thanks to her Christendom education, and believes that it is very easy for people to take America’s unprecedented success for granted. “I understand the

“For many of them, freedom is the end they are working for,” he says. “For me, God gave us freedom so that we may serve Him in all the things we do or make, buy, or sell. Preserving it from hanging by a noose of secular conceit and morality is how I work to ‘restore all things in Christ.’”

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Ready to Spread the

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Seventeen Graduate with Masters in Theological Studies

On August 4, the Christendom Graduate School held its 2012 Commencement Ceremonies, awarding 17 Master of Arts in Theological Studies. Arlington Diocese priests Fr. Paul de Ladurantaye and Fr. Mark Pilon, both Graduate School professors, celebrated Mass before the ceremony. Five students, Sr. Bernadette Caron, Sr. Huyen Do, Fr. David Gonzalez, Roland Millare, and Stephanie Pacheco, graduated with distinction for exceptional performance on the comprehensive exams. During the ceremony, each graduate received the academic hood, signifying their Masters degree, by Graduate School Dean Dr. Kristin Burns, and then received his or her diploma from College President Dr. Timothy Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell.

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Graduate Stephanie Pacheco, who also serves as Administrative Assistant at the Graduate School, gave the valedictory address. She shared her own conversion story as an example of how knowledgeable and faithful Catholics can change hearts and

said that she and her fellow graduates must now seek to change hearts. “We, as well-formed graduates, have the chance and the duty to deliver [Christ’s] message of hope and salvation to all mankind,” Pacheco said during her address. “And through us, and through the whole Church, the Mystical Body of Christ on earth, God communicates His grace and His call today. All our training, studying, and practice benefits us in our life of faith, but it also shores up the Body of Christ.” Pacheco said that despite much of the misinformation about Catholicism, she and her fellow graduates are armed to fight the good fight, “for the sake of Truth and love of God and neighbor.”

Valedictorian Stephanie Pacheco delivers her address during the Commencement exercises.

“We are older, younger, local, distant, consecrated, and lay faithful, but we are united by something more important than all of these—a love of Jesus and the Church He founded,” she said. The graduating class included four consecrated religious, four converts to the Faith, one alumnus of Christendom’s undergraduate program, two ordained deacons, and one man in the Arlington Diocese’s diaconate formation program. Seven of the graduates attended the residential summer program in Front Royal, VA, earning their degrees over the course of four summers. Many of the graduates took advantage of the convenience of classes held at both the campus in Alexandria, VA, and online.

Undergraduate alumnus Matt Rose receives the Master of Arts Hood from Graduate School Dean Dr. Kristin Burns.

The 17 Master of Arts degrees were conferred on Caitlin Bootsma, Brian Brodfuehrer, Sr. Bernadette Caron, Dawn Carpenter, Daniel Clough, Vanessa Cowart, Sr. Huyen Do, Fr. David Gonzalez, Veronica Hermary, Taylor Hughes, Donald Libera, Deacon Dave Maurer, Roland Millare, Stephanie Pacheco, Deacon Dave Powers, Matthew Rose, and Sr. Eileen M. Sullivan.

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Astronomy Professor Witnesses Historic Moment “There is no more rare yet predictable event in astronomy than when Venus happens to stray directly between the earth and sun,” Christendom College Astronomy Professor Dr. George Garrigan says. “However, it takes only a few hours for Venus to cross the sun’s orb, so a person must be in the right place and at the right time to witness it.” On June 6, 2012, the optimum location for witnessing a transit was well above the clouds on an extinct volcano in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Unsurprisingly, hundreds of professional and amateur astronomers from around the world gathered there for the occasion, including Garrigan.

telescopes provided by the University of Hawaii and a company called “Star Gaze Hawaii.” Garrigan says that there was no end to the friendly discussions and viewing pleasures encountered as he meandered from telescope to telescope while watching the “stately progression of Venus across the sun’s image.”

“It was my privilege to represent Christendom College at this conference,” Garrigan says.

But why all the fuss?

Attendees enjoyed a series of professional seminars before being taken to the 13,796 ft. summit of Mauna Kea for private tours of the giant Subaru and Keck telescopes. “These magnificent machines were specially configured for the occasion to optimize our viewing them and their associated instrumentation,” he says. The Subaru mirror is, at 8.2 meters in diameter, the largest single piece of optical glass in the world. The telescope became operational in December 2000 and recently it imaged a galaxy 12.9 billion light years away—the deepest in space ever penetrated. He viewed the transit of Venus at the 9,300 foot high Onizuka Visitor Information Station (OVIS). Hundreds gathered there, many with their own telescopes. These were set up next to

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“The history of observed Venus transits is full of surprises,” Garrigan says. “Seventeen-year old Jeremiah Horrocks was the first person to witness the transit in 1639. His success was only the second time in history that mathematical calculations had produced an exact prediction of an astronomical event—and that is especially noteworthy because it was one of the original paving stones leading eventually to the conviction that math can lead to truth. Isaac Newton would, a half-century later, acknowledge that he had based much of his discoveries on Horrocks’ work.” Garrigan also explains that in 1716, Edmond Halley—of Halley Comet fame—recognized that if two very careful observations of the Venus transit were made from different spots on the earth’s surface at the moment Venus appeared to touch the sun’s edge, it would be possible to use triangulation to determine the precise earth-Venus distance. He also detailed how it would then be possible to calculate not only the distances to the sun

Observers assemble and check their telescopes at OVIS prior to the transit.

Dr. Garrigan and his wife, Susan (below), made sure that everyone at OVIS knew that no Venus transit was complete without Christendom.

Telescopes: Subaru, the twin Kecks and NASA observatories at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii

“These discoveries in astrophysics, through the transit of Venus, made our entire space program possible,” Garrigan says.

could move from telescope to telescope and enjoy marvelously different views of the transiting planet, the boiling surface of the sun, prominences, and eruptions around sunspots. The six hours for the event passed quickly.”

Thanks to the use of RADAR after World War II and modern satellites that have visited—and even landed on—the planet, most mysteries about the planet were solved by 2004.

Garrigan encountered several “solar cones,” which are used for the ultra-safe viewing of the sun, sunspots, and the transiting Venus.

“I had more humble aspirations,” Garrigan says. “I was excited about seeing something that will not be seen again until December of 2117. There also were other amenities to be enjoyed. Given the variety of solar filters and telescopes, one

“I had never seen a solar cone before, but after inspecting one and discussing it with its owner, I found it relatively easy to construct once I returned home. Christendom students will be using it in the future,” he says.

and all planets, but also the respective masses of each planet.

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Alumnus Becomes Major Supporter of Graduate School

Christendom’s Graduate School is fortunate to be the recipient of the donated services and computer expertise of alumnus Steve Kunath (’04). Having helped to establish the Graduate School’s online program several years ago, Kunath continues to be a major donor of pro-bono services as Christendom enters its fourth year of offering graduate-level online-format courses. Online courses themselves are not too difficult to provide and maintain, as long as they are print-based courses, but the faculty members of the Graduate School insisted from the beginning that its online program be built around video-recordings of classroom lectures. Large quantities of video stored in cyberspace is either very expensive or very difficult to manage, and usually both.

Christendom BA with a double major in Theology and Political Science & Economics (along with a couple of minors – Ma t h e m a t i c s and Philosophy), he simultaneously attended George Mason University and earned his BS in Computer Science. One of his classmates at Alumnus Steve Kunath Christendom was Heidi Kalian, now the Registrar, Business Officer, and Technology Officer at the Grad School. So, when Kalian needed help putting the videos online, she sought out her old classmate.

“The videos have been more work than all the other aspects of the online program put together,” says Dr. If it were not for Steve, we would only have printKunath embraced the Kristin Burns, Dean of opportunity to help his the Graduate School. based courses, because Christendom could not afford alma mater and quickly “Our distance students the hosting costs and the consultants’ fees for making got to work setting up say they appreciate a hosting server so that being able to watch a the videos available. videos of classroom recorded lecture instead lectures could be streamed to students over the internet. Videos, of having to read everything, but it sure is a lot of work especially two-hour-long ones, are data rich, and the problems of technically. If it were not for Steve, we would only have printconverting them, moving and storing them, and making them based courses, because we could not afford the hosting costs and accessible to students present many technical challenges. The the consultants’ fees for making the videos available.” number of videos is another factor making the task daunting.

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Even in college Kunath was well-known as a “computer genius”—in fact he worked as a consultant for several firms while attending Christendom. In addition to earning his

Earn your MA in theology ONLINE. Register for classes today! christendom.edu/online

“The Graduate School now has at least fourteen courses online, each with approximately 30 hours of video-recorded lecture,” Burns says. “That requires a lot of cyberspace.” Kunath’s original system consisted of a processing pipeline that would convert videos recorded on a camcorder into a format suitable for web viewing and then automatically post them to a server that would stream them to students for watching. While this initial solution was sufficient at the beginning, the number of new classes being added increased the amount of time it would take to run the system. Additionally, a human operator still had to ensure that the class was being recorded correctly on a video camera. Kunath felt that there had to be a way to construct a highquality, low-cost, and relatively-easy-to-manage solution from

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open-source [free technology that is developed by different groups]and cloud-based service providers to solve the problem.

The camera records Professor Joseph Arias as he teaches.

“For under $1,000 we implemented a complete lecture capture system,” Kunath says. “Granted, there were many sleepless nights fixing bugs and ensuring the configuration was working. But it was all worth it when one considers the cost of deploying a commercial solution.” So far, this system has been successfully used to capture four courses during the past two summer sessions. In addition, the Graduate School is still recording and adding two or three courses each year, keeping Kunath busy adding new courses, upgrading its service, and training staff to take over regular maintenance tasks. Since graduating, Kunath has earned several graduate degrees. He has two MA degrees from George Mason University, one in Linguistics and another in Economics. He has also earned a Masters of Engineering degree in Systems Engineering at the University of Virginia. Currently completing a PhD in Linguistics from Georgetown University, with a concentration in computational linguistics, he has been researching automated methods for the analysis of human accent components, trying to understand, for example, why people speak a second language with an accent determined by their first language. Kunath has worked as a computational linguist and as a software engineer for several companies. Currently, he is the Director of Emerging Technologies at Morfologica, an organization that helps government and commercial clients develop

and implement cutting edge technology. At Morfologica, Kunath serves as a technical adviser to a variety of clients on information-retrieval research problems and especially on nextgeneration video search. “I can’t imagine the dollar value of Steve’s contribution if we calculated the billable hours,” Burns says. “Because of his vision, generous aid, and technical expertise, the Graduate School has been able to reach more students, thus expanding our mission.” The school’s mission provides the motive for Kunath’s generosity. “Not only am I able to give back to Christendom with this assistance, but it’s also an opportunity to help the Church and society by helping to ‘restore all things in Christ,’” Kunath says. Find out more about the Graduate School’s online courses and masters program at christendom.edu/online.

N o t e w o r t h y After addressing the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland, College President Dr.Timothy O’Donnell travelled to Rome to teach a class on “The Priesthood and the Sacred Heart” to a group of American seminarians.

Christendom welcomed members of Legatus and their families to its Front Royal campus for a relaxing evening on the banks of the Shenandoah. Participants enjoyed canoeing, kayaking, river cruises, and an elegant dinner catered by the College’s Chef, Dennis Paranzino.

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k e e t W o s _ e _ B _ _ High School Summer Program Continues to Change Lives

Christendom College attracted the largest number of high school students to its annual Experience Christendom Summer Programs this year, drawing a record number of students from around the country to its scenic campus in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. According to the College’s Admissions Office, the 181 participants represent a 15% increase over last year.

“Not only did we break all prior years’ records, we even ended up with a pretty big waiting list,” says Admissions Director Tom McFadden. “I hated telling people that we were unable to accommodate them, so as a result, we will be adding a session to next summer’s line up, offering five one-week sessions.”

knows best” as she had the best week of her life.

The highlight of the program, which is aimed at students who are going into their senior year of high school, is that many of the participants come into the program with a little trepidation and worry that they will either not enjoy themselves or that they will not fit in, and then, after just a day or two, they end up having the time of their lives.

Hopkins says that her mind was changed almost instantly when she arrived at the program.

According to Meg Hopkins, who participated in session three of this year’s program, the week really affected her deeply, and made her think twice about Christendom College. “Mom, I really don’t want to go. I’m going to have a horrible time, and you know I won’t like it,” she said every day before she left for the program. She soon discovered that “mother

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“The girl who told her mom she was going to hate it has completely changed her mind and found a place that she loves,” says Hopkins, a native of New Bern, NC.

“There was something about the counselors who had just greeted me and the campus which was to be my home for the next week that helped ease my emotions and warm me up to the idea that yeah, I might actually have fun this week,” she says. “This happens every year,” says McFadden. “Some students are excited to be here and some are not, but by the end of the program they all say it was one of the best weeks of their lives.” McFadden says that in a survey of the participants as to their enjoyment of the program, the average rating on a scale of one

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to five—where five is the best—was 4.78. “Those numbers really tell a story,” he says. “I think that’s why about 40-50% of the participants ultimately choose Christendom for their undergraduate education.” McFadden says that the program’s surge in popularity can be attributed to its outstanding reputation and its recent 20% discount in price—from $500 to $400—which was made possible due to the generosity of a number of committed benefactors. “Everything really surprised me,” Hopkins says. “Whether it was swing dancing, canoeing, swimming in the river, hiking the beautiful Skyline, or just hanging out in the dorm or the student center—there was not one dull moment. Even the classes were extremely interesting, despite it being the middle of summer, when the last thing on most of our minds was school. I was actually enjoying myself.”

about Christendom. One can have fun, but still be a Catholic,” she says. Now hoping to attend Christendom for her undergraduate education, Hopkins says that Christendom “caters to every part of a good Catholic life, while showing the world that one does not have to be in the Church praying 24 hours a day to be a devout Catholic.” In response to the growing demand, the College will be offering five sessions of the popular program next summer. To learn more about the Experience Christendom Summer Program and read or watch student testimonies, please visit christendom.edu/experience. Registration for the 2013 program will be available online in December.

Hopkins says that the most prominent surprise was how easy it was to be Catholic. “Between daily Mass, Adoration, and praying the Rosary every day, it was extremely easy to practice my faith, while still having fun. And I think this is the most important thing

Fall 2012

The Confidence to

Succeed

Students Excel at Summer Internships on the Hill

This summer, two Christendom College students found themselves among college students from around the United States on Capitol Hill. As interns in US Congress, seniors Charlie Rollino and Colleen Harmon worked at the center of American government and politics in the US Capitol Building. Rollino interned in the US Senate for Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), who is the Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. The Republican Policy Committee is composed of a team of analysts who do research on current issues being addressed by Congress and publish policy papers for the Republican Senators and their staff to aid them in committee and floor proceedings. Rollino’s work consisted primarily in assisting the analysts in their research. He completed research projects in a variety of areas including homeland security, foreign affairs, judiciary, energy, environment, and healthcare. He also attended various committee meetings and wrote summaries for analysts when they were unable to attend. “During my internship I got to observe what day-to-day

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congressional affairs really entail, and developed a good sense of the legislative process and what it takes to create policy,” Rollino says. “I was also fortunate to be able to meet a handful of Congressman and discuss current issues with them.” Throughout his internship Rollino did a lot of writing when researching and composing meeting briefs. “I believe the amount of research and writing I have done throughout my studies at Christendom really prepared me well for this aspect of the internship,” he says. On the opposite side of the dome, senior Colleen Harmon spent the summer working in the House of Representatives as an

intern in the office of Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-MD). There, Harmon handled constituent mail and telephone calls, wrote press releases and reports, attended committee hearings or caucus meetings to take notes, collected and entered district data, and assisted in event planning and press conferences. She also gave tours of the US Capitol Building to constituents. “During my summer internship, I was able to enhance my professional skills and participate in the legislative process. Every day was a new learning experience,” Harmon says. “Congressman Bartlett’s staff challenged me to excel in a fastpaced environment and was helpful in making sure that my DC experience was an excellent one.” Harmon found that living and working in DC allowed her to see firsthand how public policy is formed and deepened her love for American history. Being exposed to a wide range of issues and opinions allowed her to gain more knowledge of the complex challenges that America faces—especially economically. “The experience provided me with the opportunity to learn things about myself and the political environment that will help me to decide what I want to pursue after college,” she says. “I know that my formation at Christendom has given me the confidence to succeed. I can say with confidence that my political science classes and my writing classes at Christendom were invaluable to my projects this summer. This real-world

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experience on Capitol Hill ultimately strengthened my faith and my desire to ‘restore all things in Christ.’” Rollino, a political science major, and Harmon, an English major, hope that their fellow students at Christendom will apply for internships in the future. Though the process is competitive, they believe that Christendom students have the work ethic and professional skills to succeed in this environment, as well as an immense desire to learn. Senior Charlie Rollino received a tribute on the Senate Floor on July 26 from Senator John Barraso: Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Charlie Rollino for his hard work as an intern for the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office. Charlie is from Lander, WY and a graduate of Mother of Divine Grace High School. He is a student at Christendom College where he is majoring in History and Political Science. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I thank Charlie for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his next journey.

Attention Employers! Thursday, February 21, 2013 From 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Equip your company with the personnel needed for success! Christendom graduates are educated to think and solve problems with an excellent moral formation. Visit christendom.edu/career for more information or contact the Director of Career Development, Mike Mochel: mmochel@christenodm.edu. Private and public sectors welcome! Fall 2012

History Professor Dr. Shannon Wins Fellowship

Dr. Christopher Shannon, Associate Professor of History, won a fellowship this year in support of a research project titled “The Salvation of the Nations: Sacred and Secular Narratives of Progress in the Postwar West.” Shannon’s project is one of several funded through a major research initiative, “Religion and Innovation in Human Affairs,” sponsored by The Historical Society, an international scholarly organization based at Boston University. Over the course of the next two years, the fellowship funding will provide Shannon with release from a full teaching load in order to devote more time to the research and writing needed to turn the project into a book-length manuscript. The title of the project comes from a 1950 book of the same name written by Jean Daniélou, Dr. Chris Shannon SJ. In that work, Daniélou insisted that the Church’s evangelization of the world seeks not simply the salvation of individual souls, but the transformation of whole cultures and peoples.

northern, Germanic Europe, Daniélou was confident that the Church could incorporate other cultures into the timeless truths of the faith while producing new forms of Catholicism that could illuminate aspects of universal truth neglected in Western cultural contexts. This change, not the economic modernization promised by West and East alike, constituted true historical progress. “Daniélou was part of a remarkable generation of Catholic thinkers to emerge in the Jean Daniélou, SJ first half of the twentieth century,” Shannon says. “Coming of age in the wake of the papal condemnation of Modernism in 1907, these thinkers sought to engage modern notions of historical and cultural change without falling into a facile relativism. As neo-Thomist philosophers and theologians sought to establish proofs for the timeless truth of the Church’s doctrines, thinkers such as Romano Guardini, Henri De Lubac, Christopher Dawson, and Daniélou turned to patristic traditions to address issues of liturgy, spirituality, personhood, and culture. These thinkers provided much of the inspiration for the Church’s engagement with modernity in the Second Vatican Council. Supportive of the Council, these thinkers were nonetheless dismayed by the implementation of the Council documents in the late 1960s and early 1970s.”

“In the early years of the Cold War, Daniélou was particularly concerned about the evangelization of areas that remained barely touched by Christianity, Daniélou was part of a remarkable particularly in Asia and Africa,” Shannon says. generation of Catholic thinkers to emerge Shannon’s project seeks both “At a time when the great to recover the work of these in the first half of the twentieth century. thinkers in the context of the powers demanded the Third World choose between two broader currents of twentiethmaterialisms—the democratic capitalism of the West and century Western intellectual life and to explain how their ideas the totalitarian communism of the East—Daniélou insisted came to be distorted, and in many cases simply discarded, in that Catholicism alone could provide the true salvation of the the years following Vatican II. nations. Doctrinally orthodox, Daniélou was nonetheless open Much of that explanation lies in the historical context of the to the transformation of the Church through the encounter 1960s—not simply the revolt against authority on the part of with non-Western and non-Christian cultures.” the counterculture, but the triumph of mainstream notions Shannon explains that by drawing on the historical experience of freedom and autonomy that grew out of the West’s battle of the Church’s evangelization of the Greco-Roman world and with totalitarian communism. As the West upheld democratic

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capitalism as the last best hope of mankind, Catholic supporters of the West, particularly in America, increasingly felt the need to reshape the Church in the image of secular modernity. “Despite the catastrophe of this capitulation to culture, authentic voices of Catholic renewal persisted into the late twentieth century,” Shannon says, “I intend to show how thinkers as diverse as Hans Urs von Balthasar, Ivan Illich, Mary Douglas, and Alasdair MacIntyre continued the Catholic

engagement with culture and history in order to formulate an authentic Catholic modernity.” His study will conclude with an examination of the ways in which the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI have drawn on the insights of earlier thinkers like Guardini and De Lubac to offer a corrective interpretation of Vatican II that speaks not only to the reform of the Church, but indeed, to the salvation of the nations.

O’Donnell Addresses Eucharistic Congress in Dublin

Christendom College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell delivered three talks at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress held June 10-17 in Dublin, Ireland. O’Donnell spoke to priests and laity alike on the relevance of the Eucharist to the priesthood, the life of Mary, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Eucharistic Congress, which was presided over by Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, attracted over 70,000 people. Participants at the Congress heard from theologians, religious, priests, bishops, and cardinals from across the globe on topics relating to the theme of the 2012 Congress, “Communion with Christ and with one another.” Even Pope Benedict XVI

‘ I think everyone who participated experienced the Church’s universality and came closer to the Heart of Christ.’ addressed the attendees via television broadcast. O’Donnell said that being a part of the congress was an incredible experience where he witnessed “a vibrant living Church.”

O’Donnell with Marc Cardinal Ouellet

He explained that Mary was constantly devoted to the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus, which is exactly what the Eucharist is. His third lecture discussed the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and was based on his highly acclaimed book, The Heart of the Redeemer. To read/listen to these talks, go to: christendom.edu/news

“I saw how the Eucharist draws us together,” he said. “I think everyone who participated experienced the Church’s universality and came closer to the Heart of Christ.” In his first talk entitled, “Priests After His Heart,” O’Donnell examined the role of the priest as leaders of the Christian community in the light of Church teaching. He emphasized the importance for priests to conform to Christ in imitation of the sentiments of our Lord’s priestly Heart as found in the Gospels. O’Donnell’s second lecture examined Mary’s unique role as, what Blessed John Paul II called, the “Woman of the Eucharist.”

Dr. O’Donnell Addresses attendees of the IEC in Dublin, Ireland.

Fall 2012

Philosophy Professor Dr.Cuddeback Films Courses & Lectures

This summer, Philosophy Professor Dr. John Cuddeback made two trips to Charlotte, NC, to record videos for Catholic Courses, a project of St. Benedict’s Press. Similar to the very popular Great Courses project, Catholic Courses seeks to provide courses of outstanding Catholic content. Each course is comprised of eight lectures and recorded in high-definition audio and video. They are enhanced by visual aids and accompanied by a course guidebook. Instructors of other courses include Joseph Pearce, Anthony Esolen, Michael Waldstein, Regis Martin, and Teresa Tomeo. Cuddeback recorded two courses: one on friendship and another on ethics. While the course on ethics is still in post-production, the friendship course is available at catholiccourses.com. In July, Cuddeback also travelled to Cincinnati for the Cursillo National Encounter where he gave the keynote address entitled, “Being Present with Those We Love: The Joy and the Challenge.” Cursillo, an international Catholic movement founded in Spain in the 1940’s, utilizes weekend “encounters” as a tool for evangelization and deepening of the faith. Those who have

attended encounters, called Cursillistas, meet regularly in small groups in which they seek to develop friendships in Christ. The movement has used and promoted Cuddeback’s book, True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness, for many years, Cuddeback said that his experience at the National Encounter was “excellent.” “The conference attendees were thrilled with how the insights of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas fit with the spirit, mission, and methods of Cursillo,” he said.

Introducing

THE ST. COLMCILLE 18

Join us in Donegal, located in the northwest of Ireland, for 3 weeks of Christendom College’s renowned courses in theology, history, and literature. Open to Irish and American students! For more information contact Olivia Ruhl at oruhl@christendom.edu or 540.636.2900 ext. 1211 Instaurare

Christendom Represented by Volunteers Across the Country

Christendom College’s Admissions Office had an incredible year in recruiting students, bringing in almost 20% more students than its goal. And much of this success is due to a growing number of volunteers who have been involved in helping others across the country come to learn about the rigorous, Catholic liberal arts education offered at Christendom. These volunteers, who are members of the Volunteer Recruitment Network, represent the College at various homeschool and college fairs, or host events at their homes or parishes. This summer, Christendom College was represented by volunteers at a record number of events across the country, including conferences in Arizona, California, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, Texas, New York, and Florida. Volunteer representatives included alumni, current and past parents, and students. The Admissions Office is grateful for their participation and willingness to sacrifice their personal time for the sake of Christendom College: Laura Mire, Jodi Wells, Nick and Heidi Oligny, Melanie Bright, Jacqui and Therese Fetsko, James and Carissa Braun, Flannery Lancaster, Conor Knox, Mark and Pauline Gallagher, Sarah and Veronica Halbur, Gaby Barajas, Meg Woyak, and Jane McGuire. As volunteer representatives, they played a crucial role in informing individuals about Christendom College. “Without the generous help of these individuals, we simply would not be able to reach people who would love to know about a place like Christendom, but otherwise would not have the opportunity to hear about it,” says Associate Director of Admissons Zac Inman. “And that is why I am so thankful for their help. It is truly inspiring to see such enthusiasm about Christendom, and it is encouraging to see so many people willingg to help p out.”

Alumna Flannery (O’Connor) Lancaster (‘08) represents Christendom at a conference in Florida.

“There were so many reasons why I was happy to represent Christendom College to prospective students and their parents,” says Flannery Lancaster (’08) who represented the College at a conference in Florida. “My four years at Christendom were filled with an amazing blend of education, friendship, experiences, and growth in my faith as well as growth as a person. I truly enjoyed being able to speak to potential future students about what they could look forward to as a Christendom student, and it was wonderful to see how much interest there was in Christendom at the conference!” With such great results from generous volunteers this past summer, Christendom looks forward to having more individuals volunteer and aid Christendom in seeking to restore all things in Christ. Any interested volunteers should contact Zac Inman at zinman@christendom.edu or 800-877-5456, ext. 1293.

Summer 2013

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in Ireland

Fall 2012

10 Years

and

Flourishing in the Eternal City Rome Program Welcomes New Structure and Faculty

As the College celebrates ten years of its glorious association with “The Eternal City,” some recent changes within the program have been undertaken. For the purpose of strengthening the experience of its students in Rome, the administrative and faculty positions have been restructured and given extensive support from the Front Royal campus. Entering her third year working at the Rome campus, Kathryn Ott, formerly the Associate Director of the Rome Program, has become the Director of Rome Administration. She will collaborate with Dr. Jesse Dorman, Dean of Student Life, on the Front Royal campus and be assisted in Rome by Elizabeth Walsh (‘11) and Gabriel Schuberg (‘12).

Students stay at the Residence Candia, a stone’s throw from the Vatican walls. St. Peter’s is their parish church.

Students take full advantage of the artistic, cultural, ecclesiastical, and spiritual riches and resources of the Eternal City.

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The academic experience of the students will be handled by Philosophy Professor Mark Wunsch, who brings a wealth of knowledge on education in Rome, having been educated there and taught for the program for two years. Wunsch will recruit, hire, and mentor all of the adjunct faculty in Rome. Though based in Front Royal, Wunsch will remain in constant contact with the professors in Rome and travel there each semester in order to help forge a close connection between its faculty on both sides of the Atlantic. Christendom’s Rome faculty are sure to provide the students with the kind of excellence in the classroom that they have become accustomed to in Front Royal and inspire the kind of extra-curricular learning that has become a hallmark of the program, as the students encounter first-hand the literature, art, history, philosophy, and theology of the Church.

JuniorSeme sterInRomeProgramFacul ty Dr. Elizabeth Lev Art and Architecture

Prof. Baishakhee Christina Pal Moral Theology and Apologetics

Already beloved by many Christendom students who have had the good fortune to enjoy some exposure to her lectures and tours, Dr. Lev is now the instructor of record for the Art and Architecture course. Lev is universally recognized for her competence as an art historian and is widely acknowledged as the preeminent English speaking tour-guide in Rome, being selected to give tours to a variety of dignitaries, including the former First Lady Laura Bush. After doing her graduate studies at the University of Bologna, she has resided in Rome and taught there for a variety of institutions and programs, including the University of St. Thomas and Duquesne University. She has authored a book entitled, The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy’s Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de’ Medici, along with many articles for a variety of journals, including Inside the Vatican and First Things. She additionally was the host of a 10-part television series on the art of the Vatican Museums on EWTN and has appeared on the History Channel’s program Angels and Demons Decoded.

Prof. Pal hails from Southern California and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern California in kinesiology. After teaching middle school math and science in Los Angeles, and undergoing a dramatic conversion to Catholicism, she made a bold decision to go to Rome in order to pursue graduate studies in theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Her studies culminated with her being awarded a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) with a specialization in Dogma and being accepted as a doctoral candidate at the same institution. Her expertise is in the dogmatic thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and her impressive Licentiate thesis is entitled, The Humanity of Christ as the Instrumental Efficient Cause of Grace and Salvation in the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. Her intellectual background and deep-rooted, abiding love for the Angelic Doctor make her a very good fit with Christendom’s theology department. Along with teaching as an adjunct for the Rome Program, she also is Adjunct Professor of Theology and Scripture at the Augustine Institute Distance Education Program.

Dr. Marie Cabaud Meaney Roman Perspectives An American, German, and French citizen, and currently residing in Italy, Dr. Meaney has a truly Catholic background that enhances her notable scholarly achievement and competence in the classroom. After receiving a Master’s degree in European Literature, with an emphasis on English and German literature, from Oxford University, she went on to complete her doctorate in French Literature, also from Oxford University, with a thesis entitled Literature and Apologetics: Simone Weil’s Christological Interpretations of Ancient Greek Texts. These degrees were added to degrees she had already received in philosophy from the International Academy of Philosophy in Liechtenstein and the Sorbonne in Paris. Meaney has delivered a host of lectures at scholarly conferences in Europe and America. She has many scholarly articles to her name and has even had a scholarly monograph, on the theme of her doctoral thesis, published by Oxford University Press. Regarding her teaching, Dr. Meaney taught as an instructor for three years at James Madison University and on a fellowship for three years at Villanova University.

Prof. Leigh Anne Benzaia Italian Prof. Benzaia, originally from New Jersey, has a Master’s degree in Foreign Languages for International Communication from Guglielmo Marconi University in Rome and is currently an instructor of linguistics at Gregorio Settimo University. She has extensive experience as a professional conference interpreter for the English, Italian, and German languages and serves as the director and head interpreter for the This is Mediation Linguistic Group. Informed by her vast professional experience and many years spent living and working in Rome, Benzaia will be the competent guide of the students’ encounter with the Italian language for the second year this fall.

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College Ranked Top-College for Homeschool Graduates

Christendom College is ranked as one of the top 25 colleges for homeschool graduates in America in a new report by TheBestSchools.org. The report analyzed schools on the basis of their strengths in the liberal arts, socio-political conservatism, and the integration of faith and science.

“It’s great to be included in this ranking,” Director of Admissions Tom McFadden says. “Every year we welcome scores of homeschooled graduates and they do very well here. It’s a testament to the personal nature of the education at Christendom and the values that guide our students’ formation.”

The report said that it is “not enough” to find a college that actively recruits homeschoolers—those schools might still fail to address the Every year we welcome scores of homeschooled needs and interests graduates and they do very well here. It’s a testament to of their homeschool applicants. While the personal nature of the education at Christendom the schools to make the top 25 have a and the values that guide our students’ formation. history of accepting homeschool applicants, they have also been commended as “homeschool-friendly.”

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The report states: American colleges are notorious for undermining the Christian faith of their students. Good Christian schools can reverse this trend. They allow open debate of contrary views without belittling nay-sayers or coercing conformity, and without compromising Christian integrity. Schools with a strong emphasis on liberal arts, classics, and the Great Books tend to be best at advancing true academic freedom. Christian education sees students as image-bearers of God, holistic individuals having both a soul and a body and possessing built-in purposes such as love, discovery, creativity, wisdom, and responsibility. The report described Christendom’s liberal arts education as “distinctly Roman Catholic” and said that “what they do, they do well.” Ranked as one of the top ten colleges in the nation by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Christendom appears in numerous other national secular and religious guides each year including Kiplinger’s Top 10 Private Colleges, Peterson’s Competitive Colleges, The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, and others. For more information about this report visit: thebestschools.org/rankings.

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C is ka n ik Fr o m th e D es k o f Jo h n

t launched a new tion process, the College jus ita red acc reent rec ’s om As part of Christend deal. gram (ELP).” It’s a pretty big “Education for a Lifetime Pro l-time Career hiring of a long sought, ful the es olv inv P EL the t process You may have heard tha ELP is a gradual, four year the t tha and l) che Mo ke Mi career discernment Development Director (Mr. by integrating each student’s ion cat edu om end rist Ch a e s a substantial designed to enhanc P’s implementation represent EL the , say to it ce ffi Su endom into their coursework. rease in the value of a Christ inc t can nifi sig a and s rce investment of financial resou College degree. cial aid appeals, was a recent surge in student finan h wit ed bin com nt, me est nual Fund goal However, this inv increase in Christendom’s An % 15 ed ent ced pre un an for principally responsible target! inary increase in that annual last fiscal year – double the ord e to your ly rose to the occasion. Du tru rs— cto efa ben r ou — al Fund record was met The good news is that you difficult market, a new Annu a of te spi in and sity ero gen cant cash surplus. extraordinary e 30 with a small but signifi Jun on s ok bo l sca fi its sed and Christendom clo Thank you! de to each ff, I offer our sincere gratitu sta and y ult fac ted ica ded ’s know that Christendom On behalf of Christendom tinued philanthropy, please con r you in ce thee den is th fi con Whoo is th th, Wh T utth, supporter. Wi cation and fidelity to the Tru edu lic tho Ca in nce elle exc to remains committed d bless you all! source of our blessings. Go quarter … more on that PS – We’re off to a good first

later.

G re et in gs from Fa lls C hu rc h, V ir gi ni a!

This summer, Philanthrop y Officer Tim Flagg visite d Casey and Connie LaVe enthusiastic and faithful do lle, who have been nors to Christendom for 27 years. They understand the and are happy to promote College’s mission it every chance they get. In Christendom, the LaVe lles say that they found a college that stands the tes adherence to the Truth. t of time because of “Why would any thinking , believing Catholic give mo ney to a college or universi Church teaching and autho ty that has abandoned rity?” Casey asks. ”Some people continue to give to Catholic alma mater out of their fallen away sentimental reasons, when all they’re doing is perpetua for another generation.” ting error The LaVelles believe Blesse d

John Paul’s Ex Corde Eccle siae

is the answer.

“Connie and I have always known that we couldn’t, in good conscience, give mo college that doesn’t confor ney to any m to Ex Corde. As a Catho lic, what’s the point?” The LaVelles are happy to be a part of the Christen dom family and attribute College’s success to “the bri much of the lliant leadership” of Dr. Tim othy O’Donnell. They are the school’s upcoming 35 excited about th anniversary celebration s and are glad to have played a part in it.

Fall 2012

Thi his s Summer

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at Christendom

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1. Students pose for the “Tourist Photo Booth” at the Luau Dance / 2. Summer Program Counselors sing Irish songs with Dr. O’Donnell / 3. Fr. Planty speaks during the Fortnight4Freedom events / 4. Tug o’ war during Orientation Weekend / 5. RA’s are victorious in dodgeball game against SAC / 6. Dr. Luckey chats with parents at FacultyParents Reception during Orientation Weekend / 7. John Paul The Great High School held their football camp on our campus this summer 8. Admissions Director McFadden serves up a home-cooked meal to summer program participants / 9. Dr. Cuddeback takes students for a hayride at the annual barn dance held at his family farm / Instaurare 10.24 Faculty and students converse at the annual Senior Dinner / 11. Italian night: students dance in Piazza San Lorenzo / 12.Students dance at one of this semester’s popular “Swing ‘n’ Sundaes” events

Omnia in Christo Wonder & the Pursuit of Wisdom

Aristotle and St.Thomas describe philosophical wisdom as the highest perfection of human reason, a perfection attained through the knowledge of the ultimate causes of all things. The wise man is said to know both the first cause and the final cause of being. He knows the ultimate whence and the final whither of everything that is. Now the philosopher is the person who pursues this wisdom as the end of his life and to pursue it successfully, the philosopher needs to have certain emotions or dispositions of will. Aristotle and Thomas consider thauma or wonder to be the first emotion or disposition of the will that is necessary to the life of the philosopher. In tradition, wonder enjoys a place of primacy within the philosophical life insofar as it is regarded as the fons et origo of philosophy. It is the origin in that philosophers philosophize precisely out of, or from, their wonder. Without wonder, philosophy would simply never start. Yet wonder is not merely the temporal origin of philosophy. It is that, but it is more than that. This is because the philosopher philosophizes for as long as he wonders. He cannot put aside his wonder iff he wishes to continue to philosophize. He depends on it; he needs it; he breathes it—just as we breathe Catholic air around here. Thus Josef Pieper fittingly describes wonder as the “lasting source, the immanent origin of philosophy.” As such, it is absolutely necessary to philosophy and thus to the pursuit of wisdom. A person incapable of wonder is consequently incapable of wisdom. The second point to be made about wonder is that St. Thomas appeals to it when he demonstrates that man’s happiness consists in nothing less than the vision of the Divine Essence. His argument is remarkable, for he bases it on the teleological direction of wonder. The argument, in its simplified form, goes something like this: It is natural for man to wonder. Now wonder consists in a desire to know the cause of something. And so if a person apprehends some effect, and he knows it has a cause, but the cause is hidden to him, then he will naturally wonder about its cause. But his wonder, as the argument goes, does not just take him to this cause if he is aware that there is a cause of this cause. Rather, wonder takes him much further; it is teleologically designed to take him all the way to the first cause, and not just to the knowledge of this cause as a cause but even, better, to a knowledge of the essence of this cause. This means that the ultimate direction of wonder is

Prof. J. Michael Brown

nothing less than the vision of the Divine Essence. Is it not beautiful to think that, in some way, all we need to do to attain God is to follow the natural movement of wonder? For wonder is our link to God. It is our road to wisdom. It is like a rainbow in that it connects earth to heaven, man to God. And by saying “our” road, this indicates that wonder is the emotion most proper to the philosopher and, even, the emotion proper to man. Just as risibility is a necessary property of man, so too is the capacity for wonder. Wonder indicates, to some extent, what makes man unique—what makes him different from all other beings. Thomas is blunt about this: “no one, but man, wonders.” God does not wonder for God is ignorant of nothing and wonder involves ignorance, namely, ignorance of causes. And animals do not wonder, since they are incapable of searching out the causes of things. As Pieper says, “only the human spirit is capable of wonder,” and “it is only someone who does not yet know fully who wonders”. This is also true for St. Thomas. He utilizes man’s innate capacity for wonder in a rather astonishing argument to prove the full humanity of Christ. Some had argued that Christ did not have a rational soul: He was either a Divine Person united to a human body, which had no soul at all or if He had a soul then He only possessed a sensitive soul, not a rational soul. Wanting to preserve the fullness of Christ’s humanity, Thomas looked for evidence within Scripture and one bit of evidence hhe found was Christ’s encounter with the Roman Centurion. Christ is said to have marveled at the faith of the Centurion. For Thomas, this indicates Christ had to have been fully human. He had to have possessed a rational soul. For a Divine Person does not wonder and a merely sensitive soul is incapable of wonder. Thus Christ had to be fully human. So this indicates that Christ is like us. Yes, he wept; yes, hhe experienced fear; yes, he felt pain and sorrow; and yes, he suffered and died. But he also took on wonder yes just as we undergo wonder. Augustine says that Christ “did not have to wonder, but he nevertheless willed to wonder in order to show us how we should wonder and what we should wonder about.” This means that Christ wants us to wonder; wonder has to be something good. It has to be an authentic way of encountering reality. It is our way into the truth, into the nature of being. Only the human spirit is capable of wonder. This excerpt is from a lecture delivered by Prof. Brown at the Annual Senior Dinner. Prof. Brown is an Adjunct Instructor of Philosophy at Christendom College where he teaches courses on topics that include modern philosophy, medieval philosophy, and ethics. He is the founding Director of the College’s Mission Trips Program and has coached both women’s varsity basketball and volleyball teams.

Fall 2012

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Join us in Celebrating!

ANNIVERSARY th

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APRIL 6, 2013 Westfields

Chantilly, Virginia

Raymond Cardinal Burke Ra Raym Chairman of Honorary Dinner Committee