20 minute read
News in Brief | In Memoriam: Dr. Brendan McGuire
NEWS in BRIEF
VOCATION BOOM Waking up early on Saturday, October 24, Christendom students drove into nearby Falls Church, Virginia, with a powerful mission: to prayerfully protest the evils of abortion with the Diocese of Arlington’s Bishop Michael Burbidge. Their shared witness proved to be a powerful one, with others joining them to pray rosaries and stand for the rights of the unborn. WIT & WISDOM Students took the stage with actor, writer, and producer Paul Rugg in October, learning the basics of improv comedy. Rugg, who is currently the voice of Ned on the Disney+ hit show Earth to Ned, spent the evening teaching students, providing them with valuable knowledge and experience that they can use to help clean comedy make a comeback.
Since Christendom’s founding, many alumni have discerned a call to the priesthood and have done their priestly studies in the college’s diocese. This year, 16% of the seminarians in the Diocese of Arlington are Christendom alumni, with Philip Briggs, Andrew Clark, Deacon Jonathan Fioramonti, Joe Flaherty, Peter Foeckler, Deacon John Paul Heisler, Dominic Mann, and Deacon Joe Townsend all studying for the priesthood. Deacons Fioramonti, Heisler, and Townsend are all on track to be ordained to the priesthood together next year, raising the total number of alumni priests
A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS
in the diocese to over twenty.
GOLFING FOR GOOD
Approximately 122 golfers, made up of alumni, friends, and benefactors of Christendom, competed in the eleventh annual Thomas S. Vander
Woude Golf Tournament on Monday, October 12. Together, they fundraised and celebrated the accomplishments of Christendom’s athletes, with all proceeds going toward the Thomas S. Vander
Woude Athletic Scholarship fund.
IN MEMORIAM
GIVING LIFE With hospitals working hard to treat patients on a daily basis, the need for blood is high. Th e Christendom community joined together to help meet that need through the college’s annual blood drive with the American Red Cross on September 16. Th e drive, which was Christendom’s thirtyfi fth, exceeded expectations for the Red Cross, with 62% of total donors giving for the fi rst time.
ROLLER COASTER GOES VIRAL Alumni siblings Sean ’14, Michael ‘19, and Nicole LaRochelle ’17, along with current student Mark LaRochelle ’22, spent their quarantine months doing something extraordinary: building a roller coaster in their parents’ backyard, inspired by the iconic Matterhorn ride in Disneyland. Th e result—a 400-foot steel roller coaster, complete with waterfalls and an animatronic yeti—went viral online and gained worldwide attention, with Sean and the family appearing on CNN, Fox, ABC, Daily Mail, Th e Kelly Clarkson Show, and more. Th e coaster was the next big leap for the LaRochelles, after they spent their time at Christendom designing elaborate sets for Christmas Formal and Christendom Players productions.
Watch the ride in action: youtu.be/pHLW0olSXOI Beloved history professor Dr. Brendan McGuire passed away on October 9, after receiving Last Rites and the Apostolic Blessing. McGuire, a husband, father, and lover of baseball and rugby, died after a nearly decade-long battle with cancer. He was 37 years old.
“Words cannot express the incredible love, esteem, and aff ection of the entire Christendom family for Brendan as a professor, mentor, friend, and colleague,” said College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. “He gave himself so generously in the midst of suff ering and challenges to the mission of Christendom College and its students. We will never forget his deep faith, his love, his passion, and the intense joy he took in God’s great gift of life. Let us remember him, his wife Susan, their three children, Joseph, Jack, and Aileen, and all the members of his family in our fervent prayers. May God rest his soul.”
McGuire’s passing is a tremendous loss to his family and the entire Christendom community. Christendom’s founder, Dr. Warren H. Carroll, was overjoyed when McGuire returned to teach at the college. McGuire surely heard Carroll’s famous words during his time as a student and a professor: “one man can make a diff erence.” McGuire was that one man, and for that the college is eternally grateful.
Read more on his remembrance page at christendom.edu/mcguire.
New York City is the largest city in the United States, with a population bigger than thirty-eight states in the country. Over eighteen million people call the “Big Apple” home, working and living within the fi ve boroughs. With a gigantic city comes excitement but daunting realities as well. New York is faced with the same increasingly secular culture gripping the rest of the world, all concentrated in just over 300 square miles. Every sector of the city is in desperate need of Christ’s love.
Making Impact in the Big Apple
Alumni Work to Restore New York City in Christ
By Zach Smith
Thankfully, Christendom alumni have begun to make the city home for their families and careers, bringing their educational backgrounds and deep Catholic Faith with them. Alumni Dean Dewey, Sabrina Morales, and Sr. Caroline Caritas (Kelsey Ingold) serve in a variety of different capacities in the city, from finance, to education, to protecting the dignity of every human life. Dewey credits his time at Christendom for preparing him for his role in living out a Christ-like life in New York City.
“In my career, I absolutely believe that my Catholic faith has played an important role,” says Dewey. “Whenever I speak to Christendom students or alumni about entering the world of finance, I often hear the question ‘Don’t I need a degree in finance or business?’ No—a degree in finance may open up a door or two right out of college, but what really allows you to climb ladders is the ability to critically think, write well, learn quickly, argue rationally, and—perhaps most importantly—be ethical. I am so proud to say that Christendom graduates overwhelmingly possess those qualities in abundance.”
Dewey graduated from Christendom in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics, and he joined Silvercrest Asset Management shortly after receiving his degree. In the world of finance, Manhattan is still king, putting Dewey into the biggest field in the city. Furthermore, his company, Silvercrest, is located on the Avenue of the Americas, right next to Times Square. The area is one of the most bustling on the planet, but Dewey always feels prepared to speak about his beliefs and his faith.
“I proudly and unreservedly speak about my faith if and when the occasion presents itself,” says Dewey. “While not unique to being Catholic, the responsibilities of being a husband and father require persistent discipline, which, when applied to one’s work, will yield dividends [as well],” says Dewey, who is married to fellow alumna Anna (Van Hecke) Dewey, with whom he has four children.
Having an impact in an area that is common in so many lives is how Christendom’s mission can continue to spread in a world that so desperately needs it. Besides finance, another field that is common in every life is education—a field that Morales is heavily involved in now as a kindergarten teacher in the Bronx.
Following her graduation in 2019, Morales served as a Seton Teaching Fellow at Brilla Pax Elementary, helping to provide a free classical education during the day and an optional Catholic faith formation program after school to children in the area. After her first year, the school offered Morales the chance to return
as a full-time kindergarten teacher. Serving in this important role can be challenging at times, but Morales is confident that she is making a positive difference in the lives of her students.
“Especially as a philosophy major, I was consistently challenged to support my answers by answering ‘why,’” says Morales. “It is not enough to memorize facts and spit them back out for a grade. This habit of being able to explain why I believe something or how I came to find an answer got me into the practice of understanding what I learned and supporting it with evidence. In the workplace, I work alongside teachers from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. However, I am able to carry on a respectful discourse about what I believe in a way that is clear as well as compassionate. I am still working at this and have a lot to learn, but my Christendom education laid a very strong foundation from which I was able to begin.”
With a large number of Catholic schools closing in New York City, especially in the wake of COVID-19, Morales’ school is one of the only ones left that is able to provide children with a faithful, classical education. A role that she already saw as an important one has become even more crucial within only a year, but she feels her time at Christendom prepared her for such a moment.
Dean ’13 and Anna ’14 Dewey with 3 of their children.
Sabrina Morales ’19 works with youth in NYC.
“I was hired not solely because of my teaching abilities but because of my ability to work in a team, to articulate my thoughts, and because of my character. More recently I was asked to lead our ‘Character Formation Sessions’ and am in the process of becoming the ‘Character Lead’ for next year. I am ever so grateful for my four years at Christendom, and the immense impact it has had on my personal, spiritual, and professional life,” says Morales.
Her students have become so important to her, and Morales sees her work as a way of protecting their dignity and the dignity of others as a result. A core facet of Christendom’s educational apostolate is ingraining in students the need to protect every human life and promote their importance throughout the world, resulting in alumni like Morales pursuing a career in education. For alumna Sr. Caroline Caritas, this facet also helped her in discerning her own vocation to the religious life, specifi cally to the Sisters of Life.
A philosophy major, Sr. Caroline discerned her vocation in college and joined the Sisters of Life in New York City shortly after graduation. Like other Catholic religious communities, the Sisters of Life take the three traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but they also take a fourth—to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.
Sr. Caroline Caritas spends about four hours each day in common prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, while also taking part in the daily work of the Sisters. Th e missions of the Sisters of Life include serving women who are vulnerable to abortion, giving them the support and resources to be able to choose life for themselves and their children; hosting weekend retreats; evangelization; outreach to college students, and helping women who have suff ered after abortion to encounter the mercy and healing of Jesus Christ.
Her life as a religious sister brings her great joy and has a tremendous impact within the City.
“Jesus has chosen each one of us—me and you,” explains Sr. Caroline. “Before anything we do or accomplish or possess, we exist. We are! God chose you because He loves you. His faithful and unfailing love give such meaning to life, to my life. All of our outreach, all of our service, all of our activity stems from this union forged in daily prayer— knowing that we are never alone.”
team, to articulate my thoughts, and because
of my character.”
Sr. Caroline (Kelsey Ingold ’14) with Dr. Timothy O’Donnell and wife Catherine at the annual Sisters of Life Gala held in New York City.
Sr. Caroline, like Dewey and Morales, is only a recent addition to the population of New York City, but her impact is already being felt in the lives of those she is able to help and serve as a sister. In a city filled with so much life, a focus on protecting and promoting the dignity of each human life as made in the Image and Likeness of God is so important. By helping one life at a time, Sr. Caroline is changing family trees within New York for generations to come.
Finance. Education. Pro-life causes. Christendom’s alumni are making a big impact in the Big Apple in each of these fields, bringing the light of Christ to the people of New York City as a result. Christendom’s founder, Dr. Warren Carroll, often said that “one man can make a difference.” In each of these fields, these alumni are fulfilling that call. Over 300 square miles is a lot of ground to cover, but Dewey, Morales, and Sr. Caroline Caritas are using their Christendom educations to create a ripple effect of Christ’s love, making New York a better, more hopeful place.
SERVING COMMUNITIES & SAVING LIVES
Alumni Seek to Defend the True, the Good, and the Beautiful as Police and Firefi ghters
By Zach Smith
“Our society needs those who will stand up to defend what is true, what is good, and what is righteous.”
Th ese are the words of Ted Eidem, an alumnus of Christendom from the Class of 2000. His words, in many ways, sum up the mission of Christendom—to form laypeople to go out and restore all things in Christ. Th ey also sum up Eidem’s thoughts on why his chosen profession—a police offi cer—is so important. He, along with alumni fi refi ghters Brian Pelletier and Hannah Gordon, put their education into action every day as fi rst responders, giving generously to others in a time of great need.
Eidem’s wife, Emily (née Foushee) Eidem ’00, pinning his badge when he was promoted to sergeant in 2013.
Whenever Eidem, Pelletier, or Gordon answer a call, it is often on one of the hardest days in a person’s life. Whether it is a crime or an accident, first responders are tasked with serving in chaotic situations every day, making their professions some of the most difficult available to people. This begs the question: why would anyone want to pursue these careers? For Eidem, Gordon, and Pelletier, it is because of just that: the opportunity to serve others and show them love, illumined by the light of faith.
Each has his or her own story about the inspiration to pursue such a career. Eidem’s story started right in the Christendom classroom. A political science and economics major, he was going over case law about criminal investigations in his American Constitutional Law class and found it fascinating.
“These issues society faces—of respecting individual freedoms all the while keeping chaos and evil away from the innocent—is paramount in a just society,” says Eidem. “I felt
called to a career in policing in order to pursue these ideals of justice and truth, safety, and freedom.”
Following his graduation in 2000, Eidem followed his calling and began serving with the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, staying there three years before moving to Kentucky. For almost sixteen years now, Eidem has served with the Louisville Metro Police, currently working with the Public Integrity Unit, which handles criminal investigations of metro government employees.
A regular part of Eidem’s life is helping people on their toughest days, but he believes that his time at Christendom prepared him well to handle these moments with Christlike charity.
“Police work can be emotionally exhausting. Especially in the most trying times, relying on your faith to remain focused on what is true and good is a must,” says Eidem. “With the spiritual formation from Christendom, it helps to respond to situations in Christlike charity by seeing that all involved, even the most hardened and spiteful people, are children of God.”
For nineteen years now, he has given his all to serve his community and make society a better place. It is not always easy, but it is always important. “We are all deserving to live peacefully and to live free,” explains Eidem. “Public safety and protection of liberty is one of the essential functions of government. Elected legislators enact laws to this end, and law enforcement is there to uphold these ideals.”
Learning how to stand up for the true, the good, and the beautiful is part of Christendom’s educational mission, and each alumnus or alumna leaves armed with the tools necessary to do just that in their profession. Gordon, who became a firefighter just last year, discerned her career because of that mission.
In her heart, she always knew she wanted to help improve lives in a hands-on way in her career, and initially went into the mental health field after graduation, using her bachelor’s degree in philosophy to assist people. After a number of years, she discerned a calling to be a firefighter instead, inspired by their confidence and proficiency at attending to patients.
“I value this job because I have the opportunity to serve people in crises,” says Gordon. “I never know what call I am going to get, and it’s a unique career to be able to help people on their worst days. I look at my job as an opportunity to share Christ and a Christian heart with the multitude of random people I meet. It’s such a humbling career because I am constantly
In addition to fighting fires, Gordon participates in educational events for members of her community. Pelletier, left, with members of his team.
learning how to improve and what I need to do better. I think I end up learning more every day at work than I have in any other job I have ever had.”
Gordon is stationed at Loudoun County Fire Station, answering a variety of calls throughout the week. No matter the situation, she strives to show each patient the care they deserve, following Christ’s example of the Good Samaritan.
“I strive to remain calm and empathetic to my patients during calls,” says Gordon. “It can definitely be challenging to be patient with everyone during chaotic, stressful calls. I just keep reminding myself throughout the day that the ultimate goal is to help each person I come into contact with and leave them better than I found them. The more I practice my faith and improve myself, the better I will be able to serve my patients.”
Leaving people in a better situation during such a traumatic time is a noble goal, and one that inspires Pelletier as well.
“I try to see our patients as the sick, the imprisoned, and the strangers of our society,” says Pelletier. “They are often calling us on the worst day of their lives, and all they want is for us to make it right so that things can get back to normal.”
Pelletier, who studied political science and economics at Christendom, followed a family tradition when he pursued a career as a firefighter—his grandfather and several great uncles had served as firefighters in New York City. Today, he answers calls primarily in Woodbridge, Virginia, while also serving on a volunteer rescue squad in Culpeper, Virginia, with his wife and fellow alumna Andie Pelletier.
“To me, the first responder community is one of multiple components that help hold our society together,” says Pelletier. “Ultimately, we’re trying to do the most good for the most people, often under unfavorable circumstances. We are helping to maintain strong, functioning communities that have a higher quality of life and lower mortality rates than ever before.”
Like Eidem and Gordon, Pelletier is confronted by people going through trauma on almost a daily basis. He and his fellow firefighters do everything they can to physically fix problems, but sometimes nothing more can be done than offering support to victims—especially spiritual support. Pelletier can recall an incident in which an elderly woman passed away peacefully in her sleep, and he wanted to help the grieving family however he could. He offered to call a chaplain for them, and upon finding out they were also Catholic, he requested a priest come to their house as well. Such an incident is an example of how he responds to traumatic situations through the lens of faith, making lives better as a result.
“In a small way, we hope it brought comfort to this family, even though there was nothing we could do for their loved one,” says Pelletier. “First response is about contributing to something greater than yourself. There are few causes greater than serving the least of our brethren.”
Serving communities and saving lives are inspiring missions, and ones that help unite police officers and firefighters across the nation. As Pelletier puts it, they are serving “in the trenches, getting our hands dirty in service to our fellow man.” It is their way of going out and restoring all things in Christ.
