Graduate School Sends Out Students to Bring Renewal to Culture
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On Saturday, August 1, the Christendom Graduate School awarded the Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies to 12 graduates, two of whom also received the Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma, the highest ecclesiastical award in catechetics. A Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated by Rev. Paul deLadurantaye, professor of theology at the Graduate School and Secretary for Education, Secretary for Sacred Liturgy, and Judge of the Tribunal for the Diocese of Arlington. Following the graduation Mass, Christendom President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell awarded the degrees while Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Steven Snyder and Graduate School Dean Dr. Kristin Burns assisted. Noëlle Hiester, who graduated summa cum laude, delivered the Graduate’s Address. Among the graduating class of 2009 were two Christendom College alumni, a lawyer, two accountants, two high-ranking military officers, a newly-ordained Catholic priest, and at least two converts to the Faith. Heather Akers received a BA in Philosophy from Christendom College in 1998 and served for the past four years as co-director (with her husband Ben) of Christendom College’s Rome Program. The Akers now reside in Denver, Colorado. Sabatino Carnazzo, another alumnus of
Christendom College, is the founding director of the Institute of Catholic Culture, which offers adult education seminars in Catholic history, philosophy, and theology throughout the Northern Virginia area. Carnazzo is also a lecturer in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Liturgy for the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Diaconal Formation School, and the Missionaries of Charity Novitiate Formation Program. Sabatino and his wife, Linda, reside in Front Royal with their two small children. Rev. Joseph Eddy, O. de M., was ordained to the priesthood as a priest of the Order of Mercy on August 16, 2008. He currently serves as associate pastor at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg, FL. Fr. Eddy is one of the first graduates with the new concentration in Theology of the Consecrated Life, having attended the Vita Consecrata Institute for several summers. Carolyn Fanning, CPA, is the president and founder of Planned Giving Solutions, Inc. in Alexandria, VA. She holds BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jon Fidero earned his BA in Philosophy from Ave Maria University in Naples, FL, then served for the past several years as Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. John the Baptist Parish in Front Royal. He now serves as the Dean of Students in a Catholic School in New Mexico.
On August 1, twelve students graduated from Christendom’s Notre Dame Graduate School.
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Noëlle Hiester delivered the Graduate’s Address. Peter Hickman works in the Office of Policy for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, DC. He and his wife, Marjorie, have served as Natural Family Planning teachers for the Diocese of Arlington for the past 18 years, and Peter has served as a Religious Emblem Counselor for the Arlington Catholic Committee on Scouting and Campfire since 2000. Hickman is also a volunteer catechist at St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington. Noëlle Hiester holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Prior to beginning her graduate studies at Christendom, she worked as an accountant, and she is now the Assistant Director of Religious Education at St. Bernadette Parish in Springfield, VA. She plans to become certified in the Catechesis of