Instaurare | Spring 2009

The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine

Vol. XVII, No. I Spring 2009

Inside this issue...

Remembering a Good Friend - pg 5

St. Patrick’s Day Festivities - pg 9

Spring Break Mission Trip - pg 12

Students Lead 36th March for Life

Pilgrimage to Malta and Rome - pg 13

From the President College President Timothy O’Donnell delivered this address to the College community at the beginning of the Spring 2009 semester.

St. Paul, whose “year” we are celebrating at the request of Pope Benedict XVI, when he wrote to the Christians in Rome, cautioned them with the following warning: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12:2) Here at Christendom, we have taken that admonition to heart, and that is exactly what we are doing in our course of liberal studies. Here we are seeking true freedom: freedom of mind, heart and will, from the cultural fads and ideological biases of our time. Of course, as we look around us, there are events swirling about us that can test our resolve as Catholics, as members of the Church militant, and lead us to take our eyes off Christ as can oftentimes be the temptation in difficult times.

The Freedom of Choice Act is poised to possibly become the law of the land, striking down all state and county restrictions on abortion. In addition, our troubled economy is in a downward spiral and moving toward what all experts say will be a deep recession.

And yet, in spite of it all, let us recall the words of our Lord, which Pope John Paul the Great made the mainstay of his pontificate, words we have enshrined over the door of our Student Center: “Be not afraid!”

We have been through dark times before. Even a brief reading of history will remind us that many in the Church thought the Second Coming was imminent due to the savage persecution of the Roman State during the first three centuries of the Christian era. This was followed by the so-called “Dark Ages,” when much of Europe was overrun by hordes of barbarians who knew not the tradition of Roman men. This was followed by schisms and heresies which tore the fabric of the Church and society. Even the great Pope Innocent III had a vision in a dream in which he saw the papal Basilica of St. John Lateran teetering, on the verge of near collapse, only to be rescued by that pillar of sanctity (immortalized in Giotto’s fresco), St. Francis of Assisi, and of course his friend and fellow reformer, St. Dominic.

Plagues and wars soon followed, but the Church, of course, survived it all. In truth, ever since the creation of Adam and Eve, the shadows of evil have sought to block God’s light from warming and illuminating the hearts of men.

There is great good and there is great news in this fallen world of ours, that each and every human being is made in the image and likeness of Almighty God, that every soul is precious to God, no matter how small. Let us recall the inspired words of St. John, echoing and completing the book of Genesis: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Let us recall and not forget that Pope John Paul the Great called upon young people everywhere in this new millennium to be “sentinels of the new dawn” in the midst of this encircling darkness.

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Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS

Pope Benedict XVI, in his last major address before entering the conclave in 2005, said very poignantly, “Above all, that of which we are in need at this moment in history are men who through an enlightened and lived faith, render God credible in this world.

The negative testimony of Christians who speak about God and live against Him, has darkened God’s image and opened the door to disbelief. We need men who have their gaze directed to God, to understand true humanity. We need men whose intellects are enlightened by the light of God, and whose hearts God opens, so that their intellects can speak to the intellects of others, and so that their hearts are able to open up to the hearts of others.”

(Cardinal Ratzinger, “‘Christianity’: The Religion According to Reason,” April 1, 2005.)

This is exactly what we all are called to do here in our common pursuit of wisdom through the liberal arts. In this day and age of cynicism, skepticism, hostility to reason and truth, an age characterized by so much dehumanization, we have been given the noble task – all of us together, faculty and students – to pursue the arduous good of wisdom. How blessed we are to have faculty members who labor with such diligence to bring you the truth and help you to grow in wisdom! What a gift we have been given in these perilous times, that when so few care to pursue the truth, we can stand up with Christ and be counted.

We must go forward in our academic mission in faith, hope, and charity, confident that God Who sent His only Son in the flesh will not abandon us. We must be willing to labor at the task set before us, to allow our souls to be nurtured in the truths of our Catholic faith and the truths that come to us from natural reason.

So let us all, in this semester, start again and stir up the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, which God Himself infused into our souls and strengthened them in our confirmation, the great sacrament of the laity. And let the light of your education here at Christendom shine forth with the radiance of Divine hope, a hope of which the world is in great need, a Divine hope which can satisfy a world confronting spiritual starvation, a Divine hope which directs all our acts and others toward the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us pray and act that all may see in this special year of grace, along with our great Doctor of the Gentiles, who in his Letter to the Christians in Rome, wrote: We stand and exult in the hope of the glory of the sons of God. And not only in this, but we exult in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation works out endurance, and endurance tried virtue, and tried virtue, hope. And hope does not disappoint because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:2-5) Yes, let us start again! Let us start again with joy, trust and confidence in Christ our spes unica, our one hope, and together, let us have a great semester. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Cover Story

Christendom Students Carry Lead Banner in Annual March for Life in DC

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The entire student body of Christendom College, as well as members of the faculty and staff, led hundreds of thousands of marchers in protesting abortion at the 36th Annual March for Life in Washington, DC, on January 22. A number of select students were given the honor of carrying the lead March for Life banner as well as the official March for Life flags.

“It was such an honor to carry the lead banner at such a monumental March, considering the new challenges which the pro-life movement is going to encounter in this coming year,” said freshman Ashleigh Buyers, who marched with fellow classmates holding the official March for Life banner. “It was awesome.”

Buyers said that being in the lead was exciting and that, despite all the reporters and counter-protesters, “it was very peaceful.”

“I always enjoy the March for Life,” Junior Steven Ginski said. “It is a great gathering of people who may not all be of the same denomination, but agree on this one fundamental issue that should be deciding politics today.”

Ginski also recognized that it was a great honor for the

College to carry the lead banner. “You felt almost like a crusader—which is our mascot. We were doing what we are called to do,” he said.

Senior Maria Gutschke found it encouraging to see so many prolife people. “You look down Constitution Avenue and, beyond what the eye can see, there are pro-life people—you really feel a sense of solidarity.”

Students prayed the rosary and sang hymns as they marched. When they turned the corner onto 1st Street to face the Supreme Court building, their prayers turned to the classic chant, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Roe V. Wade has got to go!”

“We are deeply grateful to Nellie Grey for allowing Christendom to lead the March for Life at this historic time,” College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell said. “The dignity of all human life is something that is communicated very clearly in the course of studies here at Christendom College. Our students’ participation in leading this March provided a great opportunity to manifest concretely, through their actions, what they have learned in the classroom and help fulfill the College’s motto, ‘to restore all things in Christ.’”

Since its founding over 30 years ago, Christendom College has routinely canceled classes on the day of the March, and the Student Activities Council charters as many buses as needed to transport all 400+ students, and numerous members of the faculty and staff, to the March. Its students are active in pro-life work year round, leading prayerful protests at a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Washington, DC, once a week, as well as taking part in sidewalk counseling, and other pro-life activities. For Christendom, “Restoring all things in Christ” is not simply a motto, it is a way of life.

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Christendom to Honor Prominent Pro-Life Leader at Graduation

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During Commencement Weekend May 1517, 2009, Christendom College will honor Reverend Frank Pavone, the National Director of Priests for Life, and Dr. Jude Dougherty, Dean Emeritus of the Catholic University of America’s School of Philosophy.

Since its first graduation ceremony in 1980, Christendom College has only invited speakers who are in union with the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, and whose lives can be emulated by the graduates and the College community. This year’s invitees continue the tradition.

Fr. Pavone is one of the most prominent pro-life leaders in the world, serving as the National Director of Priests for Life. He has served as an official of the Pontifical Council for the Family at the Vatican, and he received the “Proudly Pro-Life Award” from the National Right to Life Committee.

Christendom will honor Fr. Pavone with its Pro Deo et Patria Medal for Distinguished Service to God and Country.

Professor Jude Dougherty will receive an Honorary Doctorate from the College and deliver the Commencement address.

Dougherty is Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus at the Catholic University of America’s School of Philosophy. He has written or edited many books, including Jacques Marit-

INSTAURARE

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Managing Editor: Tom McFadden Contributing Editor: Niall O’Donnell Copy Editor: Maria O’Brien Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 800.877.5456 ~ www.christendom.edu Copyright © 2009. 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 (www.christendom.edu).” SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST.

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ain: An Intellectual Profile and Religion-GesellschaftDemokratie: Ausgewählte Aufsätze.

“Over the years, we have had some great Catholic men and women as commencement speakers, particularly, some great pro-life leaders. Nellie Gray of the March for Life, Joseph Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League, Gov. Robert Casey, and Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey are a few,” says Director of Admissions and Public Rela- Fr. Frank Pavone will be honored at Commencement Weekend, May 15-17. tions Tom McFadden.

“And we have honored many individuals whose lives offer no public contradiction to with honorary doctorates, including Sean all we know to be true as Catholic intellectuCardinal O’Malley, Archbishop Raymond als.”

Burke, George Cardinal Pell, Francis Cardinal Arinze, and Fr. Benedict Groeschel. For more information, go to www.christenIn every case, we have selected individuals dom.edu/graduation.

Library Gathers Theological Treasures The Christendom library recently acquired four major book collections in theology.

J.D. Mansi’s sixty-volume Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova et Amplissima Collectio, the definitive scholarly compilation of the acts of every ecumenical council up to Vatican I and numerous local councils from the early Medieval period to the 19th century, is the first new addition.

time of Christ. It gathers the traditions of Judaism at a critical moment in history,” says Assistant Professor of Theology Eric Jenislawski, “just as the destruction of Jerusalem threatened to erase these traditions forever.

Because so much of the New Testament stands against the background of Jewish liturgy and theology, these traditions are important for New Testament readers to understand.”

The library also obtained a beautiful critical edition of the Cursus Theologicus of John Poinsot. The Cursus is an extensive commentary on the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas by a celebrated Dominican professor.

The library has also steadily increased its collection of writings of the Fathers of the Church, both in the original languages and in translation. The Corpus Christianorum collection offers students over a hundred volumes of Church Fathers in Latin and in Greek. The Ancient Christian Fathers series provides students forty more volumes in English translation. The College also recently acquired wonderful new English translations of all the sermons and letters of St. Augustine.

Two works of Judaica also join the Christendom collection. The Mishnah is a collection of rabbinical commentaries on the Law of Moses compiled in 200 AD. “The Mishnah gives us precious insight into Judaism at the

Donors wishing to assist the Theology Department’s quest to gather more treasures of our Catholic patrimony and place them in the hands of deserving students are encouraged to contact the College.

Mansi’s Sacrorum Conciliorum will soon be joined by Hefele and Leclercq’s marvelous ninevolume History of the Councils, which provides the historical background for many of these important moments in the life of the Church.

Christendom Named a “Best Buy” for Faithfulness and Affordability

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Christendom is included in a new independent report on college costs published by The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education, which reveals that some of the most faithful Catholic colleges and universities in the United States also offer students significant cost savings.

The Center, the research division of The Cardinal Newman Society, commissioned this report in response to the economic recession as a way of helping parents and students as they consider various options for colleges.

The study compares the faithful Catholic colleges recommended in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College with other Catholic and private colleges on issues such as tuition, institutional aid, student debt, and overall affordability.

Though not included in the final published study, the research found that not only are the recommended Catholic colleges more affordable as a whole, but Christendom College’s average net cost per year for students is more than $5,700 lower than the average of private colleges in Virginia.

“I think that parents will be happy to learn that a classical Catholic college education can be both faithful and affordable,” Director of Admissions Tom McFadden said. “In today’s economic climate, Christendom’s faithful Catholic education and lower costs should put it at the top of any family’s list as they begin to make decisions on which college to attend.”

The study also found that tuition and student debt is lower than the average of other Catholic universities. In addition, institutional aid is 10% higher.

“This study is welcome news to families sacrificing to find ways to pay for a meaningful Catholic college education for their sons and daughters,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

“The Catholic colleges profiled in The Newman Guide were chosen for their quality education and for the priority that they place on Catholic identity in all aspects of campus life.

In that sense we have always believed that the recommended colleges were ‘best buys’ for families based on fidelity to Catholic teachings, but with the publication of this afford-

ability study we now know that they are also truly economic ‘best buys’ too,” noted Joseph A. Esposito, editor of The Newman Guide and director of the Center.

The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education’s mission is to study Catholic colleges and universities in accordance with the guidelines of Ex corde Ecclesiae and in a manner faithful to the Holy Father and Magis-

terium of the Catholic Church. The complete Newman Guide and The Center’s study are available online at www.thenewmanguide.com.

Christendom appears in numerous other national secular and religious guides each year, including Barron’s Best Buys, Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s All-American Colleges and Choosing the Right College, and Peterson’s Competitive Colleges.

College Mourns the Loss of Bishop Thomas J. Welsh - A True Friend of Christendom Former Arlington Diocese Bishop Thomas Welsh, a great friend of Christendom College since its inception, died February 19 at Lehigh Valley Hospital of Allentown, PA. He was 87.

Bishop Welsh was ordained a priest in 1946 in Philadelphia and in 1974 became the founding bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, VA. He then served as bishop of the Allentown diocese from 1983 to 1998, when he retired.

Welsh was a wonderful, loyal friend and supporter of Christendom ColBishop Welsh received an honorary doctorate in 2004. lege. He was instrumental in acquiring the land on which Christendom’s the Diocese of Arlington. He stayed close to Front Royal Campus rests, as well as provid- the College over the years. His solicitude for ing Christendom with its first chaplain. He Cathy, myself, and Christendom was always presided over the College’s first commence- a deep source of consolation over the years. ment exercises in 1980. He received an hon- His smile, charm, and unfailing charity will orary doctorate from the College in 2004 be deeply missed.” and spoke at the 2007 Summer Institute.

Eternal rest grant unto Bishop Thomas Welsh, “Bishop Thomas Welsh was an outstanding O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. shepherd and a warm friend of Christen- May his soul and the souls of all the faithful dom College,” College President Dr. Tim- departed rest in peace. Amen. othy O’Donnell said. “When the College was first established, he would visit frequently and generously spend a great deal of time with our students.

He was always supportive of the efforts of our founding president, Dr. Warren Carroll, to establish an orthodox Catholic liberal arts college here in College founder Dr. Warren Carroll with Bishop Welsh.

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High School Students Experience Christendom During Summer Program

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“The week I spent at Christendom allowed me to experience and live my faith in a way I had never done before. I can honestly say that I am a better Catholic and a better person because of this experience,” said 2008 “Experience Christendom” Summer Program participant Kyle O’Connor from Virginia.

And he’s not the only one that felt that way about the unique summer program offered at Christendom last summer.

Tommy Salmon of Galway, Ireland, found the camp to be not only packed with fun activities but also an atmosphere for real learning. “You truly learn to understand your faith and meet the most fantastic people that have the same beliefs as you do. I feel like I’ve learned more in these two weeks than I have my whole life,” he said.

Last summer, Christendom welcomed 108 high school students on campus, to take part in the “Experience Christendom” Summer Programs. Students came from across the United States and Europe to attend the program.

This summer, due to increased interest in the program over the past two years, the College will host three sessions of the program, expecting 40 students per session. There will be two one-week sessions and one two-week session from which visitors may choose. The “camp-

ers,” as participants are affectionately called, will be supervised by Christendom College students, a number of whom were once “campers” themselves, as well as members of the Admissions Office staff.

Taught by Christendom’s own faculty, students will attend classes in philosophy, literature, history, and theology, and will learn to live as a Christendom student during their stay, taking part in academic and spiritual activities, as well as many exciting social events, with a focus on good, clean, moral fun.

“The programs are great for people who think that they know what Christendom is all about, and think it’s a place full of geeks, nerds, and holy rollers,” says Director of Admissions Tom McFadden who runs the program. “Every year, I hear from parents and grandparents who are signing their children or grandkids up and they tell me that they just hope that the kids will like it because they really don’t want to go. I tell them not to worry because everyone who attends the program has a great time and comes away from it with a different outlook on life and on Christendom College.”

A 2008 participant, Bernadette Brock had a complete turnaround. “I had a very bad

prejudice against Christendom College and did not want to attend the Summer Program that much. I had a stereotype of everyone being homeschooled nerds, but everyone was totally awesome. I had the best time of my life,” she admitted. As of now, Brock plans on attending Christendom in the Fall.

The students’ schedule is busy – packed with classes and daily Mass in the morning, and a wide array of activities in the afternoon and evening, including swing dancing, canoeing, hiking, bowling, visiting different professors’ houses, and playing competitive sports.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the program, according to McFadden, is the fact that many of the rising high school seniors come to the camp expecting it to be a dull and boring time, with too much emphasis being placed on Catholicism. They do not look forward to the idea of going to daily Mass, rosary, and benediction, but after a couple of days, things begin to change.

In his application essay to Christendom, one former participant of the summer program wrote a testimonial on his experience.

Each year, students from across the country take part in the “Experience Christendom” Summer Program.

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“The most attracting, outstanding, and memorable qualities that Christendom has to offer are their traditions of the faith; people who live out the faith; and the smiles on the hearts and faces of students. I will always remember the counselors who welcomed the campers to the campus with great enthusiasm. Never did they hesitate to answer or explain why the rules went against our immature idea of ‘fun.’ In no time at all, we soon learned of the spectacular joy and true happiness within our hearts. The opportunity to attend Mass every day seemed almost a burden until the week continued and I found myself falling more in love with it. Never for a moment did the

counselors or staff members lose their sense of joy. As for myself, I found peace and a sense of happiness that I had never felt before and to this very day it has become a part of me.

To wake up in the morning and know that other people my age shared the same views, morals, and ideas gave me great strength to persevere. It felt as if God was tapping me on the shoulder to wake up and get my life in order,” he wrote.

He continued: “I was also impressed in seeing the president, Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, active with the campers. It made me realize that this college not only cared for their students but also the young Catholic community and even prospective students. I find great peace and solace in applying to a college that first cares for my soul. Christendom has worked hard in providing a Christ-centered environment both inside and outside of the classroom.

“I want to thank all who are responsible for making what Christendom has become and is continuing to do. I am truly grateful for the opportunity in which I shared and experienced the greatness that Christendom has to offer. It has influenced my life dramatically in finding true happiness within Christ. I hunger for more and desire to return with even a stronger sense of joy. I am truly aware of the indispensable necessity for a reform of faith in today’s world which requires a dramatic role in the growth of the youth.

The community of Christendom works as a family and I hope, through God’s will, to one day be a part of that family.”

Junior Visit Day Brings Students to Campus

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Forty-five high school juniors attended Christendom College’s inaugural Junior Visit Day on Monday, February 16.

The event, intended to be an informative open house for local students, drew students from several states, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York.

The visiting students toured campus, attended classes, spoke with faculty, and heard from the Director of Ad- Classics Professor Dr. Edward Strickland and other faculty missions Tom McFadden, a Student members ate lunch with the students during Junior Visit Day. agreed. “It was very informative.”

Life Panel, and College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. O’Donnell highlighted the College’s history and mission, noting the “We did everything we could to roll out the important role Christendom plays in the red carpet and make their time on campus as universal Church. He invited students to informative as possible,” Associate Director join in Christendom’s mission of “restoring of Admissions Lauren Clark said. “We look forward to holding Visit Days on a more regall things in Christ.” ular basis, in addition to our designated Visit “Many people already think they know all Weekends each fall and spring.” about Christendom College, and, therefore, think that they do not need to make a visit to The Junior Visit Day provides an opportuour campus,” says Admissions Director Tom nity for high school students to conduct a McFadden. “But we have found that what preliminary campus visit, which is essential people think they know about Christendom, before or during the application process. Aland what Christendom really is, are some- ready, plans for the next academic year intimes quite different. A visit really helps the clude two Senior Visit Days during the fall prospective student get a better understand- and two Junior Visit Days in the spring. ing of our unique educational apostolate.”

“Once a student is accepted, we recommend “The day really helped me get a good idea of a longer, more involved visit to campus in what Christendom is all about,” visiting stu- their senior year,” Clark said. “This makes Judent Peter Mercandetti of Emmitsburg, MD, nior Visit Day the perfect precursor.”

Many of last year’s participants received some financial aid to reduce their costs.

This money came from generous donors of the College: Mr. Jack Murphy and Mr. and Mrs. Juergen Mross. If anyone would like to donate to this cause to enable more students to experience Christendom College, please contact Christendom’s Office of Advancement.

The “Experience Christendom” Summer Program is life-changing and tons of fun.

Those interested in attending should register online by going to www.christendom. edu and clicking on Summer Programs at the bottom of the page. Additionally, the College has created a promotional video for the “Experience Christendom” Summer Program that can also be found on the website.

College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell addressed the students during Junior Visit Day.

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College to Conclude Year of St. Paul with Annual Summer Institute

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His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI officially announced in July 2007 that the Church would dedicate a special jubilee year to the Apostle Paul from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009, for the occasion of the 2000th anniversary of his birth, which historians place between 7 and 10 AD. The Apostle of the Gentiles, said the Pope, “was anything but a gifted speaker,” and hence “the extraordinary apostolic results he was able to achieve are not to be attributed to brilliant rhetoric or to refined apologetics and missionary strategies.

The success of his apostolate depended above all on his personal involvement in announcing the Gospel of Christ with total dedication to Him, a dedication that feared no risks, difficulties or persecutions.”

In anticipation of the closing of the “Year of St. Paul” on June 29th, Christendom will host its 20th Annual Summer Institute on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, 2009, featuring many gifted speakers (unlike St. Paul himself ). The presenters, brilliant rhetoricians and apologists, will discuss St. Paul’s Spiritual and Scriptural Contributions to the Church.

On Friday evening, Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde will open the weekend with an overview of St. Paul and his teachings.

Following His Excellency’s talk, internationally renowned Irish Tenor Mark Forrest will sing during a Eucharistic Holy Hour. Forrest performs Irish music concerts and inspirational music concerts, with his melodic voice having filled concert halls and cathedrals world wide.

On Saturday morning, June 27, participants will begin their day hearing from Christendom College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, who will discuss St. Paul’s path to Rome.”

Tim Staples will follow O’Donnell’s talk, focusing on St. Paul’s understanding of justification.

Staples is a full-time evangelist who was raised a Baptist and was an Assembly of God Youth Minister before he converted to the Catholic Church. Since his conversion in 1988, he has given hundreds of talks and helped thousands of Catholics find their way back home.

After that talk, all will gather in the Chapel

Bishop Paul Loverde

Mark Forrest

Timothy O’Donnell

Tim Staples

Bishop James Conley

Eric Jenislawski

Sebastian Carnazzo

Mark Shea

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for Mass, celebrated by Bishop James Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, who will also deliver the homily on a Pauline topic.

Bishop Conley was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita in 1985, and since then has served in many parish and diocesan assignments, most recently as an official in the Vatican Congregation for Bishops.

Following lunch, a book-signing, and confessions, Christendom Theology professor Eric Jenislawski will delve into the topic of St. Paul and the crisis of modern Biblical interpretation. Jenislawski received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Yale University, and is currently a PhD candidate in Systematic Theology at the Catholic University of America. As Assistant Professor of Theology at Christendom, he routinely teaches courses on Sacred Scripture, medieval exegesis, and Divine Revelation.

Following Jenislawski will be Sebastian Carnazzo, who will speak on the Acts of the Apostles as the key to understanding St. Paul’s Epistles. Carnazzo received his MA in Theology with a concentration in Sacred Scripture from the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College, and is presently pursuing a doctorate in Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He teaches Sacred Scripture and Biblical Languages at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary of the Fraternity of St. Peter in Denton, NE. Concluding the Institute, with a talk on St. Paul, evangelization, and apologetics, will be Mark Shea, a popular Catholic writer and speaker. He is the author of many books and an award-winning columnist, having contributed many articles to This Rock, the National Catholic Register, and other Catholic publications.

At the conclusion of the event, Dr. O’Donnell, members of the Board of Directors, and many of the Summer Institute speakers will gather for the Annual President’s Council Awards Dinner, for members of the 2008-09 President’s Council donor club. For more information on the Summer Institute, go to Christendom’s website where one may register online. To become a member of the President’s Council and receive an invitation to the Awards Dinner, please contact the College’s Office of Advancement.

St. Patrick’s Day 2009 Students Spend Spring Break Lobbying UN

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Ten Christendom students participated in the 53rd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York City from March 7 to 14. Working with the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), the students spoke with delegates and participated in the commission’s various meetings.

Irish music filled the air throughout the night.

The students had the opportunity to lobby and provide moral support and research for those delegates who wished to defend traditional values and they also sat in on open conferences and NGO (non-governmental organizations) meetings.

The CSW gathered 192 national delegates and 5000 representatives of non-governmental organizations.

The Killackey brothers work their fiddles.

Mrs. Mickey Krebs and Brendan Sheridan sing a lively Irish song together.

“It’s pretty much a big feminist shindig,” Senior Josepha Bertolini said. “There is a lot of pushing of ideologies without a sense of how the different nations are run. Motherhood is a taboo word. They try to deny that there are any natural differences between men and women. Motherhood was equated with unpaid care-giving as they advocated for more daycare so that women could leave the home.”

“It’s very bleak,” Senior James Tillman said. “The new US delegation appointed

by President Obama is a Margaret Sanger biographer. They are really pushing their agenda down the throat of other nations.”

This caused a lot of resentment among the delegates. “The smaller nations feel bullied by the US and the EU,” Tillman said.

The Clansmen.

Senior Dubh O’Donnell sings “Foggy Dew” with her brother, Rory, and father, Dr. O’Donnell, accompanying her.

what they’re doing, so it puts pressure on them on this already intense situation,” she said.

Students worked all hours of the night.

“We were up until five or seven in the morning on some nights,” Junior Tyler Ament said. “We needed to be there because we were making a difference. There are so few pro-life NGO representatives that our team of ten was a formidable force.”

In an email to the students that participated, C-FAM Director of Government Relations Samantha Singson told students, “You gave up your time, energy and resources in order to defend life and family at the UN and we thank you for your dedication. Our presence was felt, and more than one delegate made it a point to compliment the [representatives] from Christendom College. As individuals, you were all outstanding, but the Christendom group dynamic was unprecedented. Your help during the week was invaluable and it was a pleasure working with all of you.”

Bertolini said that the experience was both eye-opening and life-changing. “It’s so awesome. You meet so many people from around the world. The practical knowledge you gain is amazing. It’s such a great thing for us Christendom students to do.

College students are so young and idealistic, so it helps you to realize that there are so many other ideologies out there that are just as persistent, if not more, than yours.”

According to Bertolini, many liberal NGO representatives were afraid of the C-FAM group. “They don’t like it.

It makes them uncomfortable.

It makes them aware that the pro-life and pro-family movement knows about Christendom students at the United Nations with C-FAM President Austin Ruse.

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The Study of Literature Enriches the Lives of Students

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“At Christendom, the pursuit of truth in and through the study of literature is informed by, and fully integrated with, the Catholic faith,” English Language and Literature Professor Dr. Thomas Stanford says. “The literature program takes into account the ultimate end of man in a way that very few collegiate literature programs do.”

The Department of English Language and Literature at Christendom College has played an essential role in the formation of the students’ moral imaginations since the founding of the College. The Department offers a program unlike any other in the nation. The diligence, dedication, and accessibility of the professors is one of its greatest strengths.

“All of the professors in the English Department are very accessible and we spend a lot of time in one on one conferences. That’s where it’s at,” Literature Professor Dr. Patrick Keats says. “Students come away from those conferences with confidence knowing they can write and have developed a life-long skill.”

Stanford agrees. “We treat the students as we would our own children. The Christendom literature program is concerned with the formation of the whole of their person, to include their spiritual and emotional lives, not simply their intellectual lives.”

The core literature curriculum seeks to impart to the students a panoramic knowledge of the literary tradition of the West, from the birth of humanism in classical antiquity, through the fulfillment of the humanistic enterprise in the context of Christianity, to the challenges of modernity.

Keats says that in the core the students are taking on the “great ideas” with their mind, heart, and imagination. “They study these things in theology, philosophy, and history, but here they discover what the great poets say about it.”

“It is hoped that students finishing the literature core will understand not only key works representing the great patrimony of literary history, but also that they will be better able to articulate their views by oral or written means, and better able to think clearly and to judge well,” Stanford says.

“Students write, and write a lot,” Keats says.

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English Department Faculty: Dr. Patrick Keats, Dr. Cecilia Linton, Dr. Thomas Stanford, Dr. Robert Rice, Dr. Lisa Marciano, and Prof. Sharon Hickson.

After taking the four English courses required in the core curriculum, if a student decides to major in literature, twenty-seven hours of advanced work are required. Stanford points out that it is a program that prepares the students to excel in graduate studies. Required courses cover topics including literary criticism, poetry and poetics, and Shakespeare, as well as a range of courses representing all of the key phases of literary history, from the early classical and Christian periods, through the Middle Ages, the English Renaissance and Restoration, the Romantic and Victorian eras, and finally modernity.

“Two factors distinguishing our literature

program are the breadth and rigorous nature of the study required of every student within the major,” Stanford says. “In learning to read well and deeply, we also are learning to ask questions of what we read and to find answers—that is, to exercise our reason, as well as our imagination.”

“You’re going to use your mind, your heart— your creativity is going to be called into play,” Keats says. “There are great discussions in the classrooms led by interesting teachers.

And you’re going to be ready to teach English, go on to graduate studies, or do whatever God is calling you to do. It’s an exciting place to be.”

NDGS’ Ciresi Publishes Biblical Newsletter Salvatore J. Ciresi, a faculty member of Christendom’s Notre Dame Graduate School, launched a newsletter for 2009: Veritas Scripturae (VS). This electronic bulletin is dedicated to explaining and defending, in view of Catholic Tradition and the Magisterium, the doctrines of Biblical inspiration and inerrancy.

According to Ciresi, “No contemporary Catholic publication exists with this particular focus.” Each issue of VS contains sections such as “Scripture Memorization and Exegesis,” “The Church Fathers and Scripture,” “St. Thomas Aquinas and Revelation,” “The Magisterium Speaks,” “Inerrancy Basics,” and a “Book Recommendation.” VS may be received free of charge, six times per year.

Send an e-mail to salciresi@aol.com. Type in the subject line “VS subscription.”

St. Louis the Crusader Gymnasium Full of Action This Spring

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Crusader Gymnasium has already played host to a frenzy of activity on Christendom’s campus thus far in the Spring ’09 semester.

Within the realm of varsity athletics, basketball season wrapped up in late February with an exhibition match between Christendom’s men and a talented squad made up of alumni and other distinguished invitees. With only two seniors graduating from this year’s team and a wealth of talent and experience returning, hopes are high for the Crusader men next season.

With the end of basketball comes the beginning of baseball season. New coach John Mercandetti, father of senior baseball player John Mercandetti, has taken over the program and begun workouts with the team in the gym. The younger Mercandetti is among six seniors who lead a squad running high with enthusiasm over the upcoming season. This Spring the gym has added an indoor batting cage, much improved over earlier models, that has facilitated the efforts of the baseball team in pre-season training.

In addition to the varsity programs, intramural sports this semester have offered all students a great source of entertainment and a chance to showcase their own athletic prowess. First up on the schedule was the wildly popular intramural dodgeball season. Teams were made up of eight students apiece. A loaded (but legal) confederacy put together by intramural director Sam McMahon advanced through the regular season undefeated and largely unchallenged. The playoffs initially proceeded in much the same manner. In the championship round, McMahon’s team encountered its first serious roadblock, needing the full five games to knock out an upstart squad led by seniors Alex McCullough and Marion Miner, who had been members of the legendary “Alex’s Mom” team of previous years. So ended a thrilling dodgeball post-season, with perhaps a new intramural dynasty having begun.

Next on the intramural schedule was in-

door soccer. The season has proven to be a great success. Seventeen teams of five players each registered to play this year, pro-

viding for an excellent field of competition. Visitors to the gym during an indoor soccer match were treated to a number of exciting, fast-paced, and competitive games.

Following soccer, intramural basketball arrived on the scene, which has always proven to be an intense affair. This, coinciding with March Madness, ensured that the gym was packed with students either playing basketball or watching it upstairs in front of a new flat-screen TV, the most recent addition to another project in progress at the gym – a much-anticipated student lounge area.

While all these events proceed one after the other, certain activities in the gym are a regular occurrence, such as the many individual racquetball matches that go on daily from the afternoon, usually after classes finish all the way to curfew, when the gym closes. The racquetball fever has increased drastically this semester with the beginning of the annual racquetball tournament, which this year features about 40 men and women competing for racquetball court dominance. In addition, many evenings during the week students can be found competing in a game of wallyball at the gym or even the Friday night volleyball games that have become a staple

on campus draw large numbers of students anxious for a fun time.

Beginning this past fall semester, the Christendom Marina was opened, featuring a private trail from the gym to the floating dock that now accesses the Shenandoah River.

Canoes and kayaks were purchased by the maintenance and athletic departments and are offered to the students for their leisure. Already this Spring, many students have taken advantage of the scenic location to meander on the beautiful Shenandoah River in a kayak or canoe.

The athletic department will begin sponsoring canoe and kayak tournaments and races this Spring with the hopes of next year incorporating it into the regular intramural schedule.

While the spirit of the College is certainly found in the chapel, its pulse is perhaps most readily captured in the gymnasium. The enthusiasm for sport and the thrill of competition, whether at the varsity, intramural, or independent level, has generated a wealth of lively activity on campus. It’s all happening on the fields, at the dock, and in the gym.

Men Crusaders Basketball Team.

The Lady Crusaders Basketball Team.

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Students Spend Spring Break Doing Missionary Work in Honduras

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Associate Dean of Student Life Tambi Spitz and twelve students took advantage of the College’s Spring Break and traveled to Honduras to perform missionary work through an organization called Mission Honduras.

“I knew that the mission work would be fruitful in many ways,” says Spitz. “I could foresee the many blessings I would experience, but I could never have prepared for the multiple levels in which this trip would affect me.”

Throughout the week, the missionaries worked to support Mission Honduras’ educational system. The founder, a Franciscan priest named Fr. Emil, believes the best way to free the Hondurans from their poverty is through education. With that in mind, he started several schools in the Honduras which educate children from elementary grades up through college.

He also started the “Mother’s Project” which serves mothers with children who have been abandoned or abused. Missionaries who visit Mission Honduras support this school system and the Mother’s Project with a variety of tasks ranging from doing repairs, small building projects, some teaching assistance, and playing with and caring for the children when they complete their school day.

“Our first project was to paint houses in the Mother’s Project, which was just a few hun-

dred yards from where we stayed in the mission volunteer center,” Spitz explains. “I was apprehensive at first, but very excited. I remember contemplating the entire experience to come as I walked over to the Mother’s Project.

For me, this wasn’t just any mission trip, but a trip with Christendom College students – a trip and an encounter with students like I had never experienced before.”

Tambi Spitz playing with the local Honduran children.

“It was so refreshing to see children who were not tainted by a materialist society,” recalls Senior Ali Schuberg. “Although they had next to nothing, their happiness and peacefulness was truly touching. I firmly believe that you take away just as much as you give on mission trips. We all had a renewed sense of appreciation for all that we are given in our lives.”

In all of the projects they did, they found the interaction with the children and the people to be the most rewarding. In spite of the severe poverty they witnessed, the Christendom missionaries couldn’t help but to think that the children’s lives in many ways were so much fuller than theirs.

“I remember noticing joy in the children almost always,” says Spitz.

again,” says Senior Matt Hadro. “Yet we knew that the experiences we received from this mission trip, the work we did, the people we met, our silent time – it all paid off.

Hopefully this experience will stay with us for the rest of our lives, even as we finish up school and make our way into the real world.”

“At the end of the day, I account my experience as a mission, retreat, cultural, and authentic Christendom experience all wrapped into one. I am so truly thankful for this opportunity. I feel privileged to have experienced Christendom at its finest,” says Spitz.

Although it was fairly modest, the presence of a chapel enabled them to have a Communion service every morning at seven, and liturgy of the hours every morning and evening.

“This was a vital part of the mission trip as prayer is just as important – if not more – than action,” says Schuberg.

Christendom senior Ali Schuberg reads a Dr. Seuss book to a small child in Honduras.

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“We arrived back in America disappointed to have to start school Matt Hadro reads the Bible with one of his little friends.

Dr. and Mrs. O’Donnell Lead Pilgrims in the Footsteps of St. Paul

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Heeding Pope Benedict’s call to make a Pauline pilgrimage during this Pauline Year, Dr. and Mrs. Timothy O’Donnell and a group of twenty pilgrims arrived in Malta on March 2 to begin a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul. When they landed, it was like stepping into southern California— warmth, cacti, and ubiquitous oleander.

However, Mass, which immediately followed at the Chapel of Santa Marijz ta’ Bir Miftuh, a small fourteenth century limestone chapel with medieval tombstones propped against the walls, roosters crowing in the courtyard, and a busy airstrip yards away, was an appropriate introduction to the complexities of Christian Malta.

On the island, the group visited St. Paul’s Bay, the traditional site of the apostle’s shipwreck. In nearby Rabat, the birthplace of Maltese Christianity, Fr. Tom Vander Woude, Christendom alumnus and chaplain for the tour, celebrated Mass in the grotto where St. Paul was held prisoner as he wintered on the island.

After touring the ancient walled city of Mdina and then Valetta, the group left Malta and flew to Sicily. After driving east through the dramatic coastal mountains to Ragusa, they had Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and then viewed the ancient city climbing steeply from the valley floor to the many-spired hilltop.

In Palermo they gained an appreciation for the wealth and power of the Norman kings as they visited the Cathedral of Palermo, the Palatine Chapel in the Palace of the Normans,

and the Cathedral of Monreale and its Cloisters. Each outdid the other in glorious golden mosaics, perhaps the most beautiful in the world.

Their last visit in Palermo was to the shrine of Saint Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo, at the top of Mount Pellegrino. Zigzagging up the steep mountainside, they were treated to striking views of Palermo, its harbor, and the majestic mountains which surround it. At the shrine they had Mass in the Pilgrims Sue and Bob Glover pictured with Francis Cardinal Arinze. cave where the saint’s bones had been found Saint Peter, they saw many shrines promotin 1624 and carried in procession to stop an ing the year of Saint Paul. Perhaps the most interesting was San Paulo alla Regola, where outbreak of plague in the city.

After an overnight ferry ride to the Port of they prayed in the room where Saint Paul Naples, the pilgrims drove to the Basilica of had written his four Roman epistles. Santa our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii for Mass. Maria in Transpontina, a small church near A snow-capped Vesuvius, glistening against their hotel displayed pillars where Peter and a deep blue sky, dominated the city. From Paul had been scourged. On their tour of there they drove to St. Benedict’s monas- the Colosseum and the Forum, they detery of Monte Cassino, admired the snow- scended into the Mamertine Prison, where capped Apennines, said a rosary at the Polish the two had been imprisoned together. And, Cemetery, and returned to the Monastery finally, they visited Saint Paul’s Outside the for Vespers. Both the church and the music Walls, where they entered through the Holy were glorious, and they left fortified for their Door for the Year of Saint Paul, were able to pray at the recently excavated and exposed slow bus ride to Rome. tomb of Saint Paul, and had their last Mass The first morning in Rome Fr. Vander Woude in Rome. All this was in perfect weather and said Mass in the Vatican crypt in a chapel near under an incredibly blue sky. the tomb of St. Peter, then Dr. O’Donnell led the group and the Christendom students On the evening of the Feast of St. Frances of studying in Rome on a tour of the Vatican. Rome, March 9, Dr. O’Donnell gave an adThough Rome is Rome and mostly about dress on Saint Paul and Rome at the Christendom campus in Rome. The talk and reception were attended by pilgrims, Rome students, and an interesting assortment of alumni living in Rome, as well as students visiting Rome over the break, siblings of Rome students, and students from other colleges with Rome programs. On March 11, Francis Cardinal Arinze joined them for dinner at the Hotel Columbus, addressed the group briefly, answered questions, and patiently had his picture taken with everyone on the pilgrimage.

The Christendom pilgrims pictured with some Christendom in Rome program students and teachers on the terrace of Christendom’s Rome campus.

While in Rome the group also visited the Quo Vadis Church and walked along the Appian Way to the Catacombs of Saint Callistus; they toured the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran and the Holy Stairs; and they received a Papal blessing at the Wednesday audience.

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Annual Giving Program Celebrates Third Year of Success

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As 94 seniors prepare to go out into the world upon graduation this coming May, the Christendom Annual Fund is celebrating its third year. More than 1,300 dedicated Board members, alumni, parents, and friends already have contributed $1.53 million (or 79%) toward this year’s Annual Fund goal of $1,925,000, the largest annual fundraising goal in Christendom’s history.

appeal for support for the coming academic year, with a goal of 100% Board participation.

Then, just as the academic year begins, President O’Donnell makes his own Annual Fund appeal to the alumni, parents, and friends of the College. During the same semester, the College publishes an Annual Giving Report.

The fundraising year ends in May with the academic year, and the President’s Council Awards Dinner for the finished year is celThis 2008-09 academic year marks the third ebrated during the summer that follows. The anniversary of achievement Christendom’s Your gifts to Christendom College change people’s lives of the Annual Annual Fund – in Front Royal, Virginia, and around the world. Es- Fund goal truly campaign. In pecially in these challenging economic times, your gifts is cause to cel2006-07 Dr. afford students the opportunity to receive one of the ebrate.

O’Donnell anfinest and most rigorous Catholic educations available nounced the The real cost inaugural year anywhere. Whether your gift is large or small, it has an im- of a Christenof Christen- pact—at the College, in the Church, and on our beloved dom education dom’s Annual nation—that far exceeds the actual dollar amount. Please is not covered Fund, which use the enclosed envelope to make your gift today! fully by tuition was created – there is a gap, to enrich existing fundraising efforts of the and thus the reason for the Annual Fund.

College. The main improvements were the Each year O’Donnell and his Development naming of giving clubs and levels (e.g. Gold Officers invite individuals and organizations Benefactor at $500), creation of the Presi- to contribute these additional funds that litdent’s Council Major Donor society, publica- erally make the Christendom education postion of an Annual Giving Report and Donor sible for today’s students. Many colleges and Honor Roll, and the introduction of a donor universities close this gap through the use of awards presentation at the annual President’s government funds, or through the financial Council dinner. support of their large, multi-generational base of alumni. Christendom College has Each year, this President’s Council Awards neither. In order to remain free of undue govdinner marks the end of the Annual Fund cy- ernment intervention, Christendom remains cle, which follows the academic year. At the one of only four private Colleges nationwide Board of Directors meeting each summer, who accept no Federal funds of any kind Chairman Donna Bethell makes a personal (Hillsdale College, Grove City College, and Patrick Henry College being the other three).

Then too, being a relatively young college (only 31 years old), Christendom’s alumni family is still young and growing. As a result, the College needs the support of many other individuals who care deeply about the mission of the College and who wish to be considered “honorary alumni.”

“I am deeply grateful to all of the alumni of wealthier, more established colleges who have chosen to become honorary Christendom alumni, and have blessed the College with their gifts year in and year out, even in years of economic unrest like this one. I cannot thank them enough,” says O’Donnell.

The success of the Annual Fund each year is a true testimony to the great love of these

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many “honorary alumni” donors for the students and for the mission of the College. In 2006-07, Annual Fund donors achieved the goal of $1,725,000, exceeding it by $50,000.

Last academic year, the goal was $1,825,000, and through the generosity of many donors, this goal, too, was met, finishing $25,000 over goal.

While the time leading into this current academic year saw many uncontrollable increases in costs (e.g., utilities), with the application of strict fiscal discipline, the College minimized increases for the 2008-09 year. The current Annual Fund goal approved by the Board was $1,925,000. As Instaurare went to press, current donations totaled $1,529,000, fully 79% achievement of this year’s goal. Christendom is still seeking an additional $396,000 in donations, with a deadline of May 31. That challenging figure, constituting 21% of this year’s goal, although large by any standards, is by no means insurmountable.

“Although the remaining $396,000 does represent a challenge, it also represents an opportunity,” says Director of Development Stephen Grundman. “It’s an opportunity, first, to participate in changing the lives of students here on campus, and, secondarily, to create a powerful ripple effect wherever Christendom graduates are present in society. In this light, the Annual Fund is not so

much about helping to pay the electrical bill or the cost of cutting the grass—or even of paying the dedicated faculty and staff. None of those expenses makes any sense apart from the people who are transformed by this education: the students.”

Yet even this transformation is not an end in itself, as if the whole project of a Catholic What about the $396,000 of this year’s goal that remains? As with any other goal, the key is to break it down into smaller, achievable steps: Ten donors who give $10,000 are contributing 25% of the remaining goal—which leaves $296,000 still to raise.

Twenty donors each giving $5,000 achieve a further 25%—leaving $196,000.

Thirty donors of $2,500 are providing $75,000 (another 19%)—leaving $121,000.

Fifty donors who give $1,000 are contributing a further 13%—leaving only $71,000.

Eighty donors of $500 achieve $40,000 (a further 10%)—leaving only $31,000.

One hundred donors at the $250 level are providing an additional $25,000, or 6%—with only $6,000 still to be raised.

Finally, many “Widow’s mite” gifts of $40, $75 and $100 will then achieve the final 2% of this year’s Annual Fund, to cross the finish line.

liberal education merely aimed to benefit the student personally. Rather, the mission of Christendom College is about taking the long view. “The College aims to prepare men and women to exercise an enduring and transformational influence in society, and thus to help re-Christianize our civilization,” says John Ciskanik, the College’s Vice President of Advancement. “Every gift to the Annual Fund, then, is a direct investment in the restoration of our culture, precisely through the transforming influence that the Christendom graduate will exercise. That’s what excites me about Christendom.”

“Is there any area in our society that doesn’t need Christendom College graduates? Business, law, politics, medicine, family, film, art, literature, the Church?” asks Grundman.

“Who doesn’t need graduates who are articulate in their faith, bright and capable, wise beyond their years, able and willing to take on any challenge? Who doesn’t need discerning, critical thinkers, solution providers, effective communicators, pursuing that which is just, true, and noble? Imagine for a moment a new springtime for the Church, and for our culture: Husbands and wives deeply committed to each other and to the Christian education of their children. Professionals in the workplace whose entrepreneurial initiative is co-extensive with their personal integrity. Judges and lawmakers who defend the right-to-life of every person, from conception until natural death. This is but a brief sketch of the future intended by the College’s motto, ‘to restore all things in Christ.’”

Christendom accepts online donations which can be made securely using its Pay Pal account. Go to https://christendom.edu/support/support.shtml for more information.

Classics Professor Publishes Scholarly Articles

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Dr. Mark Clark, Associate Professor of Classical and Early Christian Studies, wrote an article on Stephen Langton, whose fame rests mostly on his role as Archbishop of Canterbury in securing the Magna Carta but who is famous among medievalists for having been the leading theologian and teacher of the Bible at the University of Paris when it first started. The article, “Les commentaires d’Étienne Langton sur l’Histoire scolastique de Pierre le Mangeur,” will be published as part of the Actes du Colloque International Étienne Langton in the series “Bibliothèque d’histoire culturelle du Moyen Âge.”

Additionally, he is working on two other im-

portant articles for prominent journals. The first is for Medioevo and will be on Stephen Langton’s role in teaching and promoting the Historia scholastica, which was the textbook used in the early universities to teach the Introduction to the Bible course. St. Thomas Aquinas himself often cites this book, because he too took the course. The second will be published in Archa Verbi, and it deals with the question of when in the Middle Ages theology first began to separate itself from the Bible. This process was complete by 1260, shortly after Aquinas and Bonaventure were center stage in Paris. But it began much earlier, and his article explores the beginnings of the process in the mid-twelfth century.

2007-08 Honor Roll of Contributors List of Corrections The following generous donors were omitted or listed incorrectly in the 2007-08 Honor Roll of Contributors published in the Winter 2008 issue of Instaurare.

President’s Council: Founder’s Circle ($10,000+) Dr. and Mrs. Daniel R. Cavazos Mr. Timothy Cavazos Miss Isabella Geppert (Deceased) Rev. William A. Richardson, SSJ (Deceased) President’s Council: Board Associate ($5,000+) Dr. and Mrs. Ronald G. Connolly Mr. Peter Grimberg Mr. and Mrs. Mark Wildermuth J. Duggan and Associates, P.C. President’s Council: Sustaining Member ($2,500+) Mr. Vincent Lin, Ph.D. Mrs. Judith P. Schiminsky (Deceased) President’s Council: Member ($1,000+) Mr. Roger Clark Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Fanning Mr. Joseph H. Orth Mr. Lozelle L. Pratt Mr. and Mrs. Philip Rauschert Gold Benefactor ($500+) Thomas J. Ashcraft, Esq. Mr. and Mrs. George Emilio Mr. Kevin Flaherty Mr. Charles Furr Miss Mary O’Donnell Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Van Norden Mr. and Mrs. William J. Waldron Silver Benefactor ($250+) Dr. and Mrs. Nicholas E. Barreca, (Ret.) Cathedral of St. Thomas More Mrs. Mary K. Chervenka Mr. Samuel Fontana Mrs. Helen D. Homan Mr. and Mrs. Bernard D. King Ms. Mary S. Kwan Ms. Theresa La Padula Mrs. Eugenia Quintos Mr. and Mrs. Peter C. Wade

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Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6445 Merrifield, VA 22081

134 Christendom Drive Front Royal, VA 22630 Return Service Requested

2009 Summer Programs Sign up at www.christendom.edu

“Experience Christendom” Summer Program for Rising High School Seniors E a c h y e a r, C h r i s t e n d o m welcomes over 100 rising high school seniors to its campus to experience what life would be like as a Christendom student.

And every year, students are deeply impressed by what they experience during the program.

During their stay on campus, they are given the rare opportunity to experience a truly Catholic culture where the Catholic Faith plays an important role in everything that they do; where Catholicism is the “air that they breathe.” Think of it as a “Catholic Immersion Program.”

Students spend their mornings taking classes in Theology, Philosophy, Literature, and History (all of which are taught from a Catholic viewpoint by Christendom’s own faculty) in order to gain an appreciation for the liberal arts.

After Mass, lunch, Benediction, and the Rosary, students spend their afternoons and evenings enjoying a number of recreational and social events, both in and around the Front Royal area, and in nearby Washington, DC.

One of the highlights of the program is the opportunity the students have to meet other young Catholics like themselves who are trying to live good, Catholic, well-balanced lives. Through this program, they make friends for life.

Students can choose from three different sessions: two one-week programs and one two-week program.

Space is limited to 40 students per session and limited financial assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Full daily schedules for each of these three sessions may be found on Christendom’s website as the dates draw closer.

Session 1: June 20-27 (one week) - Cost: $500 Registration deadline is May 22.

Session 2: June 28-July 5 (one week) - Cost: $500 Registration deadline is May 29.

Session 3: July 12-24 (two week) - Cost $950 Registration deadline is June 12.

Latin Immersion Program for High School Students Learn to speak and read Latin at the same speed you speak and read English during Christendom Classics Professor Mark Clark’s Latin Immersion Program. All classes will be conducted wholly in Latin, and students should expect to make substantial progress in active Latin.

This program is designed for any high school aged student. Prior knowledge of Latin is preferred, although not required. Two oneweek sessions will be held: July 12-18 and July 19-25. Cost of the program, including room and board, is $895.00. Space is limited to 30 students per session. Register online at www.christendom.edu.