Instaurare | Summer 2006

NSTAURARE

INSTAURARE

The The Christendom Christendom College College Update Update Instaurare (vt. to restore, strengthen, renew)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

2006 President’s Charge – page 2

July 2006 Volume XIV, Number II

EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo page 3

Graduation pages 4-5

Golf Tournament page 7

College Mourns Loss of Maggie Murray – page 3 New Music Scholarships Available – page 6 College Adds Online Donation Option – page 7 Students Spend Spring Break on a Mission – page 8

Australian Prelate George Cardinal Pell at Commencement Receives Honorary Doctorate and Urges Graduates to Face the Challenge of Islam

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Australia’s most prominent Church leader, George Cardinal Pell, joined Christendom College’s graduating class of 2006 during Commencement Weekend, May 12-14.

He was the main celebrant of the Baccalaureate Mass on May 12 and delivered the Commencement Address the following day. During the ceremony College President Timothy O’Donnell awarded His Eminence an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

George Cardinal Pell is the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia. He was ordained a priest in 1966, and holds a licentiate in theology from Urban University, a doctorate of philosophy in church history from the University of Oxford, and a master’s degree in education from Monash University, Melbourne.

“I remain intrigued by the title of your college,” His Eminence began, “because it is not Catholic College, nor Christian College, nor dedicated explicitly to the Trinity, Our Lady, one of the saints, but to Christendom. ‘Christendom’ has many meanings which include Christian culture and Christian civilization. Christendom College stands as a proud witness to nearly 1700 years of cultural and religious achievement, with its measure of crimes and lapses certainly, but, I believe an overwhelmingly positive achievement.”

(left) George Cardinal Pell delivered the Commencement Address to the Class of 2006; (right) Megan Mead and Rebecca Smith are happy to have graduated.

see GRADUATION, page 4

College Opens John Paul II Student Center

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On the one-year anniversary of Pope John Paul’s death, Christendom officially opened the John Paul II Student Center After an Italian feast in St. Lawrence Commons, the student body solemnly processed to the new Student Center. The Building was blessed, President O’Donnell made some remarks, and Senior Megan Mead cut the ceremonial ribbon at the entrance.

While some students sampled gourmet coffee from the café, others enjoyed pingpong, air-hockey, foosball, and pool in the game room. Afterwards, everyone gathered downstairs in a spacious meeting room to watch a student performance of an act of Karol Wojtyla’s play The Jeweller’s Shop. Later they listened to several student testimonials about their encounters with Pope John Paul II during their Junior Semester in Rome.

The Student Center is located near the front entrance of the campus in what once was the O’Reilly Memorial Library. Since the opening of the St. John the Evangelist Library in the fall of 2004, the College has been planning this renovation. There will

The O’Reilly Memorial Library has become the JPII Student Center and St. Kilian’s Café.

Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive Front Royal, VA 22630

Return Service Requested

see STUDENT CENTER, page 6 Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6445 Merrifield, VA 22081

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President’s Charge to Graduates of 2006

One of the problems of our modern world is that it is full of signposts and yet oddly it is unaware of its destination. In thinking about you as a class after having talked to most of you during your Senior Exit Interviews, I prayed about what I would say to you on this day.

First of all, I thought of Rome and its fundamental impact on your life. As one author put it, “The emperor of the visible empire ‘sol invictus,’ the invincible sun, has as his opponent and successor the Vicar of the invisible empire, ‘servus servorum Dei,’ the servant of the servant of God… We never understand more than half of things when we neglect the science of Rome.”

(Pierre Manent in The City of Man.) Those of you who spent the fall of your junior year in Rome saw with your own eyes Pope John Paul the Great and through that experience you formed a special, personal bond with him. Who can forget that it was exactly twenty-five years ago Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS today that he shed his blood for the Faith, not far from the spot where Saint Peter shed his?

Saint Peter’s Square now bears a special marker to venerate that spot. You are also the last Christendom group to see and meet with the late beloved Jan Cardinal Schotte.

Many of you recalled his visit to us for our Twenty-Fifth Anniversary celebration.

During your last visit with him in Rome, he spoke to you about your role as laity within the Church. Those of you who went to Rome for the spring semester and all who were here too, lived intensely that historic time of transition that involved the death and election of a pope. This I believe has led to a special, personal attachment to the See of Peter even for those class members who were not there during those historic days, for everyone was deeply touched by those events.

A second thing that came to my mind as I spoke to you about your education, your growth in wisdom, and the Catholic vision given to you by our gifted teaching faculty. I found myself struck by how many times thoughts and reflections came back to the rhythm of life here at Christendom. How your life of study and pursuit of wisdom was integrated with the Sacraments: daily Mass, frequent Confession, daily Adoration, Rosary, Divine Office, First Friday Holy Hours, All Night Adoration and Sunday Vespers. How much of our reflection together led us back to the heart of our campus – the Chapel of Christ the King. There, in our Chapel, that glorious Heart is revealed in the sanctuary. There, a silent, abiding, powerful presence is witnessed to by a small, flickering red candle and by the students kneeling in silent prayer and adoration.

In my charge to you today, I would like to unite these two themes. First, your special, personal bond with the See of Peter. Second, your special, personal bond with the Heart of our campus. If you would permit me a brief, personal reflection. I have had a love for the Heart of Jesus from my childhood. A host of images filled my imagination as a young boy as I recall what seems to be a sea of flickering red votive candles and images of Christ revealing His royal, merciful Heart during First Friday devotions and Holy Hours of reparation. This was all a part of the rhythm of Catholic parish life in the late 1950’s. It was not, however, until studies in Rome as a young theology student with my Dominican mentors that I began to reflect theologically upon the riches and depths of this devotion and on the special place it has been given in the life of the Church by the See of Peter. A whole series of papal documents were mentioned in class by my Dominican professors in Rome. I had never heard of any of them before! I resolved upon hearing of them that I would read every single one of them. And so I did. The more I read, the more I was impressed and taken by the depth of this devotion. I was also disturbed by the neglect and ignorance of this papal teaching, especially as I came to see the beauty and urgency of that teaching. There appeared to be a special link between the Pope, whom Catherine of Siena called “our sweet Christ on earth” and whom Saint Ambrose called “the representative of Christ’s love,” and this devotion of love.

These evils listed by the Popes certainly have not decreased and therefore the timeliness of this devotion has been made even more manifest. Pope Benedict XVI, who grew up in Catholic Bavaria, has commented on how the devotion to the Heart of Christ (which was so deeply imbedded in medieval German piety) was celebrated in his home as a young boy. This was especially true for the Solemnity of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. It should not surprise us at all that his first encyclical would be a profound reflection upon the love of God. He speaks to us, and in a special way to you today, of “the pierced one,” one of his favorite expressions for the Heart of Jesus. He writes: “by contemplating the pierced side of Christ, John 19:37, we can understand the starting point of this encyclical letter: ‘God is love.’ (1 John 4-8) It is there that this truth can be contemplated. It is from there that our definition of love must begin. In this contemplation, the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must move.” (Deus Caritas Est,12) In contemplating the open side and pierced Heart, as Pope Benedict teaches, you will discover your path of life and love. Here, during these past four years, you have studied, prayed, laughed, cried, loved, shared joys with your friends, and, united with faculty and your fellow students; you have pursued wisdom. You have grown in knowledge and tasted the need for what John Paul II called “a contemplative outlook.” (Evangelium Vitae, #83) In the Litany of the Heart of Jesus, which we pray here so often, Holy Mother Church bids us to turn our gaze to the Heart of Jesus “wherein are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Our world is in sad need of this wisdom. As the Second Vatican Council stated in Gaudium et Spes, “Indeed the future of the world is in danger unless provision is made for men of greater wisdom.” (Gaudium et Spes, 15) This need was manifested just recently when the Human Rights Director at St. Paul City Hall in Minnesota evicted a toy rabbit, colored eggs and a sign with the inflammatory words ‘Happy Easter’ from the premises of the City Hall. The display, which had been set up in the lobby of this municipal building, was expelled on the grounds that the Easter Bunny might offend non-Christians. How far we have fallen!

My two-fold charge to you on this day of your Graduation: first, stay close to Peter!

Stay close to our Holy Father! The Vicar of Christ! Pray for him and courageously stand with him in defense of the Faith and what is true, good and beautiful. This is so important, for in a certain sense as Roman Catholics, it is precisely in our fidelity to Peter that we find our fidelity to Jesus Christ. Stand with him!

And lastly, stay close to the Heart of Jesus wherever life takes you. Stay close to His Heart and, like Saint John, take time to recline your head upon His Sacred Heart.

Enthrone His image in your homes and in your place of work, wherever it might be. Remember always the window in our Chapel, and recall how He beckons to you with the words, ‘Son, Give Me Thy Heart.’ That, of course, is the last thing that we give. The last thing we give is that which is most precious to us. People may ask us for many things, and we may give our time, our attention and our money, but the most precious is the gift of our very heart. It was after all the very last thing that He gave us on the cross. And now, once again, today, He is reminding you and all of us saying, “I want to give you My Heart again.” Stay with Him! Especially ‘when the evening is far spent.’ Then, what He asks, in the midst of the many challenges, joys, sufferings and sorrows, which will inevitably enter your life, “Son, will thou give me thy heart?” You will always say, “Yes, Lord, for thou knowest all things. Thou hast the words of everlasting life. I give thee my heart.” May that Heart, which is “the House of God” and “the very Gate of Heaven,” shower His love and choicest blessings upon you now, on this day, and always.

O’Donnells Visit the Land Down Under

Every Pope of the 20th century from Leo XIII to John Paul II issued a major document on devotion to the Heart of Christ. Just to give an example, let me quote from Pius XI. Papa Ratti wrote: “Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is the extraordinary remedy for the extraordinary needs of our time….It is the summary of the whole mystery of Redemption.” Shortly after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI wrote: “Devotion to the Sacred Heart is the most efficacious means to contribute to that spiritual and moral renewal of the world called for by the Second Vatican Council.” These are words well worth pondering for all of us who would sentire cum ecclesia – think with the Church. Every Pope of the 20th century has proclaimed devotion to the Heart of Christ as best adapted to meet the pressing needs of the modern age. And what are those needs?

In reviewing papal teaching, I believe that the pontiffs’ points can be reduced to five basic areas of concern: first, the rapid moral decline; second, the assault on the family with divorce, contraception and the neglect of children; third, selfish egotism with its exaltation of self and an exaggerated individualism; fourth, crass materialism with the denial of the transcendent, the constant stimulation to buy and live just for the now; fifth, militant atheistic Communism and hostile secularism.

Dr. and Mrs. O’Donnell attended the opening of Campion College, modeled after Christendom College to be Australia’s first Catholic liberal arts college. One of the biggest supporters of Campion College has been an Australian named James Power. During the late ‘80s and up through 2002, four of the Power children have attended Christendom College. They were all present at the opening of Campion College. Pictured from left to right are Erica (Power) Schuman, Kate Power, Dr. and Mrs. O’Donnell, Anne-Louise (Power) Coulson, and Conor Power.

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EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo Delights Audience with Tales of Mother Angelica

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Raymond Arroyo, an internationally recognized and award-winning journalist, delivered a lecture entitled “The Big Way of Mother Angelica - Life Lessons of an Outspoken Contemplative Abbess” on April 3 at Christendom College as part of the College’s Major Speakers Program.

Arroyo is seen each week in more than 100 million homes around the globe on his weekly international news magazine, “The World Over Live,” shown on EWTN. Prior to his work on EWTN, Arroyo worked for the Associated Press, the political columnist team of Evans and Novak, and as a Capitol Hill Correspondent. As the host and creator of “The World Over Live,” Arroyo has interrogated the leading figures of the day. Highlights include the first, exclusive, sit down interview with Mel Gibson on the set of his controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ” and a landmark interview with Pope Benedict XVI: the first and only English language conversation recorded with the pontiff.

her archives, her diaries, her very potent, at times difficult and hard memories, her friends, her sister, her physicians.

As we got into it she revealed so much more than I ever anticipated and I think it has made for a richer book, a more complex book, and certainly more truthful. In the final analysis, when you look at the story, what it proves is that sanctity is possible without perfection.

That God uses often our weaknesses and our wounds to his purposes if we’re willing to, if we’re open to his inspirations.”

At the end of the threeyear period, Arroyo called Mother and told her that he thought they were finished with their weekly interviews and that in the future he would just contact her on an as-needed basis to get any future updates. And as Providence would have it, just days later she went into her convent for her Advent retreat and on Christmas Eve was felled by a debilitating stroke accompanied by a cerebral hemorrhage that really sealed her memory and stilled her speech.

A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Arroyo is the author of the newly released New Raymond Arroyo spoke at Christendom on April 3.

“I often think had I York Times bestseller Mother hesitated following up Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve and on the little inspiration I had in ‘99 or had she hesitated a Network of Miracles published by Doubleday. and not cooperated, much of the story would have been lost,” recalled Arroyo. “She told me so many little bits of “Mother Angelica is an incredibly amazing woman,” information that I would have never been able to know began Arroyo. “Born Rita Rizzo in 1923 amid very otherwise. Divine Providence is really at the heart of this dire circumstances, rejected by her father, abandoned story and at the heart of the writing of this story.” by him at five years old and left in the care of an unstable mother, Mother is a woman who God used to At one point during the writing of the book Mother do incredible things, most especially the founding of Angelica told Arroyo: “I wish you forty years in Purgathe largest religious media empire on the planet: The tory if you sugarcoat my life. I want the people to see Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).” the humanity so they realize God did everything.” So, in an effort to keep out of Purgatory, Arroyo says that he Arroyo first began thinking about writing the story of told the full story, even though it was hard at times.

Mother Angelica in 1999. Over the years, he had heard different stories about her life and thought that others “We see a woman here who is wounded; who has failmight be interested in reading about her as well. He ings and difficulties. She can be tempestuous at times, approached Mother, who at first was a little uneasy just like us. I think that’s why the book has caught on. about the concept, but after some prayerful reflection I think that’s why people are so drawn to it–she is an decided to go along with Arroyo’s idea. accessible person who achieved sanctity and great feats with God’s help. That’s an incredibly tantalizing story.

“Over the course of three years I conducted interviews And that’s what they’re reacting to,” he said. with her just about every Saturday morning from 1999 to 2001,” he said. “She made available to me her letters, Arroyo contends that Mother was a fighter and definitely

Alumnus Writes Book Explaining Keys to Sanctity Alumnus Gerard-Marie Anthony ‘02 recently wrote his first book.

Entitled The Four Keys to Sanctity, the book explores the reasons why so many people are unhappy with their lives and cannot understand their sufferings. This book, says Anthony, will help them to understand and show them the way to grasp the keys to sanctity and happiness.

“What makes this book unique is the fact that it gives simple practical goals for the spiritual life in a way which can inspire the beginner or the most advanced in the spiritual life,” says Anthony. “It reminds us all that the way to sanctity is to be lived out in our everyday,

a defender of the faith.

“And these people are not always well thought of at the moment. In time, though, I have no doubt that we will all look back and realize the great contribution this woman made, not only to the Church but in secular terms. This is the first woman in the history of television to found a not-for-profit cable network. The only woman in the history of television to create a network that for 25 years has sustained itself only with the donations of her audience. That is a singular achievement in television. PBS has government subsidies. Other Christian networks charge the people that appear on the airwaves and the cable operators fees.”

When she launched into the world of cable, Mother Angelica was 58 years old with diabetes, a bloated heart, a twisted spine, and two lame legs and only $200 in the bank.

“The woman had everything going against her, but at the end of the day there is no way this woman would have been capable of doing what she’s done without God working through her. It’s bittersweet. But it’s probably more sweet than bitter. You know–she’s fully a cloistered nun and that’s what she vowed to do anyway. The television was, I think, a momentary sidetrack that God called her to. But, it was not, and never was, the center of her life–it was her work,” he concluded.

College Mourns the Loss of Maggie Murray Please join the Christendom College family in mourning the loss of Maggie Murray. She died at 8pm on April 11, 2006, after fighting cancer for six months. College Chaplain Fr. John Heisler visited her at the hospital the day before her death and was able to give her the Anointing of the Sick and impart to her the Apostolic Pardon.

Maggie was responsible for the Special Services and Workstudy departments of the College. She began working at the College in September of 1989. Please keep her soul and the well-being of her family in your prayers.

ordinary lives.”

The book is a revised version of the senior thesis that Anthony wrote prior to graduation from Christendom.

Following graduation from Christendom, Anthony has been working as a youth minister at St. Louis Parish in Alexandria, VA. He is an officer of the Legion of Mary and a Catechist, and has given various lectures ranging from scripture study to the theology of the body.

Longtime employee Maggie Murray died of cancer on April 11, 2006.

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GRADUATION...

from Page 1 In his address, Cardinal Pell focused on what he calls a “new challenge” facing today’s college graduates. This challenge, according to Pell, is the religion of Islam and its threat to Western Civilization.

“I want to say a few words about Christendom’s most enduring enemy, not to rekindle ancient hatreds, but to stress the need for discerning cooperation, to work for progress and coexistence, to avoid disaster. I want to talk about Islam.

September 11 was a wake-up call for me personally. I recognized that I had to know more about Islam. You too need such knowledge. After the attack, many people were claiming that Islam was a peaceful religion. I decided to look into this myself and began to read the Koran. I recommend you to do the same because the challenge of Islam will be with us for the remainder of our lives.”

The Koran envisions many deeds of violence. His Eminence began to learn the true meaning of “jihad,” with its emphasis on waging war.

with tradition, I had to make them co-MVPs, so to speak.”

During the Graduation Dinner, held the evening before and prepared by College Chef Ron Steckman and his staff, Miss Watson toasted the faculty.

“As we watch colleges and universities around us struggle with the issues of academic freedom, the stu- Anne Kulick receives her diploma from Dr. O’Donnell. dents and alumni of Christendom College should thank God daily for the immense blessings we received in our faculty here at Christendom,” she began. “We have been able to study under men and women who realize that true academic freedom comes from a quest for the Truth of Christ. Your commitment to the truth and your fidelity to the Magisterium have guided us through our formative years. It has been a blessing to witness your frequent reception of the sacraments alongside your continual pursuit of wisdom. It is apparent when a professor teaches because he is paid to teach. You have taught us because you care about our formation.”

And she continued with a tribute to two special members of the “As graduates of Christendom Class of 2006. These two were the leaders of the College’s pro-life College you should be people group, Shield of Roses. of Christian hope and human optimism. You should also “Every Saturday morning, while the majority of us were fast asleep, know what you are discussing Chrissie Walsh and Fred Gruber headed into DC to pray and counsel and understand the basic isin front of the abortion mill—and to save lives. I’ll never forget Joannie Watson and John O’Herron were cosues our world is confronting. winners of the Student Achievement Award. witnessing a save—when a woman left the clinic before aborting her Islamic terrorism is one such child because of the words of comfort Chrissie had given her shortly issue and these terrorists want to provoke a clash before. When one thinks of heroism and sacrifice from the Class of 2006, Chrissie and of civilizations. As far as possible, we should not Fred should be the first people that come to mind. Although they have been recognized oblige them,” he said. and thanked by the school, I wanted to take this opportunity in front of our parents and peers to recognize the amazing work they have accomplished while at Christendom.

First to speak during the ceremony was graduate On behalf of your fellow students and on behalf of all those lives you’ve impacted, on Maria Newton, who delivered the Salutatory Adbehalf of all the unborn babies you fought for, on behalf of all the children living in dress. the world today who won’t know until heaven that you saved their lives… Fred and Chrissie, thank you.”

“There is a little chapel, just up the road.

Go to Salutatorian Maria Newton. afternoon Mass in the fall and see the golden light The 75 students who received their Bachelor of Arts degrees were Vanof the setting sun break through the stained glass above the tabernacle. The stained essa Anderson, Catherine Angelo, Patrick Baron, Claire Beller, Kathleen glass with the picture of Christ, and His Sacred Heart. Son, give me thy heart, it reads.

Brannigan, John Burger, Nicole Calio, Jessica Ciesla, Andrew Day, Arthur His call of love. A love stronger than death and quickened with ardor. The desire is Dhanagom, Jonathan Dittert, Therese Dodge, John English, Heidi Euso full and so bright. We saw it every day in the Holy Sacrifice,” she began. banks, Kelly Fogarty, Michael Fogarty, Michael Freeman, Peter Furlong, Sr. Adelina Garcia, Mary Germann, Frederick Gruber, Breana Harrington, “Walk out the glass doors of the chapel and maybe you will run into Larry Henson, Olivia Hudson, Sebastien Jansen, Caitlin Kelly, one of our two chaplains. Without doubt you will be greeted with a Elizabeth Killion, Joseph Kosten, Joseph Kucharski, Anne Kulick, cheerful hello and a big smile. I hope they know how truly they were Mary Lademan, Christopher Lancaster, Justin Largen, Ariel Lynch, fathers to us. Fathers. Like Christ. For example, how sweet the thought Patrick MacDougall, Adam Marchand, Leah Marsh, Megan Mead, that we could so easily run to Confession when we needed it. Every Kyle Miller, James Minick, Kelly Mulhern, Maria Newton, Peter day, they were available. How good it has been to be here. To form O’Brien, John O’Herron, Nicholas Oligny, Luke Peterson, Monica friendships that will not fade. To make memories that mean so much.

Peyton, Trena Pilegaard, Maizie Redner, Suzannah Redner, Adriana To learn trust in the face of difficulties, fears, and uncertainties. To find Richardson, Sarah Rolfes, Maria Ruhl, Richard Sadowski, Dominic love that springs from the Great Love. Today we go out from this place. Valedictorian Chrissie Walsh.

Sayler, Nathaniel Schuetz, Donna Shute, Brigham Slocum, Rebecca We leave from here for wide and varied futures. But we will always Smith, Karen Spiering, Veronica Spiering, Clare Storck, Patricia remember this college, and all that it has taught us.”

Tillman, Caitlin Turner, Sharyn Vay, Natalie Vitti, Christine Walsh, Joan Watson, Jaclyn Weber, Heather Whetstine, Cara Whitaker, Marisa White, Michele Winslow, Sergio Following the conferral of degrees, Class Valedictorian Chrissie Walsh delivered the Yona, and Katherine Zeibig. farewell address.

“Through our studies here at Christendom, we have been privileged to learn from the great minds of human history, and to discover the perennial truths that provide the answers to man’s most pressing questions,” she began. “We have learned that man is no mere bodily creature but also a spiritual being, endowed with an intellect and will, and destined for a greatness beyond our natural comprehension. We have learned from the mentorship and example of our professors what it means to live a truly human life, one which prepares us for eternity.”

Andy Day with his brother Pete.

The Student Achievement Award, given annually by the Alumni Association to a graduating senior who exemplifies the true spirit of Christendom, was bestowed on two students this year: Head Resident Assistant John O’Herron and Senior Class President Joannie Watson. According to Tom McGraw, Christendom’s Alumni Affairs Director, “both of them were leaders and examples of what it means to be a Christendom student. Although it is breaking

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Free at last.

Assistant Chaplain Fr. Seamus O’Kielty follows Cardinal Pell and Chaplain Fr. John Heisler after the Baccalaureate Mass.

Young. Educated. Catholic. Moral. Happy.

Graduate Mary Lademan with her family. Mary’s mother, Miriam (Andrews) Lademan, attended Christendom in the early 1980’s.

Sophomore Paul Provencher leads the graduation march.

Kelly Fogarty and her beautiful family from Ohio.

Selection of Theses Titles from 2006 The senior thesis is the culmination of the student’s four-years of study in the liberal disciplines. The thesis is a scholarly paper (of 30 or more pages in length) of substance, demonstrating the student’s ability to do significant research in his discipline, employing the senior’s developed skills in the arts of discourse, especially mastery of the techniques of research, exposition and argumentation. The student may be required to defend the thesis in an oral examination. These and all theses written by Christendom College seniors over the past twenty-nine years can be found in Christendom’s library.

John O’Herron with his father, Ray, who is a Nick Oligny with his then-fiancee Heidi member of the founding faculty.

Eubanks. They were married this summer.

Sebastien Jansen - the ultimate St. Greg’s boy. Shield of Roses Heroes: Fred Gruber & Chrissie Walsh.

Mike Freeman with his brother Grant (‘04).

Patrick Baron – Morality in Warfare: Its Development and Application in Politics John Burger – The Necessity and Restoration of Wonder in Education Nicole Calio – True Compassion: A Catholic Response to the Question of Euthanasia Arthur Dhanagom – Paternitas: Quid Est? A Philosophical Investigation into the Essence of Fatherhood.

John English – An Affirmation of the Goodness of the Material World Kelly Fogarty – The Guardian Angels: An Examination into the Missions of Our Heavenly Companions Fred Gruber – The Relationship between Memory and Prudence Larry Henson – The Crisis of Fatherhood: An Historical Perspective of the Modern Declination of Fatherhood Joseph Kosten – Censorship, Morality, and Hollywood’s Production Code Joseph Kucharski – Preventing the Fall of a Domino: An Analysis of America’s Path to Vietnam Anne Kulick – Oscar Wilde: A Walking Paradox Ariel Lynch – A Defense of the Legitimacy of Modern Art Leah Marsh – Cultural Influences and Morality in Twentieth Century Children’s Literature Megan Mead – The Psychological Neurosis of Deprivation vs. Affirmation and How Parental Discipline is Affirmative Kelly Mulhern – Persuasion: Exploring the Fundamental Bias of Feminist Literary Criticism Peter O’Brien – Necessary and Proper or the Clause that Ate the Constitution Luke Petersen – The Henry VIII of England Reformation: Political Downfall and Loss of a United Christendom Maria Ruhl – A Defense of the Existence of Natural Law Against the Moral Relativists Dominic Sayler – A Study of Catholicism’s Influence on Post-World War I America Donna Shute – Chasing Shakespeare: The Authorship Controversy and the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford Brigham Slocum – The Philosophy of Psychology Applied to the Role of the Father in the Development of the Son Clare Storck – John Dewey and Jacques Maritain on the Question of Education: Epistemological Views and Their Consequences Christine Walsh – Reframing the Debate: Thomistic Natural Law Principles and the Issue of Abortion

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Dr. Shannon Attends Conferences at Princeton, UVA New Choral Scholarships Assistant Professor of History Christopher Shannon’s lectures designed to revitalize the teaching of America’s Available to Students scholarly endeavors have given him the opportunity to founding principles. promote the Catholic intellectual life beyond the classrooms of Christendom this summer.

On June 4, Shannon presented a paper, “From Culture to Tradition in Postwar American Social Thought,” at the 2006 Policy History Conference held at the University of Virginia. He then participated in the second Lehrman Summer Institute, held from June 19 to July 1 at Princeton University.

Sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), the institute featured a mix of seminars, workshops and

Dr. Shannon will use the remainder of the summer to continue work on his next book project, Bowery to Broadway: The Irish Catholic City in Classic Hollywood Cinema, to be published by the University of Scranton Press. In the winter 2005 issue of New Hibernian Review, Dr. Shannon published an article based on his research to date, titled “Public Enemies, Local Heroes: The Irish-American Gangster Film in Classic Hollywood Cinema.”

Sophomore Brown Wins Ronald Reagan Scholarship Christendom College Sophomore Rand Brown is among the winners of a national competition for the Phillips Foundation’s Ronald Reagan Future Leaders Scholarship Program. The award was $2,500 to apply to the cost of his college education.

The Phillips Foundation is a nonprofit conservative organization that promotes constitutional principles, a democratic society, and a vibrant

STUDENT CENTER...

free enterprise system in various sectors of politics and journalism. The Ronald Reagan Future Leaders Program is part of the Phillips Foundation’s college outreach effort and is awarded to those students working to promote traditional American values on their campuses.

Brown, who hails from Aubrey, TX, is majoring in Political Science and is the founder and former chairman of Christendom’s College Republicans.

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be three phases of construction, the first of which is now complete. The second phase, which will transform the downstairs of the building into recreational space, will take place sometime next year.

Progress on the construction of the JPII Center has not stopped. “Much remains to be done,” said Mrs. Nancy Bauer, Assistant Dean of Student Life. “Through the generosity of our donors we’ve been able to make it this far. With the same level of generosity, I’m sure we’ll be able to finish off the building in the near future.”

The Center’s St. Kilian’s Café is open during the academic year on weekdays from 4pm-12am and 6pm-12am on weekends. Under the management of alumna Kaylie (Minick) Miller ’04, the café currently serves lattes, coffees, mochas, smoothies, teas, and a variety of muffins, cookies, and pastries.

This past May a new scholarship was established at Christendom: the Palestrina Choral Scholarship. An anonymous donor generously gave four $1,000 scholarships for an alto, a soprano, a tenor, and a bass in the College Choir (the tenor and bass will double as members of the Schola Gregorianna). The purpose of these scholarships is “to strengthen the practice of the choral arts at Christendom College in its mission to restore all things in Christ which includes performing the Church’s ‘treasury of sacred music’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium, art. 112 & 114) within the context of the College’s liturgy.”

The scholarship recipients will function as section leaders within the choir and will also join with other select members of the choir for additional performances. These scholarships will inaugurate a new era of excellence in the history of the College Choir. They are modeled somewhat on the practice of the famous English Institutions such as King’s College, Cambridge which have long had choral scholarships. This tradition preceded the Reformation in England by over a century and was thus originally a very Catholic idea.

There are five requirements for this scholarship: 1) an audition; 2) ordinarily, the demonstration of a commitment to the College’s liturgical music program through having sung in it for one year; 3) attendance at all rehearsals and performances (with rare exceptions); 4) attendance at an extra hour-long rehearsal and voice lesson every week; and 5) maintenance of a 3.0 GPA. Winners of the Palestrina Choral Scholarship for the 2006-2007 academic are: Emma Fritcher (soprano) a junior Classics major from Pilot Point, TX; Elizabeth Black (alto) a junior Classics major from Ada, MI; Draper Warren (tenor) a junior History major from Front Royal, VA; and Francis Feingold (bass), a freshman from Chesterfield, MO.

St. Kilian’s Café is open daily during the academic year and serves coffees, capuchinos, teas, and a variety of baked treats.

Anyone interested in more information about helping to fund this project, please contact Steve Grundman at 800.877.5456.

Emma Fritcher (soprano), Elizabeth Black (alto), Dr. Kurt Poterack, Draper Warren (tenor), and Francis Feingold (bass).

Latest Issue of Faith & Reason Available Under new editorial leadership, the latest issue of Faith & Reason, the Journal of Christendom College, is now available.

This issue is the first for Editor Dr. Thomas W. Stanford III. Stanford, a professor in Christendom’s English Language and Literature Department, takes over from Dr. William Edmund Fahey, who had served as Editor since 2001.

The current issue, Autumn & Winter 2005, contains articles by Michael Waldstein, Mark A. Kalthoff, Brian W. Harrison, OS, and Robert C. Rice, as well as a number of book reviews. Call Dr. Stanford at 800.877.5456, ext. 324, for more information.

Students can play ping-pong, pool, foosball, and air hockey as they check their mailboxes in the student lounge area of the Center.

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INSTAURARE, July 2006

An Interview with an Annuity Donor Christendom’s Vice President for Advancement John Ciskanik interviewed Mrs. Renate Chapman, of Washington, VA, who recently arranged a $85,000 Charitable Gift Annuity agreement with Christendom College.

John Ciskanik: Why did you consider a Christendom Charitable Gift Annuity?

Renate Chapman: Well, of course, it stems from my support of and strong affection for Christendom College in the first place. I strongly believe there is great need for the kind of young men and women that graduate from Christendom.

Our nation’s slide into atheism, like that of Western Europe, is a danger that demands a strong, spiritual reply. Our nation needs young, well-educated Catholics in the professions and in public life. It needs committed Catholics who get into the world and work in the world – specifically as Catholics. Of course, young people called into the holy orders play a vital role . . . but we really need young people who go out into the world, apply their Catholic faith and Christian principles to these situations, and who know where they stand and what the issues are.

Because Christendom is so successful in providing these young educated people, my support goes to Christendom College. The annuity idea came later.

JC: Is there an issue in the current “culture wars” that stands out in your mind?

RC: Absolutely – consider for a moment the debate on stem cell research. Plenty of coverage was given to the message of the media “darling,” Christopher Reeve, [in favor of embryonic stem cell research] but hardly a nod is given to the equally dramatic and yet more inspiring story of NYPD Officer Steve McDonald, also a quadriplegic, who has strongly warned against embryonic stem cell research.

Mrs. Renate Chapman recently arranged a $85,000 Charitable Gift Annuity with Christendom’s VP for Advancement John Ciskanik.

. . . It seems the major media focuses exclusively on embryonic stem cell research, which has done no good, while they ignore adult stem cell research, where all the gains have been made. Unfortunately, most people are not aware of this subtle but important distinction. I look to Christendom grads to put their philosophy and theology to work in the service of science, or politics, or economics or whatever.

That would be a great good! I’m so impressed with the students that I’ve met [at Christendom] over the years and am confident they will play an important role in

Christendom Adds Online Giving to its Website Christendom recently added a “donate online” feature to its already very informative and attractive website.

“Our friends and benefactors can now make donations to Christendom via the internet at any time that pleases them,” says Director of Development Steve Grundman. “We recently conducted an alumni solicitation via email and regular mail and we found that the majority of the alumni responded by making their donations online.”

Besides being convenient, the online donation page is

safe and secure. Donors may specify where they would like their donations to go, for example, to the Chapel, computer services, general scholarship fund, alumni scholarship fund, or financial aid. Since coming online in late April, the College has received many online donations and expects to continue to benefit from the convenience offered to its benefactors by online donation.

“Of course, if people would rather communicate with real people when donating, they are free to contact us in the Development Office any time,” says Grundman.

Christendom Golf Tournament to Benefit Crew Team Christendom will hold its annual President’s Invitational Golf Tournament at the prestigious Shenandoah Valley Golf Club in Front Royal, VA, on October 10.

This charity tournament will raise money to help fund a new venture in Christendom’s history: a crew team.

“We already have a number of varsity inter-collegiate sports teams on campus but we believe that given our proximity to the Shenandoah River it is almost a necessity that we take advantage of our situation and form a crew team,” says Athletics Director Tom VanderWoude.

Christendom’s 100-acre campus overlooks the Shenandoah River, and more importantly, a twomile stretch of the water which is very calm and deep because the river is dammed.

The Shenandoah Valley Golf Club, located 8 miles north of Front Royal, is ranked as one of the Top 10 golf courses in Virginia. It’s scenic beauty is unparalleled with views of the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge and Massanutten mountain ranges on every hole. This superbly conditioned course features bentgrass from tee to green and has been voted Favorite Public Course the past two years in The Golf Guide’s Readers Poll. The club has hosted many golf championships including the PGA Tour’s Kemper Open qualifiers, numerous VSGA tournaments and Middle Atlantic Section PGA events. Constantly lauded for it’s condition, playability and overall value, Shenandoah Valley Golf Club is golf in the country at its best.

Sponsorship and registration information will Christendom’s campus overlooks the Shenandoah River. be mailed to interested individuals at a later date. To receive information about “The stretch of the river that ends at the dam is both either the golf tournament or the crew program, or to straight and lake-like,” says Director of Student Life volunteer to help with the tournament, please contact Joe Wurtz. “We’ve had some benefactors interested Steve Grundman at 800.877.5456, ext. 253. in donating shells for our use, and we have a number of people who have expressed an interest in possibly helping to train our rowers. This golf tournament will help us raise money to build a boathouse, buy equipment, and get this program off the ground.”

the “culture wars.”

JC: You could have supported Christendom in different ways – why did you choose to look into an annuity?

RC: Well, yes, I could have done something closer to an outright gift. But as I thought about Christendom and about my own situation, I recognized that I needed to address other important issues – income security, tax considerations, and such.

JC: What aspects of the Christendom annuity did you find appealing?

RC: My husband, Ted and I, believed that an annuity made sense in our situation, not having any dependents.

Even so, as we also sought to help out our extended family members and to support various charities, we recognized the need for a reasonable level of income security for our later years. We were pleased with the rates of return available through Christendom’s gift annuity program.

Regarding taxes, let me say, my thoughts were less than forgiving (laughing). Look, I pay taxes on income and then taxes again when I make a gift of the same dollars. I think it’s an outrage, so I don’t want to do that. A Christendom charitable gift annuity reduces my ultimate estate payment to Uncle Sam. I’m happy with that. Christendom College gets something, and we get the income stream and a nice tax deduction, which always helps.

Endnote: Mrs. Renate Chapman has been a friend of Christendom College for many years and has attended several editions of the College’s annual Summer Institute held each July.

If you would like to learn more about this popular method of supporting Christendom College and of earning a lifetime income stream at the same time, then contact John Ciskanik at 800.877.5456 or ciskanik@ christendom.edu.

Published quarterly by the Christendom College Admissions & Marketing Office.

Managing Editor, Layout, Design: Tom McFadden Copy Editor: Kathleen Blum Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 800.877.5456 ~ www.christendom.edu Copyright © 2006. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided the following credit line is used: “Reprinted by permission from INSTAURARE, the quarterly newsletter of Christendom College (www.christendom.edu).” SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST.

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INSTAURARE, July 2006

Coffee House Showcases Students’ Many Unusual Talents

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Perhaps the most anticipated student event of the year is “Coffee House,” an evening of high-brow and not-sohigh-brow entertainment that has become a tradition at the College. Student acts draw on deep resources of talent (or great stores of bravado) to delight, astound, and especially amuse each other.

This year’s Coffee House was emceed by Junior Dan Delaney, Freshman Elizabeth Fraser, and Sophomores Erin McCafferty and Ed Mudd. They introduced the evening with a scene from The Chronicles of Narnia, each of them pretending to be one of C.S. Lewis’ “sons of Adam or daughters of Eve.” Instead of discovering a magical land like Narnia, however, the “children” found Christendom College, and were treated to a variety show of skits, songs, recitations of poetry, and comic routines, all revealing different aspects of the mysterious “land” of Christendom College.

One of the evening’s more impressive performances was CCN (Christendom College Network), a spoof on broadcast nightly news. Junior Julian Ahlquist, who produced the presentation, began the broadcast with a question: Who stole the transcendentals from Christendom College? The video showed clips of interviews from

members of Christendom faculty, staff, and students to ordinary pedestrians on the streets of Chicago. The result was not only hilarious, but also very informative as to what transcendentals actually are.

Another crowd pleaser was the performance by Freshman Joe Hambleton and two of his younger brothers of “My Little Buttercup” from the movie The Three Amigos.

The Hambleton Boys singing “My Little Buttercup.”

Sophomore Kak Freeman croons a country ballad.

Sophomore Peter Smith truly captured the part of Nick Bottom, one of Shakespeare’s most admired comic creations.

Helena (Hilary Shafer), Hermia (Christina Matatics), and Lysander (Sam Phillips).

The Christendom Players Perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream A year which saw several fine theatrical performances Christendom ended this April on a high note as the Christendom Players performed Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Director Senior Donna Shute gave the familiar tale a new twist by setting the play in the early 1920’s.

“It is truly amazing to see these students bring Shakespeare’s words to life,” said Senior Rick Sadowski. “And even more surprising is their ability to memorize all of their lines on top of the already very demanding work load they have from class. Bravo, I say! Bravo!”

Men’s Baseball 2006

Students Do Missionary Work Over Spring Break

More Christendom students than ever took advantage of their free time over Spring Break to bring the message of hope and mercy to some of the more unfortunate people in this world.

Senior Adam Marchand tries to help the team get a victory.

2006 Men’s Crusaders with Coach John Clark.

Freshman Marion Miner was one of the starting pitchers.

This year, 71 students spent their much-needed vacation time doing missionary work in different parts of the world: Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico, and Waveland, Mississippi. They, along with a number of faculty members, helped rebuild some of the physical structures in the various towns, but more importantly, helped to bring the Good News to those who were suffering. This marks the ninth year that Christendom has been organizing mission trips.

Christendom students doing missionary work in Brazil.