Instaurare | Summer 2011

The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine

Summer 2011

Inside this issue...

Students Spend Spring Break as Missionaries - pg 5

Merchant of Venice Comes to Front Royal - pg 6

Studying Art in the Eternal City - pg 13

Crusader Rugby has Historic Year - pg 14

Graduation 2011

From the President C.S. Lewis, in his masterful Screwtape Letters, has a devil, Screwtape, write to his nephew devil, Wormwood, on the subject of tradition, in which he says, “To regard the ancient writer as a possible source of knowledge—to anticipate that what he said could possibly modify your thoughts or your behaviour––this would be rejected as unutterably simple-minded. And since we cannot deceive the whole human race all the time, it is most important thus to cut every generation off from all others; for where learning makes a free commerce between the ages there is always the danger that the characteristic errors of one may be corrected by the characteristic truths of another. But thanks be to our Father and the Historical Point of View, great scholars are now as little nourished by the past as the most ignorant mechanic who holds that “history is bunk.”

You know that the faith will always be attacked from within and from without. Today, the higher, and even the highest, reality has been denied or solemnly pronounced “unknowable.” In many areas, an arrogant, truncated, autonomous reason has claimed that it alone is the measure of all things and there is no room for mystery or anything outside its immediate domain. Such a defective philosophic culture, where there are serious misunderstandings in anthropology, our understanding of the good, the world, reality, and God himself, is always a disaster for the Church. Today with the fruit of the Enlightenment, humanity has no origin and no destiny, as the light of Christ has been shut out in countless ways and areas of life and culture. The drama of salvation history, which you have studied here, has faded from consciousness, as autonomous man stands alone. Man now creates his own nature, orientations, and history, as these are no longer acknowledged as something given or received. As Seneca once commented upon the chaos and confusion of his day, “Our plans miscarried because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”

Many in our world today of my generation and those over 40 have lapsed into a type of agnosticism and have become skeptics. Like all men, they sought and still seek happiness, but so often dreams and desires remain unfulfilled or broken. There seems to be no answer to life’s deepest questions and aspirations. As a result, a painful resignation seeps into souls, and skepticism dominates our worldview.

Nietzsche at times railed not so much against the falsehood of Christianity (although there is plenty of that in his writing), as the fact that Christianity in so many ways seems to be tired, worn out, exhausted.

In one of his works, he wrote, “If they want me to believe in their Savior, they will have to sing better hymns! His followers will have to look more like men who have been saved!”

That is where you come in. As Blessed John Paul II cried out, “It is impossible to separate Christ from history.” As Pope Benedict stated during his 2010 Palm Sunday Address, “Faith in Jesus Christ is not a legendary invention – it is based on a true story. This history we can, so to speak, contemplate and touch.” Here at Christendom College, you have not been cut off.

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Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS

Your studies here in philosophy, theology, history, literature, and the other disciplines have nurtured you in the resources of our rich Catholic, Christian heritage. You have not been “cut off,” but immersed! This places a serious obligation on you for you have come to know and to see the mystery of God who has revealed His face to us in Jesus Christ. You know that man seeks a living presence and in his heart truly desires a Person to fall in love with, for you know the mystery hidden through the ages for which the human heart longs, that Mystery Which was made Flesh and dwells among us, that Mystery Which remains present in the Church, at the center of our campus, and at the center of your own heart. What a gift – we cannot take it for granted. The angelic doctor, St. Thomas, in chapter three of the Summa Contra Gentiles tells us, “Faith does not quench desire but enflames it.”

My charge to you today is that you become in and to our world witnesses to the hope that is within you, witnesses to the world and to your generation. St. Peter, in his first epistle, says, “Be ready always with an answer to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in you.” What does that verse tell us? It tells us that when you truly live the faith in charity, people will see something in you that is different and they will ask you why. It is then, as a witness to hope, that you can answer the lost generation of skeptics, and it is then that you can respond in love to Nietzsche, for you are men and women risen with Christ.

I conclude with a personal reflection on our recent trip to Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul the Great. In St. Peter’s Square, they had set up a large screen showing video clips of that historic pontificate: the night of his election, the horrific footage of the assassination attempt 30 years ago, and other moving events. The thing that moved me to tears was his broken presence and words at Toronto’s World Youth Day two years before his death. I share his timeless words with you today: “You are young and the Pope is old, 82 or 83 years of life is not the same as 22 or 23. But the Pope still fully identifies with your hopes and aspirations. Although I have lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young. You are our hope, the young are our hope. Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us in our real capacity to become the image of His Son. I finish with a prayer. O Lord Jesus Christ, keep these young people in your love. Let them hear your voice and believe what you say, for you alone have the words of life. Teach them how to profess their faith, bestow their love and impart their hope to others.”

My charge to you today: do not let yourselves ever be cut off – always stay close to those Unhealed Wounds, which alone can heal our broken world. Stay close to that Heart, that great beating Heart, which is so in love with men. Do that and you will be witnesses to the hope that is within you, and know that our hearts and prayers go with you.

President O’Donnell delivered this address to the Christendom College Class of 2011 during Commencement Exercises.

Cover Story

College Honors Catholic Luminaries, Awards 81 Degrees at Commencement Christendom College celebrated its commencement weekend on May 13-15 by awarding degrees to 81 graduates, as well as honoring the Most Reverend James Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, and Dr. Robert P. George, author and professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. Bishop Conley celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass on Friday, May 13, and was awarded an honorary doctorate during the commencement exercises on Saturday, May 14. Dr. George was awarded the College’s Pro Deo et Patria Medal for Distinguished Service to God and Country and delivered the commencement address.

During Saturday’s commencement exercises Bishop Conley, who taught Christendom students who participated in the Semester in Rome program from 2004-2006, received an honorary doctorate from Christendom College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell.

After receiving the Pro Deo et Patria Medal, Dr. Robert George delivered his address to graduates, exhorting them to live a life filled with faith and trust in God. George recounted

Anna Zganiacz, Kerri Sciscilo, Noreen Daly, Katie McCloskey, and Amanda Dean. the story of the rich young man in the Gos- be about material riches. pel who, after encountering Christ and being asked to give up all his possessions, turned Concluding, George implored the graduates away sad. to have “the strength and courage, the hope and the faith, and above all the soul-enno“All of us, every single one, rich or poor, has bling, world-transforming, passionately-burnriches in the sense of things we desire and ing love that will enable you to go and sell all cherish and don’t want to give up or place at that you have and follow Christ.” risk,” he said. “And it will be riches of some sort that we will be asked by Jesus Himself to Saturday’s ceremonies began with a bagpipesacrifice or place at risk.” led procession from Christ the King Chapel to St. Louis the Crusader Gymnasium. SaluGeorge explained that the vocation of every tatorian John Killackey welcomed all the atChristian includes a demand that, humanly tendees and told his classmates that it was in speaking, is impossible. The call is always a de- their studies and experiences at Christendom mand for self-sacrificial love for the sake of the that they found humility.

Gospel, but we must not suppose that it will see GRADUATION pages 8-9

James Hannon and Nick Freeman: Happy Grads!

Seven legacy children graduated this year.

“You are the real change-makers in our culture even though, relatively speaking, you lack the size and endowments of so many larger Catholic institutions of higher learning,” the bishop said in his remarks. “Speaking from the heart of the Church with a confident Catholic identity, you are forming talented and creative disciples, equipping them with a Christian vision of life, culture, and history and sending them out well prepared to be leaders in the contemporary world.”

Graduate Jimmy Canvin (l) speaks with Bishop Conley.

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Alumni Nurses Credit Liberal Arts Education for Successful Careers By the year 2020, it is estimated that there will be a shortage of 800,000 nurses. With people living longer and needing more care, the healthcare field is one industry that seems to be growing, even despite the slow economy.

But rather than giving up on a well-rounded liberal arts education, and delving right into earning a healthcare degree, Christendom alumni are thankful that they studied the liberal arts prior to earning their graduate degrees in nursing. They believe they are better at what they do now, in part, because they earned their undergraduate degree from Christendom.

A Stroke and Progressive Care Certified Nurse who works at Community Memorial Hosptial in Menomonee Falls, WI, Rusnak’s Christendom experience has taught her to balance the seriousness of her profession with the rest of her life. She did not have what she calls “a narrow college experience.”

As a Registered Nurse at Reston Hospital in Reston, VA, history major Tess Ginski (’07), who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has had the same experience in job interviews.

“Nursing supervisors are always interested Alumna Jill Vander Woude in my previous degree,” she says. “I think a (’04) earned her BA in phi- Bachelor of Arts degree tells an employer that losophy from Christendom you are a well-rounded, diverse individual before earning her Associate’s with a broad base of knowledge.” in Nursing from Marymount University, VA; she then Much like Rusnak, Ginski’s Christendom earned her Bachelor of Sci- degree not only helps her land jobs, but ence in Nursing from Jack- makes her a better nurse. Her knowledge of sonville University, FL. She the teachings of the Catholic Church with believes that her Christen- regards to medical issues has also helped her dom formation is absolutely in making patient care decisions—especially key to her ability to do her job with regards to end of life care. well. As a Registered Nurse Ultimately, at the heart of working in the Cardiovascu- “The medical profession has a lot of gray nursing is the desire to serve Jill (Menke) Vander Woude (’04). lar Intensive Care Unit at Pitt areas,” she says, “and I often recall certain humanity at the most basic level. Christen- County Memorial Hospital in points I learned in the dom alumni are broadly educated through Greenville, NC, her patients moral theology and apolotheir study of the liberal arts, and they are are usually very sick and at a getics classes that I took well-formed both spiritually and morally point in their lives where there my junior year at Christenthrough the College’s spiritual and educa- is a lot of searching. dom.” tional offerings. So it is not surprising that many alumni decide to work in the health- “I’ve had great conversations These gray areas need obcare field upon graduation. with patients, often starting jective Truth as a guide, simply with them noticing Vander Woude explains.

Armed with their Christendom education, a cross or medal around my She says that while the they are able to tackle the many ethical issues neck,” she says. “It’s awesome healthcare profession is full that arise in the field of medicine and give to be able to share the joy of of many intelligent doctors, their patients more than just physical care. loving Christ to someone who surgeons, researchers, and is nearing death or has lost all nurses—who do incredible “Nursing is a rewarding and demanding pro- faith during times of illness.” Alumna Tess Ginski (’07). things to help people— fession,” says philosophy major Teri Rusnak very few are guided by objective Truth. (’04). Rusnak, who holds a Vander Woude also found Diploma of Nursing from St. that she was a step ahead “I discovered this in nursing school,” she Luke’s School of Nursing in of everyone when going says. “Their work is in vain because they miss Bethlehem, PA, is convinced through nursing school. the mark on such important issues. It’s so imthat the philosophy and ethportant to be able to see through the fallacies ics courses she took at Chris“Many of my classmates had that are taught and lived out in healthcare. tendom gave her the tools some sort of prior business Thanks to my education, I can.” that she considers to be the degree,” she says. “I always most valuable in her work as laughed to myself when I Through their daily patient care and ethical a nurse. heard them complaining decisions, Christendom alumni are working about the five-page papers to restore the field of medicine to Christ.

“I have many hospice cases, we’d have to write—having and with them come difficult just recently completed my “I am trying to be a good example of a decisions,” she says. “I’m con40-plus-page philosophy Catholic young adult to my patients and covinced I would not be able to Nurse Teri Rusnak (’04). thesis. Every employer I’ve workers,” Ginski says. “I am also striving to make these ethical decisions in keeping with worked for has spoken highly of my philosophy treat my patients as if they were the suffering the dignity of the human person without my degree and mentioned it as a deciding factor in Christ, and I try to treat them with dignity Christendom experience.” hiring me.” until natural death.”

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Spring Break Mission Trips Attract Large Percentage of Students During Christendom College’s spring break, 61 students traveled to Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and New York City for missionary work. The students’ work ranged from evangelization efforts to digging latrines.

Twelve students went to Honduras, along with alumna Mary Kate Hunt (’10), Associate Dean of Student Life Tambi Spitz, and Fr. John Luke of the Community of St. John.

Twenty-four students and Theology professor Raymund O’Herron went to the Dominican Republic. Philosophy professor and Missions Program Director Michael Brown joined a group of 25 students to do missionary work in New York City.

“Over 15% of Christendom’s student body took part in one of these Spring Break mis-

eled to Banica, a mission of the Diocese of Arlington. There, they worked long hours bringing supplies to those in need and digging latrines.

“Banica was the most amazing experience of my life,” Senior Bernadette Horiuchi said. “The people in Banica are so beautiful.

We speak of poor people—and true, the people of Banica are materially poor—but they have a richness of spirit that is hard to find anywhere else.”

Senior Katie Cruser was one of 61 students to take part in mission trips over Spring Break. They went to Honduras, the Senior Janie Wells had the same Dominican Republic, and New York City. experience in Banica. She saw that the people from Banica had very little, only from the dear good God,” Junior Sarah Golden said of her trip to New York. yet were happy.

“We have everything we need materially, and oftentimes everything we want—and yet we aren’t satisfied,” Wells said. “Their simplicity and gratitude made me rethink my life and realize how truly blessed I am to be an American.

Student missionaries working in the Dominican Republic. sion trips! I am constantly impressed by the goodness and generosity of our students,” Brown said.

Brown also said that students’ lives are consistently changed through the experiences that they have. “They always tell me that they receive more than they give. They see Jesus, the Church, the world, and poverty in a new way.”

In Honduras, student-missionaries went door-to-door evangelizing every morning. In the evenings, they hosted separate programs for children, teenagers, and adults.

Senior Katie Cruser described her experience in Honduras as “life-changing.”

“I am so blessed that I was able to take part in such an experience,” she said. “People really need the encouragement and hope that is brought to them in the words and example of Jesus Christ.”

In the Dominican Republic, students trav-

Students who traveled to New York City served with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in a myriad of ways—from painting the friary and breaking up concrete to data entry and cooking.

“I spent the whole week giving of myself out of a passionate, glorious love that comes

Golden worked in the kitchen during the week, preparing meals for her fellow studentmissionaries. “I discovered that God calls us to love Him even in those closest to us,” she said. “I don’t need to return to New York to begin another mission trip of love and service. Every day of my life is a mission trip, in which I wholeheartedly give my family, friends, and fellow college students the beautiful, life-giving love of God.” Each semester Christendom offers its students the opportunity to go on mission trips during academic breaks. Next year, the College plans on offering six different mission trips.

Schwartz Reviews Chesterton Biography Christendom history professor, Dr. Adam Schwartz, recently reviewed William Oddie’s Chesterton and the Romance of Orthodoxy: The Making of GKC, 1874-1908, published

by Oxford University Press in 2008, for the University Bookman website.

According to its website, for over five decades, the University Bookman, founded by Russell Kirk, has sought to redeem the time by identifying and discussing those books that diagnose the modern age and support the renewal of culture and the common good. Currently published only online, the Bookman continues its mis-

sion of examining our times through the prism of what Kirk called the “Permanent Things.”

“Future Chesterton biographies should benefit from William Oddie’s diligent research and lively intelligence,” writes Schwartz.

“But such efforts will also recognize that Chesterton’s recovery of primordial sanity was enriched by his journey, not simply along the orthodox Christian way, but on the particular path to Rome, where he felt all roads led. For G.K. Chesterton, no less than for Newman, to have become perfect was to have changed often.”

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The Christendom Players Bring The Merchant of Venice to Life The Christendom Players brought Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to life at the Warren County High School Auditorium on April 8-10.

The play was dedicated to English Professor Dr. Patrick Keats, who not only performed a small role in The Merchant, but also helped direct the play. His thirtieth theater production at Christendom, Keats was joined by alumnus Mike Powell in assisting alumnus Peter Smith, the play’s primary director. With costumes and sets mirroring the 1920’s, the play showcased Christendom’s dramatic talent as actors tackled the many stirring scenes and complex themes of the play.

“Merchant has just about everything one could ask for in a play,” Keats said. “We had some very colorful characters, such as Shylock, the devious moneylender, and the lovely Portia, who matches wits with him— a suspenseful courtroom scene, three sets of romantic lovers, and some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful verse.”

Seasoned Christendom Player and senior Steven Curtin played the complex character of Shylock, the Jewish money-lender. His performance captured the passion, greed, and sorrow found in one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters. Freshman Matthew Harris, as the foolish Lancelot, and Keats, as

Lancelot’s father, Old Gobbo, filled the audience with laughter and gave a taste of professional Shakespearean theater.

Sophomore Olivia Aveni gave a very memorable performance as Portia, the young Venetian heiress. Her presence on the stage carried the great dramatic weight found in the play, particularly in the famous courtroom scene.

Each year, the Christendom Players produce two plays, and because the College does not have a drama department, students from across all disciplines are welcome to audition for the performances, making Christendom’s liberal arts experience rich in the fine arts as well.

Senior Steven Curtin and freshman Michael Heffernan played off each other very well.

Matthew Harris (Lancelot) with Dr. Patrick Keats (Old Gobbo). This was Keats’ 30th Christendom production.

Freshman Michael Plas made his on-stage debut alongside veteran Christendom Player, Senior Liz Newcombe.

Tom McFadden was recently named the College’s Director of Admissions, Marketing, and Alumni Relations. McFadden, who has served as the Director of Admissions and Marketing since 2004, was tapped to take over the alumni affairs aspects of the former Student Activities and Alumni Affairs Director, Marie Antunes, who, after three years, has decided to pursue other ventures.

den. “I am redesigning The Grapevine and am working on some new ideas to improve Homecoming Weekend. I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone and encourage compliments, complaints, or comments anytime.”

McFadden New Alumni Relations Director

Sophomore Olivia Aveni played the lead role of Portia, seen here with freshman Andrew Clark.

McFadden is no stranger to the alumni of Christendom, having managed the College’s alumni relations from 2000-2005. Now, after a 6 year hiatus from formally working with the alumni, McFadden is happy to be directly involved with aiding the alumni in improving their connectivity to one another and to the College, and in increasing their awareness of what’s happening at their alma mater.

Freshmen Joe Duca, Zach Smith, and Matt Harris added a lot of energy to the performance.

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“I am planning on making some changes to the way things have been done,” says McFad-

With the graduation of the 81 members of the Class of 2011, there are now over 2600 alumni who have attended at least a semester at the College, with 1483 of them holding undergraduate degrees from Christendom.

The alumni are leaders in practically every field possible, including medicine, law, education, public policy, government, business, finance, IT, nursing, and so much more. Additionally, many alumni have found their vocations to the priesthood, religious life, or married life, including 63 men who have been ordained to the priesthood (with at least 13 more men in the seminary), 43 women who have joined a religious order, and 300 alumnus-to-alumna marriages.

Nicolosi Encourages Students to Become Active in Film and the Arts “The art made by Christians today is not only not beautiful, but tends to be among the ugliest art that mankind is producing,” screenwriter and professor Barbara NicolosiHarrington said during her talk to the students and faculty of Christendom College on

of wholeness, harmony, and radiance. “That eliminates cute, pretty, facile, puerile, and banal,” she said. “If it is easy, it is not beautiful.

But, if when you encounter it, something in your spirit yearns... you feel deeply touched on your most human level—you’ve encountered the beautiful.”

In order to perceive beauty a person needs three things: sensitivity, intelligence, and imagination, she said.

May 2. Nicolosi’s talk, entitled Why Hollywood Matters, explored the challenges facing Christians in the art of cinema and the art in churches.

“We have sacrificed the beautiful to other things,” she said. A professor at Pepperdine University, Nicolosi is the founder of Act One, an organization that seeks to nurture the next generation of Christian artists and media pioneers. She was a theological consultant for The Passion of the Christ and she co-edited Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith and Culture. Her latest screenwriting project is Mary, Mother of the Christ, which stars Al Pacino and Peter O’Toole and will be released in 2012 by MGM. She explained that the traditional philosophical definition of beauty is the combination

Nicolosi also explained that egalitarianism, politics, and consumerism or cheapness have caused a loss of beauty in the art found in churches today. To illustrate the point, Nicolosi told the story of a tour she took of the new cathedral in Los Angeles. On the tour she was shown a statue of Our Lady Queen of the Angels, which was described as androgynous and combining all different types of people and features from different races.

“I raised my hand and said, ‘You know, it’s kind of ugly,’ to which the tour guide said, ‘Uh, the Church isn’t about that anymore. The Church is about every one feeling welcome by including them in the statue.’ Now it begs the question whether Asian people look at the Pieta and go, ‘That’s nice for the white folks,’” Nicolosi quipped. “They were not going for wholeness, harmony, and radiance here. They were going for agenda, so they sacrificed the beauty because of the political point.”

Nicolosi also related a study done on the three most prominently used hymnals in the Catholic Church in America. The study found that less than 25 percent of the composers in the hymnals had any musical training.

“That is awful,” she said.

“We’re singing music that Barney would reject.”

Nicolosi challenged students to get involved in the arts, but especially cinema.

“Should you not be one of the people—out of compassion and creativity—talking Students met with Nicolosi after her talk to have a deeper discussion. to the people of your time,”

she said. “I know you have the talent. What’s keeping you back? Fear? Laziness?”

This insightful talk can be downloaded at Christendom on iTunes U.

Homecoming Update

Homecoming Weekend will be held October 7-9, 2011. The College will welcome back alumni from over the past 34 years, and will celebrate the Class of 2001’s “Ten Year Reunion” with special events.

Homecoming will begin on Friday with the 2nd Annual Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Golf Tournament. Later that evening, the annual Alumni vs Students basketball games will be held, followed by a reception in Kilian’s Cafe where alumni can network with current Christendom seniors. On Saturday, a special “Ten Year Reunion” luncheon will be held for the members of the Class of 2001, and the alumni reception and Homecoming dance will keep everyone entertained in the evening. On Sunday, the annual East vs West flag football game will be held during the afternoon (with tailgating opportunities) and the Chester-Belloc Debate Society will end the weekend’s events with a debate that evening.

Keep an eye on the alumni section of the College’s website for more information, and save the dates: October 7-9, 2011.

INSTAURARE

Volume XIX, Number II - Summer 2011 Published quarterly by the Christendom College Admissions & Marketing Office.

Executive Editor: Tom McFadden Contributing Editor: Niall O’Donnell Copy Editor: Torey Cervantes Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 800.877.5456 ~ www.christendom.edu Copyright © 2011. 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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GRADUATION...

“A humility that is not a false sense of sadness, or even despair, over our condition, but one that is centered on truth and fills us with joy and hope, because truth is Christ,” Killackey said. “Humility teaches us that though we have learned much in our experience here, we have only begun our search for knowledge and wisdom, and we must continue this search all of our lives for the good of all those around us.”

The Alumni Association’s Student Achievement Award was given to Matt Rensch for his dedication to the community. Rensch made great contributions to the academic life of the College and was active in varsity sports, mission trips, and many other facets of student life.

continued from page 3 Oligny, Nick Petersen, Ben Ranieri, Miriam Rauschert, James Redlinger, Matt Rensch, Megan Rolla, Kate Rollino, Joseph Ruhl, Kerri Sciscilo, Emily Scrivener, Rebekah Skiba, Jane Snyder, Marc Solitario, Troy Spring, Douglas Streeks, Angela Sus, Aaron Tatum, Joe Townsend, Elizabeth Twaddle, Mary Kate Vander Woude, Joe Wagner, Bill Waller, Elizabeth Walsh, Madeleine Walter, Megan Walters, Janie Wells, Brady Wilson, Ryan Wityak, and Anna Zganiacz. One associate of arts degree was awarded to Bethany Hepler.

Princeton Law Professor Robert George was given the Pro Deo et Patria Medal prior to delivering his commencement address to the graduates.

Following the presentation of awards to Bishop Conley and Dr. George, Valedictorian Elise Anderson called on her classmates “to take the world with a storm of joy and laughter.”

“While there will be some people who will find us distasteful for our religion and ethical practices, I want to remind my classmates that there will be others who will be intrigued by us and the joy that we have,” Anderson said.

“I firmly believe that our joyful responses to life will excite their curiosity. When you have those days when you least desire to act cheerfully and to exhibit Christian charity, make sure you do it anyway. You never know how many people your actions may affect.”

Bishop James Conley of Denver was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by President O’Donnell.

Megan Rolla prepares for the big day.

Closing the ceremony, College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell delivered his charge to the graduates [see text of his talk on page 2].

Eighty bachelor of arts degrees were awarded to Ben Allen, Richard Allington, Elise Anderson, Jack Anderson, Margaret Antunes, Francis Aul, Daina Bowen, Catherine Briggs, Jacquelyn Brogley, Brittany Buckner, Jimmy Canvin, Jordan Chenette, Peter Ciskanik, Katie Cruser, Steve Curtin, Noreen Daly, Amanda Dean, Jack Donohue, Claire Finlay, Joe Flaherty, Lynn Fraysier, Nick Freeman, Karl Haislmaier, James Hannon, Mary Harrington, Mary Hill, Bernadette Horiuchi, Mike Inzeo, Lisa Irwin, Lauren Kavanagh, Thomas Kelly, John Killackey, David Klosterman, Rocco Levitas, Tyler Lowe, Nick Lowry, Scott Lozyniak, Emily Martin, Sarah Massett, Katie McCloskey, Emily McConnell, Maggie McGann, Sam McMahon, Margaret McShurley, Denise McWhirter, Matthew Van Mirus, Liz Newcombe, Brian Nysewander, Rory O’Donnell, Peter O’Dwyer, Lauren

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John Killackey was the salutatorian.

Alumni Affairs Director Marie Antunes presents Matt Rensch with the Student Achievement Award.

Mary Hill was one of 81 graduates in the class.

Amanda Dean (l) and Valedictorian Elise Anderson were joint winners of the Robert C. Rice English Language and Literature Award.

The graduates listen to Dr. O’Donnell’s charge.

Catherine Briggs and family.

Margaret Antunes and family.

Richard Allington and family from England.

Sam McMahon and family.

Mary Kate Vander Woude and family.

Janie Wells and family.

Rory O’Donnell and family with Bishop Conley.

Troy Spring and family.

Lauren Kavanagh and family.

Kerri Sciscilo and family.

Noreen Daly and family.

Mary Harrington and family.

Christendom College Class of 2011: 80 BA degrees and 1 AA degree were awarded.

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Where in the World is Tim Flagg? “Hello Fredericksburg!”

Major Gift Officer Tim Flagg’s cross-country journey to meet with Christendom College’s most generous donors most recently continued in Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO, McKinney, TX, and Fredericksburg, VA. In Fredericksburg, VA, Flagg had the privilege of sharing a St. Patrick’s Day lunch with long-time benefactors Rita Hagans and Mary Porter. Hagans is originally from Ireland and was happy to proclaim that, “St. Patrick’s day is just the first day of St. Patrick’s month!”

While there, Flagg shared the “good news” about Christendom with these wonderful ladies, letting them know all the many things that Christendom students are doing to “restore all things in Christ.” Hagans has been a loyal supporter of Christendom since its founding in 1977.

“My late husband, Col. Patrick Hagans, loved the Church and had a great devotion to Our Blessed Mother which led us to Seton High School and Christendom College,” she said. She is very pleased with the number of

vocations that Christendom has produced over the years and she pointed out three of Christendom’s alumni priests who are in the Diocese of Arlington, Fr. Bjorn Lundberg, Fr. Tom Vander Woude, and Fr. Fran Peffley, as being ideal examples of how Christendom is changing the world.

Mary Porter’s family was among the first Roman Catholics to settle in the Fredericksburg area and helped build the first parish there many years ago. She has been a devoted Long-time benefactors Rita Hagans and Mary Porter. supporter of Christendom for over 16 years. tributions to vocations. “I think it’s just wonderful that Christendom is producing such “I like everything I hear and read about Chris- good priests for us! I hope you continue to tendom,” she says. “I especially like that the do that!” students are not only learning their courses, but learning to stay strong in their faith.”

Flagg’s travels will continue over the next couple of months to Pennsylvania, New She is also pleased with Christendom’s con- York, and the Carolinas.

Grad School Professor Matava Delivers Papers at Scholarly Conferences Dr. RJ Matava, the new full-time professor at the Christendom Graduate School, attended four conferences this spring/summer and presented papers at two of them.

At the International Medieval Studies Congress in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Matava presented a paper on the topic of “Truth, Existence and Aquinas’ Theory of Adequation: Implications for the Middle Knowledge Debate.” The essay brought to light a sixteenth-century prototype of the “Grounding Objection” before exploring Thomas Aquinas’ theory of truth as the adequation of intellect and thing, and what this theory brings to the current debate about groundless truths, especially counterfactuals of creaturely freedom. The session was organized and sponsored by the Center for Medieval Philosophy at Georgetown University, where Matava is a fellow this year.

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A month later, Matava traveled back to the north Midwest to attend Marquette University’s annual Summer Seminar on Aristotle and Artistotelianism. This year’s theme was “Causation, Motion and Change in Aristotelian Physical Science.”

Matava’s paper, titled “Aristotelian Premotion and the Divine Causation of Human Free Choices,” analyzed Bernard Lonergan’s readings of both Thomas Aquinas and Domingo Báñez on God’s movement of the human free will.

Additionally, Matava attended the Thomistic Circles symposium on “St. Thomas Aquinas and the Church: Theocentric Ecclesiology” at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC this past April. In late June, he participated in the inaugural “Thomas Aquinas and Contemporary Philosophy” workshop at Mount Saint Mary College in New York.

Matava said he is “excited to have the opportunity to meet other people in the field and also to receive feedback on my research. I’ve learned that sometimes the most valuable part of a conference is the coffee break. There you have the opportunity to meet other scholars who, in a matter of minutes, can open a significant door for your work by their suggestion of a particular source or idea.”

Matava’s research and conference experience enriches his teaching at Christendom.

As he explains, “The work I’ve done for both essays has contributed directly to my teaching, particularly my theology of God course, where we discuss divine providence and evil.”

Research and teaching go hand-in-hand for Matava who points out that, “People often juxtapose teaching and research, but I prefer to see them as parts of a whole: research enables me to bring the ‘fruits of contemplation,’ as Thomas would say, into the classroom.

The more I grow in my own understanding, the more I can bring to my students. At the same time, I have gained valuable insights for my research by engaging with students in the classroom.”

College Celebrates Beatification of Pope John Paul II The Christendom College community joined the Vatican and the rest of the Catholic world in celebrating the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1. Celebrations took place at its Front Royal, VA, and Rome, Italy, campuses. College president Dr. Timothy O’Donnell traveled to Rome and joined Christendom students studying in Rome for the Vatican’s events, and he also led a tour of key locations from the life of Blessed John Paul II. And back on American soil, College chaplain Rev. Donald Planty led the College in a series of on-campus events from May 1-4.

In Rome, on Saturday, April 30, O’Donnell led Christendom College students, alumni, and friends on a pilgrimage to sites associated with John Paul II’s student days – from the Belgian College, where he lived, to the Angelicum, where he studied. The tour included a special tour of the Angelicum by Fr. Alejandro Crosthwaite, who opened the university’s archives to view John Paul II’s dissertation and other records.

After giving them an overview of the history of the building, Fr. Crothswaite then took them into the famous Room #11, where John Paul defended his doctoral dissertation on the doctrine of faith as found in the writings of St. John of the Cross. O’Donnell then spoke of the three members of his examination board, which included the brilliant, French Thomistic theologian Garrigou-Lagrange, the future Cardinal Philippe, and the future Cardinal Mario Luigi Ciappi. Fr. Crosthwaite also took the group to see a special display which included all of John Paul II’s grades, his student ID card, and the original copy of his doctoral thesis with the remarks made by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange. Christendom College was only the second group to see this new display.

Fr. Crosthwaite took them to visit the beautiful Church of Sts. Dominic and Sisto, which was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and contains one of his beautiful sculptures of the risen Christ and Mary Magdalene.

The tour concluded with a visit to the Angelicum garden and to the special tree under which John Paul as a young student used to study. This tree, strangely enough, is a blend of four trees within one trunk: olive, laurel, fig, and palm––all growing out of one common trunk.

“Being Polish, the beatification was the highlight of my senior year. I can’t even describe it. He was able to understand so many different people and reach out to them,” senior Scott Lozyniak said. “The crowds at his beatification were a testimony to how much the world loved him. His extreme love of the youth and his pastoral attitude toward so many issues of our day allowed him to reach so many more souls in this world, especially non-Catholics.”

Pope John Paul II’s historic nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in June of 1979.

To conclude the four days of celebration, Fr. Planty offered a Mass in the Chapel of Christ the King in honor of Blessed John Paul II on May 4th, using the chalice and paten given to the College by Blessed John Paul II at the time of the Chapel dedication in 1995.

Christendom Junior Frances Allington was with the Christendom group in Rome as they stayed up most of the night awaiting the beatification ceremony.

“The hard ground, the crowds, and the discomfort melted into a distant memory at the moment when Pope Benedict declared his predecessor Blessed,” she said. “At that moment they unveiled, suspended from the logia, a tapestry bearing the face of a man who had looked out so many times from that very spot. This was the first pope I had ever known, whose name and face, for the first fifteen years of my life, had been the only name and face I ever associated with the term ‘Pope,’ and now, I saw this man declared ‘blessed.’ As the Polish flags waved, and the Polish crowds cheered, I, along with the minority of other non-Polish people in Saint Peter’s Square, joined in the universal Church’s celebration of the leader who, in many ways, shaped the course of recent history.”

The Christendom group was in St. Peter’s Square during the beatification of Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Dr. Timothy O’Donnell led a group tour to all of the places where Pope John Paul II used to frequent during his days studying in Rome.

In Front Royal, on Sunday, May 1, the live broadcast of the Beatification of Pope John Paul II was shown in Crusader Gymnasium, beginning at 4 am. Later that day, preceded by the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, there was a special 3pm Mass offered in the Chapel of Christ the King to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.

Sunday’s events concluded with a performance of Bach’s Magnificat in Christ the King Chapel, given by College professors Dr. Mark Clark and Dr. Kurt Poterack, accompanied by students who served as vocalists and musicians for the remarkable piece.

On May 3, the documentary Nine Days that Changed the World was shown in Crusader Gymnasium. The film’s producer, Vincent Haley, was on hand and he gave an introductory address about the film, which chronicles

Pope John Paul II’s student ID card.

Dr. Poterack directed the Choir’s amazing performance of Bach’s Magnificat on May 1.

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Chester-Belloc Room Renovation Sparks a Cycle of Alumni Giving The Chester-Belloc Room of the Regina Coeli building has been elegantly renovated through the generosity of the Class of 2008 and the Chester-Belloc Debate Society.

debate. The Society promotes Socratic interdisciplinary discussion of controversial topics facing Catholics today in the areas of political science, philosophy, and theology.

The Chester-Belloc Room has always been an important space for student events. In the early days of the College, the room was the heart of campus life. The room was first known simply as “The Common Room.” It remained at the center of student activities until 1993, which brought the construction of St. Lawrence Commons. The room was renovated in 1996 and renamed the “Chester-Belloc Room” when Mrs. Patricia Lemmon, a friend of the College, painted the twin pictures of G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc, which have hung over the fireplace ever since.

Professor Eric Jenislawski, the Society’s faculty advisor, offered to spearhead a fundraising drive amongst the previous Chairmen of the Society. Dr. O’Donnell was enthusiastic about this idea, and was able to coordinate dollar-per-dollar matching with a generous donor. Within a week, all of the former Chairmen of the Debate Society contributed to the cause, raising over $1400. Enough funds were raised to purchase three new leather couches and five new leather club chairs for the room.

The room caught the attention of the Class of 2008, since it had not been updated for many years. Out of their gift, the walls were resurfaced and repainted; decorative glass wall sconces and alabaster dome-lighted ceiling fans were added; wood wainscoting and a new gas fireplace were installed; and new carpeting (donated by Mr. and Mrs. Richard O’Donnell, the parents of College president Dr. O’Donnell) and furniture were brought in.

The partial renovation sparked the interest of the Chester-Belloc Debate Society, which holds bi-weekly debates in its namesake room, continuing a tradition that goes back to the original society, founded by Dr. Warren Carroll. Recently refounded in 2007, the Chester-Belloc Debate Society exists to prepare a new generation of conservative Catholic intellectuals for excellence in public

Within a few weeks, other alumni and undergraduate members of the Society wished to get involved. “I think the administration’s generous matching donation really struck a chord with our alumni,” said Jenislawski.

“To see the College helping to fund something alumni believed was an essential part of their Christendom experience really lit the fire to help. At one social function of the Society, Rand Brown (’08) walked up to me unsolicited with $200. ‘I want to help make this happen,’ he said. In a time when colleges are struggling to fundraise from their alumni, I think Rand’s conviction speaks volumes.”

Other members of the Debate Society continued the cycle of giving. Marine Corps Lieutenant Andrew Cole (’09) bought and donated a handwritten letter by Hilaire Belloc for the room. Lt. Joseph Mazzara, a Sometime Chairman of the Society, and his wife Jennifer (both ’08), teamed up with Cole to purchase a humidor for the Society’s

The Chester-Belloc Room, or the old “Common Room,” before the renovation.

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use. Sometime Chairman Jozef Schutzman (’10) designed and procured a tapestry bearing the Society’s coat of arms, which now hangs in the room. The current Chairman, Tyler Anne Lowe (’11), organized fundraising among undergraduate members of the Society to pay for matching black banquet chairs to seat attendees of the debates—an elegant upgrade from the folding plastic chairs hitherto borrowed from the dining hall.

The improvements to the Chester-Belloc Room have been enthusiastically received by many at the College. “The room, since it is located in the heart of the main administrative building, is often the first place that visitors to the College see,” observed Admissions Director Tom McFadden. “Now that it has been enhanced with the beautiful decorations, furniture, and lighting, the room will better serve the needs of both our students and visitors.”

President O’Donnell agreed. “The use and restoration of the Chester-Belloc room gives great joy to me personally and to alumni, who have so many memories of the space.

The room should now be a far more welcoming place for visitors, and be much improved for student use.”

If readers of Instaurare would like to continue the series of gifts for the room’s further enhancement, please consider making a taxdeductible donation to Christendom College with “Chester-Belloc Room” in the memo field.

To learn more about the Chester-Belloc Debate Society, visit its website at: www.chesterbellocsociety.com.

The Chester-Belloc Room with new seating, lighting, and wall coverings.

Students Immersed in Art and Architecture of the Eternal City Christendom’s Semester in Rome Program is quite unique for a number of reasons. First, students live and learn in the heart of Rome itself, within 10 minutes of the Vatican.

Second, the students pay a mere $1000 in “Rome Fees” above and beyond their tuition, room, and board costs associated with attending Christendom. Third, the College has a close relationship with the Holy Father and many Cardinals and dignitaries in Rome.

And fourth, Christendom attracts high quality professors to teach in the program.

things interspersed in the College’s course.

And then a year and a half ago now, I was structuring a series of lectures. I’ve never felt this courted as I have at Christendom! It is in every way a very gentlemanly program. The students are always so elegantly dressed, they’re always so elegantly mannered, and even the way the College entices its professors is very genteel.”

According to Lev, one of the deciding factors with this courtship with Christendom was her experiences with its students.

you see the tremendously long lines of people every day waiting to get into the Vatican Museum to go look at the art. So obviously art has a huge impact on people; they want to experience it. But the art that people are interested in—the art of the Renaissance with people like Michelangelo, Rafael, Bernini, Caravaggio, Giotto, and Donatello—requires a little bit of understanding. And so I think it is particularly important for Christian students to know art, because that art was made for them. It was made to find ways to cast glorious lights on your body of faith.”

“First of all, they present themselves exquisitely. For a professor, it’s re- One of the benefits of studying art while in ally nice to be the one walking Rome is that one may see everything in its conaround with the group of stu- text. Unlike seeing a beautiful piece of art in dents that always looks so great a museum, when you see the piece of art, in and so attentive,” she says. “But its original place, where the artist intended his what I think is really interesting piece to be seen, it makes a world of difference. about this group is the literary background. I find it very re- “When you see Caravaggio, let’s say the St. freshing and extremely pleasant Matthew cycle in San Luigi de Francesi, and to be able teach students with you see how the light in the painting comes whom I have a common literary in through this space of the altar, when you background. The more programs see how Matthew is called toward the space of I teach, the more college students the altar, and at the end of his life he’s called I come in contact with, the more up toward the space of the ceiling; or when Art historian Liz Lev taught the Art and Architecture class to the I see the idea of great literature you see Michelangelo’s Pieta sitting above an students studying in Rome this past semester. and the structure of great litera- altar with the body of Christ looking like it’s take four classes: Moral Theology (or Apolo- ture becoming rarer and rarer. And unfortu- going to fall on the altar––these elements of getics, depending on which semester they nately the most important works of art, the art make the art alive, they make it live,” she travel to Rome), Roman Perspectives, Italian, works that everyone is interested in, are always says. “You need to see it where it was made, and Art and Architecture. grounded in some sort of literary background. and then to see that this faith is not someThe thing that the artist accomplishes in the thing that’s dead, as it is frequently presented Liz Lev, a well-renowned art historian who Renaissance era that carries through to the Ba- to you—this mythology of Christianity. You has been teaching in Rome for many years, roque and into the eighteenth century is that sit next door to where you see tens of thouhas been Christendom’s professor of art and the artist becomes literate. The way I came to sands of people every Wednesday come to see architecture for the past year. She is a much art history was through a love of reading these the successor of St. Peter. So it’s living. It is sought-after professor who teaches classes not epic stories in mythology and then finding not a dead church; it is a living church and only for Christendom, but also for Duquesne these pictures and the engagement between the art lives through it.”

University and the University of St. Thomas. the two of them. So I She studied art history at the University of have to say one of the Chicago and then did graduate studies at the things I appreciate the most about ChristenUniversity of Bologna. dom students is that When first asked to become part of Christen- they’re so literate! It’s dom’s Semester in Rome Program, Lev was really wonderful.” a little hesitant, due to her other teaching commitments. But the College’s administra- Lev believes that studytion and Rome team were persistent in their ing art is very necessary and important because it desires to have her come on board. has a tremendous power “I feel like I was courted – there’s a feeling of over people. an extended sort of romantic story,” she says.

“I was asked to do one lecture, then, maybe “When you live next two, then, maybe I could do a couple little door to the Vatican, Some of Christendom’s Semester in Rome students: Spring 2011.

While in Rome for the semester, the students

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Rugby Team Has Record Winning Season The Christendom College Rugby team has taken huge strides over the years, with this past spring season being a defining time for the team––they completed their second consecutive winning season and posted an historic record. With the success of this past season, one cannot overlook the work of previous teams and dedicated coaches such as Mr. Mike Miller and Dr. Brendan McGuire who helped make this season possible.

Over the last few years the Rugby team has battled bigger and stronger teams. No matter the score, the team battled and competed well until the final whistle. Like steel refined in the fire, the rugby team was battled and tested over the past few years, enduring defeats, all the while never losing hope or desire for the game which attracts so many.

Attracting over 20 dedicated men each year the rugby program at Christendom strives to build brotherhood through hard work and practice, no matter the weather, score, or circumstances. This past season was no exception for the team as they continued to forge ahead with their speed, teamwork, and endurance and they reaped the rewards with an historic season.

Under the guidance of first-year head Coach Don Briggs the team outplayed each of the opponents throughout the season. “It has been such a joy to be a part of Christendom and to get to know and coach these young men. I was very proud with the style of play that we were able to play, and give all the credit to the hard work of the guys on the team,” said Coach Briggs.

In sports often the hardest game in a season is the first game. This is in large part to the “newness” factor of players learning to play with each other for the first time and the excitement of the first game coupled with the huge difference between a game situation

Crusader Rugby Team 2011.

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Spring 2011 Events

and practice situations. The rugby team’s first games of the season were at Hampden Sydney College in Virginia for a 3 game tournament in which Christendom lost to Christopher Newport University in the first game, but pulled out victories against Lynchburg College and Hampden Sydney University.

The next match was easily the biggest of the season. Christendom and its undergraduate enrollment of 409 battled George Mason University with an undergraduate enrollment of just over 19,000––a classic David vs Goliath story, with a similar result! The game featured two distinct styles, with the strength and power of George Mason versus the speed and team-oriented style of Christendom.

Led by many strong individual performances including Joe Long, Ben Ranieri, Connor Coyne, and Andrew Hepler the Crusaders held their own against the bigger Patriots of George Mason, with Aaron Tatum running in the winning score, and Tommy Salmon making the conversion kick for a 19-13 upset over the Patriots of George Mason.

The team next defeated Maryland’s Washington College, 67-17, and then Montgomery College 93-0. During these two matches the rugby team played wonderful team-oriented rugby, something which was a recurring theme throughout the season.

To commemorate the successful season, Christendom’s Athletic Department created a new award, called the Crusader Achievement Award, for the Christendom varsity team with the highest winning percentage in their season. With the 6-1 record, the 2010-11 Rugby team deserved this award and set the bar quite high for future teams.

Congratulations to Coach Briggs and all the members of the 2010-11 Rugby team on a tremendous season and a special thanks to all the Christendom Crazies for their support.

Angelica Cintorino and Maribeth Kelly play flutes during the semester’s Schubertiade, held at Dr. and Mrs. O’Donnell’s home.

Brady Wilson speaks during a recent ChesterBelloc Debate Society debate.

Rob Fetsko and Liz Newcombe compete in the annual Swing Dance Competition.

A student string quartet gave a public concert on Palm Sunday: Karl Haislmaier, Melanie Bright, Luke Tillotson, and Jennifer Nussio.

Seniors Nick Freeman, James Hannon, Troy Spring, and Rory O’Donnell made up the country band, The Texas Heat, who provided countless performances over their four years on campus.

Omnia in Christo What is a Humane Economy?

Editor’s Note: The following is an edited version of a paper that Dr. William Luckey delivered at the Ciceronian Society Conference at the University of Virginia on March 18, 2011.

When discussing economics, the layman to the field gets bogged down in all sorts of baggage about economics that clutters the view of the subject itself. He brings to the table theories that do not accord with reality, such as religious biases or a neo-classical bias. The result of this menagerie of error has been to obscure the real nature of economics and to cause confusion in the councils of government and the realm of public discourse. Since economics is a human science, we should begin with a look at the human person.

Human beings are thinking and feeling beings. They are not automatons, acting with cold reason all of the time, but frequently, their choices are based on the heart. The word “choices” is the key. Humans live in a world where they have to make choices every day regarding a myriad of things, some important, some trivial. People make choices in a rational way in that they choose according to their values. Aristotle reminds us that all men seek the good – no one intentionally chooses an evil. But people do choose evil things. This is because, as Aristotle puts it, they choose either a true good or an apparent good. The apparent good looked good to them at the time, considering their values.

Whenever humans act, the choice they make leads to an action. A person who makes choices but does not act lives in a fantasy world, and eventually dies from the lack of choice about the basics of survival. The very idea of choice implies an action. One cannot even reject this “action axiom” without acting. Most of the choices people have to make are between competing goods. The choice is based on subjective valuation—what is consistent with a person’s values. This does not mean that there are not objectively good values, but even objectively good things have to be subjectified prior to choosing them. In other words, I must see something’s value before I will choose it. And that choice must actually apply to me or my situation.

Additionally, all human beings act to better their condition. This is true in every area. Normal people desire to improve their participation in those things which they value, even though not everyone will pursue the better things, for a variety of reasons, from laziness, ignorance, alcoholism, or even taste.

In discussing what a humane economy is, a number of things must be remembered. A free society and a free economy are what Hayek correctly called a “spontaneous order.” Contrary to those who have an anthropomorphic view of society or the economy, no one created society, assuming it was not set up by a dictator. No one set up an economy. A society and an economy are not “things,” but interrelationships which come about out of natural human sociability, and need. These interrelationships go from permanent, such as family, down to the one time contact. A free society and an economy come about, as Adam Smith points out, as a system of “natural liberty;” meaning that these interrelationships are what people do. This is the foundation of exchange. A humane economy is one which allows this to flourish. But since no one actually sets up a free

William R. Luckey, Ph.D.

economy, the humane economy is one that we set up ourselves, by doing our own actions.

It was pointed out that not everyone conforms to the norm because we are reasoning persons with free will and a fallen nature. Society and the market need a mechanism to prevent the actions of others from interfering with our legitimate actions the ends that are not harmful to those around them. So some institution is needed to protect against fraud, coercion, and other such things. But because people generally know what enhances their values, that institution must not coerce them itself into choices that do not conform to their values, again within the ground of legitimacy.

That is, choices that would hurt others to any significant degree.

What if, the complaint usually goes, the values of the society are stupid or bad? What is the cause of it? For instance, does the unparalleled success of the modern market economy cause materialism, or does the materialism in modern society come from the acceptance of twisted ideas, and the declining influence of Christianity. Or does it come from the human heart that infected with what we Catholics call the seven capital sins. Do people have free will or not? Is becoming a materialist not also a choice, chosen because what makes a person a person has been obscured by a bad education system, the media, etc? Are people as materialist as we think, or as the “industry of evil” has led us to believe?

Lastly, complaints are made about the size of corporations – that corporations are too powerful, and government needs to prevent their growth above a certain level of income. Firstly, this view that corporations want power comes from the progressivist platform, and has been parroted by many since then. Secondly, I would love to meet a non-economist who says these things who has read the ground-breaking article by Nobel Prize winner Ronald Coase entitled “The Nature of the Firm.” In that article he does what no else ever did—ask, “What is the firm, why do firms exist and what governs the size of firms?”

Regarding the first point, corporations do not want power, they want money. If they want power, it is only to enhance their profits. Since firms can’t coerce purchases of their goods and services, they have to get someone to do it for them. That someone is an all-too-willing government, the members of which, in exchange for campaign contributions and the promised votes of the members of the firm, makes a firm a monopoly, or gives it special breaks.

On the second question, Coase shows that firms are as big as it takes to make a product or service, but not any larger. Why? The key is cost. For a firm to make itself any larger than it has to be increases costs. Increasing costs reduces profits. Reducing profits irritates the Board of Directors, and drives down the price of the stock, thus opening the firm up to someone who will try to buy a majority of the stock, fire the directors and officers, and put in people who will cut costs in order to make the firm more profitable.

So in answer to the question of this paper, “What is a Humane Economy?” the answer is that it is the freedom of human action to provide what people want and need for their lives.

Dr. William R. Luckey is Professor of Political Science and Economics at Christendom College. He is an Adjunct Scholar of the Mises Institute and of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.

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