Instaurare | Winter 2012

Instaurare The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine

Winter 2012

Exciting Summer Programs Come to Campus in 2013 Homecoming Attracts Hundreds Back to Their Alma Mater

How Christendom Prepared an Alumna for Religious Life Golf Tournament Raises $20,000 for Scholarship Winter 2012

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From the President

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Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS

Without a doubt, the spiritual culmination of the trip was our time Just this past October, I was in Fatima. The evening of our arrival we attended a candlelight privileged to lead a pilgrimage procession with Our Lady at the Cova da Iria. The following morning, to Spain and Por tugal, in Fr. Planty celebrated Mass for all the pilgrims at the Shrine where we commemoration of the College’s prayed for our Christendom family and rededicated ourselves as a 35th Anniversary, returning to the community to Our Lady of Fatima. roots of Christendom College in Spain. While there, we had many opportunities to pray for you, After our fellow pilgrims returned home, my wife, Cathy, and I our benefactors, at the beautiful continued on to Rome and visited with our Christendom juniors pilgrimage Masses celebrated by studying there, as well as with Cardinal Arinze. Once again, as pilgrims, our College chaplain, Fr. Donald we together entered St. Peter’s Basilica and professed our loyalty to Planty. Among the places most worthy of note, we visited and our Holy Father Pope Benedict, the Vicar of Christ on earth. prayed at the tombs of St. Isidore the Farmer, St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Jesus, St. James the Greater, and the site of the Marian The concept of Christendom is not just a thing of the past: it is a living apparitions in Fatima, Portugal. During our pilgrimage, Dr. Carroll’s idea that simply cannot be forgotten. We live in an age characterized vision of Christendom was continually in my mind, and the vision of by “the dictatorship of relativism” which claims that there are no the many others who, in the midst of absolutes; excepting the one fallacious the rapidly spreading secularization “absolute” that itself claims there are no Participants pause for a group photo in Fatima during of the 70’s, saw Spain as a bastion the 35th Anniversary Pilgrimage to Spain & Portugal. absolutes. Our visit to these countries of Catholic culture. The Valle los of ancient Christendom, our readings on Caidos, a magnificent monument pilgrimage, and our reflections on the nestled in the Guadar r amma great saints of our tradition reminded Mountains, commemorates those each of us how necessary it is to be who died in the Spanish Civil War, deeply grounded in reality. That includes in which faithful Catholics rose up of course the ultimate reality that God is and defended the Church. It was a One and Triune. It was that very same striking reminder that governments, God who in the fullness of time sent His too, can and should acknowledge Only Begotten Son, born of a Woman, the unique redeeming sacrifice of to redeem those under the Law and Jesus Christ Our Lord and King. to grace us with the gift of adoption as Just across from the Universidad His very own sons and daughters (see Maria Christina, where the Christian Galatians 4:3-5).

Commonwealth Institute used to hold classes taught by Dr. Carroll, It is truly wonderful to “breathe Catholic I was moved when I finally caught air” and to live in a Catholic way. Our sight of Philip II’s magnificent Lord, through His Blessed Mother, came monastery palace, El Escorial. It is a permanent and fixed monument to give us life and to give us life in abundance (see John 10:10). Spain, symbolizing Spain’s unwavering orthodoxy, a solid and clear response Portugal, and Rome certainly were seedbeds which helped to nurture to the chaos ushered in by the religious revolutionaries of the 16th and form the vision of Dr. Carroll and the other founders. These Century. men and women, enflamed with a passion for Christ, returned to the United States and made that vision a reality.

Another moment I found particularly moving was our visit to the Celtic province of Galicia which, according to ancient tradition, Let us continue to work together to fulfill the mission of Christendom contains the tomb of St. James the Greater. Many of us having College which seeks to restore all things in Christ, and as we move watched the movie, The Way, prior to our pilgrimage were blessed ever closer to the great feast of the Lord’s Nativity, let us remind one to approach the Basilica of St. James to the sound of Galician another of the absolute centrality of God and our need to place all bagpipes, which filled the air. We also were blessed to attend the of our trust in Him. In the words of St. Teresa of Jesus, “Let nothing Mass of the Pilgrims where we witnessed firsthand the swinging of disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things pass away: God never the great botafumeiro (thurible), which symbolizes the purification changes. Patience obtains all things. He who loves God finds he of the pilgrims and the universal prayers of the faithful ascending lacks nothing, God alone suffices.” heavenward into the basilica’s magnificent vault.

‘The concept of Christendom is not

just a thing of the past: it is a living idea that simply cannot be forgotten.’

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Table of Contents 2 Historical Prayerful Protest Christendom College’s pro-life group, Shield of Roses, held its biggest protest at Planned Parenthood of Washington, DC, in the 35 years of its existence on October 27.

6 Prepared for God’s Will Christendom alumna Sr. Mary Jordan (Ida Friemoth,

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’05) made her Solemn Profession of vows as a Dominican nun and took the opportunity to reflect on her time at Christendom College.

4 Exciting Summer Programs Coming to Campus 8 Homecoming 2012 Draws Hundreds to Campus 10 Crusader Sports Continue Winning Ways

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11 Alumni Vocations Celebrate Jubilee Anniversaries 12 Tournament Raises $20,000 for Scholarship 14 Grad School Professor Puts Knowledge to Work 15 Alumni in the Wide World of Web Development 16 College Included in Exclusive Rankings

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Instaurare Published quarterly by the Christendom College Admissions & Marketing Office.

Executive Editor: Tom McFadden Managing Editor & Layout: Niall O’Donnell Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 800.877.5456 ~ christendom.edu Copyright © 2012. 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 (christendom.edu).”

SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST. Instaurare magazine (pronounced “in-sta-rar-ay”) receives its name from the Latin in the college’s motto, “Instaurare Omnia In Christo” or “To Restore All Things in Christ.”

Christendom College does not discriminate against any applicant or student on the basis of race, sex, color, or national origin.

17 Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan Lights Up the Stage 18 President O’Donnell Celebrates 20 Years Alumnus Publishes Book on St. Thomas Aquinas 19 Advancement Office Notes 20 Photos: Campus Life 21 Socrates, Plato, and the Art of Speaking

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AGAINST PLANNED PARENTHOOD

College Holds Largest Pro-Life Event in 35-Year History

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Christendom College’s pro-life group, Shield of Roses, held its biggest protest in the 35 years of its existence on October 27. Over 225 students, faculty, staff, and visitors traveled to Washington, D.C., to peacefully protest abortion at the Planned Parenthood clinic, located just north of the White House, on 16th Street.

The group protests at this same clinic each Saturday morning during the academic year, but normally only around 20 students make the trek into DC on a weekly basis. Once a semester, however, the group’s leadership organizes what it calls a “Mega Shield” event and encourages as many of the members of the College community as possible to participate. Last year, Mega Shield events drew as many as 100 students, and prior years’ saw up to 200 participants.

“I am so happy that we were able to get so many to come out for this event,” says President of Shield of Roses, college senior Chris Roberts, from Asheville, North Carolina. “It’s a real sacrifice to wake up so early on a Saturday morning and travel to DC, but the babies are worth it.”

Christendom’s Shield of Roses group has been organizing prayerful pro-life protests since 1977, the first year of the college’s existence. In the 1980s and 1990s, the students targeted an abortion clinic in Falls Church, VA. For the past 12 years, the group has focused on the Planned Parenthood clinic in DC. Students wake up early on “Mega Shield” Saturdays to attend

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the 7:30am Mass, after which they load into private vehicles and a couple of college vans. They arrive at the Planned Parenthood abortuary at around 9:30am where they kneel on the grass in front of the clinic and pray four rosaries and a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, as well as sing some Marian hymns before departing back to campus.

“After we learned that Planned Parenthood installed the fence, and that police were threatening to arrest those that prayed or counseled on the public spaces within the fence, we extensively researched the status of that property,” said James Henderson, Senior Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.

“The Public Spaces Branch of the District’s Department of Transportation maintains the database of public properties In 2010, this particular Planned in Washington, DC. During It’s a real sacrifice to wake up so early Parenthood facility erected a meetings with that department, fence blocking access to the two different sources confirmed to on a Saturday morning and travel to public lawn outside the abortuary, us that Washington, DC, owned making the prayerful protest more DC, but the babies are worth it. a 50-foot right of way along challenging. The students then the public sidewalk in front of had to spread out along the sidewalk. Later that year, after a Planned Parenthood.” lot of litigation and research, it was determined that the grassy area and sidewalk in front of the building are public property, The students of Christendom College are active in pro-life and as a result, students are now able to kneel and pray on the work year round, from prayerful protests to volunteering at a public lawn again. pregnancy center and working for pro-life candidates. Every year, Christendom cancels classes the day of the March for Life In an effort to deter the protesting students from standing and in DC and the entire student body enthusiastically attends. kneeling on grassy area, mulch has been spread on the ground, and a variety of plants, including rose bushes, have been planted.

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Exciting Programs Coming to Campus in Summer 2013

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Summer 2013 is gearing up to be one of the busiest on record for the College. For many colleges, summer is a time to re-group, relax, and prepare for the upcoming fall semester and the beginning of the academic year. Not so at Christendom.

Christendom holds a variety of summer programs each year for a diverse group of individuals – everyone from high school students to senior citizens.

Beginning in June 2013, Christendom will host two of its most popular summer programs: the Graduate School Summer Program and the first of the five one-week Experience Christendom Summer Programs.

The Graduate School Summer Program is a big attraction for people who are in positions that have summers off, in particular, school teachers and directors of religious education. Over the course of 4 summers, students may earn their Master of Arts in Theological Studies, while at the same time, enjoy the camaraderie of other faithful Catholics in the beautiful setting of Christendom’s campus in the Shenandoah Valley. The summer program runs from June 24 - August 3, 2013.

The wildly popular Experience Christendom Summer Program for rising high school seniors begins in June and, with five separate one-week sessions, will continue through July, as well.

These programs are designed to give prospective students a feel for what it might be like to be an actual student at Christendom, and to give them a taste for the College’s rigorous liberal arts program, its campus and surrounding areas, and its authentic Catholic culture and environment. Each summer, although a number of the participants are initially highly encouraged (read:

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forced) by their parents or grandparents to attend, everyone ends up having a wonderful time, and very sad to leave campus to return back home.

“Honestly, the idea of going to Christendom for a week, at first, didn’t have me too excited. My mind was made up that Christendom was not the college I wanted to go to and there was no way I’d change my mind by going to a weird, crazy Catholic camp,” said participant Claire Lejeune from Virginia.

“Wrong. After the first day I was already starting to really like it. I made friends I’ll never forget and had a really fun time the whole week. All the activities were awesome and every day was worth waking up early for! The classes were really interesting and the teachers were very friendly and seemed to really enjoy teaching. And the camp actually brought me closer to my faith in one short week. Turns out, it wasn’t too crazy or weird at all!”

Each session runs from Sunday to Saturday and costs $400.

Financial assistance is available and online registrations are being accepted now. Rising high school juniors may register (space permitting) after April 1, 2013. The sessions run: June 16-22, June 23-29, July 7-13, July 14-20, and July 21-27. The new additional fifth session is in response to last year’s record number of participants and the fact that many on the waiting list were not able to participate. The College expects to have 45 students in each of the five sessions.

During July, the College will hold its annual Vita Consecrata Institutes for religious, its biennial Summer Institute, and its first-ever St. Columcille Institute.

The Vita Consecrata Institute (VCI), cosponsored by the Institute on Religious Life, is held every summer in conjunction with the Graduate School Summer Program. The VCI is an intense summer program of theological studies and spiritual renewal for religious, priests, seminarians, and other consecrated persons. The VCI focuses on the theology of the consecrated

Notewor thy College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell delivered an address to the Northern Central Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre at the Order’s “Investiture” held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The talk was very well received and O’Donnell was able to visit with His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the ninth Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

life as reflected in the mission and life of the Church. Students penetrate the mystery of the consecrated life by investigating magisterial documents, by examining the rich historic tradition of the Catholic Church, and by prayerfully reflecting on this wondrous gift. The institute is structured in such a way as to assure religious men and women the full living of their consecrated life in a context of prayer, silence, study, and community. The two sessions run from June 30 - July 13 and July 14 - 27.

The Summer Institute, which will be focusing on the “Catholic View of History,” will be held on Saturday, July 13. As part of the College’s 35th Anniversary celebratory events, the conference will honor the memory of Christendom College founder and historian, Dr. Warren H. Carroll.

Political Science Professor Dr. William Luckey delivered a talk at the annual conference of The Catholic Mom Community, a group of orthodox ladies who—tired of cavorting with the liberals in their home parishes—keep in touch on the internet. In his talk, Luckey explained that the true secret to sainthood is found in the living of the interior life.

Schwartz, St. Louis University history professor Dr. Thomas Madden, and Dr. Brad Gregory from the University of Notre Dame’s history department.

Finally, to round out the very active summer, the St. Columcille Institute will be held for three weeks in the north of Ireland, in Donegal, from July 20 to August 11. The program will seek to strengthen the faith and deepen the understanding of young Catholic leaders through a thorough catechesis, insuring that participants develop the ability both to evangelize and defend the Faith within secular society. Participants will examine the patrimony of Western Christian Civilization through an indepth study of history and literature.

More information about all of these activities and events may be found at christendom.edu.

Confirmed speakers for the event include College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, Christendom history professors Dr. Brendan McGuire, Dr. Christopher Shannon, and Dr. Adam

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Alumna Explains Christendom’s Impact on Her Vocation

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Christendom alumna Sr. Mary Jordan (Ida Friemoth, ’05) made her Solemn Profession of vows as a Dominican nun on August 18, 2012 at the Monastery of St. Jude in Marbury, AL. Upon this joyous occasion, she took the time to reflect on her time at Christendom College, and how it affected her discernment to the religious life: My time at Christendom was very influential in forming me preparation for our doctrinal study as Dominican nuns, and intellectually, spiritually, and culturally, and preparing me to even more so for understanding and living the virtuous life. discover God’s Will for my life here as a cloistered Dominican Second, the broader foundation that a truly Catholic liberal nun. I chose to attend Christendom because I desired to learn arts education provides is an invaluable asset to the community Truth, especially the truths of Thomistic philosophy and as a whole. To know and theology, and knew that ...the broader foundation that a truly Catholic to be able to enunciate at Christendom I could the doctrine of the faith count on being taught liberal arts education provides is an invaluable and its basic philosophical according to the mind of asset to the community as a whole.

To know underpinnings is very the Church. During the rare in the world today, course of my studies, I and to be able to enunciate the doctrine of the and is of great help in realized ever more fully that faith and its basic philosophical underpinnings grasping, maintaining, not only philosophy and and defending the theology, but all the classes is very rare in the world today... essentials of the cloistered fit together in presenting a contemplative vocation. coherent and lived Catholic worldview.

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This education is of great value to me here in the monastery in two ways. First, the solid foundation in the thought of our Dominican Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, is an incomparable

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Another area in which my experience at Christendom directly led into my vocation is that of the liturgy. Never before had I experienced the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered in Latin, or

Sister Mary Jordan with her family.

Sister Mary Jordan pronounces her vows in the hands of Mother Mary Joseph, OP.

been exposed on a consistent basis to the beautiful and formative riches of the classical polyphony and Gregorian chant regularly sung by Christendom’s Schola, Choir, and entire community.

The reverence and sense of the sacred of the College chaplains also made a deep impression on me. When I first visited this monastery, I walked down the hall to the chapel for Vespers, completely unaware that the nuns sang the major hours of the Divine Office in Latin using their traditional Dominican chant.

When I heard the nuns singing in Latin my heart soared; God was using the liturgical formation I received at Christendom to point out to me where He wished me to be His. The cultural and social life of the College also played a role in preparing me to embrace this vocation. Through the example and support of friends, l joined the Legion of Mary, made St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, and began praying the Divine Office, all of which helped prepare me for my vocation as a Dominican nun. This is not to mention the good times of companionship and fun we shared in the context of the College community with its mix of faith, academics, and campus events. I remember one of my first days as a freshman, taking a walk with two new friends out to “Kelly’s field.” As we stood amid the tall grass, the Angelus rang from the College chapel. One of us led the prayers, and we genuflected there in the grass at the verse, “The Word was made flesh.” This is such a simple thing, but indicative of the culture which so many Christendom students strive successfully

to create. Living this culture amid virtuous friendships helped me grow as a person and prepared me to embrace this solidarity on a spiritual level in the religious life, where we come together in the monastery to live as “one mind and heart in the Lord,” as our Rule of St. Augustine states.

Finally, although I studied at Christendom hoping to learn “what went wrong” with the culture in order to be able to “go out and fix it,” so that culture might again dispose men to holiness, I have discovered in the monastery the truth of what Peter Kreeft once said: that perhaps the most powerful warriors in the fight between the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death are the contemplatives spending hours a day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Those who are called to live in the world, working to restore all things in Christ in the family, workplace, or apostolate, are doing important and crucial work for the kingdom of God. Yet it is the life of prayer and sacrifice that is at the heart of every active work. Both are needed.

Every day the nuns here take turns keeping an Hour of Guard, praying the Rosary before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament as Our Lady’s Guard of Honor. Someone is always there, in the chapel; interceding for the world. I learned at Christendom that the highest use of anything is to dedicate it to God. This is the reason for my vocation—to belong solely to God, on behalf of those with a mission like Christendom, and on behalf of the whole world.

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Sister Mary Jordan, OP, with Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi and clergy, including recently ordained alumnus Fr. Fred Gruber (’06).

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Homecoming 2012 Draws Hundreds to Campus

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Christendom College celebrated Homecoming Weekend over Columbus Day Weekend (October 5-7), with over 250 alumni taking part in all of the many activities.

On Friday, many alumni participated in the Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Golf Tournament at Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Course in Front Royal, VA, [read more about this event on page 12].

some of their spouses and faculty and staff members), enjoyed a catered reunion luncheon in the Chester-Belloc room of the Regina Coeli Hall, giving everyone the opportunity to reconnect and to relive their good old college days.

On Friday night, the Christendom alumni played the students in basketball in Crusader Gymnasium. Following the narrow victory of the alumni men over the Crusaders, over 125 alumni and senior students spent the rest of the evening in St. Kilian’s CafÊ, enjoying camaraderie, snacks, and drinks at the annual Post-Game Reception, hosted by the Alumni Affairs Office.

Later that evening, the Classes of 1992 and 1982 held private reunion events on campus, where a number of alumni who had not been to campus in a while made appearances. Approximately 250 alumni took part in the main event of the weekend celebrations, the Warren H. Carroll Alumni Reception, which was held in the Chapel Crypt from 6pm-12am. Many alumni even took advantage of the live swing band orchestra, Yesterday, which was playing at the Homecoming Dance held in the St.

On Saturday, 13 members of the class of 2002 (along with

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Postponed due to adverse weather conditions, the annual East-West game was held a few weeks after Homecoming. This year, the game was nearly over before it began. The East scored on their first possession and

Lawrence Commons, and danced the night away.

Next year’s Homecoming Weekend is scheduled for October 11-13. At this weekend, the Class of 2003 will be coming together for its 10-year reunion luncheon, and the Classes of 1983 and 1993 are invited to return for their 30th and 20th anniversaries, respectively. The members of the Class of 1988 will be celebrating their Silver Anniversary (25th), and are all invited to come back to campus for a special celebration over Homecoming Weekend.

WEST kept on scoring before claiming a 26-0 second-half lead in route to a 33-6 victory. From the opening play to the closing whistle, the relentless offensive attack and overwhelming defensive pressure of the East was too much for the West.

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Victory Crusader Intercollegiate Sports Continue Winning Ways

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Christendom’s fall sports programs were all highly successful this year, with each of the teams posting winning records.

First time head coach Jake Guttierrez maintained the prestigious history of the men’s soccer team and led the team to another successful season. Guttierrez implemented a new strategy focused on capitalizing on the team’s numerous offensive threats.

Once the team became acclimated to the new style of offense, they became nearly impossible to contain, resulting in wins of 11-0, 5-1, 4-1, 8-1 and 11-0 again.

leadership with first-time head coach Professor Mark Wunsch.

Like Guttierrez, Wunsch started off his Christendom coaching career with success. With 11 new faces on the team, he helped lead the Lady Crusaders to their first winning season since the fall of 2008. Wunsch quickly turned the team around by instilling a focus and excitement that immediately produced positive results.

Contributions from several new freshmen helped the adjustment, along with the continued hard work and skill of a distinguished upperclassmen. Freshmen Jeremy Minick, Sean Salmon, and Pat Audino combined for 20 goals to compliment juniors Jon Fioramonti and Johnny Foeckler who rounded out the offensive attack.

The season started off with two losses to Washington Adventist and Mary Baldwin College, but the team displayed an ability to overcome adversity by rebounding with three straight wins over Wilson College, Patrick Henry, and local rival Lord Fairfax Community College.

A strong defense boasted two shutouts and three onegoal stands. Upperclassmen Tim Beer, Rob Hambleton, and star goalie, Dan Mitchell, anchored the defense.

The women’s side of the field was also under new

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After a tantalizingly close loss to Valley Forge, the Lady Crusaders defeated Lord Fairfax again, this time in an 8-1 blowout, coming to an even 4-4 record. With a winning season on the line the Lady Crusaders came through once again in a huge 8-1 victory over Patrick Henry College. Sophomore goalie Elizabeth Slaten called it “the most satisfying win of the year.”

Like the soccer teams, the women’s volleyball team had a new head coach on the sideline, Josh Petersen, and finished with an excellent 9-6 record—the team’s third straight winning season.

Despite the loss of several key players, team captains Anna

Harris and Bridget Vander Woude, along with sophomore setting sensation, Clare Duda, picked up the slack.

“Bridget Vander Woude, Anna Harris, and Theresa Jalsevac hit better than they ever have this year,” Coach Petersen said.

“Clare Duda’s serve was nonreturnable at times. Freshman middle blocker Bridget McMahon really played well especially as the season went on and Gabbi Muskett’s defense and passing in the middle was huge for us.”

The tone for this year’s volleyball season was set early with an impressive 3-0 rout of Penn State Mont Alto followed by

another road trip victory over Washington Adventist. The Lady Crusaders went through a mild slump in late September with two losses, but came back and finished the year on a five game winning streak. During that stretch the Crusaders won an astonishing 15 of 17 sets.

One of the great aspects of a Christendom education is that the sports program is within reach for many of the students.

Many students who were high achievers in their sport in high school are able to come to Christendom, focus on their studies, but at the same time, enjoy a highly competitive and fun sports program.

Alumni Religious Celebrate Jubilee Anniversaries

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Two Christendom alumni celebrated their 25th Jubilees of final vows this year. Both graduates of the class of 1982, Fr. Peter Williams and Sr. Eileen Tickner discovered their religious vocations while at Christendom.

While no one ever suggested to Eileen Tickner that she become a religious sister while she attended Christendom, “the call to religious life was taught and caught” in all aspects of the College, she says.

“It was around the dining room table with our teachers.

It was relaxing in the Common Room—at our parties—in our discussions that saved the world—in the classes that challenged us to ponder. It was at prayer in the Chapel,” she says.

When asked to pinpoint the moment when she first heard the call of the Lord, she responded, “It would have to be in Mr. O’Herron’s Doctrine classes. How could I hear that the God of all Creation became man to show His love for all humanity and not respond? For me, that was the clincher. I knew I had to follow no matter what.”

Shortly after receiving her degree from Christendom, Tickner entered her novitiate and took her final vows as a Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco in August of 1987. Since that time, she has devoted herself to a joyful mission and vocation to youth, teaching at eight different schools, running retreats for young

people in parishes, always sharing her joy and enthusiasm for the Faith with thousands of children aged 3-18.

Fr. Peter Williams is one of 15 siblings, many of whom attended Christendom.

After graduating with a BA in Political Science in 1982, he entered the seminary for the diocese of Burlington, VT, and was ordained in February 1987.

Fr. Williams spent his first five years as Associate Pastor at St. Mark’s parish, where he began a special ministry to the deaf, and as chaplain at the University of Vermont. He now serves as pastor of St. Mary’s parish in Burlington.

When asked about his vocation, he says that he had briefly considered the priesthood as a teenager and a chance encounter with College founder Dr. Warren Carroll convinced him to attend Christendom.

“It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” he says.

“Christendom prepared me well for the seminary—especially in the area of basic catechism. Many other seminarians did not have this strong background.”

Those who remember Sr. Eileen and Fr. Williams from their Christendom days recall a striking similarity between them: their engaging wit and sense of humor. Both, along with the 119 other priest and religious alumni of Christendom, continue to share the joy of being a Catholic with the thousands of lives they touch in their ministries.

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Go fing for Annual Tournament Raises $20,000 for Athletic Scholarship

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On October 5, Christendom College’s Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Course in Front Royal, VA, raising a record $20,000 with 110 golfers and 40 sponsors. Alumni, friends, and supporters of the College came together to assist in the hosting of the tournament, which featured various contests, raffles, and door prizes.

“This year’s tournament was, without a doubt, a huge success,” College Athletic Director Chris Vander Woude said. “It is hard to beat the weather and the atmosphere, which made it such a great event.”

The day of golf and complimentary cigars, drinks, snacks, and door prizes was kicked off with an introduction and welcome from Christendom President Dr. O’Donnell.

“After three years of great weather like this, I think Tom Vander Woude might be invoked as the patron saint of weather,” O’Donnell said.

Tommy Salmon and Max Hess—both seniors at Christendom— combined with Howard Walsh, and Paul Heisler (’90) to shoot an amazing 57 on the par 72 course. The 15-under was the lowest score of the tournament and earned them a place on the champions plaque.

Tournament winners (l-r): Paul Heisler, Max Hess, Howard Walsh, and Tommy Salmon.

During the awards banquet following the tournament, the 2012 recipients of the Thomas S. Vander Woude Athlete-Scholar Scholarship were announced—Christendom freshmen Patrick Audino and Jeremy Minick. Both of these students were standout members of the men’s soccer team this fall. Additionally, Minick is currently on the roster for the men’s basketball team while Audino is gearing up for the spring rugby season.

Athletic Director Chris Vander Woude with 2012 scholarship recipients Patrick Audino and Jeremy Minick.

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Former Athletic Director Tom Vander Woude—for whom the scholarship is named—died saving the life of his youngest son on September 8, 2008. He was dedicated to the character development and personal formation of young people, especially in the areas of both intercollegiate and intramural athletics.

Good “It was great to be able to introduce this year’s scholar-athlete scholarship recipients to their sponsors,” he said. “I cannot thank all the sponsors and participants of this year’s tournament enough. It is through your generous support student-athletes like Jeremy and Patrick are assisted in being able to attend Christendom.”

The Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Scholar-Athlete Scholarship strives to offer students who excel in academics, leadership, and athletics the chance to attend Christendom.

Recipients of the scholarship are given the opportunity, as Thomas Vander Woude believed, to be formed mentally, spiritually, and physically. The scholarship is awarded to two incoming freshmen each year, as funds permit. More scholarships hope to be added in the future, and efforts are being made to establish an endowment for the scholarship fund, providing a truly lasting legacy.

“The tournament is a great way to keep the memory of my dad alive and strong—especially the values he believed in—which encompass the philosophy behind the scholarship fund,” Vander Woude said.

Anyone interested in more information about the scholarship or donating to the scholarship fund should contact Athletic Director Chris Vander Woude at athletics@christendom.edu.

Mark your calendars for the 2013 Thomas S.Vander Woude Memorial Golf Tournament to be held on Friday, October 11 at Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club.

gear up THIS CHRISTMAS For sports apparel, clothing, and more, visit chritendom.edu/sportswear.

For mugs, glassware, and more, visit christendom.edu/gear.

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Grad School Professor Puts Knowledge toWork for the Faithful

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In October, Graduate School professor Steve Weidenkopf was featured on Catholic Answers Live, taking questions about Church history, and has also spent the last few months working on content for a special website celebrating Pope Benedict’s “Year of Faith.”

the Church to establish colonies in the Holy Land.” Rather, they were armed pilgrimages undertaken by Catholic warriors for the liberation of ancient Christian lands and for the protection of pilgrims and the indigenous Christian population.

Search “Weidenkopf ” at catholic. com to listen to the program.

Weidenkopf answered questions on Catholic Answers Radio program ranging from the Crusades and Galileo to more specific inquiries regarding the origin of the sacraments and the first ecumenical council.

“My favorite question was on the Crusades,” Weidenkopf said.

“In essence the caller asked why we—meaning the Church—are always apologizing for the Crusades. The Crusades are one of the most widely misunderstood events in Church and Western history. There are very ingrained popular myths that people believe about these events. There has been a lot of recent scholarship within the last generation that destroys these deeply held myths, but, unfortunately, that information only trickles out to people, so the myths persist.

Weidenkopf explained that the Crusades were not “unprovoked wars of aggression by greedy European nobles urged on by

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He has also been developing content for a special website created by Ascension Press to help celebrate the “Year of Faith.” The editors of Ascension Press chose Weidenkopf because of his work on the Epic: A Journey through Church History series, which is published by the press.

“My hope is that the Catholic Year of Faith Project will help Catholics grow deeper in a relationship with Jesus and the Church and then share their faith with others,” he says. “The world is in desperate need of the saving message of Jesus Christ.”

The Project features Weidenkopf and a number of well-known Catholic authors and speakers who provide weekly reflections designed to engage Catholics during the Year of Faith. You can read these reflections on the website or even sign up to receive the weekly email newsletter, Faith in Action, containing the reflections at thecatholicyearoffaith.com.

Attention Employers!

Thursday, February 21, 2013 From 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Chapel Crypt, Christendom College [Front Royal Campus] Equip your company with the personnel needed for success!

Christendom graduates are educated to think and solve problems with an excellent moral formation.

Visit christendom.edu/career for more information or contact the Director of Career Development, Mike Mochel: mmochel@christenodm.edu.

Private and public sectors welcome!

Alumni Find Success in the Wide World of Web Development

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In a recent article featured in Forbes Magazine, a columnist wrote, “…when students and parents ask, ‘What can I do with a liberal arts major?’ the right answer, grounded in the evidence, is ‘A lot. A whole lot.’” Christendom alumni are part of the evidence to which the columnist referred. Filling positions across a wide spectrum of professions, Christendom grads find themselves in the business of developing young minds or corporate plans, creating marketing strategies or running businesses, and sometimes, they can be found in that seemingly very non-liberal arts related field of web development.

Bryan Hadro, a history major from the class of 2004, is a frontend web developer for ESPN. He was drawn to the industry by a desire to be creative and “design something that hundreds, even thousands, of people will see and use.” Hadro says that his Christendom education has helped in creating a “framework to lead a balanced life.”

Alumnus Bryan Hadro (right) shows his brother Matt (’10) the set of ESPN News during a tour of his workplace.

A member of the class of 1987, Gelis is the owner and Director of Site Development for Veraprise Incorporated. In 1996, he recognized the internet phenomenon as an emerging technology that offered excellent opportunities for a new career that he called “challenging, interesting, and financially promising.”

Gelis says that his liberal arts education has benefitted his career tremendously.

“It gave me the confidence and intellectual capacity to pursue an entirely new career and advance within it independently,” he says.

“I can keep things in perspective and focus on what is important,” he says.

Both Hadro and Gelis say that “Secondly, the education I received Christendom’s motto, “to restore at Christendom has helped stoke all things in Christ,” remains a intellectual desire. In work and life, it’s part of their lives. imperative to continue learning. I find “I may not be preaching the Faith that especially important in the web everyday—though sometimes and tech fields, where the technology clients ask me about it,” Gelis advances so rapidly that you really says. “But in all my dealings with have to have that desire to keep up.

Alumnus Matthew Gelis, owner of Veraprise, Inc. clients, I witness to my Faith, by I find that challenge appealing, and I being professional, honest, and reliable.” attribute that desire very much to my Christendom education and, especially, the faculty there.”

Hadro says that he tries to lead by personal example in his workplace and also notes that his presence in this profession Matthew Gelis, who double majored in philosophy and is helping to foster a Catholic media presence in the new theology, has had the same experience as a long-time web millennium. developer.

“The logical and analytical framework developed during my time at Christendom provided me with a firm foundation for acquiring new skills as a programmer and database application developer, in an environment that required self-instruction,” he says.

“Contrary to what many might think, the Church has had a very rich tradition of fostering the arts and sciences,” Hadro says.

“Working in what has fast become the new means of commerce and communication gives me the opportunity to do good work for the Church—whether it be primary work or on the side.”

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College Included in Exclusive Secular and Religious Rankings

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Christendom College is once again included in exclusive secular and religious rankings by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS). Kiplinger’s included Christendom in the top 50 of its annual list of best values in private institutions, which singled-out universities and liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding quality with affordability. CNS recommended Christendom in the latest edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, based on the strength of its Catholic identity.

In the Kiplinger’s article, which appears in the December issue of the magazine, Senior Editor Jane Bennett Clark notes:

(25%), graduation rates (18.75%), and academic support (12.5%).

“Christendom remains the best value in the world of faithful Catholic higher education,” says Christendom’s Director of Admissions Tom McFadden. “Thanks to our generous donors we can stay free from Federal funding and still offer a robust financial aid program. We can keep costs down, while at the same time, make sure our top-notch liberal arts education is within reach of every family.”

The Newman Guide, a free online resource for parents and students seeking a faithful Catholic education, included Christendom in its elite grouping of 28 distinguished Catholic colleges and universities from across the world.

“The two words that best describe “In these challenging times, [The College is] a model for Catholic C h r i s t e n d o m C o l l e g e a re keeping costs down and academic Catholic and traditional, in the liberal arts colleges, with a wellstandards high can only be very best sense of both words,” described as God’s work—and deserved reputation even in Rome. the Guide states. “For more than at some schools, God is doing 35 years, [the] College has made a pretty good job… Christendom College (number 45), a a vital contribution to American Catholic life through its solid Catholic-run institution in Front Royal, Va., charges $29,570, spiritual formation and its liberal arts curriculum. What was the [second] lowest [price on the list].” once a tiny holdout against the decline of higher education is today a model for Catholic liberal arts colleges, with a well-deserved reputation even in Rome.”

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This edition’s profiles have been completely updated after extensive campus visits and/or interviews with faculty, staff, administrators, students, and alumni.

“It’s not enough that our Catholic sons and daughters survive college with their faith intact,” said CNS President Patrick Reilly. “Catholic college graduates should be wise, pure, and ready to serve with distinction in any career and vocation. The colleges and universities in The Newman Guide provide this preparation for life.”

The complete Christendom College profile is available at TheNewmanGuide.com.

Kiplinger’s rankings measure academic quality and affordability— quality accounts for 56.25%, and cost factors account for 43.75%. Factors studied include cost and financial aid (31.25%), student indebtedness (12.5%), competitiveness

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Ranked as one of the top ten colleges in the nation by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Christendom appears in numerous other national secular and religious guides each year including TheBestSchools.org, Peterson’s Competitive Colleges, National Catholic Register College Guide, and others.

Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan Lights Up the Stage

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The Christendom College Players brought Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan to life at the Warren County High School auditorium on November 9-11.

“I was very pleased with the performances and very proud of the dedicated, hard working cast and crew,” the play’s director Dr. Patrick Keats said. “It was an interesting combination of experienced and inexperienced performers—as well as a good representation of all the classes, from freshmen to seniors.”

His thirty-third show at Christendom, Keats noted that Wilde’s witty comedy is a play about family and family relationships, especially the mother-daughter relationship.

Bright and detailed costumes captured the 1890’s Victorian London setting as the student cast brought Wilde’s ingenious plot to life. The talented cast included senior Sarah Halbur, freshman Monica Dilworth, sophomore Nick Gossin, sophomore Alex Clark, sophomore Rocina Daez, junior James Ciskanik, and many others.

The Players dedicated their performance to English professor Dr. Robert Rice, a longtime supporter of the Players, who will be retiring at the end of this year. Since coming to Christendom in 1981, Rice and his wife, Mary-Alice, have never missed a performance and have dedicated themselves, tirelessly and generously throughout the years to the Players’ productions.

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President O’Donnell Celebrates 20 Years of Leadership

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Christendom College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell celebrated the 20th Anniversary of his installation as president on October 11. On October 10, the staff, faculty, students, and alumni of Christendom showed their appreciation to O’Donnell for his dedicated leadership with several gifts, including a large spiritual bouquet from the entire Christendom community.

College over these twenty years, I think it cannot be denied that Dr. O’Donnell has played the key role in the College’s success through his On Sunday, October untiring leadership.

11, 1992, Dr. Timothy Dr. O’Donnell and O’Donnell was formally his wife, Cathy, over installed as the third these twenty years, President of Christendom have spent countless College. hours of travel and almost seemingly When Dr. O’Donnell tireless effor t to took the reins in 1992 the bring the College College had an enrollment Director of Admissions & Marketing Tom McFadden presents to the attention of of 144 students, an O’Donnell with the spiritual bouquet. prospective donors, operating annual budget parents, students, priests, and the Church hierarchy including of less than 2.5 million dollars, total assets of slightly less than 5 Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Dr. O’Donnell has always million dollars which included an endowment nearing the half attributed any success of the College to the annual consecration a million mark and building assets of 3 million dollars. Today by the College community each year to the Sacred Heart of the College has 388 students, an operating annual budget over Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

10 million dollars, total assets over 36 million dollars which includes a 10 million dollar endowment and building assets Read McShurley’s complete statement at christendom.edu/news. over 13 million dollars. While many dedicated people have contributed through their labors to the growth of Christendom Executive Vice President Mark McShurley released the following statement on this momentous milestone event:

Alumnus Publishes Book on St.Thomas Aquinas

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Alumnus Jeff Coleman (’00) recently published his first book, Thomas Aquinas for Beginners. The book features selections from the Summa Theologiae, with clear commentary from Coleman.

Published by Sapientia Press, the book has received praise from acclaimed theologian Peter Kreeft, who says that Coleman explains Thomas “engagingly” and that “readers will be both enlightened and challenged.”

Coleman’s second book, which is an introduction to the ethics of Aristotle, will also soon be published. A teacher at Mercy Academy, Coleman lives with his wife, Meg (Ross, ’01) and their seven children in Milwaukee, WI.

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A dva n c e m e n t O f f i c e N o t e s C is ka n ik Fr o m th e D es k o f Jo h n

students who work dent interns and work-study stu the ut abo you tell to ng I have been meani has an amusing twist.

The story behind the numbers m. tea ent cem van Ad my on and pretty generous gift to a gentleman for his recent nk tha to led cal I , ago r “had not heard of About a yea se when he insisted that he pri sur my ne agi im can u ely reminder Christendom. Yo , the real lesson for me was a tim ely rar s pen hap s thi gh ou Th Christendom before.” rs more quickly. out to our friends and dono ch rea to ds nee om end rist that Ch student helpers. This lly hired annually about four ica typ ent cem van Ad , ade in the important Over the past dec ts who play an integral role den stu en rte thi e hav we , impressive fall semester, however dy, these students apply their stu rkwo or ern int as er eth ting and communication work of Advancement. Wh from donor relations, marke – ks tas s rou me nu to rgy talent and ene eral office support. ent, and a wide variety of gen to research, budget managem endom number of donors to Christ the of g lin trip the ut abo ed erns, the College simply In previous Notes, I’ve report it were not for the student int if t, tha say me Let .

09 20 eive a “thank you” College since ng of support. (So if you rec uri tpo ou s thi to ly ate qu ade Christopher, could not respond ica, Philip, Liz, Anne, Elise, ron Ve or a Sar to lo hel say , call from Christendom rienne.) , Brigid, Luke, Maria, or Ad Gabby, Gabby [we have two!] pment complements and professional skills develo e enc eri exp ob e-j -th on ir eer development Additionally, the Education for a Lifetime car new ’s om end rist Ch of s both the achievement College. mitment to the mission of the plan and their cheerful com 32% of our Annual g report: At mid-November, isin dra fun rt sho a e giv to t no to support the I would be remiss on target. Please continue ht rig is ich wh … ed iev ach s in Christ.”

Fund goal has been endeavor to “restore all thing its and e lleg Co om end rist educational mission of Ch s! and for your continued prayer Thank you for your generosity

G re et in gs from Pa ol i, Pe nn sy lv an ia !

In November, Philanthrop y Officer Tim Flagg visite d Julianne Zelov of Paoli Philadelphia. Zelov has , PA, a suburb of been a loyal donor to Ch ristendom since 1992.

“I think of Christendom as an anchor in the midst of so much confusion,” she says.

Zelov considers Christendo m her adopted Alma Mate r. Zelov is the only Catholic joined the Church in 19 in her family, having 85. She credits her friend and Christendom alumn with her conversion. us, Fr. Francis Peffly, “It was his fault,” she say s with a laugh. “The way he spoke about his faith and complete.” was so alive Fr. Peffly, who is now a Pa rochial Vicar in the Dioc ese of Arlington, VA, int to Christendom. roduced he

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“He talked constantly abou t the College, so I finally ch ecked it out,” she says. “Th like a David fighting agains e College is t the Goliath of the Cultu re of Death. I love giving to because—even after the tra the College, gedy of this election, as we ’re all trying to come to gri ramifications of it—Chris ps with the tendom students fill me wi th hope!”

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1. Led by chaplains and alumni priests Fr. Kevin Peek (’92) and Fr. Bjorn Lundberg (’97) the College re-consecrates itself to Our Lady of Fatima / 2.

Oktoberfest 2012 / 3. Junior Chris Ferrara plays guitar at Folk Festival / 4. Coaster riding at King’s Dominion / 5. College welcomed a new assistant chaplain, Fr. Mark Byrne, SOLT / 6. Sophomore Larry Urgo flies down field during the annual Upper-Under football game / 7. Chuck Chalberg as GK Chesterton brings history to life for students / 8.Victorious Homecoming alumni basketball team / 9. Lady Crusader Volleyball 2012 / 10. Senior Mary 20 findsInstaurare Bratt the hole during the annual Powderpuff football game / 11. Crusader Soccer 2012 / Lady Crusader Soccer 2012.

Omnia in Christo Socrates, Plato, and the Art of Speaking

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Socrates and Plato are rightly regarded as founders of the Western philosophical tradition, of the practice of philosophy as a way of life, a loving search for humanizing wisdom. What is often neglected, however, in accounts of their contribution to Western civilization, is their radically new understanding of the art of speaking, or what we usually call the art of rhetoric.

To see the novelty of their ideas on rhetoric, we should consider their thought within its historical context. First, a note about the word rhetoric:The Greek word rhētorikē, the source of our word rhetoric, is formed from the noun rhētōr, which means simply “speaker”. At least this was the word’s original meaning. By the end of the fifth century BC, however, the word rhētōr had become a professional title for two related but distinct occupations: (1) professor of public speaking and (2) political leader.

The foremost representative of the former class, professors of public speaking, was a man named Gorgias, a native of Leontini (modern Lentini) in Sicily, who travelled throughout the Hellenic world giving public lectures and private lessons (for a fee) on the art of public speaking—in Greek hē rhētorikē technē, the art of rhetoric.

Such was Gorgias’ mastery of this art that a later historian, Diodorus Siculus, referred to him simply as Gorgias ho rhētōr, Gorgias the speaker. The particular quality in Gorgias’ speech for which Diodorus singled him out was his “deinotēs logou,” his “intimidating awesomeness in speaking.” Such deinotēs logou was precisely the quality which Gorgias promised to transmit to his students. One of these students, Meno of Thessaly, praised Gorgias for not claiming, as other professional teachers did, to teach personal excellence (aretē).

Gorgias, rather, promised only to make his students deinoi legein, “terrifyingly awesome speakers.” In one of his own speeches, Gorgias calls persuasive speech “a mighty master.” He compares the power of persuasive speech to both magic and powerful drugs. Using the art of rhetoric on one’s audience, according to Gorgias, is like casting a spell on them or like injecting their souls with a potent and irresistible drug. Skill in rhetoric, so conceived, confers upon the expert speaker a power to manipulate others however he wishes. In view of his conception of the art of rhetoric, it is easy to see why Gorgias was so popular among the second group of professional speakers (rhētores) I mentioned above, political leaders.

These speakers (rhētores) were men who put Gorgias’ art of awesome speech to practical use in the political life of their cities.

They were the speakers in the popular political assemblies of Greek

Dr. Andrew Beer

democracies. In Plato’s dialogue titled Gorgias, after the famous teacher of rhetoric, this class is represented by a young Athenian named Callicles. For Callicles the entire value of rhetoric consists in its potency as an instrument of domination that allows political leaders to indulge their every appetite and desire. Callicles advocates a life of absolute licence. For him personal excellence (aretē) and human flourishing (eudaimonia) consist in allowing one’s appetites to grow as big as possible and then having the resources to satisfy them.

Gorgianic rhetoric was precisely such a resource for men like Callicles.

It was a powerful means of dominating others in an attempt to satisfy their inordinate appetites.

Now enter Socrates and Plato. What made their thinking about rhetoric so revolutionary was their understanding of genuine power. True power is not dominating others for the sake of feeding inordinate appetites. It is the power to achieve real good. Further, for both Socrates and Plato, our good as human beings is an objective good, one that we can know. And the way we come to know this good is by speaking about it, by having conversations every day about moral excellence (aretē)—those qualities that make a human being truly good. This is what it is to lead the philosophical or examined life.

So the true art of speaking consists first of all in the use of speech to seek wisdom (sophia): knowledge of the good that should be the ultimate object of all our actions.

Now once a person has discovered this good and acquired the qualities necessary to make it present in his own life—once he has put his soul into good order—he can begin to use his art of speaking for the good of his community.

This virtuous speaker (rhētōr) now strives to make present in his community the same condition of good order present in his own soul. Through both his words and actions he tries to make his wisdom available to his fellow citizens, so that their entire community can flourish in the same kind of virtuous activity that characterizes his own life.

In a striking passage near the end of Plato’s Gorgias, Socrates compares both the good order of a virtuous person’s soul and the social order of a thriving community to the order of the universe.

He uses the same Greek word kosmos—which has become our word “cosmos”—to describe a well-ordered individual soul, a rightly ordered community, and the entire universe. The goal of the virtuous speaker, according to Socrates, is creating in both his own soul and his community a microcosm—a little cosmos—of the ordered universe.

This, for Socrates and Plato, is the good that the true art of speaking helps us realize. Practicing this art is really a participation in the force that holds together the universe. It is a human imitation of the ordering love of God. Andrew Beer is a Visiting Lecturer at Christendom College in the Department of Classical and Early Christian Studies. In April of 2012, he completed a doctoral dissertation at the University of Virginia entitled, “Socrates and the Art of Healing Souls: A Study in Socratic Rhetoric.” This excerpt summarizes some of the points raised in the Winter 2012 dissertation.

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Chantilly, Virginia Raymond Cardinal Burke Chairman of Honorary Dinner Committee