Instaurare The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine
Winter 2013
‘We are praying for you.’ President O’Donnell Meets Pope Francis See “From the President”
Alumni Welcome Special Needs Baby with Love | Alumnus Inspires Through the Arts Winter 2013
Graduate School Enhances Catechesis Program | Record Breaking Season for Crusader Soccer
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From the President
Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS
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As we begin this time of year when our thoughts naturally turn toward home, family, and loved ones, I’m happy to share with you my recent experience in Rome. As a consultor for the Pontifical Council for the Family, I responded to Pope Francis’ summons. The Holy Father has also called for a special Synod of the bishops to meet in October 2014 to once again discuss the state of marriage and family in our modern world, and I look forward to working with the Council then, too. During our sessions in Rome, we discussed a number of issues confronting marriage and the family. Pope Francis gave us the charge of discussing the Vatican’s “Charter Rights of the Family,” but also to help prepare for the upcoming Synod by focusing on key issues concerning marriage and the family today.
O’Donnell met Pope Francis in October at an exclusive audience. He told the Pope: “Greetings from Christendom College.” After introducing him to his wife, Cathy, he then held the arm of the Pontiff and said, “Thank you for all you are doing for our Church and I want you to know we at the College pray for you daily.”
Obviously, in our modern secularized world, there are many challenges: the collapse of traditional Catholic culture, the low birthrates in many former Catholic countries, and the great need that we have as a Church and society to help form our young people in this vital area. This preparation should include the teaching of Humanae Vitae emphasizing clearly again the unitive and procreative elements of marriage, its indissolubility, and also exploring more deeply, in the light of the Gospel, the central and essential role played by both mother and father, in the begetting and education of children.
As we gather together at this Christmastime to be with our families, I would like to let you know how thankful I am for the success of Christendom College and especially how deeply I appreciate your prayers, love, and support for our common work. In so many parts of the world—it was clear from our discussions in Rome—there is very little in the way of Catholic education, in service to a proper understanding of marriage and the family. In many instances, a fundamental evangelization prior to catechesis is desperately needed to help strengthen marriage and family. I firmly believe in the words of Fulton Sheen that there are three to be married— the husband and wife and Jesus Christ. Truly, without Christ and the grace of the Sacrament, I believe it would be impossible for a couple to maintain a purely natural love given today’s environment. Let us continue, especially this Christmas, to pray for one another and for our common goal.
Pope Francis met with the members of the Council and spoke very beautifully of the family as a “community of life which has its own autonomous existence,” emphasizing, as Pope John Paul II did in Familiaris Consortio, that the family is a “community of persons.” The Holy Father expressed his concern about the two most vulnerable stages of family life, childhood and old age, and how both have a crucial role to play in the life of the family, the Church, and society. He ended by giving us a stirring challenge to “propose to all people with respect and courage the beauty of marriage and family illuminated by the Gospel.”
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Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication helping to make the vital educational apostolate of Christendom College possible. I wish you, your family, and loved ones a most joyful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Table TableofofContents Contents 2 Record Breaking
The Christendom College men’s soccer team achieved its greatest season in history this year with an amazing 11-2-1 season.
8 Welcomed with Love A normal ultrasound for Jill (Watson) Storey (’01)
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quickly went from routine to life-changing. Her little boy appeared to have no arms and a clubbed foot. 4 News in Brief 5 Liberal Arts in Action 6 Friendships for Good
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11 Visitors Flood Campus at Open House 12 Graduate School Enhances Catechetics Concentration 14 Inspiring through the Arts 16 Great Minds on Campus 17 Classsmates: Alumni News
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Instaurare Published quarterly by the Christendom College Marketing Office.
18 In the Classroom 19 Advancement Office Notes 20 Photos: This Fall at Christendom IBC Omnia in Christo: The Philosophical Habit of Mind
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 © 2013. 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.
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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.
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Senior Jon Firamonti and sophomore Sean Salmon in action.
RECORD BREAKING SOCCER TEAM HAS BEST SEASON IN HISTORY
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The Christendom College men’s soccer team achieved its greatest season in history this year with an amazing 11-2-1 season. The team ranked nationally as high as eighth in the USCAA coaches’ poll. The impressive record featured even more impressive stat-lines, including out-scoring their opponents by an astonishing 78-14 goal-margin.
“An exceptional sports season is a result of a great many parts working in cohesion,” said Jake Gutierrez, the team’s second-year coach. Gutierrez had a defined system of how he wanted the men to work together, training them in a new and offensively aggressive style of play. “They learned the system so well, that they were able to execute slight tactical adjustments that I would implement at half-time,” he said. “And our captains, Johnny Foeckler and Jon Fioramonti, kept everyone moving at
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Members of the 2013 Christendom College soccer and volleyball teams broke into the record books this year earning top spots in the USCAA. Senior Bridget Vander Woude made Christendom history, becoming the first Christendom studentathlete to lead a statistical category in the USCAA. Vander Woude is ranked No. 1 for average aces per set with 1.43 aces per set. Also in women’s volleyball, junior Mary Barbale is currently No. 2 in hitting percentage at .370, while Vander Woude is ranked No. 5 at .346.
Bridget Vander Woude spikes the ball
The men’s soccer team featured five players with high rankings. Sophomore Sean Salmon is ranked No. 5 in total goals. Senior Johnny Foeckler, sophomore Patrick Audino, and freshman Joey Kuplack are all ranked in the top 25 for goals scored. Additionally, goalkeeper Tim Vander Woude is ranked No. 7 in goals allowed per game and No. 10 in total goals allowed. Lady Crusader Volleyball 2013
maximum speed—physically and mentally. They were so instrumental in keeping the team playing beautifully.” The only blemishes on the near perfect season were three games against very strong opponents: Potomac State College of WVU and NCAA Division II Washington Adventist College. “For the graduating seniors, this year was the capstone of a successful four-year journey,” athletic director Chris Vander Woude said. “They finish with a four-year record of 36-15-3, which included huge wins over Southern Virginia University, Mount Aloysius, and Gallaudet University.”
Carol Lynn Miller fires one into the goal.
christendom.edu/athletics Lady Crusader Soccer 2013 Winter 2013
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NEWS in BRIEF
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Kiplinger magazine released its “Best Values in Private Colleges Under $20K” in November. Christendom College was ranked sixth in the nation, behind such well known institutions as Amherst College, Brigham Young University, and Yale, and ahead of Harvard and Thomas Aquinas College.
Christendom College’s student-run pro-life group, Shield of Roses, traveled to Washington, D.C., on November 2, the Feast of All Souls, and led a prayerful protest of over 150 students at a Planned Parenthood clinic during Mega-Shield.
As a papal consulter to the Vatican, College president Dr. Timothy O’Donnell participated in two Pontifical meetings: the Pontifical Council for the Family’s 21st Plenary Assembly (in Rome, Italy) and the Pontifical Commission on Latin America (in Mexico City, Mexico). See “From the President” in this issue.
The College is once again ranked in the latest edition of “The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College” and highlighted as a “model for Catholic liberal arts colleges.” A photo of Christendom students is featured on the cover of this year’s “Guide.” The photo highlights the College’s beautiful campus and Chapel of Christ the King, which the “Guide” describes as being at the center of both the campus and of campus life.
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10 & 20 Years Later
ArtsinAction L i b e ra l
Class of 1993 20-Year Reunion
This October, over 250 alumni returned home to campus. The class of 2003 enjoyed a 10-year reunion luncheon and the class of 1993 celebrated its 20-year reunion with an evening reception—both in the Chester-Belloc Room of Regina Coeli Hall. Everyone enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and professors and discovering what each has done with their liberal arts degree from Christendom College. Check out some of the job titles from the classes of 2003 and 1993. The myriad of fields in which our alumni are excelling is a testament to the power and versatility of Christendom’s liberal arts education. ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Dentist Deputy Assistant Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney Program Analyst at United States Coast Guard Senior Staff Attorney at McDermott Will & Emery Senior Software Developer at GISi Vice President of Sales at AdjusterPro President, H&H Hardwood Supply, Inc. Freelance Writer & Editor English Professor, Rollins College
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Chef Author Physical Therapist Professor,Thomas More College of Liberal Arts Senior IT Analyst at ASM Research Alliance Manager at Strategic Business Systems, Inc. Senior Software Engineer at Berico Technologies Partner and Attorney, McCarthy & Akers, P.L.C. Entrepreneurial Coach & Consultant
Class of 2003, 10-Year Reunion
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Friendships for Good
L-R: Seniors Conor Knox, Anna Van Hecke, Maeve Gallagher, and Joe Marra.
By Maeve Gallagher (‘14)
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It’s obviously true that you can make friends at any school you go to. If I had decided to attend a Big Ten school, would I have made good friends? I’m sure it would have happened, but what would those friendships have been based on? At Christendom, my relationships are strengthened by the campus’ shared faith and by our common notion of Truth. This is part of the reason why I know that long after I’ve graduated these will be the friendships in my life that last. Here, you not only meet A misconception I had Being at Christendom has a myriad of amazing about Christendom when I people with a wide range enabled my talents to grow and my arrived was that I thought of backgrounds, but that by the end of my friendships to flourish in a way I time here, I would know you actually develop relationships with them. everyone on campus. have never experienced before. These friendships—based But I realized that it is an on a pursuit of Truth impossible task to have a and wisdom—are part of what makes Christendom’s personal relationship with over 400 students. I soon discovered that the Student Activities Council (SAC) was formation so life-changing. They are one part of the Christendom experience that I was pleasantly surprised an excellent student group that fostered friendships and by as a freshman. aided me in getting to know people outside of my typical social circle.
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Recently, an SAC member and I were talking and he abruptly stopped and said, “This is awesome. If we weren’t on SAC, you and I wouldn’t be standing here together. We would know of each other—we’d maybe smile when we pass each other—but I wouldn’t be here talking to you. We wouldn’t be friends.”
Christendom has to offer—from the rich spiritual life to the competitive athletic programs. By simply leading their lives, they are not only examples to me, but to everyone on campus. I am blessed to know my fellow students and to have had the opportunity for these friendships to impact my life.
SAC has provided me with countless instances where I have cultivated skills that would fill a job resume, but more importantly, being a part of this group has shown me that even at a small school, there is a diverse range of students and each person is a potential friend.
I have no doubt that when my friends and I return to Christendom for our five, ten, and twenty-year reunions, we will have remained as close to each other as the day we graduated.
My friends inspire me to be a better person through our daily interactions. Each of them has unique gifts that have been further cultivated during their time at school here. They have fully taken advantage of everything
My Christendom friendships are beautiful and I am so thankful to our benefactors who continue to provide financial and spiritual support for us students. Without them, I would not be the better person that I am today.
Notewor thy On November 24, Christendom College consecrated itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, something it has been doing every year since 1992 on its patronal feast of Christ the King. The College was founded under the patronage of Christ the King and under the mantle of Our Lady of Fatima, and as such, has a deep devotion to both. The celebration began with a solemn Mass and was followed by a Eucharistic procession and benediction.
Members of the junior class are enjoying their Semester in Rome and having an amazing time broadening their cultural, intellectual, and spiritual horizons. They’ve experienced: audiences with Pope Francis, a personal tour of Vatican Radio, trips to Sienna, Florence, Assisi, and more. Below, students stop for a photo on an evening stroll past the Colosseum. Follow the activities of our Rome campus every week in The Chronicler’s “Rome Report”: christendom.edu/chronicler.
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WELCOMED with LOVE Alumni Embrace Baby with TAR Syndrome
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On October 22, 2012, the feast of Blessed John Paul II, a normal ultrasound for Jill (Watson) Storey (’01) quickly went from routine to life-changing. Her little boy appeared to have no arms and a clubbed foot.
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After an amniocentesis and subsequent ultrasounds, the specialists at UVA Hospital told Patrick (’02) and Jill that their unborn baby had a chromosomal deletion that indicated a possibility of TAR syndrome. Patrick and Jill placed their unborn son in God’s hands and began to pray for Blessed John Paul’s intercession to cure him. “During one particular appointment, I started to lose hope and became very disheartened and frightened,” Jill recalls, “I started to pray to Blessed John Paul to give me strength and courage to endure this cross that I didn’t understand, and I felt an interior voice tell me, ‘He needs you to love him in a way which only you can love him.’ I believe that it was the voice of Blessed We are grateful to Christendom for not only John Paul. That day I began to feel a peace providing us with the truth and fostering in us a love and courage that God for it, but also being a place where we have friends would give us the grace we needed to who love and respect John Paul for the very same endure this cross, and Patrick and I decided reasons we do – because he is a human person, a child to name our son John of God, and he is fearfully and wonderfully made. Paul.”
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They prayed to Blessed John Paul for a miracle to cure their baby and asked everyone they knew to do the same.
Patrick and Jill with their five sons: George, Andrew, Thomas, Samuel, and John Paul.
John Paul was born on March 11, 2013, at UVA Hospital in Charlottesville. His platelet count at birth was 12,000, and he was diagnosed with a form of TAR syndrome. X-rays of his arms show that he has a tiny humerus in both arms, but no radii and only a trace of an ulna, if any. His right leg is fused at the knee with no joint, and his foot is turned in at the ankle. “Although it was not God’s will to grant us the miracle that we asked for, we do believe that He watched over John Paul’s Winter 2013
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development in a special way, in that all of his internal organs were sound and functioning normally at birth,” Jill says. Other than his physical anomalies and low platelets, he is very much like the other Storey boys, smiley with a happy disposition and a lot of lively energy. “We feel very blessed to have him in our family,” Jill say, “He is the most beloved among his brothers, and we can’t imagine a life without our John Paul. Every day I thank God for giving us this greatest and most precious gift of being John Paul’s family.” Patrick and Jill met at Christendom, where the lessons first learned in the homes of their respective Catholic families were reinforced both in the classroom and in the Catholic culture they lived and breathed there. Now the formation that they received is a foundation for surviving challenges that they had not dreamed of ten years ago. They both credit the faculty of Christendom for influences beyond their lectures. “They not only taught us about the Mystical Body of Christ, but lived their lives as faithful members of Him. We were witnesses of their joy, even in sorrow,” Jill says. “And now as parents ourselves, we appreciate even more the sacrifices they made to ensure that we students could receive a Christendom education. Their example and their friendship continue to influence us to this day, years after we left our alma mater.” One of the Storey’s former professors recently wrote to them:
“...we can continue to encourage one another and pray for one another; we can share the common experiences we now have as adults, with children and families, work, achievements, and setbacks, suffering and pain, tragedy and loss, and — of course — the joy that endures and grows in and through it all. It is ironic that so often we do not know our own joy, and yet it shines for others to see. Through this joy, Jesus uses our lives to touch the hearts of others in ways beyond our knowing.” “I suppose you can study and live the faith for years and still not be fully prepared for discovering your child has a disability,” Jill says. “But we are grateful to Christendom for not only providing us with the truth and fostering in us a love for it, but also being a place where we have friends who love and respect John Paul for the very same reasons we do – because he is a human person, a child of God, and he is fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Give your Christmas celebration a liturgical lift with these albums by the Christendom College Choir and Schola Gregoriana.
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Available for FREE in the iTunes Store.
Visitors Flood Campus at Open House
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The College hosted its largest Open House and Family Visit Day on October 14 – Columbus Day. Over 175 traveled to campus to discover the Christendom difference firsthand. “This year has been marked by many records,” says Associate Director of Admissions Zac Inman, who coordinated this year’s Open House. “We had a record fundraising year, we had a record number of participants for our summer programs, we brought in the largest freshman class in our history, and now, we’ve have our biggest Open House ever. I believe that our commitment to offering a rigorous Catholic liberal arts education and aiding our alumni to become leaders in society has been sparking a lot of interest amongst prospective students and their families.”
Admissions counselor, Theresa Jalsevac, leads a campus tour during the October 14 Open House.
The Open House was so successful, the admissions office held a second on November 16. The College will hold a number of Open Houses in the spring semester. For more information visit
christendom.edu/openhouse College president, Dr. O’Donnell, welcomes the visitors.
Take part in the New Evangelization This summer, travel with Christendom College to Ireland for its annual St. Columcille Institute and equip yourself with the tools needed to evangelize and defend the Faith within secular society.
July 20 - August 11
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Open to American and Irish students Courses in theology, history, literature, all taught by Christendom professors Held at the beautiful 200 acres of Ards Friary located in Co. Donegal Side trips include: Croagh Patrick, the National Marian Shrine at Knock, Dublin, and more.
christendom.edu/ireland
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Evangelization & Ca Graduate School Enhances Master of Arts Concentration
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This fall, the Christendom Graduate School announced a revised and enhanced catechetics concentration to better answer the needs of the Church and the New Evangelization. Now titled the “Evangelization and Catechesis” concentration, the name change signifies the proper place of religious education within the wider context of evangelization. “The Church’s mission is not only to teach the content of the Faith, but even more to bring people to Christ, to help them encounter Him,” says Dr. Kristin Burns, the dean of the graduate school. While evangelization has always been the focus of this concentration, and of the Graduate School in general, the new name makes this more explicit. “But more than the name has changed,” Burns says. “The graduate school undertook a survey of its past graduates in catechetics, especially those working in evangelization and parish ministry, to solicit their opinion on our curriculum’s strengths and weaknesses. Especially helpful were the responses from Directors of Religious Education, who told us what they found most difficult about their jobs and what they would have appreciated learning at Christendom.” Peter Kennedy (’03), the Manager of Adult Faith Formation and Ministry Certification for the Archdiocese of Omaha, assisted the Graduate School by offering what type of training he would like to see in the people he hires for parish ministry. From Kennedy’s
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input and the survey responses, two suggestions seemed to dominate: more practical training for DREs and parish ministers, and a course in teaching methodology. The graduate school responded to the first suggestion by increasing the practical content of its main training course, “Catechetical Program Administration.” A very practical course, it covers everything from budgets, hiring, working with volunteers, and diocesan regulations to catechist formation, instructional materials, catechetical methods and models, and program assessment. “This is a training course for those intending to run a parish evangelization, religious education, youth ministry, adult education, or RCIA program,” Burns says.
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child and human development, and educational support materials. A segment on public speaking is also planned to help with presentations, both in the classroom and to parents and other adults. This course will be offered for the first time on campus in fall of 2014, and then will be available as an online course in the following spring. It is expected that students in other concentrations will also want to take this course, especially if they are planning on a career in teaching. One part of Christendom’s curriculum that the survey responders strongly advised retaining is the emphasis on the Church’s teachings about evangelization and catechesis. Not all catechetics programs include this important foundation, and several graduates mentioned going back to the Magisterial documents they had studied at Christendom in order to solve problems or answer questions in their jobs. Christendom’s unique “Catechetical Tradition” course provides the theological foundation for the whole evangelization and catechesis program. It studies both the history and the theology of evangelization and catechesis. It examines the various methods, models, and experiences of evangelization and catechesis throughout the Church, from Biblical times to the present. It also includes the teachings and normative directives of the Church on missiology, evangelization, and catechesis.
Prof. Noelle Hiester, who holds an M.A. from Christendom and an M.B.A. from Franciscan University, taught the newly revised course on campus in the fall 2013 semester, and this course is now available online as well. “With lots of experience in running parish programs, Prof. Hiester is especially qualified to teach the organizational and management aspects of the course,” Burns says. Responding to requests for training in teaching methods, Christendom has introduced a course in Education Methodology. The course is focused on presentation and proclamation of the Faith, and includes such practical topics as various methods of religious education, curriculum and lesson planning, classroom management,
“Our signature ‘Catechetical Tradition’ course is not the only feature that sets us apart from the competition,” Burns says. “Students in the evangelization and catechesis concentration take the same ‘core’ of eight theology, Scripture, and philosophy courses that all M.A. students must take. This solid academic and theological foundation means that our graduates not only possess the practical skills and knowledge about catechetics that they need for their job, but that they are also welleducated in the Church’s theological tradition and its philosophical foundation. Being competent theologians makes Christendom graduates even better catechists.” Find out more at
christendom.edu/graduate
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Inspiring Faith through the Arts Alumnus and Wife Share the Faith through Concerts
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When Mathew Cameron (’93) was enrolled at Christendom, he thought that he would go into politics after his four years. That changed soon after graduation, when he was invited by fellow alumnus Chris Foley (’94) to work in L.A.’s film industry. It was there that Matthew found that he could fulfill his desire to influence the culture for good by working in the arts. “I learned that to really make a difference, you have to inspire and engage people in their faith,” Matthew says. “I had found my passion.”
pop star Tajci (pronounced TY-chi), who had left her homeland in 1992 due to the war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia.
During his time in the film production industry, Matthew met the Croation-born international music
Matthew and Tajci married in 1999 and since then have embarked on a mission “to restore all things in Christ,” through powerful and spiritual musical performances. Through his company, Cameron Productions, Matthew and Tajci have traveled the country with their family of three boys, bringing a message of hope through song and calling on people to awaken and realize how they are all connected. “I, quite literally, have spent the last 13 years using all of my time, energy, and ingenuity to give people an emotional connection with their faith,” Matthew says. “I have seen thousands and thousands of people weeping— truly weeping—at a concert about the Blessed Mother, the Crucifixion, the Nativity, and more.”
Alumnus Matthew Cameron
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He says that the vast majority of people desperately need to connect with their faith in a way that is more than—but still includes—theology. Offering nearly all
Tajci in concert.
the concerts free of charge, the Camerons’ “iDoBelieve” concerts seek to inspire optimism and joy. The concerts are an experience, which bring people to a deeper relationship with Jesus and celebrate the beauty of faith, family, and love.
Matthew and his wife held their 1000th concert on October 26 of this year, which was a huge success. Right before the concert, Tajci even got an enthusiastic phone call from Regis Philbin who said, “You are going to be the greatest thing that ever happened, Tajci.” Looking back on the winding road of films, concerts, trials, and successes, Matthew credits his Christendom education for “opening a door into a much larger world.”
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More than the music, the I, quite literally, have spent concerts feature Tajci telling the last 13 years using all of her story of growing up in communism, becoming my time, energy and ingenuity a pop superstar at the age of 19, and leaving it all to give people an emotional “The education I received also behind only two years later. connection with their faith. gave me a ‘map’ by which to She embarked on a journey understand the world and of self-discovery that led keep perspective in it,” he says. “I can talk with anyone her to the Catholic faith. As she moved to the U.S. and about anything. If I don’t understand something, started working with Matthew, she was “liberated by the my education has helped me to know how to gain American spirit” that believes anything is possible. understanding and perspective.” “I grew up in a communist country where people sat Find out more about the inspirational work of Matthew back and expected the government to do something for and Tajci, at iDoBelieve.com. them,” Tajci says. “Even the musicians and actors were on a salary. I fell in love with American forthrightness, embracing opportunities, and the work ethic to make your dreams come true.”
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Great Minds
on Campus
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On September 16, worldrenowned Bible scholar and theology professor Dr. Scott Hahn launched Christendom College’s Major Speaker Program, delivering a lecture on “The Bible, the Eucharist, and the New Evangelization.” He also delivered two other lectures while visiting the College.
ization has been this oppressive tianized. The cause of de-Christian hris de-C the ng elizi vang re-e of We face the task us to become more and more distant e us to forget the faith, but it causes secularization, which doesn’t just caus real. from those structures that make it
Fr. John Wauck, a communications professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, delivered a talk entitled “Communication in the Age of Pope Francis” to students and faculty on September 6. Wauck examined the different communication styles of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI as well as the media’s approach to each papacy.
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Benedict was content to let words speak for themselves. He was a teacher and very self-e ffacing—he was a very humble man. He was humble in the sense tha t he didn’t want the me ssage to be about himself in any way. In some ways, he shied aw ay from making his person part of the story. ality
Fr. Maciej Zieba, author, theologian and friend of Blessed Pope John Paul the Great, delivered a lecture to students and faculty called “Papal Economics: the Catholic Church on Democratic Capitalism” on November 19. Fr. Zieba discussed how Catholic social doctrine shifted in the last century and the significance of the papal encyclical “Centesimus Annus.”
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omy, nor democracy, It was neither the free market econ , that was nor liberalism, nor capitalism as such and only the er rath but antithetical to Christianity, . Moreover it ideological interpretations of them in the last centuries becomes clear—though admittedly they were consistent it was clear to almost no one—that e one of the most with Christian culture and constitut significant manifestations.
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CLASSMATES [your paper & ink alumni social network]
1980’s
2000’s Bill Erwin (’00) and John Killackey (‘11) received clerical tonsure and incorporation into the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter on October 18, the 25th anniversary of the Fraternity. Danny Heenan (’05) and Zach Akers (’05) were both ordained to the subdiaconate of the Fraternity on October 19. Pictures below.
2010’s Emily C. Hurt (’12) recently began teaching first-grade at Good Shepherd Academy in Manassas, Va. She occasionally writes about life after college, and Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, at www.theological-librarian.blogspot. com.
Dave Marra (’88) Joan Gallagher Marra (’89) celebrated the marriage of their daughter Catherine Marra (’12) to Michael McGrath (’13).
1990’s Kevin and Katie Todd (’12) are pleased to announce the arrival of Catherine Claire on November 5. Also, Kevin continues building his landscape construction business in Atlanta, Ga., and is starting a second company which will offer contracted delivery services for a major international shipper. Andrea (’95), and Colin Stewart welcomed twins in November: Duncan and Desmond. Their eldest daughter, Evelynne, is currently a freshman at Christendom College.
Ted King (’95) wrote a book, “The War on Smokers and the Rise of the Nanny State” which was endorsed by Jack Cashill, Walter Williams, Tucker Carlson, and the late Ralph McInerny of Notre Dame University. As a result of the book, he has become a columnist for Tucker Carlson’s website, “The Daily Caller.”
Don and Cathy Goodman (’03) have moved back to northern Virginia. After seven and a half years with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Martinsville, Va. Don has accepted a position in the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Loudoun County, Va. Greg Monroe (’08) was awarded Virginia’s teacher of promise award after completing his Master’s in Education at Marymount University, and was inducted into the Catholic School Leadership Ph.D. program at the Catholic University of America. He also teaches Government and Human Geography at Bishop Ireton High School, serves as the Youth Director at St. John the Baptist in Front Royal, Va., and DJ’s and teaches dance through his company, Step ‘n’ Swing studios.
Sara Federico (’13) recently joined Paychex, Inc., as a Core Sales Representative. Dean Dewey (’13) is currently working for Silvercrest Asset Management in midtown Manhattan, a boutique investment firm. In September, he got engaged to Anna Van Hecke (’14).
Send your submissions to classmates@christendom.edu or complete the info update form at christendom.edu/alumni.
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In the Classroom “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the Aristotelian Mean By Dr. Lisa Marciano Associate Professor of English
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Shakespeare’s dramas often depict a movement away from extremes of behavior toward a more moderate middle ground, an idea articulated beautifully in Aristotle’s “Ethics” and later in works the Bard had access to, such as Edmund Spenser’s “Faerie Queene.” Shakespeare explores the appropriate attitude toward creativity with special brilliance in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” long a favorite of students in English 201 of Christendom College’s core curriculum. Though this rollicking comedy is great fun to teach and study, it nevertheless contains profound truths that come to light with some examination of key characters. Set in pre-Christian Athens, the play begins with a dilemma: a girl named Hermia wishes to marry her love, Lysander, though her father insists she marry Demetrius, a man she does not love. There are numerous other characters, but most important for our purposes are Oberon, the king of the fairies from English folklore; Puck, his servant; and Theseus, the Athenian ruler from classical mythology. The fairies’ pranks show that an excess of the creative impulse is wild and disordered. Oberon, retaliating against his wife because he has not gotten his way in a disagreement, makes her the butt of a joke; he enchants her so that she falls in love with the next thing she sees, no matter how outlandish and demeaning a thing it might be. Moreover, Puck meddles in the humans’ love affairs and makes a mess of things, finding amusement in his misdeeds: “Shall we their fond [foolish] pageant see? / Lord, what fools these mortals be!” Likening himself and his king to spectators at a play, Puck revels in the turmoil he has produced. Duke Theseus’ words show that a defect of the creative impulse is stern and legalistic. When Hermia’s father asks for a verdict concerning Hermia’s marriage, Theseus
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says she must obey her father. Failing that, she must “die the death [prescribed by law], or . . . abjure / Forever the society of men.” Theseus’ severe methods leave no room for alternative solutions. They are life-denying and merely drive the young lovers to the forest, as they attempt to elope. Neither approach, Shakespeare seems to say, is exactly right. The fairies’excessive and mischievous use of their imaginations is problematic, yet so is Theseus’ refusal to find imaginative solutions to Hermia’s marriage dilemma. Only when each group moves toward the middle does the play conclude. One of the many teachings of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is that there is a time, place, and degree for all things. And so, fittingly, this work, the product of the creative mind of Shakespeare, has a few things to say about creativity itself. The drama steers both characters and spectators away from the extremes and toward the Aristotelian mean, thereby allowing the good things of life—an ordered society and marriages based on love, not statute—to flourish.
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 l gifts in the manner to make use of your financia Christendom is determined then our ability ial support for and to streng ter ma e vid pro to is, t tha : you intend It is this very tholic liberal arts education. Ca lly tica hen aut an e vid to pro men in their pursuit of so many young men and wo ts rac att ich wh ent tm mi and com om students are keen to learn end rist Ch ese Th . uty bea and truth, goodness, their parishes. oughout their careers and in thr , me ho at it re sha to er equally eag contacted by one arrived, you may have been has e issu e rar tau Ins s thi e By the tim the Gift of Faith” engaged in our current “Give are ay, tod o, wh ts den stu se n (ie, of the funding for Christendom’s ow and of s nes are aw se rai to Christmas campaign Miss gram. Phon-a-thon Manager, pro aid l cia nan fi t den stu g) no federal fundin and informative ited at the prospect of lively exc are m tea her and r, lbu Veronica Ha ch to help keep efactors who have done so mu ben and s nd frie h wit s ion sat conver able. Christendom College afford se student calls, and for the you play, for welcoming the For the important role that you and your Our Lord continue to bless y Ma ! you nk tha I ed, iev good to be ach good work.
Greetings from Arlington, Vir ginia
Philanthropy Officer Tim Flagg visited with Lucie Di lger, a war bride from Berlin who has been a fan of Ch , Germany, ristendom College since 19 99. She first came to know through its biennial Summ the College er Conference. “I so enjoy listening and learning from these brillia nt people,” she says. “We enough about our faith. Th can never know e lectures are very intellect ually fulfilling... But the cro the weekend is a Christen wning part of dom Mass! My cousin, An n, and I attend the confe the Mass as for the lectur ren ce as much for es! We just love the way M ass is celebrated at Christen beautiful and elevating.” dom. It is so She describes her first Summ er Conference like “a sup ercharged dose of vitamin immediately bought CDs B.” She of the lectures so she could listen to them again on the drive home. Dilger enjoys seeing Colle ge president Dr. Timothy O’Donnell on EWTN an enjoyed his coverage of the d especially election of Pope Francis. “Christendom College ho lds a special place in my he art because of the purity mission,” she says. “There of intention of the is no pretense and the stu dents and staff are courageo what is needed to make a us and willing to do difference.” Winter 2013
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1. Oktoberfest 2013 / 2. Fall Play: “The Three Musketeers” / 3. Freshman Peter Tapsak shows off his skills at St. Cecilia’s Night / 4. English majors toast at the annual Faculty-Senior Dinner / 5. Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde visited students for a Theology on Tap / 6. The String Quartet of Northern Virginia performed for students / 7. Halloween Dance / 8. Bull riding at Texas-Western Night / 9. The victorious East who won 14-2 / 10. Junior John David Speer flies for the first down in annual UpperUnder Game / 11. Swingin’ at Homecoming Dance / 12. Marie Miller in concert on campus / 13. Human Trophies from Spirit Week’s “Dress a Freshman Day”
Want to see more campus life? Check out christendom.edu/chronicler. 20
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Omnia in Christo
Prof. P. Bracy Bersnak
The Philosophical Habit of Mind
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Soon you will have to go out into the world in arduous pursuit of your vocation, whatever it may be. So you should savor what remains of this interval of leisure in your life, take stock of what you have achieved, and think about what you will take away with you when you graduate and leave the College. We take it for granted here that you are supposed to obtain a more profound grasp of the truths of our Catholic Faith and the implications of our Faith for how we live our lives. But one can do that without going to Christendom College, or without going to any college for that matter. It is worth considering, then, what distinctive contribution a liberal education makes to its students, how it affects them. There can be no better guide for us in considering this question than John Henry Cardinal Newman, now Blessed John Henry Newman, whose feast day was on October 9. Not only have the popes frequently appealed to Newman and his Idea of a University as a model for Catholic higher education, but he is probably the modern theologian most often cited in magisterial documents. He will no doubt be a canonized saint and a doctor of the Church some day. Newman’s definition of the purpose of liberal education is counterintuitive, though, considering that he was a theologian and a prince of the Church, because he argued that the specific contribution that liberal education makes to the Church is neither religious, nor moral, nor professional, but rather intellectual. The Church is necessary for a college or university to have the proper estimate of the object of liberal education, and a sound moral environment ensures that we have the correct means to it. But Newman believed that the essential purpose of liberal education is to cultivate in students what he called a philosophical habit of mind. Newman taught that the university should be a seat of universal learning that teaches liberal knowledge. Liberal knowledge is valuable for what its possession does to form our minds in a philosophical habit. So the end of liberal education is not mere knowledge, but rather the cultivation of the intellect, the imparting of the philosophical habit of mind, and what Newman frequently calls the inner “illumination” of the mind. His most succinct description of the philosophical habit of mind is that it is:
Excerpt from an address delivered at the Annual Faculty-Senior Dinner
“…the comprehension of the bearings of one science on another, and the use of each to each, and the location and limitation and adjustment and due appreciation of them all, one with another, this belongs, I conceive, to a sort of science distinct from all of them, and in some sense a science of sciences, which is my own conception of what is meant by Philosophy, in the true sense of the word, and of a philosophical habit of mind...” The philosophical habit of mind enables us to see the parts of knowledge, the whole of knowledge, and how parts and the whole are related. Though the curriculum cannot teach all disciplines, it should be broad, because the study of the different disciplines encourages us to see the extent of their respective claims, their relationship to other disciplines, and their place within the whole of knowledge. By helping us map out the relative disposition of things, including how we relate to the world around us, the philosophical habit of mind makes us free and independent in the best sense. Having a narrowly specialized range of knowledge contracts both the mind and the personality. But the philosophical habit of mind makes us think well, helps us use our freedom well, and perfects our rational nature. I hope that in your time here at the College we have, as a faculty, provided an atmosphere that has been conducive to the development of a philosophical habit of mind. Nearly four years ago, your natural fathers and mothers sent you off and entrusted you to Christendom as your alma mater. The term alma mater means “nourishing mother.” For nearly four years now, Christendom College has sheltered you, fed you, formed your character, trained your minds, and lifted your spirits to God. But soon it will be time for alma mater, in her turn, to let you go to enter into the next stage of your adult lives. As you go forward, remain firm in your character and hold tenaciously to your faith and habits of prayer. But also take with you intellects that are endowed with a philosophical habit, that are enlarged, refined, and self-possessed. If we have succeeded in imparting these qualities to you, then you need not fear leaving this home for the world beyond. Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us! A graduate of Miami University and the Catholic University of America, Prof. Bracy Bersnak is an Assistant Professor of Political Science & Economics at Christendom College. He specializes in Modern European History and Modern Political Thought. Winter 2013
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