Instaurare | Special Issue 2016

Instaurare The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine

Special Issue 2016

A N N O U N C I N G

A Call to Greatness THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE Advisory Board Member Inspired by Martyred Ancestors | A 13,000-Mile Gift from Alumni Parents Discover a New Home at Christendom | A Student’s Mission to Live a Life of Service

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VOLUME 24 | NUMBER 3 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2016 Published by the Christendom College Marketing Office.

Executive Editor: Tom McFadden Managing Editor & Design: Niall O’Donnell Photos: Zachary Smith, Niall O’Donnell, Mary Katherine Mooney, Tim Hester, Angela Marsh Contributors: Zachary Smith, Abigail Reimel, Vince Criste Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 800.877.5456 | christendom.edu Copyright © 2016. 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.

CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORS TO THE BOARD

Donna Fitzpatrick Bethell, Chair Martin Boles Douglas Dewey, Vice Chair John Cecconi, Treasurer Robert Scrivener ‘81, Secretary Eugene D’Agostino Richard Esposito Daniel Gorman Richard R. Hough III Vincenzo La Ruffa Timothy O’Donnell, ex officio Stephen O’Keefe ‘93 Mary Beth Riordan Mark Swartzberg Thomas West Luanne Zurlo

Mary Ellen Bork Bernadette Casey-Smith Robert Crnkovich Philip Crotty John DeMatteo Robert P. George Daniel Gorman Joan Janaro Kay MacAvoy Rev. C. John McCloskey III John McNeice Joseph Melancon Rev. Robert Morey Robert Mylod Hon. James Nicholson Rev. George W. Rutler Mark Ryland Rev. William Saunders Hon. Rick Santorum Owen Smith Marjorie Teetor David Vicinanzo George Weigel Thomas Young Eugene Zurlo

ON THE COVER

Artistic rendering of the planned Christ the King Chapel.

See page 7.

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“It’s very beautiful!”

— POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI This was the reaction of Pope Benedict XVI when he saw the plans for the new Christ the King Chapel at a Papal audience on March 5, 2008. During the audience the pontiff personally acknowledged Christendom College in his address and then blessed the marble cornerstone for the new Chapel.

Inside This Issue 7 A Call to Greatness The college announces the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its 39-year history.

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From Martyrs to Evangelizers Board member Gene Zurlo looks back to his ancestors for inspiration in leading an effort to re-evangelize our nation.

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Photos: A Launch to Remember The college community gathered at the site of the new chapel to celebrate the launch of The Campaign for Christendom College.

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Onward and Upward Senior Thomas Hepler is on a mission to serve and bring others to know the love of God.

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Becoming Part of the Family Parents of alumni discover a new home in Christendom.

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A 13,000-Mile Gift Alumni Council leaders look back on their motivation to complete a transcontinental road trip to unite Christendom alumni.

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A Message from the President DR. TIMOTHY O’DONNELL

Dear Friends, From the moment Dr. Warren Carroll first founded Christendom College in 1977, everything we have done as an institution and as a community has led up to this moment.

Now we invite you to join us on a new stage of our journey to embrace Dr. Carroll’s vision and realize a new phase of growth that will further establish Christendom College as a standard for Catholic education in America.

“Join us on a new stage of our journey that will further establish Christendom College as a standard for Catholic education in America.”

As you will read in this special issue of Instaurare, we have set before us challenging but realistic goals. Among these: maintain our position as the gold standard for Catholic liberal arts education in the United States; create a campus experience that elevates the mind and heart to God; affirm the centrality of faith to a liberal arts education; ensure top faculty; and provide students with state-of-the-art facilities. We have developed a comprehensive strategic plan that is the blueprint for this exciting journey.

By collectively rising to the occasion and opening ourselves to the transforming power of God’s grace, we will achieve our goals, produce greatness, and send forth a new generation of Catholic leaders to restore all things in Christ.

Yours in the Heart of Christ,

Timothy O’Donnell President, Christendom College

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Members of the College community gathered near the future site of the new Christ the King Chapel on September 9 to celebrate the launch of A Call to Greatness: The Campaign for Christendom College. The outline of the new chapel was illuminated in the field. See more pictures on page 6.

A HISTORIC MOMENT

In addition to an illuminated outline of the future chapel (above), on display was the largest of four bells that were acquired from the Archdiocese of New York. The bells were recently refurbished for the new chapel by McShane Bell Foundry, Baltimore, Md., the same foundry that installed the bell in the original Christ the King Chapel.

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F R O M M A RT Y R S T O E VA N G E L I Z E R S

Shrine of the Martyrs of Otranto

Advisory Board Member Seeks to Bring Souls to Christ College Advisory Board Member Eugene J. Zurlo and his wife, Charlotte, celebrated their 54th anniversary on August 11, a date which the Zurlos discovered had more significance than marking the day of their marriage.

“I was doing a little reading,” Gene relates, “and I stopped and asked Charlotte what the significance of August 11 was. ‘That’s our anniversary,’ she replied. I told her, ‘There’s another important anniversary. It’s the anniversary of the 800 Martyrs of Otranto.’”

St. Antonio Primaldi and his companions, also known as the Martyrs of Otranto, were 813 inhabitants of Otranto in southern Italy. One of those companions was Count Francesco Zurlo, an ancestor of the Zurlos and the military commander of the city. In 1480, the 6,000 citizens of Otranto, led by Count Zurlo, refused to surrender to a massive Turkish force. They heroically held off the Turks 4

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for 15 days until August 11, when the city was overrun and thousands were killed or enslaved. Count Zurlo fell defending the city. Shortly after, 800 men of Otranto became martyrs when they refused to convert to Islam. On May 13, 2013, Pope Francis canonized the martyrs of Otranto, including Francesco Zurlo.

The story of the Martyrs is a timely one given the recent martyrdoms of Catholics at the hands of Muslims in the Middle East, France, and beyond. Gene wants to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors by being a witness to the Faith and a part of a re-evangelization effort.

Martyrs of Otranto

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We need to help people come back to Christ and have that great re-evangelization that was called for

by Pope St. John Paul II. That re-evangelization needs leaders, and I think many of those leaders are going to come from Christendom College.

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“I have tremendous gratitude for my life,” he says. “I had great parents and was raised in a lovely community in northern New York. God has given me a lot, but most importantly He gave me a good wife and two wonderful children. I know that to whom much is given, much is expected. My life now—maybe the last 20 years—is to do as much as I can to bring souls to Christ.”

Gene saw Catholic radio as a key part in this effort to reevangelize, inspiring him to be the co-founder and now chairman emeritus of the Catholic Radio Association. The Association has assisted countless radio stations nationwide in starting up, including the college’s own Radio Christendom, which broadcasts Catholic radio 24/7 across the northern Shenandoah Valley on two frequencies.

Through his work with Catholic radio and other organizations, Gene is convinced that the Church needs more young leaders to drive the re-evangelization effort.

“We need to help people come back to Christ and have that great re-evangelization that was called for by Pope St. John Paul II. That re-evangelization needs leaders, and I think many of those leaders are going to come from Christendom College,” he says. “If you look at secular colleges, they’re really steering the graduates in the wrong direction, steering them away from any form of religion. They deny the existence of truth. If you look at the 200 or so Catholic colleges in the country—only a small handful of them can really be properly called Catholic.”

From the first time Gene and Charlotte set foot on Christendom’s campus, they were impressed by the holiness, faithfulness, joy, and kindness that they encountered among the students, faculty, and staff.

“Knowing the people at Christendom has been a joy, and they inspire us with hope for the future,” he says. “As long as Christendom exists, we know that students will be properly educated in the liberal arts and the Catholic faith.”

The Zurlos’ firm belief that authentic Catholic higher education is the solution to many of the challenges that lie ahead for the Church Gene and Charlotte Zurlo enjoy spending time with Francis led them to make an Cardinal Arinze during an event at Christendom College. extraordinary multimillion-dollar gift for the construction of the Christ the King Chapel. They gave their leadership gift along with a challenge to all men and women of good will to give sacrificially to the campaign.

“We want to make sure that Christendom has the financial resources it needs to attract top students who will assume leadership roles as we go forward,” says Gene.

“It’s an awfully big challenge we face, but we know that in the end, we will win.

This means we have to make a good fight, and we have to be capable in making that fight. And we’re only going to be capable through a proper Catholic education.”

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A Launch to Remember

“At this critical point in the history of our country, in the history of our Church, and in the history of our college, this campaign will strengthen and advance Christendom as a shining beacon of hope.”

On September 9, faculty, staff, students, board members, and benefactors gathered at the planned site of the new Christ the King Chapel to celebrate the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the college’s history.

“At this critical point in the history of our country, in the history of our Church, and in the history of our college, this campaign will strengthen and advance Christendom as a shining beacon of hope,” said President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, during the ceremony launching the campaign.

“There are too many people wounded and suffering in our world who have no hope, and Christendom remains one of the best-kept secrets. We need to let people know that there is this place, on over 200 acres overlooking the Shenandoah River, where Christ reigns as king. Because He reigns as king here, students are joyful and happy, because they are living in the truth—the truth for which God made them.”

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1) Chairman of the Board Donna Bethell. 2) Faculty and staff admire the new bell for the chapel. 3) Board Member Robert Scrivener ‘81 with his wife, Anne Marie ‘84, and Anne Carroll, wife of college founder Dr. Warren Carroll †. 4) Faculty members Dr. Miriam Byers and Dr. Trey Stanford enjoy discussing the plans for the new chapel. 5) Philanthropy Officer Tim Flagg with Dr. Elizabeth E. Frauenhoffer and his wife, Annette. 6) Vincent D’Agostino, Executive Vice President Ken Ferguson, and Hannah Gordon enjoy conversing. 7) Board Members Richard Esposito and Mark Swartzberg enjoy the ambiance. 8) The 2016–17 Student Philanthropy Board gather around the new bell for a photo.

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A Call to Greatness |

A N N O U N C I N G

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

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SPECIAL ISSUE 2016 7 SPRING 2016

EVERY ERA OF HISTORY HAS ITS HEROES.

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A Call to Greatness | THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

A Call to Greatness | THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

Jesus started with 12 believing, committed apostles. Through those disciples, He established His Church and converted the Roman Empire.

The world needs hope.

Today’s battleground is the human mind and heart. Clear thinking, grounded in natural and revealed Truth, is needed more than ever.

The world needs you.

The world needs believing, committed Catholics who are thoroughly educated and on fire for the Faith to go out into the world with the desire to make a profound impact on our culture, our nation, and the Church.

The world needs Christendom College.

ARE YOU READY TO ANSWER YOUR CALL TO GREATNESS?

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THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

A Call to Greatness |

S I N C E 1 9 7 7, CHRISTENDOM HAS P R O U D LY S T O O D AS ONE OF THE LAST BASTIONS OF GENUINE C AT H O L I C H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N .

Together, we empower students to dare to be great in their God-given vocations through a rigorous, time-tested, and authentically Catholic liberal arts education—the same education received by the scientists, scholars, heroes, and saints who have marked the 2,000-year history of Christendom.

Christendom’s education is not for the faint of heart: it is for those willing to accept the bold and challenging call from God to become the great men or women that He wants them to be.

Christendom graduates are working every day to transform our culture and to restore all things in Christ.

1 0 0 % O F P R O F E S S O R S TA K E T H E OAT H O F F I D E L I T Y TO T H E T E AC H I N G AU T H O R I T Y OF THE CHURCH.

A N A S TO U N D I N G 1 /4 OF OUR STUDENT B O DY PA R T I C I PAT E S I N A N N UA L M I S S I O N T R I P S AC R O S S T H E G LO B E .

8 0 A LU M N I P R I E S T S AND 60 RELIGIOUS IN CHRISTENDOM’S 40 Y E A R H I S TO RY.

100% FREE FROM ALL FORMS OF FEDERAL FUNDING AND THE E N C R OAC H M E N T T H AT CO M E S W I T H I T.

College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell leads faculty in the annual Oath of Fidelity to the Teaching Authority of the Church.

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R A N K E D BY I N T E R CO L L E G I AT E STUDIES INSTITUTE IN I T S E L I T E N AT I O N A L TO P 1 0 CO L L E G E S L I S T I N G .

A Call to Greatness |

YOUR SUPPORT HAS USHERED IN AN ERA OF DRAMATIC GROWTH. IN RECENT YEARS, WE HAVE:

• Doubled the size of our Front Royal campus to over 200 acres.

We have embarked on a comprehensive financial campaign unlike any other in our history.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED TIME IN OUR H I S TO RY

This endeavor is the cornerstone of our commitment to expand the mission of Christendom College as a leader in Catholic higher education.

• Achieved record enrollments.

We are creating a center of Catholic excellence, forming the leaders that will shape our civilization for generations to come.

• Added a state-of-the-art residence hall, athletic fields, and a faculty office building.

In this world of unprecedented challenges, we are opening ourselves to God’s grace.

• Recruited highly qualified professors, growing our faculty by more than 10 percent.

We are striving for greatness.

• Enhanced our academics by reinstating our math major and physics minor.

• Invested in new academic support and career discernment programs.

• Launched a free periodical, Principles, featuring clear thinking on contemporary issues.

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THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

B O L D LY M O V I N G F

A Call to Greatness |

40 for 40 We are proud to announce a $40 million comprehensive campaign that we will complete in 2018 to mark our 40th anniversary.

$13.5 Million CHRIST THE KING PROJECT

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A Call to Greatness |

ORWARD IN FAITH

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

$13.5 Million ENDOWMENT FUND

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$13 Million ANNUAL FUND

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CHRIST THE KING PROJECT

A Call to Greatness |

As we set out on this new phase of growth on our campus, the spiritual, intellectual, and social heart of our expansion is the new Christ the King Chapel.

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This is the most ambitious building project we have ever undertaken. The new bell tower and spires will rise out of the valley along the shores of the Shenandoah River on our campus.

The chapel will be visible for miles and serve as the outward expression of our role as the standard for fidelity and authentic liberal arts education with Christ at the center of all we do.

The advent of the new Christ the King Chapel will enable us to preserve the beauty of the old chapel by converting it into a center for our community’s vibrant Catholic culture. Finally, the St. Lawrence Commons will be upgraded and expanded into a permanent dining hall, featuring an enhanced pedestrian piazza.

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A Call to Greatness | THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

F E AT U R E S O F T H E N E W CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL

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Elegant high altar at center of traditional cruciform structure

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Commanding Gothic tower and refurbished historic bells

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Our Lady’s Chapel behind altar

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THE ENDOWMENT FUND

Endowment funds create lasting tributes and memorials that will assist generations of Christendom students in perpetuity.

A Call to Greatness |

The expanded Endowment Fund will: • Secure financial and institutional stability to protect the future of the College by generating permanent financial resources.

• Preserve and strengthen our independence from the federal government.

• Maintain academic excellence by attracting the best and brightest students in America with competitive scholarships and financial support.

• Attract faithful and exceptional faculty and staff.

• Enable flexibility with loan repayment, including forgiving loans for religious who take vows of poverty.

• Maintain high-quality facilities.

Our founder, Dr. Warren Carroll, had the foresight in 1977 to understand why a truly faithful Catholic college should abstain from federal funding. Today, we are firmly committed to rejecting all federal funding and the strings that come with it. Because of this bold decision, we remain uniquely free to teach our students the fullness of the Truth without qualification. To maintain this principled stance, we rely on the financial support of our faithful friends to replace the millions of dollars in federal student loans that other colleges rely on.

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• The Freedom Fund for Student Financial Aid The College launched the Freedom Fund to offset the impact of our founder’s heroic decision to reject all federal funding. The Freedom Fund makes it possible for Christendom to continue to recruit and form Catholic leaders while meeting their financial needs, without the support of the federal government.

“ALL THE DARKNESS IN THE WORLD CANNOT EXTINGUISH THE LIGHT OF A SINGLE CANDLE.” — ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

The Annual Fund makes an excellent educational experience possible each year by covering the gap between the cost of educating our students and the revenue we receive. The Annual Fund covers the College’s two largest areas of expenses each year during the life of the Campaign:

A Call to Greatness |

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THE ANNUAL FUND

• Day-to-Day Operating Costs The Annual Fund ensures a top-notch educational experience for our students. Annual Fund gifts play a vital role by helping to: •

Provide the highest-quality academic and career support services.

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Build a vibrant campus community life.

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Ensure that facilities are kept in excellent condition.

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Support a deeply committed faculty and staff to advance the college mission.

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a Grand Beginning

$ 2 8 ,8 7 8 , 2 5 2 o f $ 4 0 M I L L I O N rais e d

A Call to Greatness |

72%

a C O M M U N I T Y u n ite d in S U P P O RT

100%

100%

100%

BOARD PARTICIPATION

FACULTY PARTICIPATION

STAFF PARTICIPATION

C A M PA I G N S T E E R I N G C O M M I T T E E Dr. P. Bracy Bersnak Mrs. Donna Bethell Mr. Michael T. Casey Mrs. Laurel Casey Mr. John A. Cecconi Mr. Eugene D’Agostino Mr. Douglas D. Dewey Mr. Thomas M. Hepler

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Mr. Richard R. Hough III Rev. C. John McCloskey III Dr. Brendan J. McGuire Mr. Stephen T. O’Keefe Rev. Francis J. Peffley Mrs. Mary Riordan Mrs. Danielle Rohlena Mr. Mark C. Rohlena Rev. George W. Rutler

Mrs. Anne Marie Scrivener Mr. Robert K. Scrivener Mr. Mark D. Swartzberg Mrs. Nancy Tomlinson Mrs. Michelle Velasco Mr. Thomas L. Young Mr. Eugene J. Zurlo Ms. Luanne D. Zurlo

Onward & Upward Student Steering Committee Member Inspired and Prepared to Live a Mission of Service

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s a young man growing up in rural Cranbury, Pennsylvania, Thomas Hepler would hear his father repeat to him and his 12 siblings, “In whatever you do, onward and upward.” Now a Christendom senior, Hepler strives to keep these words present in his mind, identifying his life’s mission as serving and bringing others to know the love of God.

His mission falls in sync with Christendom’s motto to “restore all things in Christ,” and at the college, Hepler has found what he calls “a place where tremendous growth can occur.” His vision of Christendom was not always this way.

As a young boy who attended the graduation of seven of his siblings from Christendom, he thought of the college as “basically a large gymnasium”—referring to Crusader Gymnasium, the site of the college’s commencement exercises.

While Hepler plays varsity basketball and rugby as a studentathlete, he has discovered that there is much more to Christendom than its gymnasium and competitive athletics.

“The incredible faculty, staff, and especially my fellow students, really confirmed that coming to Christendom was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” he says. “It is truly an amazing thing to pursue Truth and beauty with the people and friends you know and love.”

Hepler recalls one moment in particular during a Philosophy of Human Nature class, where he says a whole new world was opened up to him.

“Delving into the discussion of what actually makes us human—What is the human soul? How do our soul and material body interact?—this was one specific moment where I thought, ‘Yes! This is incredible. This is where I should be and what I want to be doing right now.’”

At Christendom, besides being a leader on the basketball court and rugby pitch, he serves as the head male resident assistant, has sung in the choir, served on the Student Activities Council, and is an active leader in the student pro-life club Shield of Roses, which counsels women and prays at Planned Parenthood abortion facilities every Saturday morning.

Hepler says that his educational experience has given him a better understanding of himself.

“I have a better knowledge of myself and what I am capable of,” he says. “The great thing about a liberal arts education is that it is not soley directed toward some technical degree.

No matter where I go in life or what I do, I will be doing it better and constantly applying what I have learned—whether I realize it or not.”

Hepler, who is serving on the Campaign Steering Committee, says that his education has given him the groundwork on which to continue this growth throughout his life and to live his mission of serving and bringing others to know the love of God. “We are all called to constantly grow in holiness and knowledge of God and the Truth,” he says.

His leadership is the kind that the world needs—more young men and women moving “onward and upward.”

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Becoming Part of the Family Parents Discover a New Home in Christendom

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n September 14, 1977, a handful of students gathered in a small classroom in Triangle, Va., to become part of a great adventure. Nearly 40 years later, that handful of students has grown into a family of thousands: the Christendom College family, all connected by the same goal of “restoring all things in Christ.” That notion of not only gaining a high-caliber education, but also becoming a part of a vibrant, growing family attracted both students and their parents over the years, including the Deucher family of Pinehurst, N.C.

of their 12 children, personally helping them grow both in knowledge and the Catholic Faith. When it came time to send their oldest daughter, Caroline, to college, the Deuchers wanted a place where their time and effort would not be stripped away by secular institutions. To narrow their choices, they consulted the recently published Newman Guide for Choosing a Catholic College, which contained a short list of the best, most faithful Catholic colleges and universities in the nation—a list that prominently featured Christendom.

With 12 children, the Deucher family is already a “large” family—especially by the standards of today’s society. Why does the Deucher family desire to be a part of an even larger family? For them, the answer came through their experience of the college community.

Since that visit, the Deuchers have seen their three oldest children—Caroline, Rebecca, and Peter—attend and graduate from the college. Each of them flourished, gaining a continued love of learning, as well as a sense of mission and service.

“Christendom is a vibrant community that teaches its students a code of conduct, along with challenging them through academic rigor,” said Dr. Robert Deucher, father of the family. “My children entered as students, and left as soldiers, ready to restore all things in Christ. They became part of a family that we were all privileged to be able to join as a result, and I can’t thank the college enough for that privilege.”

Peter is currently studying at Harvard University, while Rebecca is studying law at the Catholic University of America. Both Peter and Rebecca served in the college’s mission programs, and Caroline is currently teaching English in Japan. Most of all, the three of them continue to seek the Truth in all things and carry with them a Christian joy that they spread to all they meet—including their own family.

Dr. Deucher, a medical doctor for Pinehurst Medical Clinic, and his wife, Beth, spent years homeschooling each 20

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“We traveled to half a dozen of these Catholic schools before visiting Christendom,” said Dr. Deucher. “When I stepped onto campus, particularly into Christ the King Chapel, for the first time, I truly felt the Lord’s presence. In that moment, I was struck by how everything that had been described to us about the campus was true.”

“Their education at Christendom has certainly made dinner conversations much more fruitful and interesting, for starters,” joked Dr. Deucher. “The kids are now able to

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My children entered as students, and left as soldiers, ready to restore all things in Christ. They became part of a family that we were all privileged to be able to join as a result, and I can’t thank the college enough for that privilege.

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While attending Rebecca’s graduation, Dr. Deucher realized that Christendom was quickly outgrowing its current chapel.

After nearly 40 years, the growth in the Christendom family had created the need for something larger, if the college was to continue in its mission of helping students grow in their Faith. Now, two years later, the Deucher family is helping make that dream a reality with a generous gift to the Campaign for Christendom College.

The Deucher Family

educate us when they’re at home, thanks to their education in the Faith. They bring us current information, and help educate the younger kids as well. They’ve brought us into a larger family, one that I’ve been happy to represent at conferences and introduce to my friends.”

Dr. Deucher, who earned his own degrees from a secular institution, understands firsthand the stark differences between secular and Catholic institutions of higher learning, and the great need for Catholic institutions to continue to educate and train students long into the future—particularly in today’s troubled times. For that reason, he began to look for ways his family could help ensure that colleges such as Christendom would continue to flourish. Two years ago, he discovered one, in the very place that he first fell in love with Christendom: Christ the King Chapel.

“I’ve always loved the history of cathedrals—how people would sacrifice so much of their livelihoods toward the construction of one.

That’s something that I believe we’ve lost in our society, and it’s something I want to try and bring back, through helping in the construction of the new Christ the King Chapel,” said Dr. Deucher.

The building, which will be double the size of the existing chapel, will sit on land recently purchased by the college and tower above one of Virginia’s major highways, I-66. With its new location, Dr. Deucher believes the chapel will bear incredible witness to God in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

“The new chapel is something permanent that will positively affect people for generations, and ultimately will give greater glory to God, and give witness to Him, in a place that really is Heaven on earth,” he said.

“The Christendom family is getting bigger, and they need a place where they can come together and pray as a family.

Helping build the chapel requires a sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice very worth making,” said Dr. Deucher. “We, as a family, want to be a part of something that will be a House of God, where the Christendom family centers itself for years to come.”

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13,000Mile Gift a

Alumni Go the Distance

by Tim Hester

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e had just returned from a two-month, 13,000-mile road trip spent in service to our alma mater when my wife Karla and I were posed this question: “What motivated you both to give so much of your time and resources to Christendom College?”

Tim and Karla in San Francisco during the Alumni Grill’n & Chill’n Tour.

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On the surface, it’s a simple question. Most people we knew were curious about our motivation. But the answer is more complex than simply, “We love Christendom!” Then again, the road trip was more complex than simply putting a ton of miles on the family car and sightseeing.

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We owe an enormous debt to Christendom College. This is ironically fitting for a school that prides itself on the nonacceptance of federal funds. The debt we owe is a debt of gratitude.

It all goes back to when as a 17-year-old man from Newark, New Jersey, I came to Front Royal as three of my 15 siblings had in the years prior. My first evening on campus, I met Karla Kuykendall, a beautiful young woman from Irving, Texas. Like me, she came to Front Royal because she knew that Christendom College was where her intellectual and spiritual formation would continue and where her future would be shaped. The thing for both of us was that we knew what Christendom represented. Christendom represents Christ, Who is Truth and Beauty and Freedom.

More for homesickness than anything else, I was able to stay for only one semester at Christendom. In those four months, though, I came to know Karla well enough to respect that she was a woman of deep faith, of incredible talent, and of

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We owe an enormous debt to Christendom College. This is ironically fitting for a school that prides itself on the non-acceptance of federal funds. The debt we owe is a debt of gratitude.

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4 1) Alumni at Front Royal’s Grill’n & Chill’n event. 2) In Texas with Fr. Thomas Longua, ‘92 and Mary Walker, ‘87. 3) Christendom car magnet went cross-country as well. 4) With alumni in Burbank, Calif.

goodness of soul. She was everyone’s friend, and with good reason. The woman could do anything. But what I saw was her faith.

Ten years later, when Karla and I met for the second time, it was at a gathering of many Christendom alumni. Instantly, I recalled this woman and I knew who she was. I knew her because I knew Christendom. I knew the love of the Catholic Faith and the desire to live God’s will that she carries because I knew Christendom. I knew her formation was solid because I knew Christendom. I knew her capacity to think and to love were deep and true because I knew Christendom.

When I say I met my wife in college, I really do mean that

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These alums are carrying the Gospel from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, from Memphis to Minneapolis, and from San Francisco to San Antonio. They are truly ‘building’ Christendom.

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The Hester Family in Prince Edward Island during the Alumni Grill’n & Chill’n Tour.

Christendom College was part of God’s plan to bring us together. Knowing the atmosphere in which Karla spent those four years meant I knew who she was, and I loved her for that—and I loved her from that moment on.

Over the past decade I have grown with Karla and our two children. She continues to influence me always to lead our family with Christ’s love for the Church. What I love most of all about her is a sense of devotion she learned at Christendom. From that, I draw strength as a husband and father. Because of her, I know that our two children will always be taught to seek the Truth.

Something else that I love about my wife is her refusal to say “no” when someone needs her talents or support. So, in October, it came as no surprise that she agreed to chair the college’s newly formed Alumni Advisory Council.

Karla’s intense desire to help Christendom succeed soon led to the Council’s first major initiative in this past summer’s Alumni Grill’n & Chill’n Tour. The tour would see our family on a transcontinental drive to unite Christendom alumni across the nation.

Spending over two months jammed in a car with our family of four and hundreds of Christendom T-shirts might sound a little crazy. But I know Karla, and I know her love for Christendom, and she knows my thankfulness to that school for bringing us together and helping to make her who she is.

But, it’s not just that. We both deeply believe in Christendom College. Amidst the tyranny of relativism and my daily dealings with the angry arrogance of ignorance—I am a high

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school theology teacher, after all—I take comfort in knowing that Christendom still stands firm, still holds to Warren Carroll’s vision of a place where the five most important words, “Truth exists. The Incarnation happened,” will never go dim. And for that reason alone, Karla and I were happy to assist. It’s the same reason why we’ve been happy to make Christendom the beneficiary of our charitable giving for the past nine years, and why we jumped at the opportunity to make a gift to the Chapel.

Our summer tour ultimately took us on a 13,000-mile jaunt across the country and back again to host barbecues and meet alumni in 22 cities all over the United States and even Canada. We met hundreds of people who had called Christendom College home at some point. There were alums from the late 1970’s all the way to current students.

If one could see them all, as I did, as one amalgamated face on a canvas stretching from Atlantic to Pacific, here is what you would see: the face of Christ. The graduates and almost-graduates of Christendom College represent the fulfillment of that commitment to Truth. These are the men and women who have taken the seeds of intellectual beauty and transplanted them in New Hampshire, Indiana, and California so that they might bloom in new gardens and spread the glory of God’s kingdom on earth. These alums are carrying the Gospel from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, from Memphis to Minneapolis, and from San Francisco to San Antonio. They are truly “building” Christendom. How could we not go to them to say thank you? Our trip was as much about us showing our gratitude to our fellow alumni as it was about bringing them together. On top of it all, we had the time of our lives doing it!

I knew I needed to be a part of this trip as surely as I believe the world needs Christendom College. There simply is no other place like it. That thought went through my mind again and again this summer as I came to know a thousand new friends. Christendom brought us all together. Some debts, I suppose, can never fully be repaid.

Sen. Rick Santorum

Dr. Scott Hahn

Abp. Salvatore Cordileone

Mary Stanford

Dr. Timothy O’Donnell

Mary Beth Bonacci

c hrist en d o m. ed u/c o n f er en c e

Campaign Prayer

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lmighty and Eternal Father, we humbly beseech You to bless Christendom College.

We pray for the faithful members of her community, and especially for her benefactors, as together we seek to heed the Call to Greatness.

Through the intercessions of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom and St. Joseph her spouse, patron of the Universal Church, we pray that our good works and faithful stewardship may prosper. Grant that what was begun to the honor and glory of Christ Your Son may reach fulfillment in Him who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen. ‑ Rev. George W. Rutler

Longtime friend and supporter of Christendom College Fr. George W. Rutler wrote the Campaign Prayer. Fr. Rutler is pastor of St. Michael’s Church in New York City. He has been featured in many news media outlets and is the author of many books, including Principalities and Powers: Spiritual Combat 1942–1943 and He Spoke to Us. Pictured above: Fr. Rutler receives an honorary doctorate during 2007 Commencement Exercises at Christendom College.

Our Lady Queen of Christendom, pray for us!

Campaign Prayer Committee Mr. Christopher E. McMahon Mrs. Anne O’Reilly Rev. George W. Rutler Mr. Mark D. Swartzberg Rev. Mark E. Wenzinger, O.S.B.

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Mr. Christopher Bell Mrs. Donna Bethell Rev. Mark Byrne, S.O.L.T. Mr. Daniel J. Gorman Mr. Paul J. Jalsevac Rev. Stephen F. McGraw

GENERAL INTENTIONS • For the needs and intentions of all our benefactors, living and deceased.

• For the needs and intentions of the College community: students, alumni, directors, faculty, and staff.

• For the success of A Call to Greatness: The Campaign for Christendom College.

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID Huntington, IN Permit # 832 DAR E TO BE GRE AT 134 Christendom Drive Front Royal, VA 22630

Campaign Prayer ARE YOU READY TO ANSWER YOUR CALL TO GREATNESS? Make your gift today with the enclosed envelope or at campaign.christendom.edu

Please use the prayer card on this back cover and join us in praying for the success of A Call to Greatness: The Campaign for Christendom College.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

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A Call to Greatness