Instaurare | Winter 2021-22

winter 2021–22

The MAGA ZINE of CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE

T H E W O R K O F A L U M N I I N I R A Q | D E T O X I N G YO U R FA M I LY F R O M T E C H WHAT DICKENS TEACHES US IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL | CHAPEL UPDATES

VOLUME 29 | NUMBER 3 | WINTER 2021–22 Published three times yearly by the Christendom College Marketing Office.

Editor & Design Director: Niall O’Donnell Assistant Editor: Zach Smith Design Assistant and Illustrator: Julie Wells Photos: Julie Wells, Niall O’Donnell, Zach Smith, Gwyneth Sawicki, Sarah Jackson, Megan Meehan, Bridget Bennett Contributors: Zach Smith, Julie Wells, Vince Criste, Isabella Reilly, Maria Bonvissuto, Madeleine Post Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630 540-636-2900 | www.christendom.edu Copyright © 2021. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided the following credit line is used: “Reprinted by permission from INSTAUR ARE , the official magazine of Christendom College (christendom.edu).” SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST. INSTAUR ARE 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 sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORS TO THE BOARD

Mr. Gregory Bodoh ’94 Mr. Martin R. Boles Mr. Robert Crnkovich (Treasurer) Mr. Timothy Halisky ’01 Mr. Julian Heron Mrs. Karla Hester ’99 Mr. Richard Hough Dr. Timothy T. O’Donnell (ex officio) Mr. Stephen O’Keefe ’93 (Chairman) Mr. Gary Schuberg Mr. Mark Swartzberg Mrs. Michele Velasco ’90 (Vice Chairman) Mr. Thomas C. West Jr. Ms. Luanne D. Zurlo (Secretary)

Mr. Guy Amisano Sr. Mrs. Donna Bethell Mrs. Mary Ellen Bork Mrs. Bernadette Casey-Smith Mr. John Cecconi Mr. Gene D’Agostino Mr. John De Matteo Dr. Robert P. George Mr. Daniel Gorman Mr. John McNeice Mr. Joseph Melancon Rev. Robert Morey Mr. Robert Mylod The Honorable James Nicholson Mrs. Mary Beth Riordan Rev. George W. Rutler Mr. Mark Ryland The Honorable Rick Santorum Rev. William Saunders Mr. Robert Scrivener ’81 Mr. Owen Smith Mr. George Weigel Mr. Thomas Young Mr. Eugene Zurlo

ON THE COVER Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, detail from the rose window in the new Christ the King Chapel.

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“ WE D O NOT WA N T A C H U R C H T H AT W I L L MOVE WITH THE WO R L D. WE WA NT A C H U R C H T H AT W I L L M O V E T H E W O R L D .”

– G. K . CHE ST ERTON

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Inside This Issue 18

Alumni in Iraq

Alumni are living the college’s motto, “restoring all things in Christ,” by serving as teachers at a school in Iraq.

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Detoxing Your Family from Tech Philosophy professor Dr. John Cuddeback pulls from the wisdom of Cardinal Sarah and examines the power of silence and solitude.

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What Dickens Teaches Us in A Christmas Carol Literature professor Sharon Hickson traces the steps of Ebenezer Scrooge and gives inspirational insights from this Christmas classic.

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From the President

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Christ the King Chapel Update

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Building a Piazza for the New Chapel

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Crafting a New Organ for the Chapel

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News in Brief

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Photo Album

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Teacher’s Legacy Gift Continues Passion for Education

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Catholic Couple Creates Scholarship

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St. Columcille Institute Prepares Young Catholics

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In the Classroom: Homer’s Iliad

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Homecoming 2021

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Classmates: Alumni News

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Omnia in Christo: St. Thomas Aquinas on Economics & Morality

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The Times We Have Been Given to Live in A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Solzhenitsyn, the great prophet of

"The good news is that we don’t have to seek that greatness alone. Bolstered up in friendship and prayer, we have each other and, most importantly, we have our Lord."

our time, once observed, “The problem of our time is very simple. Men have forgotten God.” That truly is the problem of our time. But as our founder, Dr. Warren Carroll, would always say, “Truth exists, the Incarnation happened.”

Any course of study or interest that we undertake in which God is denied or ignored is exactly like a ship without a rudder. It will be subject to every shift of the wind—a host of pressures—and it will just be moving with current ideologies. It will move you into the shallows.

We’re living in an age which recent popes have characterized as “a culture of death,” “a dictatorship of relativism,” and a “throwaway culture.” It is an age that started by throwing away Dixie cups and ends up throwing away babies.

We have very little respect for tradition in our culture and society. We sacrifice our unborn children to gods of convenience and licentiousness, and we dishonor the memory of our parents and our grandparents by rejecting tradition.

Despite our challenges, I recall the wise words that were once preached by the great Saint Augustine: So we must not grumble, my brothers, as the apostle says. Some of them murmured and were destroyed by serpents. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us? What sufferings of ours can even bear comparison with what we know of their suffering? You may think past ages were good, but only because you’re not living in them. Have we forgotten the flood?

The calamitous times of famine and war whose history has been recorded precisely in order to keep us from complaining to God on account of our own times. Just think what those past ages were like. Is there any one of us who does not shudder to hear or to recall them? Far from justifying our complaints about our time, they teach us how much we have to be thankful for.

So wrote the great doctor of grace as the Roman Empire crumbled and vandals swept across Spain and were entering into North Africa to attack his city. These are the times we have been given to live in. We have been brought together as a community—part of God’s providence—to achieve something great together.

The good news is that we don’t have to seek that greatness alone. Bolstered up in friendship and prayer, we have each other and, most importantly, we have our Lord.

It was a French Jesuit named St. Claude Colombiere, who became the confessor and spiritual director of Saint Margaret Mary, who once wrote: All spiritual writers agree that the best sign you can have of solid devotion is amendment of life and perseverance in good. I began to amend my life by frequenting Holy Communion, after having tried every other way and failed. When I went rarely to Holy Communion, I had no end of bad habits and imperfections which seemed insurmountable.

I uprooted these by multiplying my communions.

Every time I omitted frequent Communion, I felt my weaknesses more. When I received communion again, I felt fervor re-enkindle in my heart. No fervent soul has ever relaxed who did not first leave off receiving the Holy Eucharist.

Remember, He wants to be with you. When you go visit Him, when you receive Him, you give Him incredible joy.

Visit Him often and never forget what we are doing as a community dedicated to the Truth. We have a great advantage because we have something which our opponents do not have. We have something that’s worth fighting for! We have something that is worth defending, that is a precious and a great good—our Catholic patrimony.

Praise be, Jesus Christ,

Christ the King Chapel U

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As the summer months ended and the

students returned to campus, extensive progress was made on the new Christ the King Chapel. With the steeples and bells finally in place, the final site work on the exterior of the chapel is underway.

In the next few weeks, the bell striker mechanisms will be secured, which will allow the pealing bells to be heard across the Shenandoah Valley. Within the next few months, we will see the initial work on the Piazza begin. This beautifully designed piazza, complete with a fountain and Christ the King statue overlooking the entryway, will provide a large gathering area for the community.

The interior of the chapel is also making great progress.

Alumnae Mandy Hain ’07 and Mary O’Reilly ’16 have blessed the college with their artistic gifts, painting the Latin script of the Sanctus directly above the Sanctuary. The Lady Chapel

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ceiling has been painted blue with gilded stars, and a mosaic Chi Rho has been constructed for the front of the Altar of Sacrifice. The production of the stained glass windows is underway, including St. Therese and St. Thomas More. Eight of the original windows from our current chapel are currently undergoing restoration. The restoration and refurbishment of the marble high altar are complete, and its installation will begin within the next several months.

New pews have been ordered and the design work for the botafumeiro (large thurible) is well underway, with fabrication to begin shortly. Finally, the wood paneled ceiling in the narthex is complete and the installation of wood paneling on the walls will begin soon.

The college is sincerely grateful to all those who have donated their time, talent, and treasure, and who continue to do so to bring this tremendous project to fruition. winter 2021–22

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A N O T E F RO M D R . T I M O T H Y O ’ D O N N E L L

Ce l e br at i ng

t h e K i ng sh i p of Ch r is t B U I L D I N G A P I A Z Z A F O R T H E N E W C H A P EL Over the last two years, the Christendom

family has together witnessed our new Christ the King Chapel rising above campus piece by piece. With the addition of the steeples in September, our new chapel now stands as a rallying point for our community and a bold statement to future generations that the love of God is at the heart of all that we do at Christendom.

The final stage of exterior construction will be the building of a beautiful piazza to grace the chapel entrance. The “Piazza of Christ the King” will provide a noble gathering space for the community-centered campus life that flows from the chapel. The piazza will extend the spiritual life of the chapel onto campus

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and serve as a tangible reminder that every aspect of our life is infused with devotion to Jesus Christ.

The piazza will be built from beautifully cut stone, with outer walls and tiles surrounding a great pillar topped by a statue of Christ the King. The new chapel, and especially its Rose Window—which gloriously portrays Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, (see this issue’s cover) with the angels representing the seven liberal arts—will provide a setting that unites the academic and spiritual character of Christendom. The piazza will give to our campus a wonderful, permanent outdoor area for students to come together in joyful festivity, prayer, and study.

Christ the King Chapel

Digital conceptual renderings of upcoming Christ the King Piazza.

MAKE YOUR MARK ON CHRISTENDOM’S NEW CHAPEL Join with your Christendom family to build the Piazza of Christ the King. Dedication opportunities available at three levels: $5,000, $2,500, $1,000. Your name or the name of a loved one can be permanently etched in the chapel entrance. Don’t miss this special opportunity to join with the Christendom community and make your mark on the new chapel through the piazza project.

Call 540.551.9256 or visit:

C H R I S T E N D O M . E D U/P I A Z Z A

UPDATE

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Christ the King Chapel

RESTORING

BEAUTI FUL

MU S I C

CRAFTING A NEW ORGAN FOR THE CHAPEL

BY JULIE WELLS

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was touring

Rome with his father. As it was Holy Week, the two of them attended the Tenebrae services at the Vatican. He was mesmerized by Allegri’s Miserere, but knew well that this piece was played only twice during the year, and that the sheet music was given only to three important figures—the King of Portugal, the great composer Giovanni Battista Martini, and Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. Mozart perceived this as a minor barrier. The 14-year-old listened attentively at the Mass and rewrote the entire piece later from memory. As the story goes, Pope Clement XIV was so impressed when the news reached him of Mozart’s ability to transcribe music so precisely, he bestowed upon him the Chivalric Order of the Golden Spur—a papal knighthood.

The love and respect for ecclesiastical music in this story is inspiring, but it does beg the question: would this ever happen in the Church today? Does our liturgical music so

UPDATE

completely transform us and uplift our minds to the Divine in the same way it captivated young Mozart? If it does not, perhaps it should. Over the last several decades, the Church has witnessed many changes, one being the deterioration of church music in America. It has become far less common to hear the traditional sound of an organ during the Mass or the angelic tones of a church choir resounding from the choir loft. Music has become more commonplace. Often when you enter a modern church—despite good intentions—the music seems more fit for a campfire than the royal court of our King.

The restoration of beautiful liturgical music has always been a priority at Christendom College. Thanks to the generous donations of anonymous donors, the Sacred Liturgy at the new Chapel will be enhanced through beautiful organ music. The anonymous donors funded the construction of a traditional handcrafted pipe organ, in addition to scholarships to train winter 2021–22

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student organists and prepare them to take the beauty of the Sacred Liturgy with them wherever they go.

After careful research and consideration, Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, based in Hartville, Ohio, was entrusted with this great project.

Charles Kegg, artistic director at Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, oversees the initial design work. He meets with the client, and, after careful consideration of the client’s needs, designs the visual display as well as the console. Kegg also oversees the initial tuning of the pipes and the final sound of each organ.

“Each organ bears my name, and, in many ways, they are my children,” he muses. “They each are different, with their own personality, but you can tell who the father is.”

Kegg’s favorite part of the process is the design stage, where ideas slowly become reality. He explains that most employees at the family-run business come to them with some sort of mechanical background or with woodworking experience.

“Some have a primary musical background,” he notes, “but most have come to love the organ by on-the-job training.

This is a craft in the truest sense of the word. The Kegg shop has been compared to Santa’s workshop on many occasions.

We have fewer candy canes and only seasonal Christmas décor to tell us apart.”

The initial steps in designing an organ begin with a simple conversation. The musician and organ builder discuss and agree

"This is a craft in the truest sense of the word. The Kegg shop has been compared to Santa’s workshop on many occasions."

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on the musical design, as well as how many sets of pipes will be included. This design is influenced by the musical needs and desires of the client, as well as the budget and space available.

The organ is first sketched out, including a basic layout of the pipes. From there, a proposal is presented and approved by the client. The builder then completes blueprints of every part of the organ. These drawings resemble the construction drawings of a large building, with all the details. In the case of the Christ the King Chapel organ, its drawings took about 10 months to complete. From these finalized drawings, the new organ is constructed in the shop and assembled. The current process takes approximately 14 months for a shop of eight people to build.

Once complete, the organ is disassembled and each piece is marked for reassembly in the church. The pieces will arrive in two semi trucks, and the same Kegg crew that built the organ will reassemble it in the new chapel. Once the organ is properly installed, Mr. Kegg and his assistant will make careful adjustments to each of the 2,825 pipes in the organ.

These adjustments are called “voicing” and include pipe tone, volume, attack, and release. During this process, which can be completed only once the organ is in its final acoustic home, each stop is balanced between its mates within each section of the organ, and each section is balanced between the other sections. The installation of the organ will take two to three weeks for a crew of six people to complete. The voicing process is where the organ is turned into a fine instrument and will take two people approximately six weeks to complete.

When asked which part of the process is most rewarding to him, Charles Kegg says it is twofold: “The first being the signing of the construction agreement.

This is when a client shows in an outward and visible way that they have faith in their selection of builder. It is exciting and humbling. The other time that is most rewarding is installation time. At this time, the excitement and energy are running at the highest level as everyone sees the organ actually become real before their eyes, after years of work and waiting.”

The Christendom community is hopeful and excited as everyone awaits the completion of the beautiful new chapel.

The college is particularly grateful to all those who have made the construction of the new chapel and the new organ possible, and to Kegg Pipe Organ Builders for their dedicated service to the college in helping to bring traditional, beautiful music back into our churches and restore all things in Christ.

Christ the King Chapel

KEGG ORGAN STUDIO FROM TOP LEFT A builder hard at work in the shop; craftsmen hold one of the large organ pipes up for display; there any many small pipes produced as well, making precision essential; detail of the woodwork on the frame of the organ.

NEWS

in

BRIEF RECORD-BREAKING

Christendom College welcomed a record-breaking student body to campus for the 2021–22 academic year, with a total of 538 students enrolled—an increase of 2.6% over last year—including 365 returning students and 173 new students.

Of the 173 new students, 163 are first-time freshmen, making the Class of 2025 the largest in the history of the college. The college’s Admissions Office worked hard to meet the increased demand for Christendom over the past year, with a waiting list implemented back in May. This record stands at a sharp contrast to the declining enrollments seen across much of higher education, revealing the continued demand for Christendom’s authentically Catholic, in-person liberal arts education.

KINGSHIP OF CHRIST Christendom College welcomed benefactors and distinguished guests for its annual Summer Consortium event, focused on the theme “The Kingship of Christ and Defending Religious Liberty.” Featuring talks from Dr. Ryan Anderson (left), Fr. Francis “Rocky” Hoffman (right), and others, the event provided a rich intellectual and spiritual journey for participants as they discussed the deep questions that challenge the Catholic Faith in our present age.

THE BEST WEEK EVER

Christendom welcomed a record attendance for The Best Week Ever high school summer program this year, with more than 311 rising high school seniors coming to campus to participate in one of the five weeklong sessions. Immersing students in the academics, spiritual life, and Catholic culture offered at the college, The Best Week Ever transformed many lives this year, giving high school students the unique experience of a truly Catholic education and culture.

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NEW VP

Christendom College has appointed Scott Kay as its new vice president of finance. Kay brings more than 15 years of experience to the job, including six years as a CPA working in public accounting. He joins the college after seven years as chief accounting officer and investment research senior analyst for a multi asset class investment management and advisory firm, representing over $3 billion in assets. Kay received his BS in business administration from Franciscan University, and his MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He also attained a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) certification, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification during his professional career to this point. He is married to alumna Margaret Kay (née Ginski) ’05 and has eight children.

PATRICK REILLY

A record number of eager prospective students and their families visited the college for its annual Homeschool Visit Day on October 9, the feast of St. John Henry Newman. During the event, Cardinal Newman Society President and Founder Patrick Reilly gave an address to attendees, encouraging them to consider and support Christendom. “The Newman Guide will introduce you to faithful Catholic institutions, but you’re at one right here that’s solid and gets all of those fundamentals that I talked about entirely right,” said Reilly. “I love Christendom College and encourage you to consider supporting them.”

USCAA HONORS ATHLETES Christendom student-athletes Christine McLaughlin (left) and Miranda Keller earned USCAA honors for their performances on the college’s women’s soccer team this fall, with McLaughlin earning Player of the Week honors in September and Keller—one of the college’s Thomas S. Vander Woude Scholarship winners— earning Goalie of the Week honors twice. They both helped Christendom go 4-3 this fall, with McLaughlin leading the team in goals and Keller leading the team in goalkeeper minutes played and goals against average, in addition to three shutouts.

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P H OTO A L BU M

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1. Students, faculty, and staff prayerfully protested in front of an abortion clinic in Northern Virginia during the college’s annual MegaShield event.

2. Students celebrated the college’s annual Oktoberfest festivities with a variety of German-themed events, including a lively barrel race competition.

3. Dr. Ben Reinhard and Dr. Adam Schwartz, along with Associate Librarian Stephen Pilon, offered reflections on the life and works of famed author J.R.R. Tolkien in a new series of lectures for the Christendom community.

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4. The college community bid a fond farewell to Mary Alice Rice this past summer at her retirement luncheon. Mary Alice served the college for nearly 40 years, particularly as a French and grammar teacher.

5. Christendom’s men’s rugby team went 5-1 in the fall, putting them well on the way toward competing for another National Championship title.

6. The Chester-Belloc Debate Society held a number of debates this fall, bringing students and faculty together to discuss timely topics and practice their rhetoric skills.

7. The college’s Cross-Country team hosted the college’s first Community 5K race on campus, with students, alumni, faculty, and staff all participating in the race.

8. The women’s volleyball team finished with a 5-7 record in their first full season since 2019, including two tri-match victories.

9. The men’s soccer team scored an overall record of 3-4-1 during their regular season, with senior Mark LaRochelle (pictured) leading the team in goals, assists, and points in his final season.

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10. Women’s soccer wrapped up their fall season with a 4-3 record, which included three shutout victories.

11. Students smile during a lively class with philosophy professor Dr. Daniel McInerny.

12. Students danced the night away at the college’s annual Italian Night, enjoying an evening celebrating Italian music and culture.

13. A highlight of the college’s annual Texas Western Night— College Chaplain Fr. Marcus Pollard getting into the dunk tank as a fundraiser for the annual Senior Class Gift.

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14. Each first Friday during the academic year, the college community gathers in Christ the King Chapel for a Laudamus Te Holy Hour. The Holy Hour features a rosary led by College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, chant from the college’s choir, and a homily.

15. Popular Celtic music band Scythian performed a private show for Christendom students, faculty, and staff this fall.

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Helpi ng to For m

Future Cat holic Leaders

TEACHER’S LEGACY GIFT CONTINUES PASSION FOR EDUCATION AT CHRISTENDOM

BY M ARIA BONVISSUTO

James Leo n e, a mus i ci a n a n d l if e l o n g

teacher, is a firm believer in the educational mission of Christendom College. Deeply impressed by the college’s faithfulness to the Church and the care it takes in educating its students, James has decided that he wants his legacy to be a part of Christendom’s noble mission.

Born, raised, and residing in West Tampa, Florida, James grew up in a home full of rich Italian heritage and tradition.

After graduating from Florida State University, he dedicated his life to studying and teaching music. James earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from FSU, and subsequently taught in public elementary and junior high schools for 38 years, where he shared his passion for music with students in a variety of classes, including instrumental, orchestra, and chorus.

While James started out playing clarinet and then piano, he began learning the organ in order to play for his parish. James has been his parish’s organist for decades, and he continues to pursue his passion for teaching as a substitute music teacher for both his church and local schools.

A lifelong teacher, James recognizes the impact of a Christendom education.

Speaking of Christendom, he notes, “The students who went there and how their lives were so changed—that made me very, very inspired.”

When he first read about Christendom, he was deeply struck by the college’s history and mission. He loved how the Christendom curriculum honors and passes on the traditions and heritage of the Catholic Church and Western civilization.

He realized what a difference supporting the college could make in the lives of young Catholics and future Catholic leaders.

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In his words, “I was just sold on that.”

A teacher’s role is to help form the next generation, and James is able to continue his role as teacher by making an impact on young students through Christendom’s mission.

Although he has never set foot on the Christendom campus, James was so moved by the important work of the college and its impact on young Catholic men and women that he has been a dedicated supporter of Christendom since the first time he heard of it. While he has made yearly contributions for decades, James wanted to ensure that his legacy included a lasting gift to Christendom. He decided to include Christendom College in his last will and testament so that he can continue to help educate future Catholic leaders.

By writing his will and providing for charitable causes that are important to him and that speak to his deeply held values, James is able to ensure that his estate serves institutions that do good and uphold the Truth, such as Christendom College.

For James, the choice to include Christendom in his will made perfect sense because of the educational work the college is doing. He knows that even when he is gone, Christendom can be counted upon to be faithful to the traditions and teachings of the Church and pass them down as long as it exists.

“I trust the mission of Christendom College—that in itself I feel is very successful,” he notes.

His dream is that this legacy gift will help support the education of young men and women not just now but for years to come.

“I hope that it’s going to influence the lives of many students,” he says. “And not only in their career, but in their home life and their families.”

Above: A student presents Leone with the conductor’s baton in May 1960. Below: Leone conducts a concert in 1961.

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A lt houg h he ha s ne ver set foot on t he Ch r i stendom ca mpu s , [he] wa s so moved by t he i mpor ta nt work of t he col leg e a nd it s i mpa c t on you ng Cat hol ic men a nd women . . .

”

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New Members of the Christendom Family Already

Impact ing S tudent Lives FIDELITY, EXCELLENT EDUCATION, AND FREEDOM FROM FEDERAL FUNDS MOTIVATE CATHOLIC COUPLE TO CREATE SCHOLARSHIP

BY M ARIA BONVISSUTO

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Although Lou and Denise Kratz only

just discovered Christendom for the first time last spring, they are already staunch supporters of the college’s mission.

The Kratzes are a prime example of the motivated and faithful Catholics from all walks of life who are joining the Christendom family each year in order to help form future Catholic leaders in the Truth.

Lou and Denise have been married for 41 years. Denise is a graduate of the University of Maryland, while Lou earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Georgetown University. Lou, an economist, worked for 40 years in aerospace. He coordinated all the after-market support for Lockheed Martin’s products worldwide. The couple have five adult children—all of whom went to Catholic school—and 11 grandchildren. Lou is now retired, and he and Denise enjoy having the opportunity to spend a lot of time with their family.

Lou describes himself and Denise as “huge advocates of Catholic education.” They were already concerned about the state of affairs in Catholic education, so when they received information in the mail about Christendom, they were eager to learn more. The more they discovered about the college, the more they felt called to support its mission. They were particularly impressed and pleased to discover that Christendom didn’t take any federal funds.

As the Kratzes have watched the failing Catholic identity of some colleges that receive federal money, they’ve realized the wisdom of Christendom’s decision to reject such funds even though it means sacrifice. They love how this choice to be free of federal funding safeguards Christendom’s ability to remain completely faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, in both its curriculum and community life.

“The ability to have a higher education institution that’s completely free of that is extremely valuable. They can truly teach the core Catholic tenets and evolve graduates who internalize that,” Lou says.

The Kratzes also see Christendom as a school that presents solutions to some of the problems in the world that concern them the most. Lou and Denise are both members of Legatus, an international organization for Catholic business leaders and executives. Raising up the next generation of Catholic leaders in business is an issue dear to their hearts, and one that they believe is crucial for the health of society. They have seen how secular society is trying to take God out of the business sphere entirely, and they want to change that.

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. . .t he abi l it y of Ch r i stendom to educate you ng people i n t he tr ut h a nd have t hem g o out a nd sha re t hat tr ut h i s ex tremely va luable .

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“I think Christendom is perfectly positioned to educate new leaders that will take that education and that faith with them into the business environment,” Lou remarks. “In my view, current business ethics have degenerated into ‘What does the law say?’ not ‘What is right?’ I think Christendom can help bring more of what’s right into the business environment.”

The intellectual, spiritual, and moral formation that Christendom offers is the kind of Catholic education that Lou and Denise want every student to have. To that end, they decided to start an endowment scholarship at Christendom, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Kratzes have held a deep devotion to Our Lady for years and have made gifts of scholarships to elementary and high schools in the past in her honor. Their endowment scholarship at Christendom will also be dedicated to Our Blessed Mother—in Lou’s words, “The icing on the cake.”

While it’s easy to become discouraged about the state of the world, the Kratzes see Christendom as a reason to hope.

“As an organization, Christendom has a critical role in these times,” Lou says. “Because there is absolute truth, although the rest of the world would like us to think that everything is relative. And the ability of Christendom to educate young people in the truth and have them go out and share that truth is extremely valuable.” winter 2021–22

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a renewed se

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n se of cou rage THE WORK OF CHRISTENDOM ALUMNI IN IRAQ

BY ZACH SMITH & MADELEINE POST

This past July, Archbishop Bashar

Matti Warda, CSSR, stood in the center of Christendom’s new Christ the King Chapel—a long way from his home of Erbil, Iraq. As he walked through the chapel, in its various stages of completeness, the Archbishop remarked on the pressing need for new sacred spaces in the world that serve as reminders of Christ’s forgiveness and mercy.

When the Archbishop made his visit to Christendom, little did he know that two alumni would stand nearby as he addressed this need just a few short months later in his home country. In September of this year, Archbishop Warda installed two new Catholic chapels in Ankawa, the Christian quarter of Erbil, Iraq—an event witnessed by alumni Madeleine Post ’18 and Ryan Farrell ’21, who are now serving as teachers at Mar Qardakh School in Iraq.

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In the classroom at Mar Qardakh School, Erbil, Iraq.

What drove both alumni to a region marked by so much war and grief? That story begins over the past few years, as Archbishop Warda started pioneering various new Catholic institutions in Iraq, striving to bring national healing for Christians and Muslims alike in the region. One of Archbishop Warda’s collaborators in these efforts was Andrew Youngblood ’93, the director of curriculum for the Chesterton Network Schools.

Youngblood traveled to Erbil in March and August 2021 to partner with Archbishop Warda in bringing the Chesterton high school program to Mar Qardakh International School.

The experience of working with the Archbishop and the Mar Qardakh community deeply impacted Youngblood.

“The Archdiocese of Erbil is a center of the Church in Iraq and one of the oldest Catholic communities,” says Youngblood.

“They are carrying on the living tradition that dates back to Thomas the Apostle. They have known great persecution and suffering for hundreds of years, but more so this past decade.

But they are not a community of victims. They are a resilient and joyful people who live and preach a message of forgiveness

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to a land full of pain and suffering. It is a great privilege to work alongside the people of Erbil as they rebuild their lives and reclaim their dignity.”

After returning from his visit to Erbil in March, Youngblood spoke with fellow Christendom alum Post about his experience.

“That conversation was truly a witness to me,” recalls Post.

“It reminded me that there are spaces in the world, sometimes very unlikely, where the Church is actively growing. While I often find myself discouraged at the state of the Church in the world today, I felt encouraged by Andrew’s experience, and I wanted to learn more.”

Inspired to support the Church in Erbil, Post, who was serving as a full-time Religious Studies faculty at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, joined Youngblood in Erbil in August 2021, co-leading a two-week training for teachers at Mar Qardakh International School.

“Before I left for that teacher training, I went to Mass,” says Post. “I remember sitting in the church, fearing that I would have nothing to offer the teachers at Mar Qardakh. I had just

four years of teaching experience and still felt so new to the field. Yet when I looked at the relief of Jesus with his Apostles hanging above the altar, I instantly had the distinct sense that Jesus was speaking to me: ‘Do you think any of these Apostles were perfectly equipped for the mission I had in store for them? Do not rely on your own talents. Rely on my grace.’ I instantly felt a renewed sense of courage for the journey I was about to make.”

When Post arrived in Iraq, she instantly fell in love with the school, its faculty, and its students. Even more so, she was moved by the level of need within the school community.

“Recruiting firms, graduate programs of education, and service programs exist in the United States, helping schools to find, develop, and retain teaching and school leadership talent.

No such resources exist in Iraq,” says Post.

By the middle of the two-week training, Post sensed that God was calling her to remain in Iraq in service to Mar Qardakh. She quickly decided to make her two-week visit much lengthier, joining the school as the middle years programme coordinator and director of the Chesterton Academy of St. Thomas the Apostle (CASTA).

Post would soon no longer be alone in Iraq, either. Alumnus Ryan Farrell also joined Mar Qardakh International School as full-time faculty of middle years religion and theology in CASTA. After a few short months, Farrell has felt the deep impact of serving in the region and teaching the truth of the Catholic faith in the heart of Iraq.

“The world often looks to the greatest examples of suffering as reason to doubt divine goodness,” reflects Farrell.

“The Chaldean community in Erbil is a living testament to exactly the opposite reality. Despite what they have endured and continue to endure, there is a great and very obvious hunger for the faith and a pious acceptance of the teachings of the church. One might expect to have difficulty stirring engagement with the faith among schoolchildren, but the greater difficulty in the case of Mar Qardakh is meeting the demands of tremendous student curiosity and desire to understand what they believe. Truly, they are an inspiration to the entire Church.”

When Farrell and Post both graduated from Christendom, they were given the charge to go out into the world and “Restore All Things in Christ.” Neither expected they would be called to do so in Iraq just a few years later, but both see it as an incredible opportunity to help bring healing to the region.

...when I looked at the relief of “Jesus with his Apostles hanging above the altar, I instantly had the distinct sense that Jesus was speaking to me: ‘Do you think any of these Apostles were perfectly equipped for the mission I had in store for them? Do not rely on your

”

own talents. Rely on my grace.’

Madeleine Post ’18 in Alqosh, Iraq.

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I believe that I am partnering “with an incredible Catholic community to restore all things in Christ. It was through my Christendom liberal arts education that I encountered Goodness, Truth,

”

and Beauty in a new way.

Archbishop Warda addresses students in the chapel at the Mar Qardakh School.

Shrine to Our Lady in nearby Alqosh.

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Mar Qardakh School staff including, Youngblood (top left) and Post (lower left).

“I believe that I am partnering with an incredible Catholic community to restore all things in Christ,” says Farrell. “It was through my Christendom liberal arts education that I encountered Goodness, Truth, and Beauty in a new way. This encounter deepened my relationship with God and instilled a zeal for the liberal arts within me. By helping CASTA students access a liberal arts education through the Chesterton curriculum, I truly feel that I am fulfilling Christendom’s mission to ‘restore all things in Christ’ here in Iraq.”

Before they both arrived in Iraq, Pope Francis visited the region for the first time, speaking words that have provided a mission statement for the work that Post, Farrell, and Youngblood are hoping to accomplish in CASTA at Mar Qardakh.

“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilization, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient

Celebrating the Feast of All Saints, students pose for a photo at the school entrance.

places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people— Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and others—forcibly displaced or killed,” said Pope Francis, referring to the destruction caused

by ISIS from 2014 to 2017. Pope Francis addressed listeners from the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mosul—the site where ISIS had threatened to behead the Pope during their occupation of the city.

“Today, however, we reaffirm . . . that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace is more powerful than war," the Pope continued.

Pope Francis’s message of forgiveness, peace, and restoration in Mesopotamia, truly “the cradle of civilization,” for both East and West, encapsulates the work that Christendom alumni are hoping to accomplish in the region. Working closely with Archbishop Warda, Farrell and Post both anticipate serving in Iraq for a number of years. It will be a sacrifice to be away from their families for such a long time, but both are already beginning to see the fruits of Catholic efforts in the region.

Post and Farrell both reside at McGivney House while living in Iraq, an apartment compound for Catholic internationals. They witnessed the installation of two new chapels in McGivney House by Archbishop Warda in September—a chapel for residents and guests on the main floor of the compound, as well as a small adoration chapel located directly across from Post’s own apartment.

“The chapels are a gift to the international Christian community here in Erbil, and a reminder that we are all members of Christ’s Body, the Universal Church,” says Post.

All mankind stands in need of healing, forgiveness, and restoration. The work of Post, Farrell, and Youngblood, in union with Archbishop Warda, is oriented precisely toward that goal, helping to bring healing to a region in desperate need of it, while also providing a charge to people across the globe to seek out their own healing from Christ who, through the blood of His Cross, “binds up all our wounds.”

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DETOXING

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YOU AND YOUR

FA M I LY

FROM TECH

BY DR. JOHN CUDDEBACK

We all know the point of the story

of the frog in the boiling water. Experience makes clear that we humans too can become accustomed to things that are in fact very bad for us. We can become used to them to such an extent that we really don’t notice the reality of our situation and the threat that we face. Indeed, not only is the warm water not ostensibly dangerous, it’s downright comfortable, at least up to a certain point.

While it is not so hard to imagine this happening to other people in other circumstances, common sense demands that we recognize that this could be happening to us and our children right now. I think it is. I will make a case that our now practically compulsory and compulsive use of communication technologies—especially in the form of handheld devices—is just such a situation. In other words, we have become accustomed and accepting of—even if with some grumbling and reservations—a state of affairs that cuts at the root of human life and happiness.

To go to another animal analogy: we remember the canary in the coal mine. When he starts to ail, then it’s time for the miners to leave. They aren’t going to stay to test just how much stronger they are than the canary.

Our children are the canaries. They’re suffering intensely right now, even though they probably don’t know why. And they almost surely won’t want to leave the mine. But in this case, obviously, the canaries are not expendable.

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“

The silence we seek, and that we must cultivate, includes a willingness to be alone. It will feel like we are cut off from others.

But this being cut off is for the sake of connection and presence.

”

We know these things, but we aren’t grabbing our children and running out of the mine, or jumping out of the water. We probably don’t think we can. So I ask: must we not find a way to do something?

Here is my plan: I will go through the three stages of detoxification, taken from standard practice in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. If this article is going to address how to detox from tech, then I must take for granted that, to some extent, we agree that we have a problem. Let me be honest and direct: if you don’t at least suspect that you and your children have some real problem with tech, then this article is probably not for you. But if you’re willing to think with me about how to go about detoxifying, then let’s get started.

You’ll see as we proceed that the main aspect of poisoning I will address is not bad content—the pornography, the ugly and sinister images, the violence, or even the propaganda glorifying what shouldn’t be glorified. The poisoning I’m addressing is, in a sense, deeper. It has to do with how technology shapes the basic habits and structures of lives: habits of thinking and reflection, of conversation and other human interaction.

There are three standard stages of detoxification: evaluation, stabilization, and preparation for the future. I will go through each of these.

Consider: How many have seen this: young people— especially in a romantic relationship—prematurely and

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unnaturally maintain almost constant “contact” with one another, something never before possible, but now possible.

And what happens? It undermines their learning to live in the presence of those they are actually with, and it also often undermines the romantic relationship itself.

This is real; and this is dramatic. Indeed, it’s toxic. You can lose the ability really to be present in the here and now. And many of us are losing it. Perhaps the most alarming aspect is that more and more people don’t know any other way of being; they have little or no concrete experience, imagination, or notion of anything different. We literally don’t know what we are missing.

Serious problems call for serious remedies.

Silence, solitude, and presence all go together. Cardinal Sarah writes, “[S]ilence is indispensable if we are to find God. The Father waits for his children, in their own hearts. Solitude is the best state in which to hear God’s silence. For someone who wants to find silence, solitude is the mountain that he must climb.” (The Power of Silence, #5 and 6) The silence we seek, and that we must cultivate, includes a willingness to be alone. It will feel like we are cut off from others. But this being cut off is for the sake of connection and presence. This silence is ultimately an interior disposition.

But at the same time, being bodily creatures living in time and space, we must in humility recognize the real effect exterior context has on us. Our Lord constantly patterned this for us: he

retreated away from others—to the mountain, or to the desert.

For the sake of presence, he retreated to silence and solitude.

Bodily context matters. This is why Cardinal Sarah emphasizes silence and solitude, both interior and exterior.

Our mobile devices and other technologies are effectively removing exterior silence and solitude. The context for contact with God, and other human persons, is being eliminated. This can be a very serious poisoning.

Our plan must be twofold, both negative and positive. There are certain things to which we must just say no, and there are others which we must affirm and cultivate.

Remember, in human life, and in the spiritual life, saying no is always for the sake of saying yes.

The cornerstone of my suggested plan is this: in all our uses of technology, especially handheld and communication devices, we must determine their use in view of our (or our children’s) forming the inner dispositions and habits that conduce to real, rich, personal relationships, human and divine. This calls especially for thinking in terms of cultivating silence and solitude, and forming habits of rich, sustained conversations in bodily presence.

Why does Cardinal Sarah have hope and confidence in victory? Because God is almighty and all-loving, and His Will is that we have life and have it to the full. We need but enter into His plan for our happiness.

He is a God of silence, of reality, and of presence. Silence is stronger than noise and distraction. Reality is greater than appearance. Presence is more powerful than absence. Our God is a God who knows how to make Presence happen. One can simply consider the Eucharist.

Silently, day in and day out, the Eucharist gives witness to what, in God’s Mind, is most important. His delight is to dwell among men, bodily. May our efforts in the area of technology, as in all areas, better dispose us to enter into that delight with Him.

John A. Cuddeback, PhD, has been a philosophy professor at Christendom for a quarter century.

He blogs at Life-Craft.org, where he offers the free online courses Man of the Household and Woman of the Household. This excerpt is from a lecture given for Catholic Answers in San Diego, CA. Visit shop.catholic.com for the full recording of the lecture.

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A MORE FRUIT ST. COLUMCILLE INSTITUTE PREPARES YOUNG CATHOLICS FOR THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

College Chaplain Fr. Marcus Pollard celebrates Mass at one of Ireland’s famed Mass Rocks.

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“Even if the wounds of this shattered

world enmesh you, and the sea in turmoil bears you along in one surviving ship, it would still benefit you to maintain your enthusiasm for liberal studies unimpaired. Why should lasting values tremble if transient things fall?” Thus boldly proclaimed St. Prosper of Aquitaine, in words often fondly quoted by our well-loved history professor, the late Dr. Brendan McGuire.

These words encapsulate the St. Columcille Institute, which Dr. McGuire wholeheartedly participated in as an instructor and mentor. The program is a three-week trip to Ireland where students are hosted by friars at Ards Friary and are prepared to be leaders in the New Evangelization. Several courses, Mass, and excursions all aim to enable young Catholics steeped in a world of secularism to better understand their Catholic tradition and be inspired with a new missionary spirit. The experience is sorely needed for us students who are called to advance into the turbulent seas of the world with the same faith as St. Brendan the Navigator—the fearless saint who departed from Killarney in a boat to evangelize the world, holding firmly to the Cross and armed only with trust in the Lord.

Along those same waters stands Ards Friary, nestled on the side of Sheep Haven Bay. At the friary, I spent countless days

2 L ’2

AL

BY

AN

D

FUL LIFE

CALEB CR

among friends, consuming copious amounts of tea, swimming in semi-frozen waters, reading great literature, enjoying bonfires, and most importantly, spending time in prayer. Each class taught me something that was applicable to my life. In history, I learned from Daniel O’Connell, the great Catholic Liberator, to never compromise one’s values no matter what earthly gain may be lost, because the heavenly reward is far greater. Our literature class taught me the value of true love; for example, James Joyce’s The Dead states that when one truly loves another, he is willing to lose his very life for the other. Even in philosophy, my understanding of the virtues was increased, and I learned how Prudence, the habit of applying right judgments to one’s actions, enables one to measure what to properly do in all situations. My classes together provided me a greater understanding of what being a Christian truly means; through the examples of great men and women, Christians may understand how one ought to live.

It is one thing to read of great Christian lives; it is another to understand them. In Ireland, this understanding dawned on me one early morning when we woke to trek to a Mass rock where two priests had been martyred for their faith. Mass rocks were hidden locations where, when English occupiers banned the Mass, priests secretly celebrated the Mass for the faithful.

“IT IS ONE THING TO READ OF GREAT CHRISTIAN

LIVES; IT IS ANOTHER TO UNDERSTAND THEM.” THEM.”

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Caleb explores Doe Castle in County Donegal with fellow student Ronan O’Reilly ’25.

As our chaplain, Fr. Pollard, elevated the Eucharist at that same spot, I was struck with the realization that two men had died for doing the very thing that we did freely. In a world where many disregard the faith as frivolous, or the Eucharist in that same regard, we quietly knelt before the Lord. Through the liberal arts, we were able to understand how valuable this very moment was, and how it was the rekindling of a forgotten but not lost flame.

The Columcille Institute enlightened me about the faith that many Irish Catholics have forgotten they bear. Many Americans descend from immigrant Irish Catholics, who endured English Penal Laws and persecution. Their hardships should not be forgotten. Entire monasteries, which provided for their flock, were burned, priests were martyred for the Mass, and families, especially in famine, carried their faith as their only possession.

There should be no reason to shy away from evangelizing the modern world, because we stand upon this great patrimony of those who have offered so much more. There is a great cry in the world for something worthwhile; for something which has been lost. It is ironic that an Irish peasant during the famine had more wealth than today’s richest individual.

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This point was driven home during one of our many day trips, when we visited the thatched-roofed homes that Irish families still live in. There, they burned peat to heat their homes and families were crammed into two rooms—families of at least 10. Despite poverty, every home held a constant symbol, a St. Brigid’s cross over the door. In an age where it seems almost any desire is attainable, man is the most impoverished he has ever been, for at the core of every man’s heart is the desire to return to this divine simplicity. These homes are a reminder of what must be returned to.

While they may not have appeared profound, our normal daily acts within the trip were in fact restoring the world to a Christian reality. As we normally do, we prayed and ate and learned, but with a central focus on the Incarnation. Through these ordinary things, life became not dull and meaningless, but, instead, of great value. As Chesterton says, “Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly,” which can be applied to understanding that when Christians focus on living the ordinary life well and constantly educating themselves, they learn that a great life does not imply extreme acts but, rather, living ordinarily well. Not every Irish saint did monumental things, but because they acted for Christ, they became extraordinary.

Patrick did not evangelize alone; neither did Columcille, Brendan, or the countless other Irish heroes; rather, they acted day by day with the Incarnation in mind. I personally believe that we did that very thing through the St. Columcille Institute.

Beginning with morning Mass, the everyday, simple, shared life sanctified us all.

One late night on these hallowed Irish shores, under a multitude of stars, we gathered around a bonfire and read aloud from James Joyce and sang Irish songs together, displaying the greatest fruit of a liberal arts education: namely, a life where one can enjoy all things in their proper place. Just as scripture says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Christendom students learn how to orient their lives and education toward a coherent life where all things make sense. Likewise, the St. Columcille Institute, in less than a month, draws together these profound benefits, honoring the example of the Irish faithful to guide us to a fruitful life. In this same spirit, we ended that night by quoting the words of Prosper of Aquitaine: “Why should lasting values tremble if transient things fall?” And then, as the fire burned to its last ember, we softly sang the Salve Regina.

In the Classroom HIGHLIGHTING A COURSE FROM OUR RICH CURRICULUM

G R E E K 31 3 : H O M E R ’ S I L I A D | B Y D R . A N D R E W B E E R

Achilles’ triumph over Hector

Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά, Πηληιάδεω Ἀχιλῆος—“ Sing, goddess, the wrath of Peleus’s son Achilleus …”—so begins the tradition of literature that comes to us from the ancient Greeks, and so also begins the course of literary study undertaken by all students of Christendom College. Homer’s Iliad stands, as it has for time immemorial, as the solid bedrock of the Graeco-Roman and later European literary tradition.

But to think of the Iliad as merely “foundational” would be a mistake—as would being satisfied with merely reading it in translation. Il traduttore è un traditore—“the translator is a traitor”—goes the Italian maxim, never truer than in the case of Homer. But what do those who read only an Iliad translation miss?

For one example, consider the verb oarizō—“to chat affectionately”—which occurs in only two places in the Iliad.

It describes the sweet conversation of young lovers. Homer first uses it at the end of book 6, where Hektor “holds sweet converse” with his wife, Andromachē. It is their only meeting in the Iliad—one of the most moving passages in the poem, as Hektor, destined soon to die at the hands of Achilles, prays never to witness the day of Andromachē’s bondage and that his infant son, Astyanax, will one day excel even his father’s valor.

Dr. Beer in the classroom

The word’s only other occurrence is in book 22, as Hektor now considers facing Achilles in single combat and wonders briefly whether Achilles might accept terms of Trojan surrender: I might go up to him, and he take no pity upon me nor respect my position, but kill me naked so, as if I were a woman, once I stripped my armour from me. There is no way any more from a tree or a rock to talk to him gently whispering like a young man and a young girl, in the way a young man and a young maiden whisper together.

The words I’ve underlined are Richmond Lattimore’s translation of the verb oarizō. Attentive readers of the Greek will remember the previous tender converse of Hektor and Andromachē—converse described with the exact same verb. But the significant echo is impossible to reproduce in translation—not least because of the rareness and unique character of the verb oarizō, which has no precise, equally rare and specific English equivalent.

Such are the insights open only to readers of Homer’s Greek—in which number now stand all students who have completed Greek 313: Homer’s Iliad.

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Expectations

GROUNDE D I N TH E

UNEXPECTED

WHAT DICKENS TEACHES US IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL B Y P R O F. S H A R O N H I C K S O N

It is hard to imagine a more fitting tale

to usher in the season of Advent and anticipate the joy of the Incarnation than A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The story, which highlights sin and repentance, mercy and love, is driven by paradox. The tale begins with death, but ends with rebirth; the icy winter cuts and freezes, but the blazing hearth thaws and warms; four ghosts expose deep darkness, but reveal a great Light; indifference and greed seem to dominate, but compassion and generosity prevail; we expect despair, but are surprised by joy.

This short novel is divided, appropriately, into five staves that parallel the five staves in a musical score; thus, A Christmas Carol is a song about the transforming love and mercy of Christ.

Stave One begins with the pronouncement: “Jacob Marley was dead.” Like Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, A Christmas Carol begins with what is usually the end of a story: Death.

The story also recalls the medieval morality play, Everyman, in which Death confronts a man totally unprepared to meet his Maker in order to inspire him to review his life, to repent of his failings, and to realize that he can take only his good deeds with him in death.

At the beginning, Scrooge is “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint.” He is spiritually dead, but he does not know it.

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As a foil to the dead, cold Scrooge, his nephew Fred is alive and warm, rushing exuberantly into Scrooge’s office: “A merry Christmas, Uncle! God save you!” . . . “He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge’s, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; and his eyes sparkled.” Undaunted by Scrooge’s cruel, utilitarian attitude toward Christmas, Fred insists: “I have always thought of Christmas time, when it comes around—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind and forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.” This assertion counters the claim of some critics that A Christmas Carol is merely a secular tale about charity and merriment alone; on the contrary, threaded throughout the story are reverential insistences on the spiritual core and the centrality of Christ in Christmas.

In spite of Fred’s good cheer, Scrooge persists in his “Bah humbug” attitude; he spurns Fred and deals cruelly with Bob Cratchit. Scrooge also rebukes a little boy who wants to sing a carol to him and refuses to donate to the Charity Fund, insisting that if the poor and the destitute would rather die than go to workhouses, “They had better do it and decrease the surplus population.”

After this encounter, Scrooge wends his solitary way to his dismal, melancholic abode. There, unexpectedly, his door knocker reveals the face of Jacob Marley, his former business partner. Marley is a ghost from Hell who has come to warn Scrooge. This incident introduces the motif of “knocking” and brings to the reader’s mind the prominent Advent theme of Christ’s knocking to awaken mankind and remind him that “he knows not the hour.” We also recall St. Luke’s parable about the rich man in hell who had ignored the poor man, Lazarus, when, after his woeful litany of remorse for his greedy, selfish life, Marley insists, “I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate.” By the end of Stave One, Scrooge’s transformation has begun: he cannot say, “Humbug.”

In Stave Two, we encounter the Ghost of Christmas Past, who is both a child and an old man; with a gentle voice and an encouraging heart, he leads Scrooge through memory to relive his past, hoping for Scrooge’s “Reclamation.” When he says “Rise and walk with me,” we are reminded of another Lazarus, the Lazarus whom Jesus loved and raised from the dead. At Ebenezer’s boyhood home, his deadened feelings reawaken, and he rejoices to witness his boyhood friends, “ all in great spirits”;

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“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its Mighty Founder was a Child himself.”

the icy Scrooge begins to thaw: “he filled with gladness when he heard them give each other Merry Christmas. This vision provokes Scrooge’s compassion for the young caroler whom he had chased away; he tells the ghost, “I should like to have given him something.” Then, when the boy Scrooge experiences the forgiveness and loving embrace of his sister, who has come to bring him back to his father, we are reminded of the parable of the Prodigal Son. In this pilgrimage with the Ghost of Christmas Past and his encounter with mercy, Scrooge’s senses have revived, his joy has been pricked, and his compassion has been stirred.

Stave Three opens with the lively, cheerful Abundance of Christmas Present. We witness a lavish feast, a blazing hearth, and a much-changed Ebenezer Scrooge; he is now eager, docile, and reverent, saying to the ghost: “Conduct me where you will. I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learnt a lesson which is working now. To-night, if you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it.” The ghost leads Scrooge through the streets, and, in a uniquely Catholic manner, blesses the bustling people: he “sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch. And . . . he shed a few drops of water on them from it, and their good humour was restored immediately.” The climax of the story occurs at the home of Bob Cratchit, where Tiny Tim inspires

a dramatic change of heart in Scrooge. The humble and stark impoverishment of the home and meal contrasts with the family’s excitement, gratitude, and hope. Here, Tiny Tim expresses the novel’s emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas: “He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.” The Child is central in this novel, not only in the suffering Tiny Tim, but also in the Christ Child Himself. The narrator also notes the joy of the childlike: “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its Mighty Founder was a Child himself.” Scrooge, moved to compassion, begs the ghost not to let Tiny Tim die. In a searing rebuke, the ghost recalls Scrooge’s own earlier pronouncement: “What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population!” This reproach provokes Scrooge’s epiphany: “Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.”

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Stave Four forces Scrooge to face death. The narrator, in a paradoxical apostrophe, puts Death into perspective, reminiscent of John Donne’s “Death, be not proud” and emphasizing, as does the

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play Everyman, that death can do no harm to a man who lives by his good deeds; more especially is the allusion to the death of Christ who won eternal life for man: “O cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou has at thy command: . . . But, of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst not turn one hair to thy dread purposes or make one feature odious. . . . that hand was open, generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; . . . see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal!” The story further emphasizes the centrality of children and Christ when, after Tiny Tim has died, his older brother Peter reads from the Bible: “And He took a child and set him in the midst of them.” The Stave concludes with Scrooge’s resolutions based on his hope for mercy and new life: “I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse . . . Good Spirit . . . your nature intercedes for me and pities me. Assure me that I may yet change these shadows you have shown me by an altered life . . . I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year!”

Stave Five begins with Scrooge’s declaring it is a time to make amends, and indeed he will. He has been recalled to life; he will revisit the incidents from the beginning of the story and do things right this time. This seemingly tragic tale turns suddenly comical as Scrooge dances while he shaves. Then, as he leaves his home, Scrooge reverences the knocker, which clearly symbolizes

his encounter with Christ. He says, “I shall love it as long as I live! . . . I scarcely ever looked at it before. What an honest expression it has on its face! It’s a wonderful knocker!”

Scrooge then bounds into the street with greetings of “Merry Christmas!” for everyone he meets. The fog has lifted, the mist has dissipated, and the heavenly sky has cleared in glorious sunshine. Then, wonderfully signaling his complete conversion, Scrooge goes to church; his journey has led him to the Creche enfolding the Child Christ.

The story then comes full circle as Scrooge expiates for his sins; he asks forgiveness from the men who had solicited donations for the poor, and he offers a large donation. He also mends his relationship with Bob Cratchit by anonymously sending a gargantuan turkey for the Cratchit family's Christmas dinner.

Finally, he gleefully accepts Fred’s invitation to dinner, where he finds himself filled with wonder and gratitude as he rejoices in the festivity. This Incarnation story ends with the suggestion of resurrection and new life; the narrator reveals that Scrooge becomes a second father to Tiny Tim, who will live and, in a sense, be reborn; likewise, Scrooge himself has been reborn: he is “merry as a schoolboy”; he announces, “I’m quite a baby!”

He laughs again and again, and his laugh becomes the “father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs!”

Dickens was a man driven by great expectations, and he knew that often the fulfillment of these expectations is grounded in the unexpected: A Child born in a stable would become a King who would redeem mankind and fulfill the great expectations of the Prophets. A story beginning with the sin and death of mankind would lead to the birth of a Baby whose death would lead to the rebirth of mankind. Thus, A Christmas Carol not only is fundamentally about the true meaning of Christmas, but it also points to the wonder of Easter. The three Ghosts of Christmas, like the Magi, lead Scrooge to the Cradle of the Child Christ, and like Lazarus, he is raised to new life: “Bah humbug” becomes “Merry Christmas and God bless us, every one!”

Prof. Sharon Hickson attended Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY, and completed her master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been involved with Christendom since its inception and has been teaching in the Language and Literature Department since 2004.

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A f te r p o s tp o n i n g f e s t i v it i e s l a s t ye a r, H o m e co m i n g 20 2 1 w a s ve r y s p e ci a l i n d e e d .

T h is d o u b l e r e u n i o n ye a r c e l e b r at e d e i gh t d i f f e r e nt gr a d u at i n g cl a s s e s: 1980, 1981, 1 9 9 0 , 1 9 9 1 , 20 0 0 , 20 0 1 , 20 10 , a n d 20 11 .

D av i d a n d E l iz a b e th (n é e R i c e) W a l l a c e ’ 0 5 w e r e th e r e ci p i e nt s of th is ye a r ’s S t . P i u s X A w a r d fo r C o nt r i b u t i o n to th e C h r is t i a n R e n ov at i o n of th e Te m p o r a l O r d e r.

Se e m ore ph otos at ch riste nd om .e du /p ic tu re s.

S AV E T H E D A T E S 202 2

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CLASSMATES YOUR PAPER & INK ALUMNI SOCIAL NETWORK

1980s Gloria Falcao Dodd ’87 was promoted to a research professor at the International Marian Research Institute of the University of Dayton. Elected in May 2021 as secretary of the Mariological Society of America, she presented "Mary in English-speaking cultures" for a global audience by Zoom for the 25th Mariological Marian International Congress hosted by the Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis on September 9, 2021.

Annemarie (née Malo) Ciskanik ’88 is the new academic dean at Seton School in Manassas, VA. This role is in addition to her teaching responsibilities, which include religion, reading, grammar, and faith & finance.

godfather is Fr. Robert Schmid ’08 and godmother is Clare Rose ’16.

Br. John (Thomas Francis ’09), son of Tom and Ann (née McOsker) Francis, ’85, was ordained a deacon on August 28 in the Brothers of St. John order at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Orange, NJ. 2 Joseph and Rebecca (née Harris) Hamilton ’09 welcomed their third baby, Isaac Gabriel, on April 2, 2021. Isaac was baptized and chrismated Greek Melkite with another Christendom graduate, Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo ’04, as godfather. Isaac joins his siblings Verity Anastasia (2) and John-Paul William (4). The Hamiltons happily reside

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2010-15 The husband of Mary (née Harrington) Norris ’11, Peter, transferred to the Space Force and was promoted to captain in June 2021. Also, Peter and Mary were blessed with a second baby girl, Elisabeth "Lisa" Dymphna Norris, who was born October 5, 2021. Big sister Mairi is delighted to have a sibling. 4 Katie (née Coyne) Butler ’12 and her husband, Aaron Butler, welcomed Radha Cathleen Butler with joy on September 30, 2021. 5 Fr. John McFadden, OSB, ’13 was ordained on October 24, 2021, at Clear Creek Monastery in Oklahoma. Many fellow alumni were in attendance, including Fr. Steven Wood ’13, Rachel Kujawa ’13, Fr. David Frank ’12, Tom McFadden ’90, George

2000s Sister Mary Jordan of the Holy Family Friemoth, O.P. ’05 recently celebrated 15 years in the monastery. She was recently interviewed by her local archdiocesan vocation director: www.marburydominicannuns.org/ native-soil-interview/.

Elizabeth Black ’07 relocated from Arlington to her hometown, Grand Rapids, this summer, to be consecrated by Bishop David Walkowiak as a Consecrated Virgin Living in the World in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was blessed to have many college choir friends singing the beautiful music for the rite. She is currently working as principal at a Catholic elementary/middle school and enjoying being back in Michigan after 18 years away. You can get in touch with her (and ask about an article she wrote on consecrated virginity for Adoremus) at elizabethblack3@yahoo.com. 1 Matt and Sarah (née Daley) Rose ’08 were blessed with their first daughter, Miriam Chiara Rose, on September 30, 2021. They are thrilled, as are their three sons, Benjamin, Jacob, and Elijah. Miriam was baptized on October 9 by Fr. John Heisler ’95. Her

in Northern California, where Joseph works as a bridge engineer and Rebecca as a fiscal consultant for the state legislature. 3

McFadden ’88, Dominic McFadden ’21, Dave Farinholt ’01, Catherine (née McFadden) Wendt ’16, Sara (née Federico) Hudson ’13, Amanda (née Farinholt) McFadden ’93, Maria (née McFadden) Soria ’18, Mary (née McFadden) Brand ’98, Ana (née Harbaugh) Koch ’93, Michael McFadden ’99, Nate Farinholt ’99, Jim Grumblatt ’91, and Br. Stephen Foeckler ’17. 6 On May 30, 2021, Philip Gilbert ’15 was crowned in marriage to Christine Bahriy in Lviv, Ukraine, by His Grace Benedict, Bishop of Chicago. On October 10, 2021, Philip was ordained to the Holy Diaconate, also by His Grace Benedict in Lviv, Ukraine. 7 Julie Wells ’15 illustrated her eighth children’s book, which was released this summer.

A Little Reminder by Tatsuya Fushimi can be found online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

You can follow Julie’s work on Instagram @yourstruliejulie. 8 In May 2021, Roseanne Spiering ’15 earned a degree of Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS) from Clarion University, PA. Roseanne is currently employed at a

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public library in Cody, WY, where she enjoys interacting with local patrons and serving the community.

2016-19 Neal Huang and Clare (née Dempsey) Huang ’16 were married in December 2020 in Chattanooga, TN, at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, officiated by her uncle, Monsignor Robert Dempsey. 9 Sarah Greydanus ’16 published her second book, a fantasy novel titled The Power in the Snow. While it’s not aimed at a specific audience, it should be accessible (and hopefully enjoyable) for all ages starting about 12.

The book is available on Amazon. 10 John ’16 and Katie (née Ward) Hebert ’17 were married June 13, 2020, and are happy to announce the arrival of their first child: Lucy Irene, born September 28, 2021. 11 Cameron DeLaFleur and Colleen (née McCrum) DeLaFleur, ’17, were married at Christ the King Chapel, Christendom College, on September 18, 2021. The mass was celebrated by Fr. John Paul Heisler ’17 and assisted by Deacon Philip Briggs ’13. 12 Melissa Marter ’18 changed jobs in August 2021 and is now a high school theology teacher at Cristo Rey Fort Worth College Prep in Fort Worth, TX. Molly Spiering ’18 became Sr. Molly Bernadette on August 8, as she entered Novitiate with the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She is currently living with her fellow novices in their novitiate house, Divine Providence, in Des Plaines, IL. 13

(Peggy) Margaret (née Daly) Snee ’18 received her M.S. degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport this past August 2021. On October 16, 2021, she married David Snee at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Bridgeport, CT. Felice and Julia (née Ciskanik) Litterio, ’19, are celebrating the birth of Theadora Maria Josephine Litterio, born on September 4, 2021. 8.8 lb., 20 in. long and a full head of hair. 14 Joshua ’19 and Therese (née Rose) Butek ’21 are excited to announce the birth of their first child, Joseph Michael Butek, born on August 22, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. Joseph weighed 8lb. 11 oz. and measured 22.5 inches. The Buteks plan to move from Front Royal, VA, to Menomonie, WI, in the fall of 2021. 15 On Saturday, October 23, Michael LaRochelle, F.S.S.P., ’19, and 16 other members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary received the First Clerical Tonsure from His Excellency Archbishop Thomas Edward Gullickson at the Seminary Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul in Denton, NE. 16 Jacki Durant and Clif Clemotte ’19 were married on August 14 in South Bend, IN, and have settled in beautiful British Columbia.

In the same August, Clif earned his M.A. from Western University after completing a thesis about philosophical theories of perception. 17 John Paul and Emily (née Farabaugh) Janaro ’19 welcomed their first daughter, Maria Therese Janaro, on July 9, 2021. As the first grandchild on both sides, Maria has many adoring fans who love to cuddle and play with her. 18

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SPC Theresa Raabe ’19 received her Associate of Arts degree in Russian and her Russian Linguist certification in June this year at the Defense Language Institute. She has recently completed the Human Intelligence Collector course at Ft. Huachuca, AZ, and will move on to Ft. Hood, TX, to continue working as an Army intelligence collector and Russian linguist.

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2020s

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MaryRita Gies ’20 was engaged on June 19, 2021, to her high school sweetheart, Conor Trzybinski. They plan to be married on March 25, 2022, on the Feast of the Annunciation, in Virginia. 19 James Scrivener ’20 and Chiara Fusco ’21 were married on June 5, 2021. 20 Rosa Cunningham and Daniel Weichert ’21 were married on October 16 at the National Shrine of Saint Alphonsus in downtown Baltimore and will be moving to upstate New York after their honeymoon in Martha’s Vineyard. 21

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Compiled by Vince Criste ’98, director of alumni relations.

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OMNIA

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C H R I S TO

St. Th o m a s Aq u i na s o n Ec o n o m i c s & Mo r a l it y

Taken from the college’s motto, “Instaurare Omnia in Christo,” this section features an essay or excerpt from a recent paper or talk by one of Christendom’s distinguished faculty.

BY PROF. DANIEL GUTSCHKE

A modern tendency views their private goods, but can be realized only circumstances, a lender may be entitled to a economics as a science independent of morality. Accordingly, economics becomes simply a matter of understanding and applying economic laws so as to maximize the productivity of a community. For St. Thomas Aquinas, however, economics is a branch of ethics, and is thus principally concerned with the moral dimensions of economic action.

St. Thomas draws a crucial distinction between human actions and acts of a man.

Human actions are those that proceed from man’s intellect and will. Acts of a man, on the other hand, would include even unthinking actions such as scratching one’s beard. All truly human actions fall within the province of ethics; therefore, to the extent that economic actions proceed from intellect and will, they are subject to the requirements of moral philosophy.

The centrality of the family and political society to St. Thomas’s ethical thought led him to divide ethics into three branches.

Monastic ethics considers the moral life of man insofar as he is an individual. Economics considers how the members of a family or household can live out the life of virtue together. Finally, politics considers the virtuous life of the political community as a whole.

The implications of morality for economic action can be considered in terms of the three types of justice distinguished

by St. Thomas: legal, commutative, and distributive.

Legal justice occupies a preeminent position among the natural moral virtues, serving as a natural analogue to supernatural charity. Just as charity orders all of man’s actions toward God, legal justice orders all of man’s actions to the political common good. For St. Thomas, the common good does not arise from individuals pursuing 40

to the extent that rulers and citizens alike order their actions to the good of the political community, the most perfect of natural human goods, thus bringing the moral virtues to a kind of natural completion.

The virtue of commutative justice requires equivalency in exchange transactions, for neither party to an exchange wishes to suffer a loss. This implies that it is possible to determine the objective, “just price” of an

object with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

St. Thomas is certainly aware of the many factors that play a role in the determination of the just price (the qualities of the item itself, supply, demand, etc.), and he cautions against seeking greater precision than is possible. What he forbids is any approach according to which a seller may charge whatever the buyer agrees to, or whatever amount the market will bear. There is an objective basis to all exchange transactions that must, as a matter of justice, be observed.

One application of this principle has gained increased attention, namely, the question of usury. The Church’s traditional prohibition of usury is simply an application of the principle of equivalency. If one man loans another $100, he is entitled to precisely $100 in return. The demand for anything additional, with an important exception considered below, would violate the principle of equivalency and the demands of commutative justice.

The principle of equivalency itself does dictate that, in certain clearly defined

greater return than the amount lent. If a man suffers a clearly identifiable loss in making a loan—for example, if he will thus be unable to purchase the machinery or labor to harvest his fields—he may legitimately request a greater amount in return to cover the loss he has suffered. Once again, the exchange must be governed by objective circumstances, not by the highest rate of interest to which the lender can persuade the borrower to agree.

Commutative justice itself does not take into consideration the various needs, merits, and circumstances of persons, but this seeming deficiency is supplied for by distributive justice. Distributive justice is the virtue whereby goods are distributed by those who exercise authority over those goods, employing a proportional equality: goods ought to be distributed according to the needs, merits, and other circumstances of persons. The activity of distributive justice is more fundamental than that of commutative justice. Because commutative justice requires strict, arithmetical equality, it simply serves to perpetuate the distribution of goods already established. If this fundamental distribution is unjust, commutative “justice” will simply preserve this injustice.

Ethics, and particularly the various types of justice, thus require that all economic thinking and activity be carried out in accordance with the requirements of morality. St. Thomas’s writings on justice are ripe with insights that can help individuals, families, and countries acquire and exchange wealth in a way that is most conducive to the communal life of virtue in service to the common good.

Daniel Gutschke, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor in the Department of Philosophy.

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