Inside this issue...

The Christendom College Quarterly Magazine Vol. XVII, No. IISummer 2009

Graduation 2009

Graduation Festivities - pg 3

Players Perform The Woman in White - pg 11

College Receives $3.5 Million Bequest - pg 6

Crusaders Sports Spring Season - pg 16

From the President Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS

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It is interesting to note that after most of you spent a semester in Rome, your senior year coincided with the Pauline year proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. In

commenting on this special year of grace, our Holy Father observed, “And this is the goal of the Pauline Year: to learn from St Paul, to learn faith, to learn Christ, and finally to learn the way of upright living.” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 2 July 2008)

When I was thinking about what to say to you as you prepare to leave after four years, as one student commented when I asked him in his senior exit interview if he had felt he had been here for four years, he said, “In some ways, it seems like I have lived here a lifetime; in other ways, it seems like [I arrived] just yesterday.” I read over the list of all your names, and as I prayed for each one of you, something struck me, which was the fruit of the senior exit interviews. Virtually every one of you mentioned the accessibility of the sacraments on campus, especially the sacrament of confession.

You seem to have been a class which bears a deep appreciation for the sacrament, which reveals the central truth of our faith: that Christ came to reconcile us with the Father. He came, above all else, as a Savior, in order to save us from sin, as St. Thomas Aquinas observes, and to offer forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. As freshmen, I asked you to imagine a world without the great gift of confession. Imagine if you had lied, cheated, murdered, fornicated, slandered someone’s good name, and there was nowhere to go – no way out – no forgiveness – no way to escape from the private hell which you had created for yourself. That essentially was the state of the world before the coming of Christ. It was a world filled with despair and longing for liberation. No wonder St. Paul cries out in his letter to the Romans, “We exalt also in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11) In Ephesians 2:4-7, he continues, “But God, who is rich in mercy, by reason of His very great love wherewith He has loved us even when we were dead by reason of our sins, brought us to life together with Christ that He might show in the ages to come the overflowing riches of His grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” It is because of this that the great Apostle exhorts us, “Let all bitterness, and wrath and indignation and clamor and reviling be removed from you along with all malice.” On the contrary, be kind to one another and merciful, generously forgiving one another as also God in Christ has also generously forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Our troubled, fallen world has forgotten this. Many in the Christian world have forgotten this as well and have given counter-witness to the Gospel of Christ. Christ, the night of the first Easter, approached a group of men who had abandoned Him, fled away, denied and betrayed Him. In that group, most of them were probably quite fearful, and yet His first words were, “Peace be with you.” And then, St. John tells us, He showed them His hands and His side, those wounds revealing His tender love. He then breathed on them and

said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them.” His first gift after His brutal suffering and death was that sacrament which brings peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

These gifts were brought to a world filled with darkness, caught in a fevered spiral of violence and hatred, in which there is no peace and no forgiveness. Christ gives peace, but not as the world gives, for the world cannot give what it does not have – the world cannot give what it so desperately needs.

I would like to share with you a true story about a New York City police officer by the name of Steven McDonald, who in a routine questioning of a number of teenagers in Central Park back in 1986, was shot three times. Wounds which left him paralyzed below the neck and devastated not only him, but his young wife of eight months Patti Ann, who was pregnant expecting their first child. Despite this horrible shooting, after the birth of their child, Steve recognized that God was expecting him to live a new life, and he felt within himself the desire to forgive the one who inflicted this horrible crime and suffering upon him and his family. “There is nothing easy about being paralyzed. I have not been able to hold my wife in my arms for two decades. Conor is now a young man, and I have never been able to have a catch with him. It’s frustrating – difficult – ugly at times. I forgave Shavod, because I believed the only thing worse than receiving a bullet in my spine would have been to nurture revenge in my heart. Such an attitude would have extended my injury to my soul, hurting my wife, son, and others even more. It’s bad enough that the physical effects are permanent, but at least I can choose to prevent spiritual injury.”

Here in this story we see, abundantly communicated, forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. By living this mystery which Christ has freely given to us, you can change the world one soul at a time. Many sadly spend their entire life imprisoned in a tomb sealed with their own stone of bitterness, hatred, anger, and resentment. Christ can roll away that stone, and you can be His instrument. You, with your education, and the formation received here at Christendom College and at home can become, as St. Paul says, “ambassadors for Christ, God, as it were, appearing through you.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

As you go through life there will be many opportunities for you to bring and bear witness to Christ’s forgiveness, maybe not as dramatically as Steve McDonald, but perhaps to a spouse, a sibling, a child without a father or a home, a co-worker, a colleague, a neighbor, a stranger. You have experienced and welcomed in your own heart the mercy and forgiveness of the royal heart of Christ. As John Paul the Great taught us in Dives in Misericordia, “mercy and forgiveness” is the message our world needs to hear today.

My charge to you today, Class of 2009, in the Year of St. Paul: be reconciled to God, be his ambassadors, be his witnesses. Let his peace reign in your hearts. You have freely received; now give and radiate that merciful love and forgiveness to others. Do that, and as St. Paul says, you will “shine like the stars” (Philippians 2:15) – the stars in the heavens, in the midst of this generation. Do this, and you will, in your own life, and the lives of those you meet, truly help to restore all things in Christ. Know that our hearts and prayers go with you.

College President Timothy O’Donnell delivered this address to the graduating Class of 2009.

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Cover Story

Fr. Frank Pavone and Dr. Jude Dougherty Join 93 Graduates for Commencement

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Christendom College celebrated Commence-ment Weekend on May 15-17, sending forth 93 new graduates and honoring Dr. Jude Dougherty and Reverend Frank Pavone with recognition. The Class of 2009 was the 30th graduating class, and second largest in the College’s history, bringing the total number of degree-earning alumni up to 1,303.

On Friday evening, Reverend Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and main celebrant of the Baccalaureate Mass, took aim at President Barack Obama and the president’s stance on abortion during his homily.

He told the graduates that they were called to be courageous in the pro-life movement by responding to Christ’s challenge: greater love no one has than to lay down one’s life.

The “power to lay down one’s life,” he ex-plained, is “the power of love, the power to be able to give yourself away purposely, delib-erately, knowing what you’re going to lose ... because you’re not focused anymore on what you’re losing, you’re focused on what you’re giving to the other. This is the heart and core of the civilization of love, of the culture of life, of the meaning of being pro-life, of the mean-ing of social justice, and of the very meaning of service, all summed up in this power to lay our lives down for the other. In the culture of death, we see exactly the opposite dynamic.”

Pavone continued: “Love says I sacrifice my-self for the good of the other person. Abor-tion says I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself. Right here in the Eucharist, in the center of love, where love is understood at its deepest level ... we find four words that Jesus uses to express this truth, and the same four words have been hijacked, twisted inside out and upside down by the culture of death, and those words are: ‘This is my body.’

“‘It’s my body,’ some say, ‘I’ll do what I want, even if it means taking the life within me.’ ‘This is MY Body,’” said Pavone. “The Lord says to us today, ‘ ... given up for you,’ and you have the power to do the same.”

Pavone told the graduates and their families that building a culture of life does not require more people, but only “people ready to take a whole lot more risk.”

“When we talk about abortion in the church-es, what do people say? ‘Oh, it’s too political.’ What happens when we talk about it in the political arena? ‘Oh, it’s too religious.’ Talk about it in the world of business? ‘It’s bad for business.’ Talk about it out in the public arena? ‘It’s going to harm children.’ If abor-tion is so bad, where do we go to say so? And the answer is, we say so in all of those arenas, and we stop counting the cost!”

Pavone cited Prof. Mary Ann Glendon as one who stopped counting the cost when she de-clined Notre Dame’s prestigious Laetare Medal.

“She was willing to lay down an honor—willing to lay down an earthly reward—for the sake of her friends, the unborn children; for the sake of her friends, the people in the Church she loves, who have been so scandal-ized, upset, angered, and furious at what is going on. She was not going to be used and she was not going to let earthly honors, titles, positions, privileges, or prestige turn her away from doing what is right,” he said.

The University of Notre Dame itself, said

Pavone, failed a similar challenge to sacrifice. “They aren’t taking the challenge, are they?” he asked. “The challenge is, if ‘greater love than this no one has, than to be willing to lay down his own life’—well then, maybe you can lay down some prestige and dis-invite the president! ‘Oh, but if we do that, what will happen to us?’

“Some people say that all this stuff going on [at Notre Dame] dishonors the Office of the President of the United States. I have news for them. It is the president who is dishonor-ing the Office of the President of the United States by taking a pro-abortion position. Every elected official on any level of govern-ment, who takes a position in which they fail to recognize and work for the protection of the right to life dishonors the very meaning of their office. You can’t be a public servant if you fail to tell the difference between serving

Joan Robinson was this year’s recipient of the Robert C. Rice English Language and Litera-ture Award. She is pictured with English De-partment Chairman Dr. Thomas Stanford (l) and English Professor Dr. Robert Rice.

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, delivered a stirring homily at the Bac-calaureate Mass.

Hilary Schafer and Clare Bratt were two of this year’s 93 graduates.

the public and killing the public,” he said.

“You are committing yourself today to restore all things in Christ, because you are His friends and you know and have the power to love,” he closed. “You have the power to sacrifice what-ever you may be called upon to sacrifice in or-der to advance justice, life, and love.”

Following Mass, the graduates and their fam-ilies enjoyed a cocktail hour in the Piazza San Lorenzo, socializing with faculty and friends prior to the Graduation Dinner.

At the evening meal, prepared by College Chef Ron Steckman and his staff, and served by student volunteers, College President Dr. O’Donnell offered a toast to the parents, thanking them for entrusting their children to Christendom College, which he said he considered as “a sacred trust.” O’Donnell was not only present as President during the weekend, but also as a proud father of a grad-uate, Maire Kathleen (Dubh) O’Donnell.

Student Activities Council President Dean

Reineking also gave a moving toast to the faculty in which he expressed his class’ ap-preciation for the many sacrifices that were made by the faculty for the students.

On Saturday morning, with Christendom student Peter McGuire leading the way play-ing the bagpipes, the Class of 2009 processed to Crusader Gymnasium where the com-mencement exercises were held.

After Mrs. Donna Bethell, Chairman of Christendom’s Board of Directors, officially opened Commencement Exercises, salutatorian Joan Robinson of Virginia wel-comed all to the ceremony and spoke of the unearthly treasures of knowledge and friendship which Christen-dom gave to the students. She told her classmates that they must share these riches with a world run rampant with ma-terial and spiritual poverty.

“If one gives, and gives consistently, one be-comes poor. We are all called to poverty. We are all called to Divine abandonment. We are all called to discard our petty trifles and, then aware of our great need for God, we welcome His Divine alms—namely, whatever vocation God sends us.”

Concluding, she told her classmates, “Now is our time to give knowledge and friendship. To go out into the desert as poor ones to the poor to be a vital part of the springtime of Christ.”

Following Robinson’s address, Fr. Pavone accepted Christendom College’s Pro Deo et Patria Medal for Distinguished Service to Church and Nation.

“I will have the profound privilege tomorrow to stand with the seniors of The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, who are not going to their commencement because they don’t want to be part of a ceremony that ob-scures, rather than highlights, the Church’s teachings on the defense of the unborn,” Pavone said in his remarks. “Let this insti-tution of Christendom College continue to grow into what God has called it to be: one of the greatest institutions for Catholic learn-ing in our country.”

O’Donnell then bestowed an Honorary

Doctorate in Humane Letters on Dr. Jude Dougherty. Dougherty, Dean Emeritus of the School of Philosophy at The Catholic Uni-versity of America in Washington, DC, is the author of numerous essays, articles, and books including The Logic of Religion, Jacques Maritain: An Intellectual Profile.

In his introduction to the presentation, O’Donnell explained that Dr. Dougherty was a true hero for the cause of the Catholic

intellectual tradition.

“Throughout the intellectual chaos of the ‘60s and ‘70s,” said O’Donnell, “while many were losing their heads, Jude Dougherty held fast in heroic defense of the Catholic intel-lectual tradition, maintaining the rigor and integrity of The Catholic University’s School of Philosophy and its commit-ment to the perennial wisdom of the Angelic or Common Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas.”

Dougherty then delivered the Commencement Address to a standing-room-only crowd.

“The world you are entering is not the world I entered at your age,” he began. “Yours is a far more destabilized world where few of the per-manent things can be taken for granted. Con-fronted as you are with the intellectual and moral disarray of our secularized culture, the mainte-nance of your personal identity in an alien world may be one of your greatest challenges.”

Dougherty said that the world is currently try-ing to unify to the point of loosing national and cultural identity. One is at risk to being absorbed into a faceless international or multi-cultural cosmopolitan culture, he said.

“Most of us have been born in the west, in

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Salutatorian Joan Robinson.

The O’Donnell and Schuberg families enjoy the Graduation Dinner with Fr. Pavone.

Fr. Frank Pavone was awarded the College’s Pro Deo et Patria Medal.

Student Peter McGuire led the graduates to the gym where Commencement was held.

Jackson, Lori Janeski, Trevor Karas, Hannah Kelly, Anthony Klosterman, Kathryn Kujawski, Jackson Kulick, Catharine Leopold, Elizabeth Matz, Johnny Mavretich, John McCloskey, Monica McCord, Alex McCullough, Maura McMahon, Elizabeth McShurley, Elizabeth Menard, John Mercandetti, Marion Miner, Mi-chael Mruk, Marie Mullen, Courtney Nelson, Virginia Norris, Dubh O’Donnell, Jennifer O’Neill, Monica Pacheco, Chris Pelczar, Thom-as Polak, Bridget Randolph, Dean Reineking, Joan Robinson, Hilary Schafer, Brittany Schei-dler, Alison Schuberg, Brendan Sheridan, Lissa Small, Emily Smith, Peter Smith, John Snyder,

Gabriel Storck, Andrew Tatum, James Tillman, Laura Tillot-son, Joseph Vicinanzo, Mairin Vieira, Megan Weber, Jeremy Whitcomb, Lucia Whittaker, Mary Wilkins, Ross Windsor, and Nikolaas Zylstra.

Forty-eight members of the class graduated with honors (GPA above 3.25). Included in this class were six children of alumni and 30 siblings of other Christendom alumni.

One of the men from this class plans on en-tering a seminary, while one of the women will join the Nashville Dominicans, and oth-ers will be attending graduate schools, in-cluding William and Mary Law School and The Catholic University of America’s School of Philosophy. At least two of the graduates will be going to nursing school while three others have joined the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Rev. Pavone’s homily and all of the addresses from Commencement may be downloaded at Christendom on iTunes U and additional pictures from the weekend may be found on Christendom’s website under the “News & Events” tab.

See pages 8-9 for more on Graduation.

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what used to be called ‘Christendom.’ It is not by accident that you are graduating to-day from Christendom College. Over the past four years you have worked within a curriculum that reflects a distinctive culture, one that finds its roots in Jerusalem, Athens, and medieval Paris.

“Given the disintegration of traditional west-ern culture, those of you who are steeped in the faith will find your primary identity not as citizens of a cosmopolitan West, but as sons and daughters of a Church whose history, out of a sense of piety toward the inherited, you are obliged to master,” he concluded.

Marie Antunes, Alumni Affairs Director, then awarded John Mercandetti of Maryland the Student Achievement Award in recog-nition of his tireless, cheerful, and humble work on the Student Activities Council.

Following this presentation, Valedictorian James Tillman of West Virginia related the challenges that he and his classmates would face in the next part of their life.

“While we can expect God to bring our ac-tions to fruition, in His time and in a way we

may never see, we ourselves must still suffer. Our Lord can help us carry our cross, but we must still bear it. Like St. Paul we may complete in our own lives and bodies what is lacking in the inflictions of Christ. We could ask for no greater honor.”

He noted that the world rejected Christ and so they also can expect to be rejected by the world.

“If we too are not a sign of contradiction, then we do not deserve to rise with Him,” he said. “But if we suffer with Him as soldiers of Christ, if we take up our cross and fol-low Him with the martyrs, crusaders, priests, monks, and all the soldiers of the One True King, we too may cry, ‘Viva Cristo Rey!’”

Closing the ceremonies, President O’Donnell delivered his charge to the graduates. He spoke of the class’ deep regard for the Sacra-ment of Confession and encouraged them to share Christ’s message of mercy to the world.

“As you go through life there will be many op-portunities to bring Christ and bear Christ’s forgiveness,” he said. “In this year of St. Paul the Apostle, be reconciled to God, be His am-bassadors, be His witnesses, let His peace reign in your hearts. You have freely received, now give and radiate that merciful love, and forgiveness to every-one that God puts in your life. Do that, and as St. Paul says, ‘you will shine like stars in the heavens’ in the midst of this generation. You will, in your own life and in the lives of ev-eryone you meet, help to restore all things in Christ,” O’Donnell ended his charge.

The 93 Bachelor of Arts degrees were conferred on Nicholas Akhurst, Matthew Anderson, Kristy Beer, Benedict Behe, James Bergida, Jo-sepha Bertolini, Caitlin Bowers, Matthew Bow-man, Emma Boyle, Clare Bratt, James Braun, Andrew Briggs, Paul Brunner, Edward Burns, Heather Calio, Mary Kate Cameron, Andy Cole, Andrea Cook, Tim Curran, Grant Dahl, Céline Dalimata, Peter Donohue, Mary Doran, Kieran DuFrain, Jon Fehrenbacher, Francis Fein-gold, Beth Fettes, Rachel Fogarty, Tom Francis, Elizabeth Fraser, Sarah Fritcher, Lindsay Gal-lagher, Dane Gardner, Cynthia Gilday, Francis Ginski, Laura Gripshover, Maria Gutschke, Re-becca Harris, John Hepler, Traci Heuser, Abigail Hill, Monica Horiuchi, Benjamin Hough, Tara

Dr. Jude Dougherty received an Honorary Doc-torate in Humane Letters and delivered the Commencement Address.

Six of the graduates are children of alumni (l to r): Joseph Vicinanzo, Liz McShurley, Andrew Briggs, Ginny Norris, Thomas Francis, and Monica Horiuchi.

Marie Antunes presented the Student Achieve-ment Award to John Mercandetti.

Class of 2009 Valedictorian James Tillman.

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Christendom Receives $3.5 Million Bequest – Largest in History

Christendom College History Professor Dr. Christopher Shannon received a fellowship to attend a summer seminar sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humani-ties. The seminar took place June 2 to July 9 at the Boisi Center for Religion and Ameri-can Public Life at Boston College.

In accordance with the theme, “Religious Diversity and the Common Good,” seminar participants exam-ined the work of leading secular and religious think-ers engaging the issue of the place of religion in an Amer-ican public order bound by a constitution that forbids religious establishment, yet protects the free exercise of religion.

Shannon, who earned his BA in English from the University of Rochester in 1985, and his PhD, MPhil, and MA, all in American Stud-ies, from Yale University, has been a member of Christendom’s faculty since 2004.

Shannon’s research project, “The Challenge of Guadalupe: Catholic Traditionalism and

Dr. Christopher Shannon.

Liberal Political Culture,” addressed the in-tersection of faith and ethnicity in American political life through an examination of the Catholic symbolism of contemporary Mexi-can-American identity politics.

“Despite the wide range of meanings at-tached to Our Lady of Gua-dalupe by Mexican-American activists, she remains a sym-bol rooted in a deeply tradi-tional, pre-modern Catholic culture in many ways at odds with the fundamental prin-ciples of modern liberal poli-tics,” Shannon says. “Liberal claims to embrace cultural diversity have so far proved unable to accommodate cul-tures that do not accept indi-vidual freedom as the highest value.”

Shannon’s research analyzed the Mexican-American culture as a test case for contempo-rary liberal ideals. “Will respect for cultural diversity soften secular liberal suspicions of traditional Catholicism? If not, what are the terms by which we limit diversity within our current political system?” Shannon asked.

History Professor Shannon Receives Presti-gious Fellowship with NEH

Christendom recently received news of a very large bequest, in fact, the largest single bequest in its 31-year history. The bequest came from Mrs. Helen Hasty Perreault, a distant relative and friend of College founder, Dr. Warren Carroll.

“Mrs. Perreault’s gift is a tremendous help to the College,” says College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. “It was a mighty helping hand that secures our ability to continue the mission of consecrating the hearts and minds of young men and women to Christ and his Church.”

Raised by relatives in Massachusetts, Helen returned early in life to her native state, Maine, for which “she had a deep love and of whose heritage she was very proud,” according to Dr. Carroll. Her husband, Victor, graduated in 1933 from Dr. Carroll’s own high school, Berwick Academy, and served in the US Navy during the Second World War. Victor spent the bulk of his career as a proofreader at a government printing office in Washington, DC. The couple had no children.

After her husband passed away in 1962, Helen continued to reside in Arlington, VA, and served for years as an editor at the Bureau of National Affairs and a member of the Maine State Society. Toward the end of his term as president at Christendom College, Dr. Carroll and Mrs. Perreault visited together frequently.

She died in 2007 at age 93 and was buried alongside her husband in Arlington National Cemetery. “Because of Mrs. Perreault’s traditional interest in moral values,” says Dr. Carroll, “she left her estate to Christendom College, to Berwick Academy and to the Congregationalist Church of New England, of which she was a faithful member.”

Mrs. Perreault’s gift is well timed and crucially providential for Christendom – the only Catholic college in the US to not accept federal funds – which, as with other non-profits, has been challenged by the current recessionary economy.

“Although quite an extraordinary gift, to be fiscally prudent, we must still implement a salary and hiring freeze as well as other budget cuts to meet estimated revenue shortfalls generated by the negative recessionary

economic conditions,” says O’Donnell.

Her generous gift will shore up Christendom College’s endowment fund, rebuild operating reserves, fund a strategic project to attract new Christendom supporters, and allow for much-needed repairs. Each of these projects is an important initiative vital to the College’s future.

“I ask for your prayers for Helen Hasty Perreault, that she may see the beatific vision. I pray that her unprecedented bequest to Christendom College, whose Roman Catholic Faith she did not share, will not go unnoticed in the Heavenly kingdom. If she was as generous in life as she has been with us in death, then I pray that she has quickly reached the Heavenly light,” says O’Donnell.

To include Christendom College in your will, please contact the Office of Advancement at 800.877.5456, ext. 1251 Victor and Helen Perreault.

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Alumnus Flying High on Wings of Christendom EducationAlumnus Patrick Vander Woude is living his dream as a United States Marine Corps he-licopter pilot. “I always wanted to be in the military and fly in the military,” says Vander Woude, a native of Nokesville, VA. “I had the example of both my brother and my Dad to lead me in that direction.”

Vander Woude’s late father and Christendom College’s former Athletic Director Thomas Vander Woude was previously a Navy pi-lot. His brother, Bob, currently serves in the Marine Corps. As a helicopter pilot, Vander Woude flies the CH-53E Super Stallion, an aircraft used in amphibious assault and in transporting heavy equipment.

“My Christendom education has given me the ability to discern things in the work place and then reason to different conclusions,” Vander Woude says. “I think the wide range of disci-plines that are studied at Christendom make it easier to do a host of different things, and as a Marine pilot I have multiple jobs, both in flying and working with other Marines.”

His education has not only aided him in tack-ling a wide array of challenges throughout his

four years in the Marines, but also grounded him in the Faith. “My education built on the foundation I had from Seton High School (Manassas, VA), which gave me the tools to defend the Faith as well as to debate and rea-son with people.

“True leaders need to be well grounded in the Faith and understand that the Catholic way of leadership is more in demand today than it has ever been. Christendom gives the safe haven to learn and grow before launching out into the current society,” he says.

Vander Woude, who graduated in 2005

with a BA in History, also notes the amazing friendships that he made while at Christen-dom referring to them as “priceless.”

“It’s so important to be able to relate to other good Catholic men and women,” he says. “Not to mention I met my wife, Jill, there, which is a blessing in my life every day.”

Vander Woude is currently stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina and says that he misses the daily lifestyle at Chris-tendom. “I miss the people tremendously—ev-eryone there is moving towards a common goal. The Catholic identity is one of a kind.”

“True leaders need to be well grounded in the Faith and understand that the Catholic way of leadership is more in demand today than it has ever been. Christendom gives the safe haven to learn and grow before launching out into the current society.” – Alumnus 1st Lieutenant Patrick Vander Woude, USMC

Platoon Commander Tim Storey, Captain Mike Hilleary, and 1st Lt. Pat Vander Woude all graduated in 2005 and are now United States Marines.

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Jon Fehrenbacher and family. Jon is entering the In-stitute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest this fall.

Trevor Karas and family. Trevor won this year’s work-study award: The Maggie Murray Award.

Beth Fettes and family. Beth will be working as an Admissions Counselor at Christendom in the Fall.

Matt Anderson and family. Matt will be discerning a vocation while working this Fall.

Brittany Scheidler and family. Brittany now works as an Admissions Counselor at Christendom.

Peter Smith and family. Peter is working for LifeS-iteNews, writing articles for web and print.

Thomas Francis with his alumni parents. Thomas will be a FOCUS missionary at George Mason University this fall.

Dean Reineking (2nd from the right) with his family. Dean joined FOCUS and will be at the Naval Academy this fall.

Emma Boyle and Caitlin Bowers will be working at schools this fall.

Christendom College Class of 2009

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Maria Gutschke and her family. Maria’s brother Dan grad-uated last year and Katie will be a sophomore in the fall.

Peter Donohue with some of his family. Peter is planning on going to law school.

James Bergida hugs a fellow classmate after gradu-ation.

Graduates Mairin Vieira and Paul Brunner.

2008 Graduate Dan Henson with fiancee Emily Smith ‘09.

Fr. O’Kielty showers kisses on Sarah Fritcher before the Baccalaureate Mass.

Abby Hill and family: Abby has taken a teaching position which will begin this fall.

Dr. William Marshner speaks with James Tillman and his mother. James will be going to CUA this fall.

Christendom College Class of 2009

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“All my life I’ve heard spirited advocacy for the dialogue between the Church and the wider culture, but this call has come, almost exclusively, from the Church and not from the culture,” Fr. Robert Barron said in his talk entitled “From Correlation to Assimila-tion: A New Model for the Church-Culture Dialogue” given to the students and faculty of Christendom College on April 20. “It is this one-way quality of the conversation that is, I submit to you, problematic.”

Fr. Robert Barron, a prominent theologian and pod-casting priest, is one of the world’s greatest and most innovative teachers of Ca-tholicism. His global media ministry, dubbed Word on Fire, has a simple but revolutionary mission—to evangelize the culture. His nu-merous books and essays serve as critical edu-cational and inspirational tools for seminar-ians, priests, parishioners, and young people worldwide.

This one-way conversation, coupled with a false humility, results in “a Catholicism that

Rev. Barron Reflects on Relationship Between Church and Cultureis too culturally ac-commodating, ex-cessively apologetic, shifting and unsure of its identity,” he said.

Fr. Barron highlight-ed problems within American culture as well its redeemable strengths. Problems that the Church will encounter in com-municating with American culture include a Hobbesian individualism, the notion of freedom as choice, and the priva-tization of religion.

“Authentic Christianity can never be priva-tized precisely because it speaks of the Cre-ator God Who grounds and rules all finite

things,” Fr. Barron said. “This means that all areas of life—the public and the private, the social and the individual, the natural and the conventional—belong to God and are relat-ed to God.”

Strengths found in American culture include the human rights tradition, civilized plural-ism, and limited government, he noted.

“The great Catholic tradition knows that when the connection between positive law and natural law is severed, totalitarianism, of either left or right, follows,” he said. “There-fore, this rich American instinct that govern-ment should be limited and disciplined both from without and from within is something that the Church can very much assimilate to itself and adapt to its purposes.”

Fr. Barron proposed that the Church be as-similating – not defensive or acquiescent – but capable of rejecting what it must and tak-ing what it can. This “assimilating Church” is in line with the teachings of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Cardinal Newman, and the Second Vatican Council, he noted.

“St. Paul told us that, in Christ’s light, we should test every spirit, rejecting what is bad and retaining what is good. He also in-structed us to bring every thought captive to Christ,” he concluded. “The method that I’ve advocated honors those Pauline directives.”

This stimulating lecture can be heard at Christendom on iTunes U.

Fr. Robert Barron spoke on Church-Culture dialogue on April 20.

Under the guidance of program director Dr. Kurt Poterack, Christendom College’s first two liturgical music minors graduated this spring. Philosophy major Francis Feingold and History major Bridget Randolph, both of whom graduated summa cum laude, were the recipients of this new degree, which was offered for the first time at the College this year.

Bridget Randolph has been a recipient of the Palestrina Choral scholarship and alto section leader for the past two years, and has played the organ at Mass for the past two years at the College.

Francis Feingold has also received the Palestrina Choral scholarship. He has been bass section leader for three years and sung in the Schola Gregoriana for four years.

The liturgical music minor is an 18-credit

program consisting in the study of music theory, music history, the theology of worship, and Gregorian chant as well as the practical experience of singing and directing a choir. Tapping into the Church’s own tradition of education for centuries, this

program involves a “schooling in a liberal art which enabl[es] its practitioners to be free, more human, truer to their nature in their leisure time.” And why is this? Because “the most important thing that a man, understood properly as homo

religiosus, can do in his leisure time, especially on the day of rest—the Dies Domini—[is] to worship God in song.” (from the Christendom College Bulletin)

Anyone interested in finding out more about the study of this important liberal art should check the College’s online bulletin or call Dr. Poterack at 800.877.5456, ext. 1274.

Two Grads Choose New Liturgical Music Minor

Francis Feingold Bridget Randolph

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11

The Christendom College Players kept their audience in awe as they brought forth laugh-ter, tears, and even goosebumps while showcasing a high caliber of dramatic talent in their produc-tion of The Woman in White, performed April 3-5.

Based on the popu-lar novel by Wilkie Collins, the play was directed by Chris-tendom Alumnus Michael Powell and English Professor Dr. Patrick Keats—a team proving to be a dramatic force in the Northern Vir-ginia drama scene. The Woman in White tells the story of artist Walter Hartright who has an eerie midnight encounter with a ghostly woman dressed all in white. Hartright, engaged as a draw-ing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, and her half sister, Marian, tells his pupils about his strange encounter. Determined to learn all they can about the mysterious woman in white, the three find themselves caught in a chilling web of crime, poison, kidnapping, and international intrigue.

Elizabeth Fraser set the stage aglow as the story’s heroine, Marian. Fraser communi-cated the strength and compassion of Mar-ian’s character in every scene with deep in-sight and energy. She was matched by Peter Smith, who played Walter Hartright. Smith’s veteran experience aided him in expressing a restrained passion for the lovely Laura, played by Jacqueline Kenney.

Kenney and Hilary Schafer, who played Laura’s look-a-like Anne Catherick, seized the audience with compassion through their fears and trials. The story’s dynamic villains, Sir Percival Glyde and Count Fosco, were played by Matt Anderson and Tim Curran. Curran captured well the Count’s dark hu-mor and deceptive manner.

The cast was supported by the icy Countess Fosco, played by Cecilia O’Reilly, and the

Players Perform Thrilling Production of The Woman in Whitehapless and humorous Lord Fairlie, played by Chris Foeckler.

“I loved the character of Lord Fairlie,” Freshman Frances Allington said. “The sets were fantastic and the acting was really good.”

“We had 14 actors and there wasn’t a weak part,” Dr. Keats said. “I’m very proud of how strongly and beautifully they per-formed. These students moved into the theater and had five days to pull it all together—that’s quite a challenge—and they pulled it off splen-didly.”

Every year the Chris-tendom Players produce

two plays: one in the fall, usually a musical, and one in the spring. Because Christendom does not have a drama department, students from across all disciplines are welcome to au-dition for the performances.

Liz Fraser, PJ Freeman, and Peter Smith portrayed their characters with great enthusiasm.

Chris Foeckler (in the wheelchair) and Nathan Gniewek added great humor to the play.

Tim Curran and Cecilia O’Reilly played very sinis-ter and deceitful characters.

Seniors Matt Anderson (l) and Tim Curran acted in many productions throughout their four years.

Hilary Schafer – a convincing Woman in White – is consoled by Liz Fraser who played her sister.

Freshman Jacqueline Kenney worked well alongside Senior Peter Smith.

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“It turns out that the conservatives were the opponents to the Constitution and the lib-erals were the authors of the Constitution,” Georgetown Associate Professor of Govern-ment Dr. Patrick Deneen said in a lecture en-titled Men of Great Faith: The Democratic Vi-sion of the Anti-Federalists delivered on March 26 at Christendom College.

“Conservatives have become known as ardent defenders of the Constitution and associate themselves with the framers of the Consti-tution... So what does it mean to revitalize our conservative knowledge or tradition, if it turns out that contemporary conservative-ness is actually a defense of what—at the time of its founding—was the liberal tradi-tion? What does it mean to conserve a lib-eral tradition?” he questioned.

The lecture was hosted by Christendom College’s Cincinnatus League with funding provided by The Intercollegiate Studies Insti-tute and the Leadership Institutes’s Revitalize Our Conservative Knowledge (ROCK) on American Campuses Grant.

“It’s very interesting to be at a place where [conservative thought] is not an isolated movement on campus, but is the campus,” Deneen said at the beginning of his lecture.

Deneen, author of The Odyssey of Political Theory (2000) and Democratic Faith (2005), discussed the philosophy of the Constitution and how it was laid out by its authors and the main document that defended the Constitu-tion, The Federalist Papers.

Deneen pointed out three main ideas in the philosophy of the Federalists: first, that the fundamental motivation of human beings is self-interest, second, that a core aim of the Constitution was to encourage forms of in-dividualism, and third, that the Constitution aimed to encourage the rule of a class of elites or a group of people who have an ambition and capacity for greatness.

Contrastingly, the Anti-Federalist sought to promote first “the theory of virtue instead of individualism, second, a sense of political liberty—liberty not achieved through pri-vate interest, but through public devotions and activity—and third, they urged a type of common sense knowledge, knowledge that was lodged broadly and widely among the

Deneen Lectures on the Democratic Vision of the Anti-Federalists

Dr. Patrick Deneen spoke on the Democratic Vision of the Anti-Fed-eralists on March 26.

populous,” he said.

The Federalists drew upon the early modern state of na-ture theorist like Machiavel-li and Hobbes, who rejected the teachings of the ancients and Christian thinkers.

Deneen said that the can-didates of both parties that we currently elect agree fundamentally with Fed-eralist leader Alexander Hamilton.

“There is not a candidate out there, except for Ron Paul—and you saw how far he got—who is not opposed to growth economy, who raises ques-tions about the logic of an economy that grows without limit, who would question America’s military predominance and the necessity to de-fend it, who would oppose the creation of the national bank. Imagine. On these fundamen-tal issues we have one party system,” he said.

“In the issues where we do find our parties to be different, I think we need to ask ourselves, ‘are the things we value most dearly—issues, which I am sure pertain to issues of life—are these things undermined by the very funda-mental Hamiltonian commitments of a large

commercially very prosperous, liberating, very mobile, luxurious state that is defined above all by choice?

“How can we just wall off this one sphere— ‘okay, this is where you can have no choice’—when there is a choice in everything? When the motto that defines us best is ‘just do it’? Is this not a question of a certain kind of cul-ture... and the kind of politics that helps to form that culture,” he asked.

This fascinating lecture can be downloaded at Christendom on iTunes U, christendom.edu/itunesu.

Students Perfect on National Greek ExamThe American Classical League recognized 17 Christendom College students for their performance on the 2009 National Greek Exam, an annual exam that measures stu-dents’ ability to read Greek at sight and knowledge of Classical Greek language and literature.

Two freshmen students, Frances Al-lington and Brian Killackey, submitted perfect papers on the Intermediate At-tic Greek Exam; only six perfect papers were submitted in the whole country on this exam this year.

Mary Becher, Julia Callaghan, Kyle Kelley, Ryan Mitchell, and George Walter received highest honors. Chris-tine Ascik, John Killackey, and Michael Strickland took high honors. Benja-min Allen, Brittany Buckner, Caro-line Deucher, Michael Inzeo, David

Klosterman, and Miriam Rauschert received merit awards.

Professors Mark Clark and Edward Strick-land of the Department of Classical and Early Christian Studies congratulate their students for their achievement.

Freshmen Brian Killackey and Frances Allington submit-ted perfect papers on this year’s National Greek exam.

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ABoard Member Ferguson Inspired by College’s Vibrant Catholicism

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An A-Mace-Ing Piece of Christendom College’s History

“At Christendom, the education extends beyond academics,” Christendom College Board Member Ken Ferguson says. “The college environment embraces Catholicism as a way of life – the effects of which are lasting and integral to having a positive impact on the culture. Catholicism is at the forefront in all aspects of campus life.”

Ferguson envisioned and launched Mpower Media, with Steve McEveety (Producer, The Passion of the Christ and Star of Bethlehem). Ken has recruited and leads a world-class team of entertainment and technology experts in developing new technology that lets viewers edit, select, filter, and create media content

on both TV and Internet. He secured the initial investment of $15 million for product development and ongoing testing.

The product debuts at the end of 2009.

Prior to founding Mpower, Ferguson served as Chief Operating Officer for National Geographic Television which included National Geographic Feature Films, National Geographic Channels Worldwide, Destination Cinema, Inc., and Explore International, the company’s international TV distribution arm. He managed the development of the Academy Award-winning motion picture

March of the Penguins, the most profitable film of 2005.

Ferguson has more than 25 years experience

as a TV executive with Dick Clark Television Productions, Dino De Laurentiis Film Company, and as a consultant to the entertainment industry.

Ferguson readily accepted College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell’s invitation to become a board member in 2007.

“It was an opportunity to utilize my skills in ways that could benefit this great Catholic institution. Christendom is unique in its dedication to the promotion of Truth and is a beacon of hope for Catholics worldwide. I’m hopeful that my professional expertise serves as a valuable resource in the management of college affairs, and will continue as such in the years to come,” he says.

A native of Los Angeles, Ferguson currently reside in Great Falls, VA, with his wife, Mary, and seven children.

A mace is an ornamental staff dedicated to the institution or body whose significance it displays. The Christendom College mace, which is used at all official academic ceremo-nies, was hand-crafted by College alumnus Jonathan Carlson ‘93.

Fashioned out of a beautiful dark walnut with gold-leaf trim, the mace bears many symbols of significance to the College. The globe at the top symbolizes the world, surmounted by a brilliant red and gold Jerusalem cross, originally taken from the armorial bearings of Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade which liberated Jerusalem and who took the title “Defender of the Holy Sepul-chre.” The five crosses of the Jerusalem cross recall the five wounds of our Lord, and also His triumph over the world and the powers of darkness through his passion, death, and resurrection.

Also, on the face of the globe is the College’s shield, surrounded by its motto, “Instaurare Om-nia in Christo,” to restore all things in Christ.

The College shield itself is divided into three sections in honor of the Most Blessed Trin-ity. The double line bands dividing the three sections represent the two natures of Christ. In the upper left-hand corner is the tiara and keys, symbolizing the College’s deep and abiding attachment to the Catholic Church

and specifically its fidelity to the See of Peter. In the right-hand corner, the rosary, with the image of Christ crucified, recalls the College’s devotion to the Blessed Mother and special consecration to Our Lady of Fatima, and stresses the importance of the life of prayer and spiritual formation under the patron-age of Our Lady. The bottom portion con-tains the lamp of learning, symbolizing the liberal arts and reflecting the nobility of the academic program, which brings together the two orders of Faith and reason.

At the bottom of the staff is a bronze me-dallion containing the images of Saints Peter and Paul superimposed on the image of Saint Peter’s Basilica. This again shows the College’s devotion to Sacred Tradition, and to the two proto-martyrs of the Roman Church, who in fulfillment of Our Lord’s desire, ended their lives by shedding their blood for Christ in the Eternal City.

On the reverse side is a bronze image of Pope John Paul II, whose 25-year reign coincided almost perfectly with the first 25 years of the College’s existence, recalling particularly the College’s Silver Jubilee.

Registrar Walter Janaro carries the mace during all academic ceremonies.

The bottom of the mace has two bronze medal-lions: one of Pope John Paul II and the other of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The top of the mace has the Jerusalem cross, and the College’s official seal.

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CChristendom students performed the an-nual Mystery Dinner Theater on April 17-18. The comical “Who Dunnit” production was written by Senior Ky Leopold and her brother, Mark, a Christendom Alumnus, who dedicated the production to their re-cently deceased mother, Mary Leopold.

The seniors, who put on the event to finance their senior gift, invited Christendom he-roes from far and wide to the St. Lawrence Commons to attend the 15th Annual Su-perheroes Convention. Upon their arrival, the guests picked up their “superhero id” and the friendly staff directed them to an elegant table or the gallery. Soon after the guests took their seats the show begin with a crash! Squirrel Boy (Ki-eran DuFrain) chased Dark Mist (Steven Curtin) through and across the tables of the audience. This set the stage, so to speak, for the hilarious mystery involving the tragic demise of the egotistical “Superbman” via a fatal peanut allergy reaction.

The perceptive Inspector Pynes (Sam Pynes) was engaged in the labors of revealing the culprit. It was a daunting task because ev-eryone had a motive. In order to crack this case like a peanut, Inspector Pynes sought the help of the audience, offering a prize to the first table who discovered the culprit. Each table worked fast, while enjoying their meal, to obtain clues from the accused, like jealous ex-girlfriend, Call of Nature (Bridget Randolph), Superbman’s agent, Alex (Dubh O’Donnell), a villainous “reporter” (Jackson Kulick), and many more.

The results were shocking and super enter-taining thanks to the work and dedication of cast and crew members such as director Ky Leopold and producers Annie Sheetz and John Mercandetti.

Thanks to the night’s success, the senior class was able to raise enough money to buy brand new vestments for the College chaplains to wear at Mass, which will be a wonderful reminder of this year’s phenomenal senior class.

Although the College does not offer a drama or arts degree, Christendom students are of-ten quite talented in these areas and offer their talents to the College community whenever

Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Brings Superheroes to Campuspossible. The College normally puts on a Fall play, a Spring play, and the Mystery Dinner Theater each year, and affords its students many other opportunities throughout the year to showcase their musical, comedic, or acting talents.

Kieran DuFrain perfected the role of Squirrel Boy.

Call of Nature (Bridget Randolph) and Side Kick (Rocco Levitas) listen as Superbman belittles them.

The Navigator (Brendan Sheridan) and Diane Digbie (Emily Smith) plot to destroy Superbman.

Alex (Dubh O’Donnell) soothes Superbman’s (Matt Anderson) enormous ego, as only an agent can do.

The Triplets (Ali Schuberg, Kristy Beer, Mary Kath-erine Wright) try their best to hold a conversation.

Jackson Kulick, as The Reporter, introduces himself to Marginally Invisible Man, played by Nick Freeman.

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TChristendom’s Grad School Increases Offerings with Online Courses

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Published quarterly by the Christendom College Admissions & Marketing Office.

Managing Editor: Tom McFadden Contributing Editor: Niall O’Donnell

Copy Editor: Maria O’Brien Photos: Tom McFadden, Niall O’Donnell,

Liz Sartor, Tom O’Connor, Robert Rice

Christendom College 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630

800.877.5456 ~ www.christendom.edu

Copyright © 2009. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided the following credit line is used: “Reprinted by permission from IN-STAURARE, the quarterly magazine of Christendom College (www.christendom.edu).” SUBSCRIPTION FREE UPON REQUEST.

INSTAURARE

The Notre Dame Graduate School (NDGS) of Christendom College now offers several of its renowned graduate theology and catechet-ics courses online, in response to a request from the Diocese of Peoria, IL.

“Dr. Vincent McClean, the director of the Office of Catechetics for the Diocese of Peo-ria, selected Christendom’s grad school be-cause we are orthodox, accredited, and are

known to offer rigorous courses,” says Dr. Kris Burns, Dean of the Graduate School. “Also, since one of our catechetics professors, alumna Collette Lienhard, is the founder and director of Catholic Education Center, LLC, (www.catholiceducationcenter.com), an online catechetics resource and education center which had already been offering a few online courses in conjunction with the grad school, it seemed like a great idea.”

The online theology and religious education courses are the same challenging, insightful

courses that are taught on campus, with the same dynamic professors. The online courses utilize various media, including print, Power Point, audio and video recordings, and on-line discussion forums.

Sometimes the online courses are offered in conjunction with on-campus classes, so that online and classroom students can interact. Burns explained that the graduate school is

committed to making its online stu-dents as much a part of Christendom as the on-campus students: “Online students have the same access to aca-demic advisement, to office person-nel, and to faculty that on-campus students have. We already do much of our communicating with students via email, so the online students fit right in.”

Presently, ther are two online cat-echetics courses offered: “Teaching the Faith” parts 1 and 2, both taught

by Professor Lienhard. These courses are used by several dioceses in their catechist forma-tion programs.

Beginning this fall, more online courses will be available. Lienhard will offer “The Cate-chetical Tradition” and “Catechetical Norms and Methods,” and in the Spring 2010 se-mester, Fr. Paul deLadurantaye will teach “Liturgy and Sacraments” while Professor Sebastian Carnazzo will teach “Apologetics.”

Students will take these courses during the

regular fall and spring semesters at the grad school, and when they coincide with the same courses offered on-campus, the online and on-campus students may be combined to form one community so they can work to-gether on projects and discussions.

Burns flew to Peoria for the kick-off of the Christendom/Peoria program at their 2009 Diocesan Summer Institute, June 12 - 13. She made presentations on the new program, gave some additional talks on teaching the virtues, and made many new friends who are excited about the possibility of studying at Christendom online.

Although the Diocese of Peoria provided the impetus for this increase in the gradu-ate school’s online offerings, these courses are not limited to Peoriansany student may take them. Students may take individual courses or may earn the Christendom Cer-tificate in Catechetics entirely online. It is currently possible to earn up to 20 gradu-ate credits towards the MA degree through the online program, but the graduate school plans to seek approval for an entirely-online Master’s program in the near future. Already some grad students who have moved away from Virginia have signed up to finish their degrees with the online courses, and some of the summers-only students are planning to take online courses between their summers at Christendom.

College Hosts Seton Home Study Visit Day“Christendom College is the best Catho-lic college in America,” said Dr. Mary Kay Clark, Director of Seton Home Study School, during her presentation entitled From Seton to Christendom College. “I sent all seven of my sons here and, to this day, they are all still Catholic.”

Christendom hosted over 80 people during this first-ever Seton Visit Day, providing in-sight into Christendom’s way of life, academ-ic program, spiritual life, and overall mission. Participants were given a tour of the campus as well as presentations from the Academic Dean, the College Chaplain, and the Direc-tor of Admissions. This event was held on May 22, the day prior to Seton Home Study’s Graduation ceremony on May 23.

Dr. Mary Kay Clark highly endorsed Christendom at the inaugural Seton Visit Day on May 22.

Professor Collette Lienhard is the founder and director of Catholic Education Center, LLC.

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