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Editor:
Tom McFadden
Managing Editor: Niall O'Donnell
Contributing Editors: Tom O'Connor
Matt Hadro (Sports), Matt Anderson (Rome
Report)
Contributing Photographer: Tom O'Connor
Issue:
November 16, 2007
Name: Adam McSheffrey
Age: 22
Year: Senior
From: Ottawa, ON (Canada)
Major: Philosophy
Any Hobbies? Snowboarding, singing and playing celtic/folk music, acting, ultimate Frisbee
What's your favorite class or professor? Society and the Common Good with Dr. Cuddeback. The class really enables one to have a deeper understanding of what goes on here at Christendom and how we are all truly called to live in accordance with the common good.
Do you play any sports? Yeah, I play sports... I played soccer and rugby in high school and have continued to do so since I have been here at Christendom. I think it's great that we now have a rugby program.
Do you participate in any drama or music related activities? Well a few... I have been in the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater for the past two years and it has just been a blast. I've also played at the St. Patrick's Day Festival a few times and a couple other school events.
What is your favorite thing about Christendom College? Definitely the availability of the sacraments... but also the great friendships that I have developed throughout my time here.
Why did you choose Christendom College? Well my brother came here before I did, which I suppose had something to do with it, but I primarily came since most of my close friends were all coming here after we graduated high school.
What do you plan to do after graduation? Work in education or youth ministry.
Dramatic Talent Displayed on a Fall Evening
Last weekend the Christendom Players presented An Evening of One Act Plays featuring "The Browning Version" by Terrance Rattigan and "The Apollo of Bellac" by Jean Giraudoux. Both plays were incredibly well performed.
The Chester-Belloc Room of Regina Coeli Hall was transformed into an intimate theater. The ambience was complete with the hot chocolate, cider, and sweets served at intermission.
"The Browning Version" was directed by Seniors Sean Vieira and Claire Riggio.
The play covers an afternoon in the home of Andrew Crocker-Harris (Freshman Steve Curtin), a teacher with a reputation for being quite the disciplinarian at an elite all-male boarding school. He is retiring due to a heart condition. On the last day of class he meets with one of his students, John Taplow (Sophomore Kyle Kelley), for some extra work in Greek.
As the play unravels it is discovered that Crocker-Harris' wife, Millie (Freshman Mary Harrington), has been spending too much time with a colleague of her husband, Frank Hunter (Senior Peter Smith). And not only that, but Crocker-Harris is aware that his wife is spending too much time with a number of other men. Crocker-Harris has a very 'loyal' wife who tells him everything. He does nothing to stop his wife's behavior out of a sense of powerlessness and guilt that he should not have married her in the first place.
By the end of the play we find a remorseful Hunter and a changed Crocker-Harris, who shows us a hint of a man starting to take his life back into his hands.
The performance by Harrington as Millie was incredible. Normally a kind-hearted Christendom student, she turned into a heartless and villainous shrew filled with hate and envy.
One other remarkable performance was Curtin as Crocker-Harris. He mastered the slow motions of an old man and executed a scene of painful crying flawlessly.
The play was very moving and incredible insight into the human experience. Complete with several cathartic moments the play demonstrated the "incredible zeal" of the actors, which directors Vieira and Riggio spoke of in the playbill.
"The Apollo of Bellac" set in Paris in the early 1940's was a comedic experience that had the audience rolling with laughter.
Directed by Sophomore Bridget Randolph, the play told the story of Agnes (Senior Anna Svedsen) who goes into the International Bureau of Inventions, Inc., looking for a secretarial position. When she arrives, she encounters a mysterious stranger (John Jalsevac) who teaches her a woman's secret to success.
The dialogue plays upon the weaknesses of both the male and female sex, especially male pride. "Tell them they're handsome," is the stranger's advice to her.
Agnes is a little wary at first but soon gets the hang of flattering males, thus rocketing her to a position in the top echelons of the company.
Jalsevac, as the stranger, had a great sense of comedic timing. It was obvious that he had studied the script well, down to the last word. His delivery was full of music and life.
Svedson played the role of Agnes well. The role calls for the difficult task of playing a bashful girl forced into sudden forwardness. She communicated effectively Agnes' desire for a better life, which inspired a sense of adventure and willingness to break free from her routine behavior towards men.
The fruits of the players' labor were what director Randolph had hoped: both "entertaining and lifting spirits."
Editor's Note: The Chronicler Online would like to say "Congratulations!" to all those who helped to make The Evening of One Act Plays possible. It was a fine example of the incredible talent at Christendom College.
Assiduus Usus Uni Rei Deditus et Ingenium et Artem Saepe Vincit
Constant practice devoted to one subject often outdoes both intelligence and skill. (Cicero)
One place where you can find constant practice in the Latin Language is Christendom College.
Coming soon to Christendom College is a new Latin Immersion Program. Headed up by Classics Professor Dr. Mark Clark and our highly qualified Classics professors this one-week program will take students of Latin to a higher level.
The program will accept current high school Juniors who have experience in the Latin language, and will provide students a way to deepen their understanding of the language.
You heard it here first, on the Chronicler Online.
Feeding the Hungry
On the second Wednesday of every month Outreach, Christendom's student run charitable organization, works at the local 
soup kitchen.
“Christendom has so much spiritual wealth to give—the richness of the liturgy—which is the heart of our culture—flows into our studies and campus activities, but it should also flow out. Front Royal has some poor people—and I don’t just mean materially,” Junior Cynthia Gilday said. “For them to see your generosity or your smile when you’re serving them in the soup kitchen, or that one old person who is counting on seeing someone every week to stop the monotony of their bed and backache makes a difference. It changes lives.”
Every Wednesday they run "Meals on Wheels," a program which brings food to those in need who can not leave their homes.
The Future of Sacred Art
Christendom College currently has the privilege of hosting the “Redeeming Beauty” Catholic art exhibition. It is a collection of forty-seven works by thirty-six living American artists. It is being presented by The Foundation for Sacred Arts. The art is contemporary, though some pieces also reflect a more traditional style.
This past Wednesday, Mr. H. Reed Armstrong, a sculptor and professor at Christendom College, hosted a small discussion on the exhibit and the Catholic arts. He was joined by Regina Doman, a Catholic writer, and Henry Wingate, a local Catholic painter. Mr. Wingate has been commissioned by St. John the Baptist parish in Front Royal on many occasions, and has a piece on display in the exhibit.
Mr. Armstrong commented: “We have not yet seen the fruits of Vatican II—in relation to the Catholic Arts—but they will come.”
Mrs. Doman added that, “When the Catholic identity crisis is resolved, we will begin to see those fruits.”
Throughout the night, guests were able to ask questions concerning the artists different experiences with the Catholic arts in today’s society. Mr. Armstrong responded to one question concerning criticism of his work by saying: “As Catholic artists, we need to challenge everything and disregard the critics. We have to fill the eyes with beauty; it is a very important apostolate.”
Henry Wingate closed appropriately by saying: “Thank God for exhibits like these. Hopefully other Catholics will get the idea.”
The exhibit will continue to tour the country at various Catholic venues.
Reflections from the Founder
On November 12 College Founder Dr. Warren Carroll addressed students with a talk entitled Thirtieth Anniversary Reflections from the Founder.
Carroll dreamed for years of a college or university, which would change the world, he said.
“Here at Christendom College we have two watchwords. The first is Truth Exists, today widely denied in mainstream colleges and universities. Thanks be to God and to my mother, I have always believed that truth exists. Then when I became a Catholic due to the prayers of my dear wife and the sterling example of the man I worked for, Catholic hero John Schmitz, the subject of my lecture here in March, I added the second watchword: The Incarnation Happened. These five words sum up all that Christendom College teaches," he said.
For more information visit Christendom's News Page. The talk can be heard at Christendom on iTunes U, Christendom’s new portal for digital audio and video content.
Farewell Rome, Sweet Rome, We Will Carry You In Our Hearts
Once again and for the last time this semester, welcome to the Rome Report!
In the past, I have tried to use the Rome Report to give everyone a taste of what we are doing here in Rome. And indeed, it would be very easy to continue the trend this week. I could describe in detail the visit of Dr. and Mrs. O’Donnell, Fr. Heisler, and Miss Spitz to the Rome campus. I could go on and on about the fun-filled sessions of Irish songs at the Bridge of Angels and Trevi Fountain. I might even be able to focus on the procession and veneration of St. Therese of Lisieux’s relics that many of us attended. But I won’t.
No, rather, I would like to use this last edition of the Rome Report to focus on the true meanings and lessons of the Christendom Semester in Rome. Though we have been learning much in the classroom, our primary education this semester has been more on the spiritual level.
To live in Rome, at the heart of the Church, for nearly three months teaches one what it means to be truly Roman Catholic. It has taught us that being Roman Catholic is to be rooted in the very Mystery of the Incarnation. Because God became man, earthly things take on a more supernatural meaning. Rome has taught us that Catholicism must infiltrate every aspect of our lives, not just our prayer lives, but also the very material and ordinary aspects of our lives as well.
From the architecture of churches to the statues of the saints—found on nearly every corner—Rome testifies that God must be the ultimate end for every single one of our actions, and if He is not, then the action is meaningless.
Catholicism is not something to be kept in the Churches; no, it is something that should pervade our culture as if it were in the very air we breathe. As Dr. O’Donnell reminded us during his visit, our Faith is a historical one, and because it is historical the whole of creation is affected.
Perhaps the best manner in which Rome teaches this lesson of the unity of the Divine with the material is through the witness of the martyrs. In fact, I was speaking with my fellow classmate Hilary Schafer and she said something very striking. She told me that the Rome semester has given her a much greater appreciation for martyrdom and for its importance in society. Indeed, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, and nowhere is this more evident than in Rome. Simply walking down a street takes on a whole new meaning when that street has been soaked with the blood of those who gave their lives for Christ.
Rome has taught us that at the very heart of devotion to the Incarnation lies the practice of martyrdom. There is no greater expression of love for Jesus than to give our lives for Him Who gave His life to save ours. This lies at the heart of Rome: that the normal blood of a man, when he gives that up to Christ, becomes a means through which thousands and millions of other men come to serve and love the same Christ and His Church.
And even though we leave Rome now, in some sense we will always carry it with us. Rome must become a part of our very lives. We must live its lessons of devotion to the Incarnate God and eager self-sacrifice for Him and His Church in our daily lives. In doing so, we will never leave Rome, for we will carry Rome to all those who have never been there physically and also to those who have never been there spiritually.
This is the main lesson of the Christendom Semester in Rome. So, on behalf of all the students here, thank you for all your prayers, and may God bless you!
In
honor of the 30th Anniversary of Christendom College
the Chronicler Online takes a peek into the past
of the college each week.
Looking Back in 1983
Christendom College used to publish an annual magazine in the early '80s called Christendom Magazine. Check out the sample covers to the left.
From the 1983 edition, "Looking Back: The Origins of Christendom College" by then-student Paul McCleary wrote:
"Christendom College is a unique educational institution. Its purpose of imparting an authentic Christian education with emphasis on preparing the laity for their apostolic duties in modern society, distinguishes
it from the majority of colleges existing today. The story of how the College came to be is no less unique."
That is a statement that holds true today. Find out more about Christendom's history and download and read the entire article (in pdf format) now!
Whiffleballs and Dodgeballs Flying
Basketball season is now underway, but first, here’s a little Intramural Sports update. After all, dodgeball has traditionally been quite a hit during the cold winter season, and the newest intramural sport—whiffleball—has proved itself as worthy indoors on the college campus as it has in backyards across America.
Whiffleball came flying in after Fall Break, with eight teams of four people each participating. Fastballs, sneaky curveballs, antagonizing sinkerballs, and deadly sliders flew in all directions as the pitchers tried to put away the batters. Some succeeded, with an average Earned Run Average of 4-5 runs per game for the top pitchers in the league. A strikeout counts as one swing-and-miss, which further points to the fact that one swing can very well lose or win the game.
A team of sophomores took home the prize, led by the “one-handed wonder” Steve Ginski, Bryan Gallagher, J.P. Minick, and Freshman James Hannon filling in during the Championship game. Coming in second was the stacked lineup of juniors Alex McCullough and Marion Miner, and sophomores Tim Lanahan and Anna Adams. John Wardle and Lanahan once again performed well as the coordinators of the sport, providing play-by-play announcing and soundtrack music for certain games, as well as creatively coming up with “sponsors” for the featured game.
But now it’s on to the much-anticipated dodgeball season. Among the teams participating are the 300, Alex’s Mom, Trevor’s Trash Savers, and the Ballers. Alex’s Mom has torn up the competition so far, winning each game by an average of six minutes. Several team members have noted that they are considering entry into the Worldwide International Dodgeball Association, but that may be more far-fetched than true.
However, no one has presented a challenge yet, and the tournament is coming up. The number of people showing up to the games has been a positive, with eight teams of eight players each participating, not to mention the number of fans who fill the stands watching the teams compete to find out who is the superior species in the magical world of dodgeball.
Q: I read about the Rome Program each week in the Chronicler and it sounds wonderful, but I have a couple of questions. First, where do the students stay, and how expensive is it to take part in the program?
—J.A., Manassas, VA
A: It does seem like a wonderful experience our students are having. I wish that this program had been around when I was a student here at Christendom back in the day. Anyways, under the supervision of Christendom’s Rome Program Directors, students stay at the Resort Candia. The Resort is located within the sound of the bells of the Vatican but a world away from the tour buses. It is but a five minute stroll to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. It is in a quintessentially Roman neighborhood, complete with shops, restaurants, coffee bars, and an open-air market.
The Resort consists of apartments that have been recently renovated, and provides services like a hotel, such as daily cleaning and weekly change of bed and bath linens. Each apartment has its own bathroom and is equipped with kitchen facilities.
Classes are held at the Instituto Maria SS Bambina, a convent located near the hotel, and situated next to St. Peter’s. From the balcony of this convent, students can listen to the weekly Wednesday Papal audience and look out over St. Peter’s Square.
In addition to the normal tuition and room/board costs of attending Christendom, Rome Program participants pay approximately $600, plus airfare, making this Program affordable for everyone.
And lastly, Christendom students who take part in the Semester in Rome Program are not enrolled in another college’s program for the 3-month semester, rather, they are taught and supervised by Christendom College faculty and staff. Additionally, they take classes, go on retreats and tours, and eat their meals solely with the group of approximately 40 Christendom College students. So, it really is a Christendom in Rome Program.
Thanks for asking and, as they say in Rome, Ciao!
If
anyone has questions about applying, visiting, scholarships,
financial aid, campus life, rules and regulations, majors,
core curriculum, transfer credits, or even about the food
here at Christendom, please do not hesitate to contact me
at any time: 800.877.5456 ext 1290 or tmcfadden@christendom.edu.
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