Editor:
Tom McFadden
Managing Editor: Niall O'Donnell
Contributing Editors: Matt Hadro (Sports), Matt Anderson (Rome
Report) Contributing Photographer: Tom O'Connor
Issue:
September 28, 2007
Name: Angela Sus Age: 18 Year: Freshman From: Racine, Wisconsin Major: History (Political Science Minor) Any Hobbies? Photography, art, music, star-gazing on the steps of Christ the King Chapel, being with Jesus, finding random places to study, nature, jumping in puddles, hanging out in big cities, watching the sun rise What's your favorite class or professor? Mr. McGuire's History 101! Mr. McGuire brings history alive with a captivating view. He incorporates philosophy, theology, history, and language into his classes. Truth exists, the Incarnation happened, and Mr. McGuire rocks!! Do you play any sports? I used to figure skate for 8 yrs. Do you participate in any drama or music related activities? I play the piano. What is your favorite thing about Christendom College? My favorite thing about Christendom is the people and the serene, peaceful atmosphere of the campus. I love how over 400 people of various viewpoints and backgrounds are thrown together and told to think and mingle with each other. It's easy to grow as a person and serve the Lord when surrounded by such great people. We are one big family and everyone knows everyone else by name. Why did you choose Christendom College? God said this is where I was supposed to go to grow closer to Him, so I followed His will and here I am! Isaiah 55:12 What do you plan to do after graduation? I would like to continue my studies earning degrees in both Human Life Studies and Theology of the Body.
Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks
Christendom students were taken out to the ball game last Friday. Several college vans filled up with students and traveled to Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
The new Nationals Park boasts to be “one of the most family and fan friendly experiences in the nation’s capital” with a seating that has some of the best sightlines in baseball.
It was a mixed crowd of students, some “pledging their allegiance” to the Nationals and others rooting on the no.-2-ranked Phillies.
“I actually didn’t have any peanuts or Crackerjacks,” Junior Chris Pelczar said. “But I did have a great time. How could you not? Baseball is the greatest thing in the world!”
The Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 6-3.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
“The story of Emperor Charles is almost unknown, but now that he has been beatified, he will become better known by faithful Catholics everywhere,” Founding President Dr. Warren Carroll said last Monday in a lecture entitled Blessed Charles of Austria: A Man of Peace in a World at War.
The talk covered the role Blessed Charles of Austria played during the turbulent times of Europe during World War I.
Carroll described the great loss of life suffered during the war and the inability of generals and nation heads to call for peace. “It was time for the Lord Jesus Christ to call forth a peacemaker. He did. Christ said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.’ Who remembered that in this awful hour? The pope and Blessed Emperor Charles of Austria.”
Upon Charles’ coronation as Emperor he made a vow to keep peace. “There was never a time when fidelity to an oath promising to strive for peace was more needed or more difficult. But this was the word of a saint, not to be broken, not even by the jaws of Hell.”
Blessed Charles worked tirelessly for peace, constantly negotiating with surrounding countries. Carroll quoted the conclusion of one of his many negotiation letters: “trusting that we may soon be able to put an end to the suffering of the millions of men and their families who are now oppressed by sorrow and anxiety I beg you to be assured of my most warm and brotherly affection.”
During the Mass of Beatification on 3 October 2004, Pope John Paul II stated:
“The decisive task of Christians consists in seeking, recognizing and following God's will in all things. The Christian statesman, Charles of Austria, confronted this challenge every day. To his eyes, war appeared as ‘something appalling’. Amid the tumult of the First World War, he strove to promote the peace initiative of my Predecessor, Benedict XV.
“From the beginning, the Emperor Charles conceived of his office as a holy service to his people. His chief concern was to follow the Christian vocation to holiness also in his political actions. For this reason, his thoughts turned to social assistance. May he be an example for all of us, especially for those who have political responsibilities in Europe today!”
Carroll recounted the death of Blessed Charles with great emotion: “When on the morning of April 1 it became increasingly difficult to speak, his wife Zita said prayers for both of them softly against his ear. Just before noon he looked up at her and said, ‘I love you so much.’ Then he asked for viaticum, caressed the crucifix, murmured ‘Thy will be done,’ and died with the name of Jesus on his lips. No saint has died a holier death.”
Carroll is a member of the league currently working and praying for Blessed Charles’ canonization, and first recounted Charles’ story in his first-published book, 1917: Red Banners, White Mantel. This moving and informative talk can be heard at Christendom’s Podcast Website.
Students Learn from Their Faculty Mentors at Fireside Chat
Students gathered in St. Catherine's Glade last Thursday for a Fireside Chat hosted by Philosophy Professor Michael Brown. They came not just for the smores and music played by those who brought instruments, but to hear wisdom from their mentor.
"I want to convert you, so that you become serious about the intellectual life," Brown said. "So that you will see it as something worth pursuing.
"For the Catholic living out the intellectual life is in a way already participating in our final end, which you all know and as St. Thomas Aquinas said, is to know God."
"It is not just simply an exercise of the intellect," he continued, "but involves the whole man. It involves the heart, the will, the intellect, and the appetite. If your will is not disposed then you simply are not capable of living out the intellectual life as it is meant to be lived by a Catholic. You have to fall in love with it. You have to make it the very thing that you pursue above everything else.
"It is just not an exercise in reason, it is an exercise of the whole man," he continued, "It is a difficult task, it is not for the weak or for those who have no generosity."
Prof. Brown discussed the difference between the virtue of study and the vice of curiosity. "The virtue of study pertains to how we pursue knowledge," he said.
Fireside Chats are discussions lead by faculty about life and how to grow as a person. Last year, the Chats focused on the lives of various saints. This year's theme will be the intellectual life.
New Christendom College TV Spot
Watch Christendom's new TV Spot featuring Fr. Benedict Groeschel! This minute long spot will be featured on EWTN in the near future. Remember you saw it here first, on The Chronicler Online!
Water Slide! Students Hang on to the Summer
This week the men of Christendom took advantage of the gorgeous weather and the hill behind St. Joe’s Dormitory.
Christendom’s Shenandoah Valley campus has been experiencing a long lasting summer with days drifting into the upper 80’s. This inspired students to connect 300 yards of tarp, place it on a hill and hose it down with suds and water.
The guys slid down classic-style, surfed down on their feet, or locked together like a bobsled team and shot down the specially crafted water slide for a long and bumpy ride.
“It was awesome,” Junior Dean Reineking said. “We were flying! The slide was so long—it went on and on.”
Hot Off the Press! Get It Now! Instaurare Goes Electronic
Fr. Benedict Groeschel reads it. Archbishop Raymond Burke reads it... some people even say the Pope reads it (but that can be neither confirmed nor denied).
It's Christendom College's Official Newsletter Instaurare! And you can read it online today. Get all the latest news and pics before the print edition arrives at your door.
Click on the image to the left and download a PDF version for yourself today!
Il Papa e il calcio: the Pope and Soccer
Greetings once again, Chronicler Online readers!
All is well in Rome and as we head out this weekend for our first free weekend where we are allowed to travel, we are all excited to see some of the other major European cities. But first, we had an extremely exciting week. This past weekend, we were able to experience a blessing unlike anything the Rome program has done in the past. The owner of our hotel, Gianni, was able to get us into this party at an Italian villa, where 1982 World Cup Star Paulo Rossi was the guest of honor, and then into a series of soccer games staring current and former members of the Italian National Team!!
We spent the morning on Saturday driving to Castello, where the soccer games were to be held. We visited the tomb of Blessed Margaret of Castello, which meant a lot for some of our girls who have lived in the dorm at Christendom named after her. Then, we went up to the villa for lunch, before heading to the soccer games. After the soccer games, we went back up to the villa for dinner and a little bit of dancing. All and all, it was an amazing experience of Italian culture, and we all felt that it was a blessing to us through the intercessions of St. Gemma and St. Philip Neri, our patrons for the semester.
The other highlight of the week was that after our oral Italian finals, some of us decided to spend Wednesday morning at the papal audience. We were able to get there early and to the front of the crowd. We were just feet away from the Holy Father!! The real blessing came, though, at the end, when two people, Liz Fraser and Andy Cole, were actually able to reach up high enough to touch the Pope's hand by climbing on the barricades! We all were so excited for them, and of course they were very excited themselves.
And so, as we head out our separate ways for the weekend, we look forward to what we can see in places like Spain, Austria, and Germany. So until next week, Ciao!
In
honor of the 30th Anniversary of Christendom College
the Chronicler Online takes a peek into the past
of the college each week.
Co-Founder Dr. William Marshner
Dr. William Marshner was the last of the founding five. Dr. Carroll knew him from Triumph, where Marshner had been an assistant editor. Prior to this, he had done language studies at Yale and had attended the first Christian Commonwealth Institute in Spain. In the Summer of 1973 Marshner went to work for the Catholic weekly, The Wanderer. Here also the two worked together. Carroll worked with The Wanderer setting up Wanderer Forum Weekends. Marshner was among the lecturers who regularly spoke at these functions. In 1975 Marshner went to the University of Dallas to do graduate work in philosophy under Dr. Wilhelmsen, but a shake-up in the administration made him decide to switch to theology. After extensive study in that field, he was made head of the Theology Department at Christendom.
30 Years Later....in his own words.
“What does it take to start a college?
A campus? We had none. Money? Next to none. Books? We had a donated pile and no shelves. Students? Yes. We had 26. Professors? Yes. We had six; or was it seven? The numbers did not matter. In September of 1977, we learned that only one thing mattered: that students and faculty should “click” — that their interaction should be one of intellectual excitement and fulfilled hope. Thirty years ago, this started to happen in Triangle, Virginia, and the happy news spread immediately to siblings, parents, cousins, clergymen, high-school chums. You’d be amazed at how many people 26 students can talk to, when they have something exciting to tell. And so more people came. The place survived — except that it wasn’t a place. In the beginning, “Christendom College” was nothing but a student-faculty interaction (plus a cook). We learned that that is precisely what a college is. Everything else is overhead. You will understand, therefore, in what sense I congratulate the College on having survived.”
Queens of the Court: Christendom Volleyball
It’s time to cover the indoor sport of the fall sports season, women’s volleyball. The team has made a significant improvement from last season’s results, adding four wins to the mix. After a young team struggled under an inexperienced lineup last season, this year’s squad looks to be more balanced.
“It was just one or two players in the past,” noted Junior captain Becca Harris on the overall lack of experience of the former squads. This year, the team chemistry has improved, and coach Mirsad Mehic has also found continuity in his second year at the helm.
The team is coming off of a victory against Roanoke Bible College, the first ever for Christendom Women’s Volleyball against the Flames. With the addition of some Freshman talent, the team has shown its ability to improve, especially capitalizing on opportunities. The Crusaders were able to put their opponents away three games to none in three of their wins, and won three games to one against Roanoke Bible College. The other three wins came against Trinity College, and Davis College (twice).
“I’m really pleased with the natural talent we have this year,” remarked Harris, “and we work really well as a team.” Fellow captain Rachel Williams has also exhibited her abilities this year around the net, having played for a semester her Freshman year at NCAA Division III Immaculata College before transferring to Christendom. Junior Rebecca Loth brings added experience to the floor. Freshman Bethany Brower has been a huge addition to this year’s squad, teaming up with Harris to terrorize opponents around the net.
The players have noted that it has been easier this year to bond with their new coach Mirsad Mehic, it being his second year. The team chemistry has also improved from last year, as noted by the improved record this year. The team’s record currently stands at 4-7, with four games remaining, including a rematch with Roanoke Bible.
Q: When’s the best time to take my SATs? Does it matter if I take them more than once? Does Christendom take the highest scores in each section and add them together? Any information you can give me would be quite helpful. Thanks! –C.M., Sacramento, CA.
A. Good question. First of all, my recommendation is that students take the SAT or ACT as early as the end of their Sophomore year in high school, but definitely in their Junior year. The reason I say this is that many people do not do very well their first time taking these tests. Maybe they are scared or nervous, maybe they had a bad night sleep or were sick. In any case, it is important to take the test one time and get the jitters out of your system and also to determine how much work you are going to need to do to perform better the next time around.
The tests normally cost about $40. It is well worth the money to take the test three or four times, because, at least at Christendom, we take the best score in the Math section, the best in the Reading section, and the best in the Writing section to determine your SAT score. Unfortunately, for the ACT, we only take the best composite score that is recorded and do not do any type of mixing and matching.
Christendom College bases its academic merit scholarships on SAT or ACT scores, primarily. If a student gets above a 1920 on the SAT or a 29 on the ACT (and has at least a 3.0 GPA), automatically, they will receive a minimum scholarship of $3000 a semester off tuition for all four years. And depending on how high the score is, they will receive even more FREE money. So, unless money grows on trees wherever you’re from, I suggest investing the $120 – $160 to take the standardized tests 3 or 4 times, in the hopes that free money will be your reward.
Waiting until Senior year, as many do, may cause some problems because if you end up doing poorly on the tests, then you don’t have much time to do anything about it. But if you take the test in your Junior year, then at least you have the whole summer to brush up on whatever it is that is getting you down.
In May, I had my son, who was 14 at the time, take the SATs. My wife homeschools our 8 children (although the 2 youngest don’t really need much teaching, I guess), and we do not use any formal program and do not do much testing at all. So, we were very excited, but mostly worried, that he would completely bomb the SAT especially since he had never gone to a school building before, had never had to sit through a four hour test, and had never really been tested much before. But surprisingly, he did quite well, in fact, very well. But he will take the SAT at least two more times, I think, to see if he can get an even higher score in the future. Then maybe the Admissions Director at Christendom will consider him for admittance:)
I hope this helps and study hard.
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.
Copyright
2007. Christendom College. All rights reserved.
.g
Name: Angela Sus
Christendom students were taken out to the ball game last Friday. Several college vans filled up with students and traveled to Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
“The story of Emperor Charles is almost unknown, but now that he has been beatified, he will become better known by faithful Catholics everywhere,” Founding President Dr. Warren Carroll said last Monday in a lecture entitled Blessed Charles of Austria: A Man of Peace in a World at War. 
“From the beginning, the Emperor Charles conceived of his office as a holy service to his people. His chief concern was to follow the Christian vocation to holiness also in his political actions. For this reason, his thoughts turned to social assistance. May he be an example for all of us, especially for those who have political responsibilities in Europe today!”
Students gathered in St. Catherine's Glade last Thursday for a Fireside Chat hosted by Philosophy Professor Michael Brown. They came not just for the smores and music played by those who brought instruments, but to hear wisdom from their mentor.
Greetings once again, Chronicler Online readers! 
The other highlight of the week was that after our oral Italian finals, some of us decided to spend Wednesday morning at the papal audience. We were able to get there early and to the front of the crowd. We were just feet away from the Holy Father!! The real blessing came, though, at the end, when two people, Liz Fraser and Andy Cole, were actually able to reach up high enough to touch the Pope's hand by climbing on the barricades! We all were so excited for them, and of course they were very excited themselves. 
Dr. William Marshner was the last of the founding five. Dr. Carroll knew him from Triumph, where Marshner had been an assistant editor. Prior to this, he had done language studies at Yale and had attended the first Christian Commonwealth Institute in Spain. In the Summer of 1973 Marshner went to work for the Catholic weekly, 
30 Years Later....in his own words.
“It was just one or two players in the past,” noted Junior captain Becca Harris on the overall lack of experience of the former squads. This year, the team chemistry has improved, and coach Mirsad Mehic has also found continuity in his second year at the helm.
Waiting until Senior year, as many do, may cause some problems because if you end up doing poorly on the tests, then you don’t have much time to do anything about it. But if you take the test in your Junior year, then at least you have the whole summer to brush up on whatever it is that is getting you down.