Frequently Asked Questions

That’s a good question, and thanks for asking! “Breathe Catholic” is Christendom’s advertising slogan, not its mission or motto. Our mission/motto is “To Restore All Things in Christ.” This will never change because it sums up what Christendom’s goal is for its students and alumni: to contribute to the Christian renovation of the temporal order.

The slogan, “Breathe Catholic,” is very useful for prospective students and their families to understand the unique character of Christendom. As we all know, there are a number of other so-called “good” Catholic colleges and universities out there from which to choose. And, although we are all loyal to the Magisterium and provide solid liberal arts curricula, there are a number of important differences between us. One of the biggest differences that sets us apart from all other colleges is the fact that at Christendom, Catholicism is “the air that we breathe.” But what does this mean?

At Christendom, Catholicism affects all that we do: academics, way of living, special events, major speakers, dances, liturgical celebrations, athletics, music, clothing….in short, everything. Catholicism isn’t just a religion to our College, it is a way of life. Students are immersed in a fully Catholic culture; able to experience what life is like living and learning in an environment with a Catholic atmosphere. Here is a section of our website that lays out some of the specifics of how Catholicism affects all that we do.

The only real way for you to understand is to visit. Below are some quotes from students who took part in our “Experience Christendom” Summer Programs this past summer. They were on our campus for a week and seemed to understand what “Breathe Catholic” means. I invite you to read their testimonies for yourself!

We have already been receiving registrations for our summer programs, in fact, a whole lot more than we did this time last year. I guess people are worried that we will fill up quickly so they are registering just as soon as they are able.  Last year, we did fill up, but it wasn’t until much later on in the Spring.

We will have four one-week Experience Christendom Summer Programs and one one-week Latin Immersion Program this summer. All five of these programs are sure to be wonderful experiences for the attendees and I encourage you to learn more about them by going HERE. Students who are currently in their junior year of high school are invited to register for the Experience Christendom Summer Program (ECSP) and students in their sophomore or junior year of high school can come to the Latin Immersion Program.

Some high school students, I have been told, think that attending our summer programs may be boring or that they will not fit in or that the whole thing is just like some sort of “Catholic” camp. But let me assure you, once here, you will leave with a new-found appreciation for Christendom, for the liberal arts, for our incredible faculty, for our beautiful rural campus, for the Catholic faith, and for your new lifelong friends. Check out the videos and pictures from last year’s programs HERE.

If, when registering, you request financial assistance, we will be able to offer you a pretty good discount. All you have to do is ask – big family or not. We are limited in the funds that we can provide so they will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis to those who request them.
I hope to see you this summer!

Christendom has been around for 34 years and we have grown quite a bit since our first class of 26 students, 5 faculty members, and a rented facility with $50,000 in the bank. We now have 409 undergraduate students, 50 graduate students, 35+ faculty members, three beautiful campuses (Front Royal, Alexandria, and Rome), and a decent sized endowment of about $9M. Our campus is worth about $30M and we have paid for it all but about $1M. We do not rely on any Federal funds or financial assistance so we raise money from generous benefactors each year to aid our day-to-day operational needs, our future building campaigns, our financial aid fund, and all other expenses.

All this being said, in today’s crazy financial climate, you can never truly say that you are “too big to fail.” But at the same time, we can honestly say that by staying the size that we are, leveraging technology, and managing our income, expenses, and donations properly, we can foresee a long and prosperous future, by the Grace of God.

We are aware that there are other colleges out there that are a benefit to the Church, and doing great things, but unfortunately, are struggling to stay afloat. Southern Catholic College was such a one that, due to limited financial resources, had to close its doors last April. Thankfully, from what I am told, most of the current students were able to transfer to this or that school to finish up, but it was indeed a tragedy for the entire college community.

Christendom, again, by the Grace of God and the benevolence of our most faithful and generous benefactors, is in great financial health and will hopefully continue on this road so that we can continue to offer one of the most rigorous, Catholic liberal arts educations in the world, thus helping to prepare our graduates to go out into today’s culture to work to “restore all things in Christ.”

Donations are always welcome.

First of all, I think this may be a very common “objection” given by high school students to their parents, and sometimes, unfortunately, even given by parents to their high school aged students. I guess the theory is that if you go to a big name university, then people will think that you are smart, employable, affluent, and all that, and upon graduation, because they can put down Princeton, Yale, Brown, Amherst, Dartmouth, etc., then it will further their careers and their chances of financial success.

I am not going to say that this is not true. In fact, I am sure that it is true that if a person attends a well-known, big-name, highly-ranked college or university, it will benefit them after graduation in helping them land jobs, network amongst alumni, and become financially secure.

I cannot, though, say that it will necessarily do anything to aid them in their pursuit of wisdom, truth, beauty, holiness, virtue, character, integrity, good friends, or attaining eternal life. Of course, these things are all possible to achieve while attending a big-name school, but these benefits are not the ones that are normally associated with going to big-name colleges, or given as reasons to attend such a prestigious institution. Normally, as I stated above, it is all about getting ahead in this world.

Although some may refer to Christendom as a no-name small college, I would disagree. I guess it all depends on who you ask, right? I mean, is it more important to have the backing and endorsement of US News, Princeton Review, Forbes, Peterson’s, Barron’s, etc., over people such as Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Fr. Groeschel, Cardinal Arinze, Cardinal Pell, George Weigel, and Bishop Bruskewitz? I would say not, unless your goal is simply to attain an academic education and learn how to win friends and influence people. But if you are hoping to grow in virtue, knowledge, and holiness, then it seems that Christendom may actually be one of the biggest-named, most-prestigious, and highly-ranked colleges in the world.

It all depends how you look at it. Although we have been ranked by US News, Peterson’s Barron’s, ISI, Newsmax, Young America’s Foundation, Free Congress Foundation, Kiplinger’s and other secular organizations, we are much more proud of the endorsements from the many Catholic luminaries who have visited our campus or expressed great admiration for our unique mission in the world of Catholic higher education:

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Francis Cardinal Arinze, George Cardinal Pell, Raymond Cardinal Burke, Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Edward Cardinal Egan, Francis Cardinal George, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, James Francis Cardinal Stafford, Justin Francis Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Archbishop Charles Chaput, Bishop Thomas Doran, Bishop James Conley, Bishop Paul Loverde, Bishop Robert Morlino, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Fr. George Rutler, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Fr. John Hardon, Fr. C. John McCloskey, Dr. Scott Hahn, Dr. Peter Kreeft, Dr. John Haas, Pat Buchanan, Henry Hyde, Chris Smith, George Weigel, Patrick Madrid, Curtis Martin, Jeff Cavins, Raymond Arroyo, Ray Guarendi, Sam Brownback, Rick Santorum, Kate O’Beirne, Alan Keyes, Marcus Grodi, and so many others.

And, to top it all off, we are able to see the results of our educational experience in our alumni in, not only in what they do, but, how they live. Our alumni are represented in just about every profession. We have alumni who are doctors, lawyers, physical therapists, accountants, managers, nurses, educators, salesmen, graphic artists, editors, entrepreneurs, project managers, tradesmen, builders, carpenters, priests, religious, music teachers, art directors, drama teachers, missionaries, real estate agents, insurance salesmen, architects, dentists, college professors, Montessori teachers, computer scientists, and everything in between. 

But more important than simply having a good job and career, the alumni are living their Catholic faith on a daily basis and affecting the culture and working to restore all things in Christ.  They are bringing the “Catholic air” which they breathed for four years on our campus, out to today’s culture which is, unfortunately, inhaling “toxic fumes.” Our alumni are making a difference in today’s culture and, as time goes by, Christendom’s name will be one with which to be associated.

Christendom College: Small College – Big Name Appeal.

I want to end with a quote from former US President Ronald Reagan, from his book, An American Life.

“In later life, I visited some of the most famous universities in the world. As governor of California, I presided over a university system regarded as one of the best. But if I had to do it over again, I’d go back to Eureka or another small college like it in a second.

At big universities, relatively few students get involved in extra-curricular activities: They go to class, go to their living quarters, go to the library, then go back to their classes. There may be a lot to be said for those large universities, but I think too many young people overlook the value of a small college and the tremendous influence that participation in student activities can have during the years from adolescence to adulthood.

If I had gone to one of those larger schools, I think I would have fallen back in the crowd and never discovered things about myself that I did at Eureka. My life would have been different.

There were fewer than 250 students when I was at Eureka, roughly divided between men and women, and everyone knew one another by their first name.

As in a small town, you couldn’t remain anonymous at a small college. Everybody was needed. Whether it’s the glee club or helping to edit the school yearbook, there’s a job for everyone, and everybody gets a chance to shine at something and build their sense of self-confidence. You get to discover things about yourself that you might never learn if you were lost in the crowd of a larger school."

Thanks for the congratulations! We were also very excited to be ranked as highly as we were, among some other great schools. I believe we made the top ten list for a number of reasons, but primarily for the following three reasons:

• We have an excellent integrated core curriculum.
  
• We focus on the liberal arts and pursuit of truth.
  
• We have a campus culture that is reflective of our Christian principles.

As far as none of our competitors making it, well, I can't really say much about that. From what I have heard, the writers and editors of the report thought highly of a lot of other schools, but since there were only ten slots to fill, not everyone could make it. I am sure glad that we did because it shows a wider audience the caliber of our institution and the academic prowess of our faculty and students.

Top Ten Exceptional Schools

1. Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
   
2. University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
   
3. The University of the South (Sewanee, TN)
   
4. The United States Military Academy (West Point, NY)
   
5. Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA)
   
6. Baylor University (Waco, TX)
   
7. Providence College (Providence, RI)
   
8. Texas A&M (College Station, TX)
   
9. Gordon College (Wenham, MA)
   
10. Christendom College (Front Royal, VA)
    
    

The report, entitled Ranking America's Colleges, judged the schools on how well they provided "the classic 'liberal education' suited to a free citizen and a well-rounded adult." The report hopes to inform consumers, educators, and donors to the best and worst trends in American education.

In the assessment of the schools the report asked:

Are [students] being challenged to stretch their cognitive abilities in different fields, so they'll be intellectually and professionally versatile adults? Are they learning the basics of core disciplines such as American history, democratic government, English literature, and the market economy? Are they engaging with a wide range of freely expressed opinions on key ethical and political issues they will face as individuals and as citizens? Are they living in safe and sober residences where academic work is encouraged, not inhibited?

The report also emphasizes the importance of a liberal arts education in today's economy. Citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it says that workers go through an average of eleven different jobs by the time they reach age forty-four.

"Many workers must change careers, as industries decline or are transformed by technology and outsourcing," the report says. "The cognitive flexibility and intellectual curiosity developed by a true liberal arts education is the central prerequisite for a full, productive, and satisfying life."

The report described Christendom students as "intellectually and morally serious" that enjoy class discussions, which typically spill over into "long conversations over coffee."

All students complete a rigorous Catholic core curriculum covering Western civilization before choosing a major in classical and early Christian studies, English, history, philosophy, political science and economics, or theology. The school sticks to its specialties, so each of these majors is strong," the report continues. "Instead of political correctness, there is an absolute expectation of Catholic orthodoxy.

You can read all about it here.

Make sure you send me your friends' names and addresses so I can send them a check for helping with my advertising programJ.

Our summer programs are definitely better than most people think they are going to be, and, in fact, most people think that the week they spend here on our campus during one of the "Experience Christendom" Summer Programs (ECSP) is the best week they've ever had. It is hard for me to believe how this can be true, but when so many participants keep saying it over and over again, well, who am I to be a doubting Thomas?

I could go into the program here, but I will simply direct you to our webpage about it. (http://www.christendom.edu/admissions/ecsp.php) The dates, activities, classes, and all that other information is all there for your viewing pleasure. I will say, though, that some of the past program participants' testimonies and little videos are definitely worth taking a look at. These are real people, saying real things about this program, not a bunch of my "marketing propaganda."