July 2012
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
It was a year ago, on July 17, 2011, that I found out, via Facebook, that Dr. Carroll had died.
I was about to give a welcome/orientation talk to the students of the Latin Immersion Program, and I sat down at my desk to print something out and all of a sudden I see that former high school summer program participant Margaret Rohan (daughter of alumni Mike and Clare Rohan) posts, "Dr. Warren Carroll, RIP."
I called Mike Rohan who told me it was true. I immediately emailed the college/alumni community via email and facebook, and I had to call up Dr. O'Donnell (who was in California) on the phone and tell him the bad news.
When I got in front of the summer program students to begin to tell them this bad news, I felt something I normally do not feel: emotion. For those of you who know me, I'm not particularly known for my outward expression of emotion...for better or for worse. But that day, in front of those kids, I almost lost it. I began to think. Wow, the guy who started it all is gone. I owe just about everything I have to this man: my education, my current job, my wife, and subsequently, my children. Without him, and his incredible vision of founding Christendom College, who knows where I would be? This is the end of an era, an era of which I am proud to be a part.
Interestingly enough, throughout all the time that I had known Dr. Carroll (25 years), I barely said a word to the man. I had him for one class at Christendom, I wrote him a song once ("We Thank You Dr. Carroll"), and I helped him try and get the cross put back in the chapel of Bates College where he attended by writing a press release to the local papers, but other than that, not much of a relationship between us. Sure, I'd see him about campus now and again, and at the St. Patrick's Day celebrations, but that's about it.
And that's what sort of freaked me out a bit. Why was I so emotionally affected by the death of this one man? And the answer I came up with is because he is one man who made a difference. Any of the alumni who are reading this know the effect that a Christendom education had on them, their family members, and their friends. We have all seen the changes that go on between freshman year and senior year. There are 66 priests and 44 sisters who can point to Christendom as being instrumental in their choice of vocation. There are about 650 alumni who can say that they found their spouse at Christendom. And there are 1000s of alumni children who are being raised as good Catholics due to their parents having attended Christendom.
Now that a year has passed since Dr. Carroll died, I can actually say that, although I didn't hang out too much with him while he was living, I definitely talk more to him now more than I ever did over the 25 years that I knew him. I visit his nearby gravesite regularly, I pray for him daily, and ask for his intercession on behalf of our fundraising and enrollment departments so that we meet our goals. I figure that now that he is gone, he is the new VP for Advancement and Admissions, and if he really wants Christendom to succeed, well, he can ask the Big Guy for some assistance.
And it seems that he has been fulfilling his role pretty well this past year. In these terrible economic times, colleges are suffering from lack of donations and lower enrollments. And Christendom has been no exception....until recently. We just recently completed the best fundraising year (for the annual fund) of all time (See Money Matters below). And as far as enrollment goes, well, we are most likely going to exceed our goal for this year, which did not look possible just three months ago..
Thank you Dr. Carroll. We'll talk tomorrow!
Dr. Carroll Slideshow which was shown at his funeral
Until next time.....Tom McFadden, Director of Admissions, Marketing, & Alumni Relations (tmcfadden@christendom.edu).
Get your Christendom GEAR Here.
Before Instaurare, there was the Christendom College Report. These little pieces of history are great to read to get insights into Christendom College and its origins. Enjoy!
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Name: Cyrus Artz
Graduation Year: 2010
Major: Political Science and Economics
Grad school? None. I do hope to start
in a part-time program in Public Policy next year.
Current Occupation/Job Title: Professional Policy Staff, U.S. House
Republican Study Committee (RSC); and, temporarily, Communications
Specialist, U.S. Army National Guard
Why did you choose to go into this field?: A life-long interest in
politics, policy, and economics, combined with a desire to make what
limited contribution I am able to in forwarding the College's mission
in the nation at large.
How has your Christendom College education/experience helped you in your profession?: First and foremost, by instilling principles to
apply in my work on discrete policy issues founded both in Catholic
teachings on morality and the common good and in conservative
political and economic theory. Second, the College's rigorous
curriculum and focus on writing prepared me well for a fast-paced work
environment that requires strong communication skills. Finally, the
particular instruction I received from Dr. Luckey and Dr. Way in the
PSAE department on modern economic principles and the structure of
American politics has been very useful in my daily work.
What are you doing in your professional life to "restore all things in Christ.": The RSC is the caucus of conservatives in the U.S. House of
Representatives, and, in part, my work there requires me to analyze
legislative proposals in a particular set of policy issues and provide
information and recommendations on them to Members and their staffs.
I work to apply the principles Christendom instilled in me to my
consideration of actual legislation, encouraging adoption of proposals
in conformance with those principles and working to block proposals
that are not. This is most clear on issues related to the Culture of
Life or defense of traditional marriage, but also on proposals
potentially conflicting with the principles of limited government.
Limited government, particularly the principles of federalism, is in
accordance with Catholic teachings such as subsidiarity and is a vital
protector of the rights of the Church and individuals (as seen in the
fight for religious liberty against the HHS mandates and other
provisions in Obamacare). I believe the defense of limited government
protects the framework through which the College and Church at large
is able to do its work. Finally, as do all alumni of the College, I
try to set an example of an authentic faith-focused life for my
colleagues and those I encounter daily in order to fulfill our calling
to evangelize.
What do you miss most about Christendom?: The immersion in a culture
of Catholicism that encouraged virtue and didn’t mock earnest faith.
The ability to drop my ideological guards because I knew those that
surrounded me agreed with me on the existence of first principles and
their fruit. I also miss living in common with the incredible friends
I made at the College; breaking curfew with them was too much fun.
Girls who knew how to dance was also a plus.
Anything else?: I am actually on a leave of absence with the RSC for
2012 as I complete a deployment to Afghanistan with the Army National
Guard.
Coffee House. It's an event to remember, right? Some of our best memories from college are from the various talent and variety shows that the students put on, and none is bigger than the annual Coffee House production. Over the years, the talent continues to shine, and The Grapevine will now be featuring an oldie but goodie clip in every issue, until people start throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at the screen:)
A spoof of "It's a Wonderful Life," staring Dr. Warren H. Carroll, from back in 1993. The part of Dr. Carroll is played by Pat Haggarty and Dr. O'Donnell is portrayed by John Echaniz. Tom McGraw is Clarence.
Check out alumnus Christian Tappe's article on Crisis magazine.
Alumnus Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo on Fr. Groeschel's show.
Alumni priests, Fr. Zuberbueler and Fr. McGraw, get promoted.
Don Prudlo's article in Crisis.
Charlie Spiering's article in Crisis.
Article by Dr. John Cuddeback.
Love is in the air in Ohio: Grace Bellow and Vincent D'Agostino
Dr. Luckey on the radio.
Dr. Kurt Poterack's portfolio.
Christopher ('97) and Sara Young welcomed the arrival of their third child, Ethan Gerard, on June 14. He joins siblings Stella (almost 4) and Isaac (2) and is relishing all the attention they provide. Everyone is in good health, praise God! Sara and Chris live in Tigard, Oregon, just outside Portland. They'd love to hear from long-lost friends: saraandchristopher@gmail.com.
Deacon Fred Gruber '06 was ordained a priest on June 22. Here's an article about it.
Some Alumni Children Cousins pictured below: James Curran, Daniel Curran (children of Joe and Michele Curran 2003-2005), Isaiah Fier, Isabella Fier (children of Andrew and Julie Fier 2001), Sebastian Fox, Emma Fox, Isaac Fox (children of Kevin (2004) and Gretchen Fox).
Thomas Cole, '04, is honored and excited to be the new Academic Dean at Holy Family Academy in Manassas, Virginia. While the new position will include the administrative work that the title implies, he will be keeping his hand at classroom teaching. He is very much looking forward to the challenge and reward of the new position, and already working on the details of the next academic year! He takes over from Mo Woltering '93 who is the new Headmaster at Covington Latin School.
The Steve and Julie Asam '00 Monette family visited some Easter lambs at the end of April.
Alumnus and Student Achievement Award recipient Chris Foeckler '12 will be teaching math, religion, Physics, and an assortment of other classes at the high school and junior high school level at Holy Family Academy in Manassas, VA. He plans on pursuing graduate study part time.
Jeremiah and Katie (Erwin) ('10) Ii were happily married in Columbus
Ohio on April 21st. After a great honeymoon in Hawaii the couple
currently resides in Virginia.
Louis and Amber (Meza) Massett would like to announce the birth of their son, Charles Louis Massett. Charlie was born on April 3, 2012, weighing 9 Ibs. 1 ounce and 21 inches long. They are grateful for God's gift of life and many blessings! The Massett family lives in Richmond, VA, if any alumni would like to visit the city they are welcome to stay with them! (Picture below)
Alumnus Ben Ranieri has started his own business, called Rejuvenation Medicine. The website is www.OneLifeMed.com.
On May 19th, alumna Angie Elpers married Paul McDonald in Evansville IN. They are currently living happily ever after in Akron OH. (picture below)
Jeremiah and Jennifer (Knopf) Tutwiler ('97-'00) just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary! Jeremiah had Jen's favorite wedding day picture printed on canvas and framed for the occasion and it's ceremonious hanging in their home prompted many "oohs and ahhs" from their six children (well, at least the five who were old enough to appreciate the moment). Upon further inspection of said portrait, their three year old son noticed that an important person was conspicuously absent in the picture. So he asked: "who was babysitting ME?" And so begins another ten years! :)
The Jim & Michelle (McCoy '95) Hoeper Family survived the 100+ 4th of July temps with patriotic colors! Back row, Victoria 7; Cecelia 9. Front row, Kolbe 5 later this month; Blaise 3; and Larissa 1 year. (Picutred below)
Ann Marie (Popielarz) and Deo Read are happy to announce the birth of their 4th child, Brodie Ronson, on May 31, 2012. He joins his big brothers Deo and Kieran and his big sister Charlotte. (Pictured below)
Newly minted alumni Emily Hurt '12 checks in to tell us she started a new blog last year and updates it semi-regularly: www.theological-librarian.blogspot.com
The Akers Dynasty continues: John Maccabee Akers was born 2 weeks early on May 15, 2012, to Matt and Jan (Kuznia) Akers '03. Very proud siblings include Helena, Ivy, Josephine and Matthew. They are all happy, healthy and doing well! (Picture below)
Alumnus Mark Wallacavage won a home-make-over contest. Check it out: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20598378,00.html http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,20600573,00.html
From June 18-28 20 teenagers and young adults took part in the Saint Francis Xavier Mission Trip to Banica, Dominican Republic. The trip was the work of Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter organized by alumnus Daniel Heenan. They spent 10 days digging latrines, building a fence around the cemetery in the town of Cercadillo, and experiencing life in the mission. The pastor, Fr. Keith O'Hare, also received instruction in how to offer the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and a class in serving the Mass was offered for the altar boys in the parish. During the groups stay, three sung Masses and a Solemn High Mass were offered in Banica and another Solemn High Mass was offered in the historic colonial zone of Santo Domingo. Also participating in the trip as a chaperone was alumna and former Admissions Counselor Angela McNeely. For more information or to contribute to future endeavors of the Saint Francis Xavier Mission Trip, contact: SFXMission@gmail.com(Picture below)
Nathan and Elizabeth (Stephens '05) Traugott welcomed Vincent Gerard on May 4. Hugh, 3 and Gianna, 18 months, love their new brother to pieces. They're all doing great and are very happy its summer in Homer, AK. (pictured below)
Alumna Sequoia Sierra sends us an update: "Here is the link to a short film that I recently did wardrobe for; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHH7t5fXDwY. It is called the "Locket." It won best cinematography, and was nominated for best film of the year at a student film festival."
Gemma Rose Clarkson was born June 28 to Nikole (Hill -'08) and Bart Clarkson. She enjoys reading Tolstoy and expressed an eager interest in horticulture and archery. Gemma is already enthusiastic about joining the ranks of Christendom students. (pictured below)
Aileen McGuire (daughter of Brendan and Susan McGuire, both '03) turned 1 year old on June 25. Her parents submitted her birth announcement last year but included no picture so they thought they'd send one of her now! Her brothers, Joseph and Jack, are 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. The McGuires are all doing well this year! (Picture below)
Fr. Christopher Smith ('99) successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of Navarre entitled: Surnaturel Revisited: Henri De Lubac's Theology of the Supernatural in Contemporary Theology, and received the highest grade the Faculty of Theology gives: aptus cum laude. He returns to his parish, Prince of Peace in Greenville, SC to celebrate. (www.princeofpeacetaylors.net) (Picture below)
Alumna Anita Crane '93 has been busy writing:
1) http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/police-handcuff-human-rights-protesters-at-white-house/
2) http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/for-greater-glory-reveals-stunning-historical-attack-on-christians/
3) http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/americans-storm-streets-against-obamacare/
4) http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/movie-seeks-presidents-real-roots/
Sarah Golden (’12) is fundraising with the Laboure Society, an organization which helps college graduates who cannot pursue vocations to the priesthood or religious life because of their college debt. Sarah is extremely grateful for Christendom’s loan forgiveness program for graduates with religious vocations, but she is unable to enter the Poor Clares of Bethlehem Monastery in Barhamsville, VA until she resolves her private loans as well. You may read about her and her fellow religious aspirants at www.labouresociety.org/current, or visit her Facebook page "Help Sarah and the Laboure Society." Please keep her in your prayers!"
1. Name: Erin Clark
2. Hometown and year at Christendom: Front Royal, VA. Graduated Senior.
3. Parents names: Laura Hibl and Kevin Clark (both 1986)
4. How influencial were your parents in your decision to attend Christendom? Pretty influential, though I didn't realize it at the time. Having grown up in Front Royal and having so many family members who had come here, I initially didn't want to go to Christendom. My parents encouraged me to try out the Experience Christendom Summer Program to see what I thought. It was fun, but I still wasn't sure. However, my mom encouraged me to apply anyway, and after I got letters back from several colleges, we talked about it and it became clear Christendom was the best choice at the time. They helped me make and accept that decision, and now I'm so glad they did. My time here has been amazing.
5. What do you think is the biggest change at Christendom from what you hear of the old days? One big thing has to be the size. When my class came in as freshmen, there were about 125 of us. That's bigger than the entire student body was when my parents were here.
6. Are there any advantages of being a "legacy" student (i.e. an alumni child)? A legacy student is given an extra scholarship that comes from alumni donations, which is always helpful. Also, I probably knew more than others what to expect before I came, since I had heard about the classes, some of the teachers, and the overall lifestyle from my parents.
7. Have you had any of the same teachers as your parents? Yes. Mr. O'Herrron taught me THEO 101 and 102 back in freshman year, and this past year I took a course with Dr. Marshner. I have also taken classes with Mr. Mike Brown, who was good friends with my dad when they were students here.
8. Do you have any favorite stories that they used to tell about their days at Christendom? It's fun to hear about how things on campus have changed. I now take classes in the building that was used as a chapel, the old library is our cafe, attached to the Student Center that didn't exist back then, and their dorms are now the faculty offices. My parents come over sometimes, admire our beautiful library and reminisce about how small theirs was. My dad's favorite thing to talk about is how much easier the schoolwork must be now -- I think he says that partly because my GPA is higher than his was. :)
Alumni Children are Taking Over!
Dr. Carroll always said that he thought that one of the benefits of establishing a college like Christendom was that good marriages (and children) would come out of it. Boy, was he right!
The College has had over 120 alumni children attend the college over the past 10 years, with 13 more joining the freshman class this year. We just said goodbye to 12 of them at graduation this past May. Below is a picture of some of them. Catherine Marra (Dave/Joan Gallagher Marra), Erin Clark (Kevin/Laura Hibl Clark), Patricia Lademan (Bill/Miriam Bell Lademan), and Cecilia O'Reilly (Frank/Angelique Syversen O'Reilly) are absent from the picture.
From left to right: Anna McShurley (Mark/Holly Flagg McShurley), Brianna Miller (Dan/Debbie Miller), Katie Francis (Tom/Anne McOsker Francis), Johnny Ciskanik (John/Maggie O'Reilly Ciskanik), Celia Gossin (Dan/Laura Smith Gossin), Rob Fetsko (Bob/Jacqui Walz Fetsko), Dominic O'Donnell (Paul/Annie Cavins O'Donnell), Domick Donahue (Steve/Barbara Donahue).
And here's a group shot with all 12 of the legacy students and their parents at the Graduation Dinner, with Mr. O'Herron hiding in the back.
And this summer, 24 legacy children are attending the Experience Christendom Summer Progams to see if Christendom is everything (or nothing like, hopefully, for some of them:) their parents told them it would be. We look forward to seeing more and more Christendom alumni children in the future! And if you haven't updated your personal information with the College, including your latest children, please do so here!
What's going on with Dr. Carroll's gravesite?
Plans are currently underway to make the current gravesite of Dr. Warren Carroll much more ornate and fitting to a founding college president. Plans for the area, which will be announced in the near future, include asking alumni to help with the costs of improving the area and enabling them to become a part of this memorial to the college founder. (Stay tuned and see pictures below.)
Record Fundraising Year Helps Meet Student Need
The College has much to be thankful this year as it finished off its fiscal year with an historic end-of-fiscal-year fundraising drive that capped off a record operations fundraising year. (See chart below).
Christendom battled its way through a May-June operating shortfall that was the largest ever due to increasing student financial need. Advancement VP John Ciskanik attributes the successful effort to a generous donor base, a lot of hard work, and much prayer! In part, the increased giving likely resulted from significant recent investments in the Advancement Office’s infrastructure.
Advancement began a donor acquisition program three years ago that has tripled Christendom’s donor base and will, God willing, continue to bring in over 2000 new donors every year. The Office has also been overhauling its major gift program, adding two new major gift officers, working with an outside consultant, and making major structural changes. Advancement also capped off the year with a first ever phone fundraising drive that saw John Ciskanik and his team spending many evenings in May and June asking donors for their help. John sees this year’s success as an extremely positive sign as the College continues to battle the negative economy and raise much-needed funds for student scholarships and financial aid.
Please feel free to contact me at any time at 800-877-5456 x 1253. - Paul Jalsevac, Director of Development Operations
It is now a few weeks shy of one year since our beloved founder,
Warren H. Carroll, passed on. It only seems like a few months ago,
actually, that several hundred mourners gathered for his burial out
back. Yes, out back. Behind the Regina Coeli building (the old
commons). Past what was once the volleyball court (which has now
been permanently removed for obvious reasons). Right before the land
dips steeply down to the dam on the Shenandoah River. I have been
down there four or five times (which is three or four times more than
I have visited any other person's grave) stopping to say a few
prayers for him and to him each time. It is a simple "cemetery"
cordoned off by shepherd's hooks. As you approach, you first see
some potted flower arrangements situated around a rock. The grave
itself is covered by white stones and, for the time being, there is a
small metal plaque in the place of the headstone. It is a work in
progress. Dr. Carroll's body rests peacefully and tranquilly on the
campus of his college. And it's just out back. -Walter Janaro, Registrar
