Spirit Week!
In preparation for Homecoming last week, students dressed up according to a specific theme each day. At lunch, Student Activities Council members, Juniors Maeve Gallagher and Elizabeth Francis, called the most spirited and creative students to the stage to be voted on by the rest of the student body.

“Dressing up as a tree with my ‘twin’ Claire Kosten made this week so amazing,” says Senior Hilary Horner. “I love how Christendom gives students a week to get creative and just dress crazy.”

On Monday, students dressed according to their class color. Tuesday was “twin day,” where students dressed alike with a friend or sibling, and Wednesday was “Christendom spirit day.” Seniors dressed up the freshmen students in any costume they desired for Thursday’s “dress-a-freshman day,” and on Friday, students sported their “East-West” colors—gearing up for the Annual East-West Flag Football Game.


Sophomores sport their purple colors.


Freshmen rockin' the pink.


The winners of the twin day competition came down to the sophomore Bobby Crnkovich Doppelgängers and the Anime School Children.


Twin day saw a visit from the Blues Brothers.


Spirit Week is full of zany fun.


From the set of Disney-Pixar's Brave.


Your favorite cereal characters.


West fans cheer during a trivia competition.



Golfing for Scholar-Athletes
On Friday, the Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Golf Tournament took place at Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Course in Front Royal, Va., where the foursome of Howie Walsh, Tommy Salmon, Max Hess, and Paul Heisler walked away as victors. The 2012 recipients of the Thomas S. Vander Woude Athlete-Scholar Scholarship were announced at the awards banquet – Christendom freshmen Patrick Audino and Jeremy Minick. The tournament raised a record $20,000 with 110 golfers and 40 sponsors.


The winning foursome included current students seniors Max Hess and Tommy Salmon.


The Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Course, which Golfweek Magazine ranks as the "#3 Best Course you can play in Virginia."



Shield of Roses
On Saturday, 21 students joined Shield of Roses in protesting Planned Parenthood in Washington, D.C. While most attendees pray all four mysteries of the rosary, several students stand on the sidewalk with informational literature to hand out to women entering the clinic.

Senior Sara Federico has been a counselor with Shield for the past three years.

"Sidewalk counseling has been a great opportunity for me to witness in a real and deep way the mercy of God," she says. "When a woman is in her final moments before making one of the biggest decisions of her life, we are there to say, 'someone cares about you and wants to help you through this.'"


Homecoming Receptions
On Friday night, the Christendom alumni played the students in basketball in Crusader Gymnasium. (Read more about that in this week's Sports.) Following the narrow victory of the alumni men over the Crusaders, over 125 alumni and senior students spent the rest of the evening in St. Kilian’s Café, enjoying camaraderie, snacks, and drinks.

On Saturday, 13 members of the class of 2002 (along with some of their spouses and faculty and staff members), enjoyed a catered reunion luncheon in the Chester-Belloc room of the Regina Coeli Hall.

Later that evening, the Classes of 1992 and 1982 held private reunion events on campus, where a number of alumni who had not been to campus in a while made appearances. Approximately 250 alumni took part in the main event of the weekend celebrations, the Warren H. Carroll Alumni Reception, which was held in the Chapel Crypt. Many walked over and joined the students at the Homecoming Dance, held in the St. Lawrence Commons.


Robyn Lee ('02) catches up with College professors Robert and Mary Alice Rice.


The Class of 2002 reunion posses for a photo near the grave of College founder Dr. Warren Carroll.


Alumni chat with College president Dr. Timothy O'Donnell.


College Professor Dr. Brendan McGuire and Director of Development Paul Jalsevac converse with alumni.


A group shot of the 20-year reunion—some have children attending Christendom now.


Alumnae Jan Akers and Bethany Sargis pose for a photo with their former professor and Director of the Teacher Formation Program Dr. Eleanor Kelly.



Homecoming Dance
Part of Christendom’s big Homecoming weekend was a semi-formal dance, which features a live swing band, Yesterday Swing Orchestra. On Saturday, both the ceiling and columns, of the St. Lawrence Commons, were covered in whimsically strung lights and the atmosphere was completely transformed by the sounds of the band. Unlike previous dances, Homecoming is a way for families, faculty, alumni, and current students to all come together and enjoy a wonderful night.

“The Homecoming dance was by far one of the most fun dances I’ve attended so far,” said Freshman Alexis Seaver.

Everyone enjoyed themselves as the Commons was filled with constant conversation, eating, music, and most importantly dancing.


Sophomore Leif Pilegaard swings it with sophomore Maria Bonvisutto.


Freshmen Maribel Lopez and Peter Blank share a dance.


Brother and sister: sophomore Sandy and senior Mike Bobrowski dance.


Yesterday Swing Orchestra kept the floor hoppin'.


Junior Matt Speer and senior Katrina Shanley glide across the floor.



20th Anniversary of Presidential Installation
On Wednesday, the staff, faculty, and students showed their appreciation to College President Dr. Timothy O'Donnell for his dedicated leadership. O'Donnell, who celebrates the 20th Anniversary of his installation as President today, received several gifts including a large spiritual bouquet from the entire Christendom community.

Director of Admissions & Marketing Tom McFadden gave remarks on O'Donnell's achievements.

McFadden explained that when Dr. O’Donnell took the reins in 1992 the College had an enrollment of 144 students, an operating annual budget of less than 2.5 million dollars, total assets of slightly less than 5 million dollars which included an endowment nearing the half a million mark and building assets of 3 million dollars. Today the College has 388 students, an operating annual budget over 10 million dollars, total assets over 36 million dollars which includes a 10 million dollar endowment and building assets over 13 million dollars.


O'Donnell explains that the best decision he ever made, after marrying his wife, Cathy, was coming to work for Christendom College.


One of the gifts Dr. O'Donnell received was this spoof on the College's Quarterly Magazine, Instaurare.


Vespers Lauch Year of Faith
On Wednesday evening, college chaplain Fr. Donald Planty held Solemn Vespers in Christ the King Chapel to kick off the Year of Faith at Christendom. The Year of Faith, which was just declared by Pope Benedict XVI, officially begins today but students gathered in the chapel on the eve before to anticipate its start. They recited Vespers, accompanied by beautiful singing of the psalms by the choir. In a short homily, Fr. Planty explained the Year of Faith and its meaning for the faithful. He explained the various activities that the college will be hosting throughout the year to help students celebrate and grow in the virtue of faith. These activities will include talks by professors, efforts to increase student participation in the works of mercy, and increased devotion to daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.


The Vespers ended with Benediction—a beautiful beginning to the Year of Faith at Christendom.





A Day in My Life: Part 2
Along with the Tuesday/Thursday class days that I talked about last week, the semester offers a special Monday, Wednesday and Friday class: Introduction to Christian Art and Architecture, led by art historian Elizabeth Lev. After just one class, it was easy to see why her intellectual input and tours have been sought after by various distinguished visitors, such as former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as EWTN and the History Channel. Professor Lev’s vivacious attitude and remarkable knowledge on art make class a treat every time.

The course is composed of some “in the classroom” work which serves as informational preparation for the main part of the class, the tours. Adding an exciting twist on the normal college course, the tours (our “college of field-trips” ) take us all over Rome exploring with Professor Lev as our guide. The very nature of the tour class, however, ensures Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are always different. The flexibility necessary when working with in city the transportation system, museum hours, tourist traffic, allows for no “typical” class schedule. One tour day we may meet early in the morning to beat the pilgrim rush in a church or basilica. Another, we may have an all-afternoon museum tour. Each week is different, which makes it all the more interesting and fun. It also makes receiving the weekly schedule highly anticipated.

Of the tours so far, my favorite was our visit to the Coliseum. I was surprised to learn that, though the Coliseum is now such a symbol of Rome and Christianity, it was not always so. In its past, the building was used as a stone quarry, hospital, even a living residence! Thanks to the popes declaring it a sacred site, however, the Coliseum was preserved for future pilgrims. As a symbol of resolute faith despite oppression, it sets the bar for Christians today living in a world once again demanding the strength of the martyrs. Visiting the Coliseum was indescribable and should be experienced personally because the impact of that trip will last your whole life.



Morgan and Marilyn find Rome's "Bigfoot."


On tour in the Capitoline Museum with Prof. Liz Lev.


Taking notes in the Capitoline Museum.


Students discover the original statue of Constantine.


Conor Knox examines ancient inscriptions.


Exploring the Coliseum.


Taking notes at the Roman Forum.


On tour at the Roman Forum.


A group shot at the Coliseum.



Alumni in Every Field

There’s no doubt that Christendom college alumni are making their mark in the world. The range of things that graduates have gone on to do after their time here is both varied and fascinating.

During its 35 years, Christendom has turned out 3122 alumni, 15% of which have gone on to graduate school. Christendom alums have attended schools such as the University of Oxford, John Hopkins University, and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Not only are graduates accepted into these institutions, but many also receive substantial academic scholarships to go there. Even without advanced degrees, the countless alumni who have gone to work straight out of Christendom have successfully found their place in every corner of the working world.

“We have alumni who have become lawyers, doctors, nurses, architects, dentists, military officers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, neuroscientists, engineers, accountants, priests, religious, mothers, and fathers,” says Director of Admissions, Marketing & Alumni Relations Tom McFadden.

Alumni have gone on to work in fields such as non-profit business management, (Mark Rohlena, ’00—CEO of Catholic Charities in Colorado Springs) and politics (Cyrus Artz, ’10—Professional Policy Staff at Republican Study Committee). For alumni, the flexibility and depth of their liberal arts degrees from Christendom are assets that have been essential to obtaining their current occupations.

“The majority of the graduates believe that their liberal arts education has served them very well in the workplace because they are able to see the big picture and adapt to today’s ever-changing work environment,” McFadden explains. “We have alumni in just about every field possible, and most got into those fields by simply having their BA degree in liberal arts from Christendom, without going to grad school.”

Christendom has also fostered an impressive roster of 135 alumni religious vocations. There are currently dozens of diocesan priests that hail from Christendom, as well as 18 seminarians. Many other alumni belong to religious orders such as the Nashville Dominicans, Carmelites, Fathers of Mercy and the Poor Clares.

Christendom alumni are "restoring all things in Christ" by taking their education and skills into every aspect of society. It’s a legacy that future Christendom alumni will surely carry on for years to come.

Alumni Return to the Basketball Court

The Student vs. Alumni annual basketball games now have another classic to add to a long list of memorable finishes. On the Men’s side, the alumni would triumph with a defensive stand in the final seconds; however on the Women’s side the students would emerge victorious.

The Women proved to have more success in the earlier contest. Led by junior Bridget Vander Woude (12 points) and freshman point guard Cecilia Heisler (6 second half points), the students would earn a 34-21 victory. However, it was a close contest for most of the night and it was not until the final minutes that the Lady Crusaders took a commanding double digit lead.

Katy Vander Woude led the way for the alumni team with 8 points and was complimented by Kathleen Willard, who had two critical second half threes, while Abby Hill provided lock down interior defense. Yet the strong defense and explosive offense of the Lady Crusaders was too much for the Alumni team to contain and once again the student lead team came out with the win.

On the Men’s court the game was a back and forth battle from the very beginning. Despite the early loss of senior star and team captain, Brendan Krebs, the Christendom team was led by Junior Brian McCrum and sharpshooting Senior Tim McPhee. McCrum dominated the paint on the offensive side with 23 points and 12 rebounds while McPhee was 5-8 from behind the arc. Freshman Jeremy Minick commanded the offense and gave the Crusaders the edge in the fast break but the size of the Alumni proved too much.

The Fox brothers grouped with Scott Halisky and Greg Monroe controlled the boards and contributions by Patrick Quest allowed the Alumni to go into the final minutes with the lead. With less than 30 seconds to play the Alumni team had a chance to ice the victory at the charity stripe, but came up short—converting only one of two free throws, giving the Crusaders one last opportunity. With ten seconds to play Minick went for the tie with a top of the key three pointer, yet the shot rimmed out and time would expire after two more missed shots. For the second year in a row the All-Star Alumni team captured victory.

Sophomore Liz Slaten flies to the hoop.


The alumnae team of 2012.



Freshman Ryan Tappe shoots a three.


The size of the alumni was too much for the Crusaders.


Alumnus Ben McMahon maneuvers around sophomore Brian McCrum.


The alumni team of 2012. From left to right (back) Brian Fox, Greg Monroe, Marion Miner, Scott Halisky, Matt Hadro, Tom McGraw, Sam McMahon (Front) Kevin Fox, Victor Alcantara, Pate Quest, Ben McMahon, John Echaniz, David Booz, and Zac Inman.




Q. What is a typical day like at Christendom?

A. The short answer is that there is no such thing as a typical day at Christendom! The reason I say this is that every student’s schedule is varied, depending on their classes, extra-curricular activities, on-campus jobs, and sleep patterns

But, let me see if I can give you some sort of idea.

First of all, generally, all classes offered on Monday are also offered on Wednesdays and Fridays, while classes offered on Tuesdays are also offered on Thursdays. As a result, if you have a 9:30am class on Monday, you will also have that class at the same time on Wednesday and Friday. Classes on Mon-Wed-Fri are normally 50 mins each while the classes on Tues-Thurs are 1 hr 15mins each.

Monday through Friday: Mass is offered at 7:30 am, with Eucharistic adoration offered from the end of this Mass to the beginning of the next Mass at 11:30am. Students sign up to adore Christ in the Eucharist for 30 min spots throughout the week. Breakfast is served from 7:45-8:30am each morning. Then classes begin at 8:30. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays classes are held from 8:30-9:20, 9:30-10:20, and then 10:30-11:20. Then everything stops and our community Mass is offered at 11:30am. (with confessions heard for a half hour prior to it). Following Mass is lunch which is served from 11:45-12:45. Then classes resume from 1-1:50, 2-2:50 and 3-3:50. Quite often, the various sports teams have practice at 4pm. Dinner is then served from 5:15-6:00 and then the Rosary is said in community in the Chapel at 6:00, at which time confessions are also heard from 6-6:30pm nightly. Then, there are a couple of classes offered at night (6-9pm), but normally they are upper division classes for Juniors and Seniors.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, classes are 1 hour and 15 mins long. Classes go from 8:30-9:45, 10-11:15, 1-2:15, 2:30-3:45, and 4-5:15. Other than that everything is as listed above.

A freshman at Christendom normally takes 6 classes, worth 18 credits, and generally spends 18 hours of his/her week in class. The rest of the time can be used to pray, play, study, work, build friendships, eat, sleep, or whatever. A typical freshman class schedule may be this:

Monday-Wednesday-Friday
8:30-9:20 Euclidean Geometry
9:30-10:20 Literature of Western Civilization
10:30-11:20 Elementary Latin
1:00-1:50 Fundamentals of Catholic Doctrine

Tuesdays-Thursdays
8:30-9:45 Introduction to Philosophy
10:00-11:15 History of Western Civilization

The evenings during the week are generally spent in study, although many students do take part in the intramurals which are held most Monday and Thursday nights in the gym.

That’s the basic schedule, but as I said earlier, everyone has a different schedule based on all of their many activities.

Director of Admissions
tmcfadden@christendom.edu
800.877.5456 ext. 1290

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.