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 In continuation of a long-standing
tradition, the faculty, staff, and friends of Christendom College gathered
at the Washington Golf and Country Club in Arlington, VA, to celebrate
the Patronal Feast of Christendom's Notre Dame Graduate School on March
25, 2001.
For the second consecutive year, His Excellency, Paul S. Loverde, Bishop
of Arlington, VA, honored Christendom's Graduate School by attending the
gala dinner celebration. "I'm delighted to be here with Christendom College
and its Notre Dame Graduate School tonight to celebrate [its] Patronal
Feast Day, the Annunciation of Our Lady. I am additionally pleased to
see that Christendom College will be following the lead of the Holy Father
by incorporating the Pope's new apostolic letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte
(At the beginning of the new millennium), into the lives of the members
of the Christendom College community," he said.
Bishop Loverde was referring to the announcement by Christendom President
Timothy O'Donnell, S.T.D., that the College has plans to distribute the
Pope's new apostolic letter to all of its faculty, staff, and students
for their spiritual reflection during the summer months.
O'Donnell began the evening recounting the somewhat miraculous story of
recovering car crash victim and Christendom College sophomore, Paul Jalsevac.
Paul had been in a serious car accident at the beginning of March where
he received many injuries, the most serious being that of a severed liver.
O'Donnell continued to explain that "through the prayers of Paul's family,
friends, and fellow students at Christendom College, Paul was now on his
way to recovery. The Christendom students spent a lot of time at Fairfax
County Hospital, on their knees, praying the Rosary and just about every
other prayer that they could remember. Paul is now back in Toronto with
his family and, according to all reports, is on the road to recovery which
should last about 18 months." On a side note, due to the example of these
Christendom students, and of course, by the grace of God, a number of
conversions have taken place at Fairfax Hospital, including the return
to the practice of the Faith by a nurse who had fallen away from Catholicism,
and the baptism of a comatose teenaged girl who had also been involved
in a car accident. For more information on Paul Jalsevac and his condition,
log on to http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/paul/paul.html.
Special Guest Speaker for the evening, Dr. Robert Royal, President of
The Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., delivered an inspiring
talk on "The 20th Century Martyrs," relating a number of the less familiar
heroic stories of martyrdom that occurred throughout the last century
in places such as Romania, India, and Mexico. He revealed that although
many Jews were indeed slaughtered during the Holocaust, Catholics should
always remember that they too were a target for the Nazis. Many Catholics,
and Catholic priests in particular, were imprisoned, tortured, and killed
by the Nazis during World War II, with Fr. Maximillian Kolbe and Sr. Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) being the most well-remembered Saints
during that persecution.
The evening concluded with Fr. William Saunders, Dean of the Notre Dame
Graduate School, and Dr. Timothy O'Donnell thanking Bishop Loverde for
spending his second anniversary as Bishop of Arlington with the Christendom
College community. O'Donnell presented His Excellency with a copy of his
book, "The Heart of the Redeemer" as well as a Christendom College polo
shirt.
The Notre Dame Graduate School (NDGS) is the result of a 1997 merger between
the Notre Dame Institute and Christendom College. NDGS offers a Master
of Arts degree in Theological Studies with concentrations in Catechetics,
Spirituality, Dogmatic Theology, and Sacred Scripture.
Registrations are currently being accepted for the Graduate School's Summer
Session, to be held at both the Front Royal, VA and Alexandria, VA campuses
from June 25-August 3, 2001. This summer's Msgr. Justin McClunn visiting
professor in Thomistic Studies will be the Reverend Romanus Cessario,
O.P. For more information, please contact the Admissions Office of Christendom
College, 800-877-5456 or admissions@christendom.edu.
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