So many recent converts to the Faith, after being educated in an intense manner over a series of months and then entering the Church at the Easter Vigil, are then left to fend for themselves, with little to no follow up on their education in the Faith. As a result, sometimes the vigor that they had as new converts begins to wane, and their knowledge of the Faith and the teachings of the Church end up being somewhat lacking.
Vanessa Cowart was one such convert. Excited to be a new member of the Catholic Church, she desired so much more than what her parish could offer her. She was eager to learn the Truth, and to be immersed in the traditions of the Church. And that’s when she discovered Christendom College’s graduate school.
“I was drawn to the school because I had converted to the faith, but understood little of what the faith taught,” says Cowart, who had been a public school teacher in Florida at the time. “I found Christendom online when I was looking for education programs, and I committed to it because of the summer program. Being a teacher, I was busy all day long and knew I could not learn more about my faith on my own during the school year. Then I saw it was nestled in the beautiful Shenandoah River Valley! I went back every summer because Christendom gave me the opportunity to learn the faith in a beautiful, relaxing environment where I could totally focus on my studies. Also, it was as close to Heaven as I’ve ever been…daily prayer, daily Mass, class, canoeing, hiking, meals, friendships. I wish I could live there year-round! God is clearly present there.”
When it comes to gaining a better knowledge of the faith, an education which is rooted in the study of Sacred Scripture and Church tradition provides a fuller understanding of Church teaching which allows the student to become more fully a member of the living tradition. With concentrations in Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, Sacred Scripture, Evangelization & Catechesis, Spirituality, and Theology of the Consecrated Life, alumni of the graduate school received a thorough, and faithful, understanding of the teachings of the Church.
Christendom’s graduate school is known for a rigorous and traditional education, which is why converts to the faith have chosen it to deepen their understanding of the faith and to earn their MA in Theological Studies at an affordable cost. At Christendom’s graduate school, the faith is presented in a way that enables students to delve deeply into the primary sources of Church teaching, study the Truth, and fully live out their baptismal vocation. Such an education is appealing to converts who often crave more in-depth knowledge of their newly found faith.
Now as a Catholic school teacher in Missouri, Cowart is so thankful for her educational experience at Christendom’s graduate school, and the time she spent there participating in the residential summer program.
“Teaching at my Catholic school in Portageville, Missouri, I am able to infuse my knowledge of the Catholic faith into every subject I teach. At St. Cecilia in Kennett, MO, I am the PSR Director and RCIA Director, forming rural Missourians’ Catholic faith in an orthodox program,” she says. “As a convert to the faith, I did not know much about my faith when I arrived in Front Royal, and came to Christendom an ‘informal heretic’ unbeknownst to me. I feared I would wash out within a week because of my limited knowledge. Thanks to the dedicated professors, their patience, their commitment to teaching, their orthodoxy, I left there a strong orthodox Catholic committed to the Faith of our Fathers.”
Cowart was inspired by her participation in the graduate school summer program to start a Catholic summer camp for children at the St. Ann Haitian Center in Florida, when she was a resident there.
“The summers spent at Christendom taught me the true joy and love of our faith,” she says. This Catholic joy is what the activities of the summer camp focus on, enabling the children to experience the reality of a faith that enables man to become truly and fully alive.
“My education at Christendom impacted me as a teacher,” says Cowart. “Being on the student side of things gave me a deeper empathy for my students in my own philosophy of education, and the professors at Christendom showed me what true education should look like.”
For more information about the graduate school and to learn how catechists, Catholic school teachers, and Directors of Religious Education can save 50% off tuition, go here.
Contributed by author Nuala Kelly (’19).