Anne Carroll, founder of Seton School, Seton Home Study, and wife of late Christendom College founder Dr. Warren Carroll, will be honored during Christendom College’s 2026 Commencement Ceremonies this upcoming May 15-17 on Christendom’s Front Royal, Virginia, campus. Carroll will deliver this year’s Commencement Address to the Class of 2026 and will be honored by the college for her outstanding contributions to the Catholic faith, culture, and public life.
Carroll earned her B.A. from Loretto Heights College and her M.A. from New York University. In 1975, she founded Seton School in Manassas, Virginia, to provide a faithful Catholic education for junior and senior high school students. Two years later, she helped her husband open Christendom College, playing a pivotal role in the college’s early development as a director while continuing to serve as Seton’s executive director.
In the early 1980s, families outside Northern Virginia began to seek the same quality Catholic education Seton School provided. In response, Carroll founded Seton Home Study in 1982, appointing Dr. Mary Kay Clark as director. Carroll is also the author of two widely used history texts — Christ the King: Lord of History and Christ and the Americas — which have been read by thousands of students over the past several decades.
Over her 50-year career, Carroll’s passion for Catholic education has shaped generations of students. Her tireless efforts have earned her the St. Thomas More Award from the Diocese of Arlington for lifetime achievement, an honorary doctorate from Christendom College’s Graduate School of Theology, and Christendom’s St. Catherine of Siena Award for distinguished service to the Church.
In 2025, Carroll was honored with the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Leo XIV in recognition of her decades of service to the Catholic Church. The Papal Honor, which has been awarded to laity and clergy for the past century, recognized Carroll’s enormous contributions to the Catholic Church in America, serving as a lasting tribute to her devoted leadership, steadfast faith, and lifelong dedication to advancing Catholic education in America.
Christendom has been honored to welcome distinguished guests to its Commencement Ceremonies in years past, including Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Gerhard Cardinal Muller, Lou Holtz, Patrick Madrid, Alice von Hildebrand, Senator Rick Santorum, Robert Cardinal Sarah, and others.
See the full 2026 Commencement Schedule here.