Name: Joe Townsend
Age: 20
Year: Junior
From: Front Royal, VA
Major: Political Science
Hobbies? Online dating, Facebook, Xbox 360, memorizing LOTR, ice fishing
What's your favorite class? Either Constitutional Law with Prof. Madan or Freedom of the Will with Prof. Brown. The enthusiasm that both professors have for their subject materiel is contagious.
Do you play any sports? Basketball, it's an obsession of mine. I both play here on the varsity team and help coach local youth teams.
Do you participate in any drama or music related activities? Unfortunately I am completely unable to sing or act, so not in public.
What is your favorite thing about Christendom? Prof. Sheehan. His knowledge of history and experience combine to make incredible classes. In fact all the professors here are exceptional, inside and outside the classroom.
Why did you choose Christendom? I wanted a liberal arts education that would also challenge my spiritual life in a way that only this college can do.
Plans after graduation? Take a nap.

The Seven Keys to Baldpate

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Warren County High-school Auditorium was filled with viewers eager to see this year’s fall play by George M. Cohen, “The Seven Keys to Baldpate.” The play, a mystery-comedy was directed by Alumnus Mike Powell and Literature Professor Dr. Patrick Keats.

In “Seven Keys,” Senior Kyle Kelly played William Magee, an author of popular adventure novels, who bets $5,000 that he can write a novel in 24 hours. Retreating to the Baldpate Inn to write the novel, he soon finds himself surrounded by gangsters, femme fatales, and a myriad of other characters all eager to get their hands on a fortune locked away in the hotel safe. The play comically revolves around the rather dramatic events that go on within those twenty-four hours in the inn.

The Players did a fabulous job. Their talent was amazing not only in acting, but also in the behind the scenes—the set, the makeup, the hair, and the costumes.

Every year the Christendom Players produce two plays: one in the fall and one in the spring. And because Christendom does not have a drama department, students from across all disciplines are welcome to audition for the performances, making Christendom's liberal arts experience rich in the fine arts as well.


Femme Fatale Myra Thornhill, played by Junior Mary Haringon.


Alumnus Mike Powell, the principal director, filled in for Senior Cyrus Artz (who took ill the weekend of the play) in the role of Mayor Cargan and gave an impressive performance. Above he chokes the gangster Max, played by Sophomore Chris Foeckler.


Chief Police Roberts, played by Senior Nathan Gniewek, nabs the guilty Max.


Kelley performed the slightly awkward yet lovable author well. Especially enjoyable were his fumbling efforts to woo the lovely Mary Norton, a newspaper reporter played by Junior Amanda Dean.


In a deus ex machina ending, the owner of the inn, played by Freshman Olivia Aveni, appeared to reveal that the whole thing was a farce.


The cast poses for a photo outside the Auditorium following one of their performances.

Feast of Christ the King

Last Sunday, the college community celebrated the Feast of Christ the King. The chapel was filled to the brim and the procession was held following Mass. The congregation processed across campus following the Eucharist exposed in the Monstrance, held by Chaplain Fr. Daniel Gee.


David McWhirter carried the thurible at the front, and led the crowd in processing.


Following David and the other acolytes on this beautiful Sunday, some of the Christendom ladies scattered rose petals before the Eucharist.


The patronal feast of Christ the King Chapel.

Faculty-Staff Come Back for More

The second Faculty-Staff vs. Seniors Football Game took place last week on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. Mr. McFadden, Christendom’s director of Admissions, started the action with a snap to Chaplain Fr. Daniel Gee. From that moment, everybody just went all out. It was a back-and-forth game of seniors gaining ground, followed by a turnover and the faculty making headway. The game ended with a beautiful Hail Mary pass by Fr. Gee, but good defense knocked it incomplete. The Seniors won, 12-6.

Commenting on his class’ victory, Senior Seth Elmenhurst said, “It made me feel vicariously victorious.”


Senior Ryan Doughty gets nabbed by Philosphy Professor Mark Wunsch as Director of Admissions Tom McFadden falls to the ground..


Fr. Gee displayed his great passing and rushing game.


Senior Jason Green looks down the field for his man in the end-zone.



Though they were divided on the field, staff and students both left the game with smiles on their faces.



Victorious again.

The Communist-Turned-Good

On Monday Christendom's Founder Dr. Warren Carroll delivered a lecture entitled "Witness: Whittaker Chambers." His talk focused on the famous Hiss-Chambers trial.

"Why are Chambers and the man he exposed, Alger Hiss, so important," Carroll asked. "Because at that moment in American history, in the 1950's, when we first engaged communism in a shooting war in Korea, he revealed that communism was our supreme enemy and showed us why."

Download this talk at Christendom on iTunes U.

Prof. Wunsch: So Much More Than a Philospher

Professor Mark Wunsch is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy here at Christendom. One of six in the philosophy department, he taught for the Rome Program for four semesters before coming to Christendom's Front Royal campus three years ago. Wunsch teaches the freshman philosophy courses as well as Philosophy of Human Nature, History of Modern and Medieval Philosophy, and an elective course, De Aeternitate Mundi (On the Eternity of the World).

“There are things about all of the classes that I like,” says Wunsch. “I think that my experience teaching an upper division elective was particularly satisfying.”

Wunsch received his BA in philosophy from Regis University in Denver after having studied in the seminary. He then went on to spend five years doing graduate studies and received his Ph.L from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

When asked why he started teaching at Christendom, Wunsch says that he was just impressed with the mission of the college and with our students.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time [in Rome], and I was glad for the opportunity to be able to teach there.”

Mr. Wunsch often gets involved in the extracurricular activities as well. He helped out a little with the play this year, which was a throwback to the fact that he initially went to college to study theater and drama. Wunsch has performed at a few Coffee Houses, singing and playing his guitar.

“I've enjoyed helping out with drama, helping out with Student Life activities, things here or there,” says Wunsch.

He has also played in various sports games that Christendom has held, including the Faculty-Staff vs Students Football Games. Wunsch laughs at the contrast of bonding with students in an aggresive game of football and his time with students in Rome.

“I used to enjoy drinking espresso with students in a café.”

Regardless, whether inside or outside the classroom, on the football field or the stage, Wunsch is part of what makes Christendom's education a personal experience.

Crusaders vs. Cannons

The Christendom basketball teams finished their semester last night with both the women and the men playing against the Lord Fairfax Cannons.

The women’s team, who was playing without their leading rebounder Mary Hill due to an injury from the previous game, fought hard for 40 minutes against a physical and fast Lady Cannons team. The Lady Crusaders were offensively very balanced with 6 players scoring within one point of each other.

The Lady Cannons proved to be too much as Logan Clark led all scorers with 18 points. The Lady Cannons won 58-33.

The Lady Crusaders bid farewell to juniors Mary Kate Vander Woude and Mary Hill who will be going to Rome next semester for Christendom’s Junior Semester in Rome Program. The team looks to regroup with many fresh faces next semester.

The men’s basketball team also played the Cannons in what proved to be a classic battle of whose tempo would win. The Cannons wanted to run and push the tempo contrasted to the methodical style which the Crusaders have demonstrated over the semester. The game was back and forth for much of the first half with the Crusaders taking an early 10-4 lead, but the last 4 minutes of the half the Cannons went on an offensive frenzy that put them up 8.

The 2nd half saw the pressure and speed of the Cannons overwhelm the Crusaders. But the Crusaders battled back. After the Cannons pushed the lead to 17 (thanks to John Thomson’s strong play) the home team cut it to 9 with baskets from freshmen Brendan Krebs and Tim McPhee. Unfortunately Christendom wouldn’t be able to get any closer and the Cannons pulled away to win by a score of 72-58.

The men’s team also bids farewell to key players Matt Rensch and Joe Townsend who head to Rome, and Matt Hadro who graduates. The young Crusader team looks to start strong in late January.


Junior Jane Snyder leads the Lady Crusaders down court.


Sophomore Brian Fox takes it to the hole.





Q. I know the December 1 Early Action Deadline has just passed, and, unfortunately, I did not get my act together and have my entire application package complete. Does this mean that I should just wait and send in my application by the March 1 Regular Admission Deadline so that I can hear back from the Admissions Committee by April 1?

A. This is a question on a lot of peoples’ minds this week. Although we did receive more applications for the Early Action Deadline than ever before in our history (in fact, almost 50% more than this time last year), if you didn’t get it together in time, please do not worry.

Those that completed their applications by this December 1 deadline will be notified of the Admissions Committee’s decision by December 15th. That’s the great thing about applying before the Early Action Deadline – we guarantee that you will have an early answer. But, if you missed the deadline, then you should still go ahead and get everything in to us as soon as possible because we will most likely be accepting people between now and March 1 on a type of rolling basis. This means that when the application comes in, we send it to the Committee and they give an answer, but the answer may not come until sometime in late January or early February.

Those who wait until the last minute and apply right before March 1, the Regular Application Deadline, will normally not find out what the decision is until April 1, and even then, depending on how many applications and acceptances we’ve already had, the applicant may be placed on a waiting list.

My recommendation is this: if you are interested in possibly coming to Christendom College in the Fall, then apply now. If you are waiting on better SAT or ACT scores to arrive, you can still apply now and mention that you don’t want the application going to the Committee until we get the latest results. If you are waiting to finish this or that class in school, don’t worry about it. We can update your transcripts when they arrive. The biggest thing to worry about this particular year is that Christendom may end up with a waiting list for entrance due to the incredible number of applications we have already received from so many highly qualified candidates.

So, I hope this gives you some encouragement to continue to work on your application and to get it in to my office as soon as possible.

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.