Name: Jessica Ward
Age: 20
Year: Sophomore
From: Cedar Rapids, IA
Major: History
Hobbies? I love to do anything crafty. Lately I have spent much of my time on the Student Activities Council. It's an excellent way to give back to my community. I also enjoy doing those random goofy things with friends that happen only in college.
What's your favorite class? My favorite class is History 202 with Prof. Sheehan. He teaches past events and ties them to what is currently happening today. It makes it interesting and gives a greater understanding of the world.
Do you play any sports? My hand-eye coordination is "0." I only play around my family.
Do you participate in any drama or music related activities? I've played violin since I was 6 and I've done the hair and make-up for the last three plays. Hopefully, one day I'll act in one when I have more time.
What is your favorite thing about Christendom? It is the small Catholic community. Everyone knows everyone and we all share a great love for the Church.
Why did you choose Christendom? I chose Christendom to get out of Iowa. No, I came because I believe that it would offer me the best formation I could ever receive.
What do you plan to do after graduation? Hopefully, God will hit me with a lightening bolt and let me know soon.

Hello, Dolly! Dazzles All

This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Christendom players produced the musical Hello, Dolly! at Skyline High School, to large crowds with smiling faces. The show, which was quite a feat to put on, was co-directed by alumnus Michael Powell and English Professor Dr. Patrick Keats, with the orchestra led and conducted by alumna Bridget Randolph. The costumes, hair, and makeup were amazing, and really made the show come to life.

The main character, Dolly Levi, a meddling woman who likes to match-make everyone -including herself - was played by talented Sophomore Meghan Kelly. Mr. Vandergelder, Dolly's eventual match, was played by Senior Nathan Gniewick, who did a phenomenal job in his last production at Christendom. The chorus, which was comprised entirely of Sophomores and Freshmen, was also well done, down from the costumes, to the dancing, and the singing.

"The acting and singing were really, really good," said Junior Madeleine Walter. "The costumes were really neat too!" Though the Christendom Players were initially skeptical of putting on this very complicated show with all of its components, they deserved every round of applause they received for a job well done!

Check out the pics below.


Dolly spins a web hoping to catch Vandergelder for herself.


The lead roles were well supported by the beautiful costumes and voices of the chorus.


There were many hilarious scenes: Barnaby and Cornelius hide from their boss, Mr. Vandergelder.


"It takes a woman, a dainty woman..."


Sophomores Dominic Vieira and Brianna Miller choreographed the dancing.


The 40-member cast was the largest in the Christendom College Players' history.


"It only takes a moment" to fall in love.


Dolly's hats were made by Admissions Counselor Beth Fettes.


The Library's Acquisitions Assistant, Mrs. Mickey Krebs, made a guest appearance.


Vandergeld couldn't resist Dolly's charms.

Open House

On Sunday afternoon, the guys of Christendom enjoyed the casual atmosphere of girl’s open house, enjoying a day of laughter and conversation.

In St. Catherine’s residence hall, top floor was full of activity, as students celebrated the birthdays of Sophomores Theresa King and Laura Grau.Music, face painting, and fun filled the common room, and visitors enjoyed delicious candy and snacks.

The ladies welcomed the guys into their dorms and enjoyed chatting with the guys of Christendom. The girls anticipate the next mens’ open house, when it will be their turn to explore the guys’ dorms. The next residence hall event is a bonfire at St. Theresa’s to be held on Friday night.


Out of respect for privacy, there is no inter-visitation between the men's and women's residence halls, however, several Open Houses are held throughout the semester allowing students to show off their rooms and hang out in a relaxed atmosphere.

The Last Hurrah

Second to Last Greetings from Rome!

On Tuesday, April 15th, the Rome students and our directors, the Fuertes, met with his Excellency, Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, who is the secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments. This special meeting was a courtesy of Dr. O’Donnell and the Archbishop himself. His Excellency took an hour out of his busy schedule to give us some background on his work and patiently answered any questions we had for him. At the end of the meeting, we were able to shake his hand and thank him.

This past weekend was the last free weekend of the semester, so my classmates and I took full advantage of this "last hurrah" before finals. We scattered like the wind to different countries and places, returning with some great stories and experiences. One group of my classmates went to France, another to Turin, while a third skipped off to the Island of Capri. The rest of the Christendom students stayed in Rome and did the traditional seven church pilgrimage.

The Turin group was blessed with opportunity of seeing the actual Shroud of Turin, a relic that is rarely shown to the public. Although they had to endure a six hour train trip both ways, sparse food, and very little sleep, the Turin group insisted that seeing the Shroud was well worth it. They also were able to explore the beautiful churches in Turin and visit the tombs of Saint John Bosco and St. Dominic Savio.

I traveled with the group that went to Malta, and we stayed there three days. The trip was extremely significant for me as a History major and Malta has long been a dream visit. Four of my classmates and I explored the Island and spent most of our time on the many beaches. Thomas Kelly, Nick Lowry, and Elise Anderson were able to visit Malta’s Military museum, while Noreen Daly and I visited the historical hospital building of the Knights of Malta, also known as the Hospitallers. Seeing the latter site was the ultimate highlight of my trip, and my classmates soon grew tired of me raving about it within hours. My group spent the last day of our trip on the Island of Gozo, where we were able to see the famous Azure window. Although it was windy and the water rather cold, Thomas Kelly insisted on taking a swim, and within minutes most of us had joined him. I enjoyed the impromptu adventure until Thomas yelled that he saw a jellyfish—it turned out to be a false alarm.

Now, as we drop our travel bags to the floor and shake the sand from our shoes, my classmates and I prepare to study for finals and enjoy our last weekend in Rome.

Until then…

Nick Lowry and Tom Kelly stand before the Island of Gozo's Azure Window.


Noreen Daly, Mary Harrington, and Elise Anderson discover the historical and natural beauties found in Malta.


Tom Kelly climbs the craggy coastline of Malta.


On the Seven Church Pilgrimage in bella Roma.

Wisdom From a Woman

Every few weeks or so, fifty or more Christendom girls pack into the lobby of St. Campion's Residence Hall to hear English professor Mrs. Hickson talk on subjects such as dating, spirituality, fashion, friendship, and lots more. These talks are extremely popular among the girls of Christendom, and a great way to learn from a woman who is wiser than most.

The talks were begun in the 2004-2005 school year when Student Activities Director Marie Antunes was a Junior at Christendom. Antunes says that the talks have had a positive effect on the girls at Christendom.

"It's great to have a role model like her," Antunes says. "The discussions bring up so many things that you think about for a long period of time. Mrs. Hickson really puts herself out there, and gives the girls an opportunity to ask more specific questions that wouldn't necessarily have come up in their day-to-day conversations. She creates an opportunity to be able to give counsel, and that is a really beautiful thing."

The topics are chosen in multiple ways. Flyers are put out to advertise topic choices, or oftentimes girls come up to Mrs. Hickson and tell her specific issues they are struggling with She really strives to get input from the women of Christendom and research them so she can better cater to their needs.

"I always like to go to the talks myself because she always gives really timeless advice, though the talks are more geared to women in their college years," Antunes says. "Mrs. Hickson really just has a great pulse on the challenges facing the women of Christendom."

Mrs. Hickson seems to be the best women for these talks, specifically because she is able to reach the girls, and motivate them in a unique way. When asked specifically what gives her this ability, Antunes said, "I think her integrity as a woman, her prayer life, her own continual formation, and her life experiences really add to her ability to speak to a number of different women on a number of different areas."

Mrs. Hickson says that the girls like to know there is a woman on campus who is older, and yet they can relate to and who understands them.

"They seem to enjoy it and I love the girls and have lots of fun with them. I've even thrown pajama parties at my house a couple times for them," Hickson says. "The talks have been something I've enjoyed doing, and I've gotten to know the girls a lot better, and I've learned a lot myself."

The women of Christendom continue to look forward to Mrs. Hickson's talks, and hope they are able to continue to grow from them and experience more of them in the years to come. They feel blessed to have such an amazing woman who is gifted with the ability to speak to girls in this way here at Christendom.

Intramurals Engages the Shenandoah!

After many years of the beautiful Shenandoah River being a neighbor to the Christendom campus, it has finally been tapped into for the Crusader intramural program. Last week, the Athletic department, led by freshman Zach Francis, started the first ever intramural canoe tournament here at Christendom. With the spring season in full “bloom” in the Shenandoah Valley, the timing is perfect for activity on the river.

The goal of the races is not so much the competition but to continue to make the river a part of the campus life. We are blessed to have such a beautiful campus, especially at this time of year and with everyone yearning to get outside in the nice weather, the races offer another way to be outside and enjoy mother-nature while having a little fun and competition with friends. Many students already take the kayaks and canoes out on the river at different times but the tournament offers a more structured way for people to enjoy what the Shenandoah Valley has to offer with the excitement of competition an added plus!

The tournament, which is a double elimination tournament, consists of 10 canoe teams who will be competing against each other for the next week and a half. The races, which occur in the afternoons of the weekdays and weekends, include each team canoeing across the river, going around markers in hopes of finishing in front of the opponent, while their friends cheer them on from the shore.

Last week was the first week of competitions and the tournament will continue through this week and finish up with the championships next week.

It is great to hear students comment about their enjoyment of the river and the boating experience. Last week, I overheard a group of students talking about how they love being outdoors and in particular how they really enjoy canoeing and boating. They mentioned that without the opportunity here, they wouldn’t be able to do something like boating while in college.

So if you are around campus in the next few weeks during an afternoon, take a stroll down to the “marina,” as it is called, and you might see some canoe teams racing to the other side and back or just some students out in a kayak or a canoe enjoying the river.



The dam near Christendom College creates calm high water levels ideal for canoeing and kayaking.




Q. Hey Mr. McFadden! I have two questions for you. First of all, what kinds of scholarships are available outside of need-based aid? I’m afraid my parents may make too much for me to qualify for any of that. Secondly, if I all of a sudden decided that I wanted to apply to Christendom, but it is after Christendom’s application deadline of March 1, what are the chances of me getting in? Thanks so much. I enjoy reading the Chronicler each week – Jim Maxwell, Gobles, MI

A. Thanks for the questions, Jim. First of all, because we are the only Catholic college eligible to receive Federal funds, yet chooses not to accept them, we are going to approach scholarships and grants and all aspects of financial aid in somewhat of a different manner than everyone else.

But, that being said, I believe that our academic scholarships are pretty good and can be a good source of financial aid to students. Basically, if you get SAT scores above 1920 or ACT scores of 29 or above and you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, you will automatically receive merit-based scholarships, ranging from about $3000 a semester to $5000 a semester for all four years. Also, we offer a number of Christendom Fellowships which are based on a student’s extra-curricular activities, combined with academic excellence.

The answer to your second question is a bit more difficult to answer. As you know, we are a small college and we do not plan on growing which means that we have a limited amount of housing available. Therefore, we only plan on enrolling about 125 new students each fall. Right now, we actually have a waiting list for the fall so it is going to be a little more difficult to get in at this point, but there is always hope. If someone is really interested in attending in the fall, my recommendation is to apply as soon as possible and we’ll do all that we can do to try and get you in.

Thanks for asking!


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.