Residential Summer School and Vita Consecrata Institute

The Program

Christendom College offers a Graduate Summer Program for those students who wish to pursue graduate Theological studies during the summer. Both the Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree and the Apostolic Catechetical Diploma may be earned at the Summer Program, over the course of at least four summers. It is a residential program, held at the main Christendom College campus just outside of Front Royal, Virginia, enabling people from all over the United Sates and abroad to attend the Christendom Graduate School. This program is popular with students who are not able to move to the Northern Virginia area for the regular (fall/spring) graduate program, and with teachers and others who have summers off. Of course many of the fall/spring graduate students also attend the summer program, accelerating their studies by going year-round.

The Vita Consecrata Institue (VCI), co-sponsored by the Institute on Religious Life, is held every summer in conjunction with the NDGS Summer Program. The VCI is an intense summer program of theological studies and spiritual renewal for religious, priests, seminarians, and other consecrated persons. The VCI focuses on the theology of the consecrated life as reflected in the mission and life of the Church. Students penetrate the mystery of the consecrated life by investigating magisterial documents (especially those of Vatican II and Pope John Paul II), by examining the rich historic tradition of the Catholic Church, and by prayerfully reflecting on this wondrous gift. The institute is structured in such a way as to assure religious men and women the full living of their consecrated life in a context of prayer, silence, study, and community. Students may earn graduate credit towards the degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Christendom College, or they may attend for personal renewal, auditing courses and participating in the liturgical life of a community enriched by the religious of various congregations.

The NDGS Summer Program runs for six weeks, ending the last week of July. A full cycle of courses is offered each summer, along with several elective courses. Special guest professors often supplement the Christendom faculty for the Summer Program. The beautiful riverside campus with its full range of recreational possibilities provides a perfect milieu for the study, prayer, and good times that make up Christian academic community life.

Residence halls are all conveniently located within three minutes walking distance of the classrooms, chapel and dining hall. Coin-operated laundry facilities are available in each dormitory. Meals are served three times a day in the St. Lawrence Commons.

Holy Mass is celebrated daily in the Chapel of Christ the King at the heart of the campus. Morning and Evening Prayer and the Rosary are prayed daily in community, and the Sacrament of Penance is made available on a regular basis.

Important Information for Summer 2010

Important Dates
June 19 & 20 – arrival for six-week students
June 21 – six-week courses start
June 26 & 27 – arrival for Vita Consecrata Institute Session I
June 28 – VCI-I starts
July 9 – VCI-I ends
July 10 – written comprehensive exams
July 10 & 11 – arrival for Vita Consecrata Institute Session II
July 12 - VCI-II starts
July 17 – oral comprehensive exams
July 23 – VCI-II ends
July 30 – six-week courses end
July 31 - Graduation

The Residence Halls
Summer program accommodations are simple, standard college dormitory facilities minimally furnished with twin beds, desks, dressers, chairs, and small closets with a few clothes hangers. Bathrooms are community, down-the-hall bathrooms, not private, so you will want to be sure to bring a bathrobe. We provide all residents with the following: two twin sheets, a pillow, pillowcase, mattress pad, a light-weight blanket, one bath towel, two hand towels, and a washcloth. The towels are small, so some students like to bring extras. There are laundry facilities in the dormitories. Students taking courses for credit have single rooms; those auditing courses will probably have a roommate, from their own religious order if applicable. To request a particular roommate, please email Nancy Briggs at nbriggs@christendom.edu. There MAY be some single rooms available for audit students at an extra charge of $100 per week – please let us know if you are interested in this. If you have a physical limitation or restriction that may affect your stay or require special attention, please let us know so we can place you in a room that is appropriate for you (for example, if you cannot easily climb stairs).

Things to Bring
Besides a bathrobe, you may also wish to bring the following to make your stay more comfortable: flip-flops or slippers, additional towel(s), clothes hangers, travel reading light, travel alarm clock, soap and toiletries, crucifix, another blanket (if you tend to get cold in air-conditioning) and insect repellent. We provide van transportation into Front Royal (5 miles away) twice weekly to accommodate any needs you may have. There is a small convenience store located within walking distance of the campus.

Meals, Snacks, and Dietary Needs
Besides a bathrobe, you may also wish to bring the following to make your stay more comfortable: flip-flops or slippers, additional towel(s), clothes hangers, travel reading light, travel alarm clock, soap and toiletries, crucifix, another blanket (if you tend to get cold in air-conditioning) and insect repellent. We provide van transportation into Front Royal (5 miles away) twice weekly to accommodate any needs you may have. There is a small convenience store located within walking distance of the campus.

Arrivals and Departures
You may arrive on campus on Saturday or Sunday before your program starts. Dormitory rooms might not be available before 3 pm on Saturday, and we ask that you vacate your room by noon on Saturday after the end of your program. Please make sure we have your current email address, so we can contact you about your dorm assignment, your airport pick-up, where to go when you arrive on campus, etc. If you will be arriving on campus after the dinner hour (5 – 5:30 pm on weekends) please be sure to bring some food with you, or money to purchase food at the airport or on your way to the campus; there is no food available on campus after 5:30 pm on weekends.

If you would like to request transportation from Dulles Airport, please use the form below, paying particular attention to the days and times of the service. We will pick up students at Dulles at 3 pm, 7 pm, and at 9 pm on the Saturdays, and at 10 am, 2 pm, and 5 pm on the Sundays before your program starts. For your return home, we can drop you at Dulles at 7 pm on Friday evening, or at 6 am, 10 am, or 3 pm on the Saturday after your program ends (10 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm on Saturday, July 31,) so please make your flight arrangements accordingly.

For last-minute emergencies (flight changes or delays) please call one of the following: 540-660-2387, 540-551-0336, 540-660-5821, 540-660-4507 to ensure your pick-up.

Recreation and Dress
You might want to bring clothes that would enable you to enjoy the following: trails in the woods and to the river, canoes/kayaks, outdoor tennis and volleyball courts, recreation room with pool table, foosball, and TV, and gym with basketball court, racquetball court and work-out room. Summers in Virginia tend to be hot and humid, and all buildings are air-conditioned (and some are quite cool, so you may need a sweater.) Dress for classes and meals is casual, but no shorts or tank tops are allowed at Mass.

Contact Information
While you are on campus, you can receive mail c/o NDGS, Christendom College, 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22360. There are phones on every dorm room floor, and the numbers will be posted near the phones. In an emergency, a message can always be left for you at the college toll-free number: 800-877-5456. For more information about the Christendom Graduate School 2010 Summer Program courses, or to register, please click here. If you have questions, you may contact Julie Thimons at the grad school by calling 703-658-4304 or emailing her at jthimons@christendom.edu.

Christendom Graduate School Summer 2010 Courses

FRONT ROYAL CAMPUS

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:45 – 11:15 am		CULT 603: Culture of the Middle Ages	THEO 605: Liturgy & Sacraments		CULT 603: Culture of the Middle Ages
1-3:30 pm	THEO 604: Moral Theology	THEO 802: Cath. Social Teaching		SCRI 607: New Testament	THEO 802: Cath.Social Teaching
4 - 5 pm	THEO 829: The Eucharist in St. Thomas (6/28 – 7/9 only)
6:30 – 9 pm	THEO 604: Moral Theology	THEO 605: Liturgy & Sacraments		SCRI 607: New Testament

VCI SESSION I

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:30 – 10:40 am	CONL 624: Vows According to St.Thomas	CONL 624: Vows According to St.Thomas	CONL 624: Vows According to St.Thomas	CONL 624: Vows According to St.Thomas	CONL 624: Vows According to St.Thomas
10:50 - 11:50 am & 4 - 5 pm	CONL 711: Marian Spir. & Consecrated Life	CONL 711: Marian Spir. & Consecrated Life	CONL 711: Marian Spir. & Consecrated Life	CONL 711: Marian Spir. & Consecrated Life	CONL 711: Marian Spir. & Consecrated Life

VCI SESSION II

ALEXANDRIA CAMPUS

Schedule

NDGS Summer Program & Vita Consecrata Institute
2010 Weekday Schedule

This schedule is for weekdays. Breakfast on Saturday & Sunday is continental. On Sundays, Mass is at 10 am and brunch is served 11:15 – 12 noon instead of lunch. The evening meal on Saturday and Sunday is at 5 pm.