Student Organizations

Clubs
Social Life
Volunteer Work

Student Organizations and Clubs

a) Student Ambassadors
These students are selected by the Admissions Office to represent the College to prospective students, College alumni, and donors, primarily by giving campus tours and hosting prospective students in their rooms.

b) The Christendom Players
Under the direction of Christendom College English Professor Dr. Patrick Keats, the Players put on a variety of plays and musicals – one in the fall and one in the spring. All students are invited to audition for the plays and others are encouraged to use their talents in helping with set design, make-up, costumes, and music.

c) Shield of Roses
Following 7:30am Mass on Saturday, students travel to Washington, DC, to pray in front of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. They normally return to the College in time for the mid-day meal. Once a semester, the Shield of Roses leaders organize a “Mega Shield” event where they try and encourage the entire student body to take part in the prayerful protest.
 
d) Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is a world-wide organization of the lay apostolate. Students in the Legion seek to take the light of faith they receive at Christendom to the wider world. They do so by accepting a routine of prayer and apostolic works— at least two hours a week— thus deepening their faith while bringing it to others. Works include door-to-door evangelization, comforting of the sick and dying in nursing homes, and visitation of inmates at a local prison.

e) Chester-Belloc Debate Society
The Debate Society exists to provide students with the opportunity to sharpen their intellectual wit and provide practice in extemporaneous speaking. The Debate Society meets numerous times throughout each semester and all members of the student body are invited to participate.

f) Schola Gregoriana
The Schola Gregoriana assists in the College community’s worship in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by chanting the traditional propers. This all-male group thus beautifies the weekly Sunday Mass, helping to elevate the hearts of the Faithful to interior participation in the Holy Sacrifice. The group also chants the propers for the high feasts celebrated during the school year as well as at the graduation Mass.

g) Choir
Men’s and women’s choir which sings for Sunday and feast day Masses on campus. The choir sings sacred polyphony by such noted masters as Palestrina, Victoria, and Josquin des Prez. Occasionally the group gives performances off campus.

h) The Rambler
The student journal dedicated to training the next generation of Catholic journalists and intellectuals to engage the world through the media. *Rambler* journalists gain invaluable experience reporting and writing about the news, arts and culture, and faith and reason from the perspective of their liberal arts education. As a member of the Collegiate Network (CN), *The Rambler* offers a unique chance to make contacts and pursue journalistic excellence through CN conferences, news internships, and other valuable opportunities such as the CN's Geo-Strategic Journalism Course held in Prague.

i) Holy Rood Guild
This group of women students cares for the vestments and altar linens used in the Chapel, and coordinates displays and decorations for religious celebrations.

j) The Film Club
The Film Club is a group of dedicated amateur filmmakers interested in producing films of high quality and good content while building up the Christendom community. The Film Club hosts a Film Fest at the end of every academic year. This event provides a forum for all student filmmakers to display their work..

k) Outreach
Outreach is a club for those interested in performing some of the corporal works of mercy. Students volunteer at the local crisis pregnancy center and Habitat for Humanity. They also participate in a Meals on Wheels program and help out at the local parish’s soup kitchen. On Sundays, students go to an area nursing home to visit with the elderly and sometimes put on small concerts for their enjoyment.

l) Shogi Club
The Shogi Club is made up of students who are interested in meeting on a weekly basis and playing this Japanese chess game.

m) Students for Life
Students for Life is different from the Shield of Roses pro-life group in that it focuses on more activism, particularly, political activism with regards to the sanctity of human life issues.  They meet twice a month throughout the school year and normally focus on doing one big project a semester, for example, a literature drop prior to an election.

n) Contra-Dance Club
Students meet on Thursday evenings to enjoy each others company contra-dancing. Contra-dance is a type of English country dance, where someone “calls” out the various dances.

o) Swing/Ballroom Dance Club
Students interested in improving their dance moves meet on Sunday nights to swing dance and to learn such dances as the foxtrot, the rumba, the waltz, and the tango. Students who are talented in these dances offer personalized instruction to those who are interested.

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Social Life

Christendom students are an outgoing, lively bunch, and the social life of the campus reflects their myriad interests, talents, and tastes. A Student Activities Council comprised of representatives from each class meets weekly to plan student events. Frequent weekend activities include college-sponsored parties and dances, movies, cookouts, talent/variety shows, music appreciation nights, concert trips, and outings. And the students display a remarkable ingenuity and creativity in devising entertainment for themselves.

Feast Days of the Liturgical year are observed with particular celebration. Holy Days of Obligation are campus-wide holidays. For the College's patronal feast, the Feast of Christ the King in November, a beautiful, sung Mass begins festivities which usually extend through a day or even an entire weekend, and often include a dance and a champagne brunch.

As befits her high place of honor within the Church and the College Community, the Blessed Mother is reverently venerated on campus. Her feast days are joyfully observed.

St. Patrick's Day is a particularly welcome feast coming as it does during Lent. After a true Irish meal of corn beef, cabbage and Guinness Stout (for those who have reached their majority), a group of kilt-clad Christendom men lead a large and appreciative crowd of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their families in singing Irish songs and ballads. Other students and faculty members entertain the audience with Irish dancing, poetry recitation, more singing, and story-telling.

St. Joseph's feast day is celebrated with liturgical pomp and a grand Italian banquet, made by students of Italian heritage and others, complete with an amazing assortment of breads baked by students.

Not to be outdone, students and faculty of German descent honor the cultural contributions of their forebears with Oktoberfest revelry which includes music, dancing, singing, and recitation (and stein raising, of course).

Among many other remarkable yearly campus traditions are St. Cecilia's Eve, a night of classical, operatic, and sacred musical pieces performed by students; Coffee House, an artsy evening of comedy, singing, recitation, and drama; impromptu music nights called Pub Nights; an annual Mystery Dinner Theatre put on by students; and much more.

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Volunteer Work

Since self-centeredness is the greatest single cause of human misery, the Student Life Department encourages students in good academic standing to participate in spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The Legion of Mary thrives on campus. The Student Activities office organizes blood drives and Christmas food drives. Some students participate in a ministry of catechesis and evangelization in Front Royal, and inner-city Washington, DC; others volunteer at a nearby crisis pregnancy center. In the process of building the Body of Christ through such activities as these, students improve their sense of perspective on themselves, and they mature. The volunteer activity, of course, remains distinctly secondary to the students' primary academic responsibilities.

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