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Christendom College Quick FactsView a PDF version of a College brochure (Skills for Life) which explains the benefits of a liberal arts education and highlights what some Christendom College alumni do after graduation.
Christendom College is a four-year coeducational Roman Catholic Liberal Arts College with undergraduate and graduate programs offered on three campuses in Front Royal and Alexandria, Virginia, and Rome, Italy. Founded in 1977 in response to the devastating blow inflicted on Catholic higher education by the cultural revolution which swept across America in the 1960s, Christendom's goal is to provide a truly Catholic education in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and thereby to prepare students for their role of restoring all things in Christ. Christendom's 84-hour core curriculum of carefully selected subjects required for all of its undergraduate students consists of three years of study in Theology, three years in Philosophy, two years in English Language and Literature, two years in Classical or Modern Language, two years in History, one year in Political Science and Economics, and one year in Mathematics and Natural Science. The College's main Front Royal campus overlooks the Shenandoah River with scenic views of the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains. Students from over 45 states and 2 foreign countries are attracted to the College's Catholic family atmosphere and its dedication to the restoration of a truly Catholic culture. The College offers two daily Masses; daily Confession, Rosary, and Eucharistic adoration; and celebrates together many liturgical and cultural feasts. Rules governing student life include a dress code, no alcohol on campus, under 21 curfew, and no intervisitation between men's and women's dormitories. The main Catholic aspects to Christendom College:
Christendom College is a Catholic coeducational college institutionally committed to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. The College provides a Catholic liberal arts education, including an integrated core curriculum grounded in natural and revealed truth, the purpose of which at both the undergraduate and graduate levels is to form the whole person for a life spent in the pursuit of truth and wisdom. Intrinsic to such an education is the formation of moral character and the fostering of the spiritual life. This education prepares students for their role as faithful, informed, and articulate members of Christ’s Church and society. The particular mission
of Christendom College, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels,
is “to restore all things in Christ,” by forming men and women
to contribute to the Christian renovation of the temporal order. This
mission gives Christendom College its name. The cultural revolution which swept across the United States in the late 1960s struck a devastating blow to Catholic higher education. The "Land O'Lakes" statement of 1967, in which Catholic universities formally severed their ties with the teaching Church and repudiated their duty of obedience to her, reflected the age and became the guiding principle for Catholic institutions of higher education. What followed was a wholesale loss of Catholic identity in these institutions. Core Curricula were gutted and theology courses watered down. The very existence of objective truth was in many cases denied. The culture cried that God was dead, and the universities became oracles of boundless information and little wisdom. No longer could these transformed universities fulfill what had always been the primary purpose of Catholic education: to lead young minds out of narrow perspectives into the world of known truth under the guiding light of the Catholic faith. No longer did they honor the sacred discipline of theology, the Queen of Sciences, which should order and illuminate all the other disciplines. The Queen of Sciences, and with her, genuine liberal education, was abandoned. Against this cultural background, in this chaotic time, Christendom College was born. In 1977, a small group of Catholic lay men and women joined one another in a new educational enterprise. They publicly embraced the Church and the tradition of learning She has long upheld; embraced Her as Mother and Teacher; embraced Her holy head as Christ's Vicar on earth. They were led by Dr. Warren H. Carroll, whose dream of Christendom College had germinated when he worked as educational director of the Society of the Christian Commonwealth. At the founding they declared: The only rightful purpose of education is to know the truth and to live by it. The purpose of Catholic education is therefore to learn and to live by the truth revealed by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life,' as preserved in the deposit of faith and authentically interpreted in the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, founded by Christ, of which the Pope is the visible head. That central body of divine truth illumines all other truth and shows us its essential unity in every area of thought and life. Only an education which integrates the truths of the Catholic faith throughout the curriculum is a fully Catholic education. Their aim was two-fold: to form their students using a challenging curriculum centered on the truths of Divine Revelation as taught by the Roman Catholic Church and the truths of natural reason as derived from natural law and human experience in fidelity to the Magisterium; and to foster in those students a commitment to the lay apostolate, that is, to the task of transforming the social order in Christ. Christendom College has grown steadily year by year, student by student, building by building. In 1979, the College purchased the one-hundred acre land tract on the banks of the Shenandoah River in Northwestern Virginia which is still its campus today. The year 1997 marked the twentieth anniversary of Christendom's founding and another very important milestone: the acquisition of the Notre Dame Graduate School of theology. Until that year,
what is now the graduate school had existed as the independent Notre Dame
Institute of Alexandria. Its purpose was and continues to be to offer
comprehensive instruction in theology and catechetics at the graduate
level. Christendom College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone number 404-679-4501) to award the Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees, and the Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies. The College functions in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is licensed by the Virginia State Council on Higher Education to grant the Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and Master of Arts degrees. The College is located
within the Diocese of Arlington and is submissive to the authority of
the Bishop of Arlington regarding the orthodoxy of Catholic doctrine taught
at the College. Studies at Christendom College are both demanding and exciting. In addition to its core curriculum of liberal studies, which may lead to the degree of Associate of Arts (A.A.), the College offers the following carefully selected majors for students seeking the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.):
Students may minor in Liturgical Music or Mathematics Tuition
and Fees 2008-2009
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| Tuition | $18,306 |
| Room and Board | $6,688 |
| Required Fees | $450 |
| TOTAL for academic year | $25,444 |
Need-based and merit-based financial assistance would lower these costs for students.
Full tuition rate is for the standard course load of 12 to 19 credit hours per semester.
A monthly payment plan for tuition, room, and board is available to students. Arrangements must be made with the Business Office in advance of registration.
Refund Policy: Application fees, registration fees, and student activity fees are not refundable. Tuition payments are normally not refundable after registration day. Room and board payments may be partially refunded, subject to certain conditions.
The courses at NDGS presuppose a general knowledge of the Catholic Faith as presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The curriculum delves into the mysteries of faith using as primary sources Sacred Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and magisterial and conciliar documents, especially those of Vatican Council II and Pope John Paul II.
Students matriculating
in the Master of Arts in Theological Studies program choose to
concentrate their studies in Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, or Catechetics.
All students take certain core courses in Theology and Philosophy. These
courses are integral to each of the academic concentration programs, and
the specialized courses in these concentrations in turn build upon the
core courses in theology and philosophy.
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Christendom College is located at 134 Christendom Drive along Shenandoah Shores Road just a mile north of Front Royal, Virginia. The campus’s 100 acres of gently rolling land near the Blue Ridge Mountains include both woods and open fields and are bounded on the western side by scenic cliffs overlooking the graceful Shenandoah River. The quiet rural setting and the spacious grounds are well-suited to academic pursuits and provide a variety of athletic and recreational activities.
At the heart of the campus is the Chapel of Christ the King where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered daily. The St. Lawrence Commons, a gathering place for the whole Christendom community, contains the student dining hall and, on the lower level, classrooms and the campus book store. The 40,000 square-foot St. John the Evangelist Library, overlooking the Shenandoah River, was dedicated and opened in the fall of 2004. Regina Coeli Hall houses the administrative and student services offices and mail room as well as the Chester-Belloc Student Lounge. A music practice room with a Boston 7' 10" grand piano is available.
Recreation facilities include the St. Louis the Crusader Gymnasium, outdoor tennis and volleyball courts, and playing field. The Crusader Gymnasium, with its imposing classical facade, contains a college-size basketball court adaptable for full-court volleyball and which also is able to function as two half courts or as two indoor volleyball courts for the intramural program. In addition there is a full-size weight room and an aerobic exercise room, along with two racquetball/handball courts for intramural play. The gymnasium also features locker rooms, table tennis and a second floor viewing area.
A swimming pool is open during the warmer months, and the playing fields provide for such sports as soccer, football, volleyball, and baseball, among others. Christendom College also offers intercollegiate sports in men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball and women’s softball. Furthermore, the woods and grounds of the campus are delightful for hiking and jogging, and the Shenandoah River is a favorite site for boating and fishing.
The Christendom Trail, a system of walking and jogging paths through forty acres of woodland on campus, leads to picnic areas, the Grotto of Our Lady, scenic river overlooks and the eastern bank of the Shenandoah River. The trail and woods provide opportunities for the quiet enjoyment of nature, outdoor exercise, prayer, study and meditation.
The area around the Christendom College campus is as rich in history as it is rich in natural beauty. Front Royal is located close to the outlet end of the historic Shenandoah Valley. The Valley was settled well before the War for American Independence. The origin of the town’s unique name is uncertain. One story, probably apocryphal, says that during that war when an officer trying to teach march and drill commands to untrained militia finally gave up the effort when it came to assembling them in the center of town, and simply directed them to “Front the Royal Oak!” More likely is that the name derives from colonial times when the Shenandoah Valley was known as “the Royal Frontier” of the King’s domain, and the French on the eastern side of the Alleghenies referred to the area as “Le Front Royal.”
Not far to the north, the little town of Harper’s Ferry where the Shenandoah River joins the Potomac was the scene of one of the most famous episodes in American history, when in 1859 John Brown and his band of revolutionaries were attacked and captured by Robert E. Lee. Despite his bloodthirsty intentions, Brown’s admirers in the North made him into a hero, and men marched to the Civil War singing “John Brown’s body lies a-mould’ring in the grave; but his soul goes marching on!”
During the Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley was the scene of the prodigious marches of “Stonewall” Jackson, whose campaign, which was conducted almost entirely in the Valley, is still studied in military academies all over the world. The Shenandoah Valley was a route for surprise Confederate efforts to invade the North, outflanking the Union Army of the Potomac that fought in northern Virginia. One of the most dramatic Civil War battles was the Battle of Cedar Creek, near Front Royal, in 1864. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had sent a substantial part of his Army of Northern Virginia secretly to the Valley to catch by surprise the Union army then sweeping down the Valley from the north under the command of General Phil Sheridan. The Confederates attacked at dawn and drove the Union army back in near-rout. But General Sheridan had been on a journey in the rear; riding south that morning, he saw the fleeing Union troops coming toward him, apparently decisively defeated. He called on them to turn around and counterattack. Among the knots and groups of retreating men the word flashed: “Phil Sheridan’s here, boys! We’re going back!” They did turn back, attacked the Confederates, and won the battle.
Driving to Front Royal
from Washington, D.C., via Interstate 66, one passes through Thoroughfare
Gap where, in happier times for the Confederates, Robert E. Lee outmarched
the Union army under General John Pope and joined “Stonewall”
Jackson at Manassas to win the Second Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run)
in 1862, now memorialized in Manassas National Battlefield Park.
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Honorary Doctorates in Humane Letters
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Pro Deo et Patria Medal Awardees
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The Christendom College Speakers Program is an important aspect of the academic life at the College, offering the students and community an opportunity for cultural, intellectual, and spiritual enrichment beyond the classroom. The Speakers Program offers the students expanded opportunities to gain greater insights and depth of understanding of important issues, and to interact personally with a wide range of men and women who are shapers and critics of our society. At least two major speakers are hosted by the College each semester.
The program has featured a wide range of speakers including artists, historians, journalists, lawyers, novelists, philosophers, poets, politicians, psychologists, scientists, statesmen, and theologians. The program seeks people who are performing important roles in the Church and in our culture: they are communicators of ideas, heroes and heroines of the active life.
Among the speakers have been
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Christendom's students come from 45 US States and 4 foreign countries. The undergraduate student body for the 2007-08 academic year is 398. The student body is comprised of 52% women and 48% men - quite an unusual statistic for a liberal arts college.
Christendom College offers an ideal setting for the students to discern their vocation to the priesthood or religious life, married life, or the single life. No matter which career path Christendom alumni choose to follow, each of them knows that they are called "to restore all things in Christ" and to sanctify their work through prayer and sacrifice. A large percentage of Christendom alumni enter the priesthood or religious life, while others enlist in missionary activities. And not surprisingly, a large number of Christendom alumnae are doing their best "to restore all things in Christ" by being stay-at-home Moms and raising their (quite often, very large) families.
Christendom College has helped approximately 65 men (53 of these men are priests) and 60 women choose the religious life, with a number of other young men and women in the seminary or novitiate. And the number of alumni who find their spouses at Christendom continues to grow, with approximately 220 alumni-to-alumni marriages to date.
Christendom College Alumni are employed in almost every field possible, from Information Technology to Education, Marketing to Medicine, Law to Academia. With the liberal arts background they receive at Christendom, the alumni feel comfortable in a wide variety of fields, sometimes changing from one field to the next, over the course of their working lives. Click here to view a brochure entitled, Skills for Life, which highlights some of the many alumni and tells what they do.
“I am well aware of the distinguished record of Christendom College and of the outstanding contribution which it has made to Catholic life in the United States. For this reason, I am particularly honored to associate myself with such a fine Catholic institution of higher learning and my prayers are that Christendom College will enjoy many more years of service in the education and formation of young people.” – Pope Benedict XVI to Christendom President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell
"For thirty years Christendom College has given distinguished service as an authentic academic institution. It has performed admirably to live, to show and to share its Catholic character. And it has educated citizens that are a credit to Church and society.
As a liberal arts college, [Christendom] has given dynamic leadership to its students on how to discover the true, the good and the beautiful, and how to pursue these goods which are so deserving in themselves. The students are educated to work hard to be free and to remain free persons by disciplining themselves to choose the good, both for themselves and for others. This is the avenue that leads to becoming men and women of virtue, of justice, of prudence, of temperance, of fortitude and of knowledge. This leads to true wisdom. The students are taught not to be afraid of the truth, of reality.
Christendom College is above all a Catholic educational institution. It does not just give proof of a rigorously serious member of the national and international community of knowledge and research. It importantly expresses its Catholic identity through an explicit profession of the Catholic Faith, and through studies given unity and a sense of direction by sound philosophy and authentic Catholic theology.
The alumni are a credit to Christendom College. By their fruits you shall know them. The College has equipped its students to ask fundamental questions: Where do we come from? Why do we exist? Where are we going? How can we get there? What have great men and women done in the past in their response? What does our Catholic faith teach us?
They therefore want to contribute to make this world a better place. They reject negativity and a withdrawal syndrome attitude towards society. They get involved.
It is joy for me to be associated with whatever has to do with the good of Christendom College. This is good news in our time! It is refreshing to see a Catholic college where the parents can send their children and not get worried whether they will get serious Catholic education – without discount – just as it is." - Francis Cardinal Arinze
"If you're really looking for one of those rare places where you get Catholic doctrine and Theology and Philosophy and all the other things, that where it is, Christendom College."--Mother Angelica (August 25, 1999)
"There is a crisis in Catholic higher education today. Many Catholic colleges have abandoned the Faith and have become very secular. But there are a handful of schools that remain faithful to the Church and offer strong academic programs emphasizing Catholic philosophy and theology.
One such college is Christendom College. It has the mission of working to restore all things in Christ. It achieves this by educating its students with a rigorous core curriculum, teaching everything with a Catholic worldview, and by immersing its students in a truly Catholic culture.
I’ve been to
the campus numerous times and have always been impressed with what I’ve
seen. I heartily recommend Christendom College to anyone seeking an education
guided by Faith and reason and I ask you to consider learning more about
this great College which is worthy of both your financial and spiritual
support.” – Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR (July 2007)
"Christendom College is a great and successful experiment of faith. It represents a successful attempt to bring a classic sense of Catholic doctrine to students as well as a good dose of authentic Christian civilization. It is one of a small number of Catholic colleges very positively committed to a Catholic life along with teaching Catholic doctrine. Any student looking for an excellent liberal arts education coupled with a strong commitment to the Catholic faith will find themselves totally at home at Christendom."--Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR (July 2001)
"I am impressed
by the students' lively interest in discussing Catholic culture. They
are consciously preparing to play a responsible role in society as Catholics.
Their active inquisitive attitude, motivated by faith, gives Christendom
a positive ambience apparent to campus visitors, prospective students,
and seekers of Catholic centers of learning. At Christendom College, all
will find wisdom and communion, the heart of Catholic culture."
--Mary Ellen Bork (April 26, 2001)
"I know of the
excellence of Christendom College, and its fastidious dedication to the
Catholic Church and to the Magisterium of the Holy Father. The institution
is, indeed, a beacon of light in a world of higher academic institutions
that oftentimes appears very bleak and somber. May this light continue
to glow and may it grow in every dimension and intensity."
--Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (June 4, 1996)
"This college
stands as a beacon of Faith, Truth and Light – amid encircling gloom
in our troubled civilization."
--Pat Buchanan (Commencement 1996)
"Several Catholic
colleges today offer an environment characterized by academic excellence,
fidelity to the Truth and positive character formation. Christendom College
is one of those few authentically Catholic colleges. I have been associated
with Christendom since its foundation. It continues to have my very enthusiastic
endorsement. Christendom will be a main educational component of that
"springtime of Christianity" which Pope John Paul II foresees."
--Dr. Charles E. Rice (April 11, 2001)
"First, let me
begin by taking note of the outstanding reputation for academic excellence
and adherence to sound Catholic theology and moral teaching enjoyed by
Christendom College. Christendom excels on all fronts and gets a "best"
rating from Crisis magazine and the National Catholic Register. Christendom
is likewise praised by such disparate sources as the Carnegie Foundation,
US News and World Report, and Barron's – all the while remaining
faithful to the teaching of Our Lord, His Vicar on Earth, and the Holy
Catholic Church."
--Rep. Chris Smith (Commencement, May 17, 1997)
"Many colleges, including several Catholic ones, are seriously involved in a quest for identity these days. That is not a problem for Christendom College: it has a clarity of purpose that is the envy of most academic institutions. Indeed, Christendom unapologetically defends its calling as a Catholic college and seeks to imbue in its students a deep appreciation for the liberal arts.
"Committed to
excellence in education, Christendom draws on a faculty that is rich in
talent and vision, making it a splendid place for students to grow scholastically,
as well as spiritually. My personal experience with Christendom students--which
has been considerable--also shows that they are as happy with the social
life on campus as they are with the school's mission. In short, Christendom
is a college I heartily recommend without reservation.
--William A. Donohue, Ph.D., President, Catholic League for Religious
and Civil Rights (August, 1999)
"Christendom
College: beauty of truth in a naturally beautiful setting."
--Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. (April 14, 2001)
"What is most
important is that Christendom College represents a totally Catholic institution.
How this needs to be emphasized. There are so many colleges that are praised
and exalted in our day. Yet, sadly, there are so few authentically Catholic
institutions that stand up for the revealed truth. How we need, desperately
need, authentically Catholic institutions of higher learning that are
faithful to the Magisterium. What has happened to our once Catholic institutions
of higher learning in our country? What has happened to the once loyal
Catholics in higher education? My prayer is that our country will recover
its lost heritage. My prayer is that our Catholic institutions of higher
education will once more return to the true faith that was once so proudly
reflected in our nation."
--the late Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. (September 2000)
"I have known
the College since its founding. All I know about Christendom College tells
me that it opens an era in Catholic higher education which is desperately
needed. It provides an excellent education in the liberal arts and is
faithful to the Church and the Holy Father. There are very few colleges
about which I can say this. As a member of a teaching order, I know the
power of providing young people with a sound, solidly Catholic and apostolically
zealous higher education. The fine work they are doing here deserves your
support... your prayers... your good words and yes your financial support.
They are doing a great service to the Church here."
-- the late Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. (January 29, 1992)
"Christendom
College is one of the great success stories of post Vatican II American
Catholic education. It is an inspiring story in every way. Whenever I
am asked whether there is any hope for American Catholic higher education,
I always cite Christendom as a prime example. I am heartened also to know
that, belatedly perhaps, the college is beginning to attract the notice
it deserves in the larger society."
--Dr. James Hitchcock (May 2001)
"[I]t is becoming
clear that the hope of Catholic higher education is in schools more like
Christendom College."
--Russell Hittinger (October 1997)
"[T]he important
role played by Christendom College in the education of future leaders
is a precious resource for the nation and the Church. You help preserve
and strengthen the faith we so badly need in our time."
--Henry Hyde (October 28, 1999)
"Christendom
College is one of the few surviving humane institutions of learning, in
all ths land, where the meaning of wisdom and virtue is not swept aside.
Whenever I visit your campus, my forlorn hopes for the renewal of the
life of the mind revive somewhat... Cardinal Newman would have approved
your endeavors."
-- Russell Kirk (October 13, 1992)
"Christendom
represents a really bright promise for liberal education generally and
for Catholic education in particular. One need not despair of established
universities and colleges to see the value, even necessity, of newer foundations
getting it right ab ovo and thus sending a message to the educational
establishment. At Christendom, a liberal education is had by immersion
in the great tradition of the West in its ineluctable religious character
and a grounding in Thomistic philosophy. Christendom is blessedly immune
to the pressure for political correctness and other current campus crapola."
(October 22, 1992) "In the present Kulturkampf, Christendom represents
a powerful defender, conveyor and enhancer of western culture..."
-- Ralph McInerny (March 4, 1993)
"Christendom
College is our country's most absolute embodiment of Catholic doctrine
in a modern educational institution. I know beyond any shadow of a doubt
that the enterprise of Christendom College is not only desperately needed,
but is absolutely being conducted on the right lines, and will assuredly
succeed – of that I have no possible doubt. How lucky are the students
at the College. I think of them and feel that they are especially favored."
-- Malcolm Muggeridge
"I assure you
of my continued and unwavering support of Christendom College. Your loyal
fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church is invaluable in our world today.
In your handing this on to your students, you prepare them to face a more
increasingly secular society with the necessary tools based firmly on
Scripture and Tradition. It is hard to think of anyone better prepared
to meet this tremendous challenge than the students of Christendom College.
I humbly join my voice with the voice of Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul
II as he commends Christendom College as "a great work for the Church."
--the late John Cardinal O'Connor (October 1, 1999)
"This is what
makes a Catholic college a Catholic college: that it teaches the Faith;
that it does not compromise; it does not dilute its teachings for the
sake of government funds or peer pressure or political correctness or
whatever. This is what makes a college like Christendom small, but brilliant,
and so precious to the Church."
--the late John Cardinal O'Connor
"Once again I
find myself in awe of all that Christendom College is doing to continue
the tradition of Catholic higher education in this country. How do you
do it all is beyond me, but that you do it is a cause to thank God and
be hopeful for the future."
-- the late John Cardinal O'Connor
"Christendom College is doing a great work for the Church."
-- Pope John Paul II
"Christendom
College is as ancient as the idea of learning and as new as the sudden
need to recover that idea from neglect. The Catholic Church gave Western
civilization the university; and this kind of faithfulness can revive
that great gift to mankind."
-- Rev. George W. Rutler (January 1989)
"I am honored
to be here. I wanted to come here, to this college, for a very specific
reason... to show the flag of support for this college, for what it stands
for, and for what is happening here."
-- Ambassador Frank Shakespeare (1989)
"[My association with Christendom College] has been one of those things I carry about with me as a sign of hope and encouragement at a time when, in a material sense, hope is not justified."-- Ambassador Alan Keyes
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