“How can you attend college and not lose your faith?”
One look at the news is all it takes to see that this question only becomes more relevant with each passing day. According to a survey performed by Barna Research in 2018, roughly 70 percent of high school students who enter college as professing Christians will leave with little to no faith — a distressing statistic, and one that plagues faithful Catholic families across the country.
The Piroch family saw these statistics and desired better for their children. After homeschooling each of them, they wanted their children to continue to thrive academically in college, while also keeping their Catholic faith intact. After years of searching, beginning with their oldest child, Theresa, they found what they were looking for at Christendom College in Front Royal — a school that was academically demanding and deeply, authentically Catholic. Sibling after sibling followed in Theresa’s footsteps, resulting in four Pirochs enrolling concurrently during the 2023-24 academic year.
This past year, siblings Joseph, Maura, Anastasia and Lauren all studied together at Christendom. There were many blessings born from that reality, ranging from support to encouragement to love. Each witnessed their siblings growing both academically and spiritually, thanks to studying in an environment that runs counter-culturally to what is currently found on college campuses.
“I don’t think young people today realize how much college has an impact on their formation,” Maura said. “The teenager’s mind is so impressionable that secular schools can form your intellect to think against your faith, most times without you even knowing it.
“Christendom is different in that it offers a full education and steps to a successful career, but from a Catholic viewpoint. The whole person is developed at Christendom, both academically and spiritually. It is since coming to Christendom that I began to attend daily Mass, frequented the sacraments and spiritual direction, and have been able to foster a prayer life — and not at the expense of my academics or social life.”
Joseph, a 2024 graduate, also saw the college’s spiritual life, in addition to the intentionally smaller student body size, as a huge draw. For him, the “camaraderie that accompanies this environment provides a positive peer pressure to stay true to Christ.”
“Christendom succeeds where many (schools) fail by marrying a fervor for the truth with a focus upon the needs of the individual student,” he said. “I recognize all my classmates and know almost all of them.”
Younger sister Anastasia said the siblings’ situation is not uncommon in Christendom circles. “Parents recognize that all students at Christendom share the same base values and, consequently, their children are being immersed in an incredibly faithful culture and are enabled to form beautiful, long-lasting friendships,” she said.
When Christendom was founded in 1977, the decision was made to keep the student body size intentionally small in order to foster close connections between the students, faculty and staff. This choice resulted in a familial atmosphere at the college — one only increased by the number of families with multiple siblings attending the college at the same time.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the Pirochs were one of 11 families with three or more children enrolled at Christendom concurrently. Sending multiple children at the same time can seem daunting for parents, especially financially, but for Joe and Christen Piroch, this decision was more than worth it.
“People ask us how we do it,” Christen said. “Admittedly, it has been a sacrifice, but we know the worth of a superior education from an orthodox Catholic school. We wanted that for our children, and God made it possible.”
The Pirochs, like many other families, took advantage of Christendom’s many financial aid opportunities, including the Padre Pio Full-Tuition Scholarship Competition and the college’s sibling discount.
Each of the Pirochs has big plans for after college as well, believing that the college’s Catholic liberal arts education has prepared them for future success. Joseph worked an IT job with an Air Force contractor this summer and is pursuing a master’s degree in computer science and engineering at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Anastasia and Lauren both intend on pursuing careers in medicine, thanks to taking necessary prerequisites at Christendom, while Maura is hoping to pursue missionary work and then perhaps a career in forensic anatomy.
How can you attend college and not lose your faith? The Pirochs found this answer at Christendom, with each of their children thriving at the school since arriving. For this, the Pirochs are deeply thankful.
“We express our deep gratitude to the generous benefactors at Christendom and elsewhere who have made this education a reality for our children,” Christen said. “It is a pearl of great price, and our children will be forever grateful.”
At campuses across the country, students may be losing their faith. At Christendom, students are working hard, conversely, to instead increase their faith, preparing them for success in this life — and the next.
Smith is director of communications for Christendom College.
