Christendom College began its 45th anniversary year by welcoming a record-setting student body to campus last month. In his opening address to begin the academic year, College President Timothy O’Donnell called on these students to strive in and outside the classroom to become saints.
“In this day and age, you are doing something heroic and something that is noble by pursuing this education,” said O’Donnell. “You are pursuing an arduous good that is designed with one purpose in mind: to help you to become free Catholic men and women of character. Ours is an education that seeks to consecrate the intellect and the will, and therefore the heart, to Jesus Christ. My dear students: study hard, pray hard, grow in your friendships, grow in virtue, and stay close to Him.”
Of the 544 students, 388 are returning students and 156 new students, including 143 first freshmen, seven transfer students, and six former students who re-enrolled at the college.
This year’s freshman class was one of the most competitive in the college’s history, with an average SAT score of 1270 and an average CLT score of 89. Hailing from 32 U.S. states, as well as from the United Kingdom, the class includes multiple high school valedictorians, a Cardinal Newman Society Essay Contest-winner, five National Merit Scholarship winners, and 80 percent of the class on academic scholarships. In another new record, 74 percent of the class attended the college’s Best Week Ever high school summer program.
The academic year began Aug. 21 with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrating the Mass of the Holy Spirit for the college community. During Mass, the faculty made an oath of fidelity to the magisterium of the Catholic Church in the presence of the bishop, as they have done every year since the college’s founding.
The new Christ the King Chapel will be dedicated April 15, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. A special celebration will be held that evening for the benefactors of the college, with the first Mass celebrated for the community the next day on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Significant improvements were made to campus buildings over the summer, including the addition of new offices and a conference room to the Madonna Hall tower, the refurbishment of St. Benedict and St. Columba men’s residence halls, and the resurfacing of the college’s tennis courts.
