Christendom College in Front Royal began its 43rd academic year
with a Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the King by
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge Aug. 25.
At Mass, the entire faculty made an oath of fidelity to the magisterium
and made a profession of faith, stating that they would not teach anything
contrary to the faith in any of their academic areas of expertise. Although
required for professors who teach theology at the college level, Christendom’s
entire faculty voluntarily takes this oath each year, giving both students and
their parents the confidence that they will receive a truly Catholic education.
“I want to begin by thanking you and your gifted and talented
administration and faculty for providing our students with such a sacred place
to continue their education, to deepen their relationship with the Lord, and to
grow in Truth and be prepared to articulate that Truth wherever the Lord sends
them,” said Bishop Burbidge during his homily. “As I say so often, Christendom
College is a treasure within the Diocese of Arlington and a great gift to our
Holy Catholic Church. I am so proud of this college and of our students.”
Bishop Burbidge continued: “As you come forward this morning to
receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, trust Him with your hopes and dreams for
this new academic year. Ask Jesus for the grace to provide a fitting dwelling
place for Him to live within you so that you may be fully alive through your
witness and good deeds, and radiate the light of Christ to others. And pray God
that one day you will enter through that narrow gate and live with Him for ever
and ever. Amen.”
This year’s enrollment hovers around the 500 mark, consistent
with last year, and includes more than 165 new students, including 143
freshmen. The freshmen come from 34 U.S. states, as well as from Canada,
Ireland and the Cayman Islands, with 35 percent hailing from Virginia. This
year’s incoming freshman class has an average SAT score of 1250 with 73 percent
having previously attended the college’s Experience Christendom summer program.
Twenty-seven of the freshmen are children of alumni while 70 percent of them
are on academic scholarship.
Looking forward to the upcoming year, a number of new initiatives
are planned. In late summer, the college signed Hoar Construction as the general
contractor for the new Christ the King Chapel project. After initial site work
and the issuance of necessary permits, construction on the chapel began the
second week of August. The chapel should be completed in spring 2022.
The new chapel will provide much needed space for the college’s
growing student body providing seating for more than 940 people. Containing more
than 100 stained-glass windows, the chapel will be constructed at the highest
point of the campus, making the 116-foot-tall Gothic tower visible for miles.
The college’s unique integrated career development program of
courses required will see some improvements this year. Focusing on enabling
students to achieve professional success immediately after graduation, on top
of the required courses on resume and cover letter writing, interview prep,
networking and internships, the career development staff is adding dining
etiquette workshops, as well as a series on “adulting,” which will include
everything from budgeting and money management, to buying a car, renting an
apartment, building credit and everything a new graduate would need to know.
In the area of academics, a number of new professors are joining
the faculty this fall, including Daniel McInerny, Kathleen Sullivan and Larissa
Fedoryka. McInerny, who is an author, playwright and philosopher, will join the
philosophy department as a full-time associate professor while Sullivan will
teach in the English language and literature department as a one-year visiting
professor. Fedoryka is an accomplished cellist who earned her doctorate in musical
arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, has toured with various
artists such as Marco Antonio Solis, Croatia’s former pop artist Tajci, the Celtic/Americana
band Scythian, and Mexico’s pop diva Gloria Trevi. She will join the music
department as she teaches a course on music theory.
McFadden is vice president of enrollment at Christendom
College in Front Royal.