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In this episode, Kelly Salomon shares how choosing a Newman Guide college led to finding her spouse, having a beautiful Catholic family, and a career at The Cardinal Newman Society. Because of her life experience, Salomon is a passionate promoter of The Newman Guide and getting young people to contemplate the importance of their college decision.
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In this episode, we continue with Dr. Denise Donohue as she shares how her conversion and the need for faithful Catholic schools and curricula ushered her into the Catholic education market. Since then, she has equipped Catholic educators with the Tools for Renewal, including The Cardinal Newman Society’s Catholic Curriculum Standards and Standards for Christian Anthropology, which she says are essential for delivering truth, beauty, and goodness.
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In this episode, we feature Dr. Denise Donohue as she shares how she grew up in a Freemason home and later converted to the Catholic faith while starting a Catholic school! It’s an incredible testimony and shows how God has used Donohue to improve Catholic education by having her design Catholic curricula, write policies, and escort Catholic schools and colleges on their path to becoming Newman Guide Recommended.
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In this episode, we continue our conversation with Patrick Reilly as he discusses the vision of Catholic Education and where it’s going, how The Cardinal Newman Society and The Newman Guide prepares young people to encounter the culture of the real world, the state of Catholic education, and embracing the faith with positivity.
The Cardinal Newman Society aims to promote and defend faithful Catholic education. However, most Catholics have not experienced a faithful Catholic education, therefore CNS needs to fill in the blank. What does this look like? What does it entail? How would one know it? What should one look for to determine if their Catholic school is faithfully Catholic? Too often, parents rely on the “like meter”— I like so and so (insert administrator or teacher name), therefore I think they are doing a good job. Or perhaps they have Mass once a week and wear uniforms so they appear Catholic. Is that enough to be called a faithful Catholic education?
Join us to learn the beauty of a faithful Catholic education, how it counters the culture, serves as an antidote for the pandemic of woke indoctrination assailing the Catholic educational system, and, in turn, highlights the Catholic education heroes engaged in this battle daily.
Visit cardinalnewmansociety.org to learn more.
The Vision of Catholic Education and Where It’s Going
Patrick Reilly discusses the impact of the Newman Guide on students, parents, grandparents, and Catholic schooling as a lifelong process. He discusses The Cardinal Newman Society’s commitment to the Catholic continuum that begins with K12 schooling and the unity of Newman Guide institutions that are committed to the renewal and reformation of Catholic education.
Preparing Young People for the Real World
Patrick Reilly discusses Catholic education as the Church’s most effective means of evangelization through the perspective of Cardinal Newman, intellectual formation, and integration of faith and reason. He stresses the critical role of forming young people to be prepared to encounter the culture of the real world, become intellectually strong, and to go out to the world to persuade others to Christ.
Is Catholic Education Lost?
Patrick Reilly discusses the positive message and the great signs of renewal of Catholic education that is present within Newman Guide institutions and the lessons learned over the years. He talks about how The Cardinal Newman Society continues to find new ways of forming students in truth in line with God’s universal call for the human person.
Embracing the Faith with Positivity
Patrick Reilly discusses ways faithful Catholics can engage with The Cardinal Newman Society to take a part in on the mission of renewing faithful Catholic education and impact the culture. He then uncovers the deep meaning of the new logo as a means of recapturing the foundation of The Cardinal Newman Society and Saint Cardinal Newman’s vision of faithful Catholic education. Despite the many threats to Catholic education, he discusses the myriad of Newman Guide institutions that are embracing change and reform to be truly faithfully Catholic that so many parents are excited about.
MANASSAS, VA – A light shines brightest in the darkness, and increasing numbers of Catholic families are choosing the faithful Catholic colleges recommended in The Cardinal Newman Society’s Newman Guide! Most of these colleges are enjoying unprecedented enrollment numbers and financial support in the 2023-2024 academic year, and all are displaying the enormous impact that authentic Catholic education can have in the Church and in society.
The contrast is stark. Secular college enrollment in the United States continues to plunge, while
Newman Guide colleges and universities are bursting with success.
Click here for more on these faithful institutions.
MANASSAS, VA – The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) is pleased to announce its eighth annual Essay Scholarship Contest. The winning essay writer will be awarded $5,000 toward the cost of attending a faithful Catholic college recognized in The Newman Guide in the fall of 2024.
In addition, several Newman Guide colleges have agreed to supplement CNS’s scholarship with additional $5,000 grants to the winner over three additional years, according to criteria established by each college.
All of the details about the Contest can be found at this link: https://newmansoc.org/EssayContest
The CNS scholarship is made possible thanks to the generosity of Joe and Ann Guiffre, strong advocates of faithful Catholic education.
The contest is open to high school seniors in the United States who sign up for The Cardinal Newman Society’s Recruit Me program and check out the recognized colleges in The Newman Guide during their college search.
The topic for this year’s contest is to reflect, in 400-600 words, on the following:
This year, The Cardinal Newman Society expanded The Newman Guide to recommend faithful Catholic K-12 schools and graduate programs, as well as colleges. Explain the importance of attending a Newman Guide college as the capstone to a lifelong Catholic formation. How does it build upon a student’s prior years, and what comes next?
Essays will be judged by how well they demonstrate appreciation for faithful Catholic education, as well as the quality of the writing. One winner will be chosen, and several other top essays will be highlighted by The Cardinal Newman Society.
Last year, the Society recognized Jacob Kristine, a homeschooled student in Pennsylvania, as the winner of tits seventh annual Essay Scholarship Contest. He received a $5,000 scholarship toward his education at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va. He may also be eligible for additional $5,000 grants from Christendom College.
While many students go off to college and lose their faith and joy, Kristine explained in his winning essay how his older siblings’ faith was strengthened, and their lives were enriched, by attending a faithful Catholic college.
“My siblings have bestowed upon me the great riches of understanding what gifts a truly Catholic college can impart to a young person. I have seen firsthand how this pursuit of Truth leads to a life that is Good and wholesome and sincerely promotes seeking the Creator of Beauty,” he explained.
“The friendships my siblings forged throughout their four years among like-minded followers of Christ have challenged them to grow in wisdom, remain faithful to God through worship and devotional practices, and encouraged virtuous living without sacrificing fun, laughter, and an abundantly joy-filled life—then and now,” Kristine continued.
Kristine’s entire essay can be read here.
Questions about this year’s Essay Scholarship Contest can be directed to Programs@CardinalNewmanSociety.org.
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In this episode of The Cardinal Newman Society Podcast, Kevin sits down with Patrick Reilly, President and Founder of Cardinal Newman Society, to discuss the state of Catholic education today, how story behind how the Cardinal Newman Society got started, the mission behind it, and the importance of faithful Catholic Education.
The Cardinal Newman Society aims to promote and defend faithful Catholic education. However, most Catholics have not experienced a faithful Catholic education, therefore CNS needs to fill in the blank. What does this look like? What does it entail? How would one know it? What should one look for to determine if their Catholic school is faithfully Catholic? Too often, parents rely on the “like meter”— I like so and so (insert administrator or teacher name), therefore I think they are doing a good job. Or perhaps they have Mass once a week and wear uniforms so they appear Catholic. Is that enough to be called a faithful Catholic education?
Join us to learn the beauty of a faithful Catholic education, how it counters the culture, serves as an antidote for the pandemic of woke indoctrination assailing the Catholic educational system, and, in turn, highlights the Catholic education heroes engaged in this battle daily.
Visit cardinalnewmansociety.org to learn more.
A psychologist who currently works at a veteran’s hospital says that he received a strong “foundation” and “confidence” in his “beliefs and values” through faithful Catholic education.
Dr. Patrick McNeely attended Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ontario, for three years—before the college had received its current degree-granting status. He wrapped up his undergraduate degree at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., and went on to earn his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Divine Mercy University in Arlington, Va. All three institutions are recommended in The Newman Guide.
Dr. McNeely highly recommends the Catholic liberal arts at the undergraduate level, coupled with a faithfully Catholic graduate program, for those who want to be a psychologist.
“While an undergraduate degree in psychology is helpful in some ways, you are going to learn all of that in graduate school,” explained Dr. McNeely. Having a “more rounded understanding of the person that comes from studying philosophy, theology, history, and literature” can help with a “more complete understanding the human person,” he continued.
CNS: Can you tell us about some highlights from your time at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom?
Dr. Patrick McNeely: I would say there were quite a few highlights from my time there. In my first year, I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried out for the school play. While it was definitely not something I had done before, I really enjoyed doing it, and it remains one of the highlights of my first year.
Community-life-wise, I really liked how OLSWC was set up with “dorms” being houses. I think that style really helped to build community at the school. Having a house feel, with common areas and shared kitchens/living rooms/dining rooms, helped to pull students (myself included) out of their cliques and learn to live with and get to know others whom they might not have engaged with as much in a more traditional dorm. OLSWC also put a heavy emphasis on building and fostering community life, which I think was incredibly important and formative for my time there. Whether it was celebrating as a school for different holidays or feast days or having “House Nights,” we were able to really get to know each other in a way that likely would not have happened without the intentional fostering of community that OLSWC emphasized.
Academically, I thoroughly enjoyed pretty much all the classes I took at OLSWC. The teachers were engaging (in and out of classes) and incredibly knowledgeable, and the discussions that took place after classes were a blast. I really enjoyed the philosophy and literature classes that I took. Victorian Literature is probably the class that I look back on and remember the most as being a highlight of my time there. When it comes to “not-top-10” highlights, I would say that putting on ice skates for the first time in 15 years, trying to play hockey, and crashing into the boards in order to stop would have to take the cake. After three years, I finally learned how to stop while on skates without having to ram into the boards.
The McNeely Family
CNS: How did your education help prepare you for your doctoral studies at Divine Mercy University?
Dr. Patrick McNeely: I think it prepared me in three main ways. First, in a very practical way, Divine Mercy University (DMU) has a unique approach to the study of psychology in that they integrate philosophy, theology, and psychology. My time at OLSWC studying the core classes of philosophy and theology helped me to have a much better understanding of the material discussed in class.
Second, I really do believe that the community formation that I received at OLSWC has helped me in the field of psychology. College can often be a time where you go and create new friends, and those are the people that you spend all your time with for the next several years. I think this is especially true of some of the bigger universities where it is virtually impossible to know everyone, and so we stick to our cliques of like-minded/interested people. At OLSWC, the combination of the smaller community and the college’s intentional fostering of community really helped me with my clinical work at DMU. While it seems like an odd thing to say, learning to meet people who are different than you and who don’t have similar interests/beliefs/etc. can be difficult, especially in college. But OLSWC really helped me to learn to branch out and get to know people more, even people I didn’t agree with on most things. I’m not sure if I’m being fully clear on that, but I guess it boils down to OLSWC fostering of social/communal aspects of students helped me to feel more comfortable sitting with clients.
Third, OLSWC’s academics were rigorous and challenging, and I really believe that they helped to prepare me for the difficulty of graduate school. While graduate school is a different kind of difficult, having had the experience of challenging academics in undergraduate school made that transition to graduate academics a little less challenging.
Overall, for those wanting to do graduate studies in psychology, I would highly recommend a liberal arts education. While an undergraduate degree in psychology is helpful in some ways, you are going to learn all of that in graduate school. However, having a more rounded understanding of the human person that comes from studying philosophy, theology, history, literature, etc. can really help to integrate the various psychological theories into a more complete understanding.
CNS: How is your faithful Catholic education influencing your work as a psychologist at a Veteran’s Affairs hospital?
Dr. Patrick McNeely: I think it has helped a lot. I’m not sure that I could draw a straight line from one thing to another, but I have definitely noticed how my view of life has been formed by my education. One specific way that I have noticed the academic influence is from the literature classes that I took while at OLSWC… how the novels and writings from some of the great literary writers of history have given me insight into the human condition and experiences.
Another way that my education has helped is by providing me with a strong foundation and confidence in my beliefs and values. While there can definitely be times when those get challenged or shook from listening to stories and traumas that others have experienced, my education provided me with knowledge about a lot of the questions that come up as well as guidance on where to look to find the answers.
Finally, I think that the community formation that OLSWC provided has really been important in my work. Through my years there, I learned about the importance of being a part of a community and how crucial that can be for flourishing in work and home life.
CNS: Anything else you’d like to add?
Dr. Patrick McNeely: I think I would just say that OLSWC is a unique place. While it does not offer some things that other colleges do (sports teams, large campus, etc.), it does make up for those in different areas. On top of that, the cost to attend (when compared to other Catholic colleges) is much more budget friendly. I very much value my time there, and I am well aware that, if it were not for attending OLSWC (and returning for a 2nd and then 3rd year), I would not be in the place I am today. While there are still many ways for me to learn and grow, I believe that I am in a much better place than I would have been if I had not received the formation and guidance from the faculty, staff, and fellow students at OLSWC.
CNS is grateful for the sponsorship of the St. Robert Bellarmine Fund.
High school students, their parents, and Catholic educators are invited to register now for The Cardinal Newman Society’s Newman Guide Virtual College Fair, which will take place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. “Live” sessions will run from 10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. ET, as well as 7:00 p.m.—9:00 pm ET. Registration is free and available now but is required to attend the event.
The Cardinal Newman Society is grateful to the St. Robert Bellarmine Fund, which offers annual scholarships of $8,000, renewable for four years, to ten students who are attending a Newman Guide college, Kolbe Academy, a Catholic classical homeschool program, and Hallow, a Catholic prayer app, for their sponsorship of the Virtual Newman Guide College Fair. The first 1,000 registrants to the Newman Guide Virtual College Fair will receive a free 3-month trial subscription to the Hallow app, and three registrants will be randomly selected for a free year of Hallow.
CNS is grateful for the sponsorship of Kolbe Academy.
Last year, The Cardinal Newman Society held its first Virtual College Fair, with great success. “I enjoyed the virtual college fair—thank you for this opportunity! I liked how I could easily chat with people from different colleges about my questions, see info and videos from the college on each college’s section, and attend presentations,” one student said.
CNS is grateful for the sponsorship of the Hallow app.
Overall, a follow-up survey showed that among those who took the survey, 93 percent of participants said they would consider attending or encourage someone else to attend a Newman Guide Virtual College Fair.
This year, students, parents, and educators will have the opportunity to visit the virtual booths of the colleges recognized in The Newman Guide, “chat” with admissions representatives, learn about unique scholarship opportunities, and attend “live” presentations.
The “live” presentations include:
10:30 am ET: “How to Make a Good Campus Visit” with Tom McFadden, Vice President for Enrollment & Student Success at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va.;
11:30 am ET: “Preparing for a STEM and Other Careers at a Faithful Catholic College” with representatives from several Newman Guide colleges;
7:00 pm ET: “‘Newman Center’ or Newman Guide College?” with Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society; and
8:00 pm ET: “You’re Not Choosing a College – You’re Choosing a Formation” with Dr. Andrew and Sarah Swafford, Newman Guide college graduates who found Jesus Christ in a powerful way during college.
Homeschooled students, parents, high school classes, and educators are invited to log-in for the daytime session, as well as the evening session of the Newman Guide Virtual College Fair. Catholic families are encouraged to spread the word about the virtual event with friends and family, as well as their local Catholic high school and parish youth group.
A graduate of a faithful Catholic college relies on the formation she received to help educate other Catholic women on the nature and dignity God has given them.
Laura (Billeci) Zambrana serves as Director of Content for Endow (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women), which is an international apostolate founded in 2003 that reaches more than 40,000 women across the globe.
“I know I was created for a purpose and that I have my mission—to love God and make Him known—first in my vocation to marriage and family life, and then let this overflow into my work on the Endow team and with our faithful hardworking generous hosts around the world,” explains Zambrana, who graduated from Thomas Aquinas College (TAC), which is recognized in The Newman Guide, in 2009.
James and Laura Zambrana, and their children Peter, Jane, Brigid and Helen. James is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville and Laura is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, both of which are recognized in The Newman Guide.
“TAC prepared me for my role at Endow as I navigate which topics to cover, how they should be covered, and most importantly how to curate the material such that the discussion is the focus and the fruit of the experience,” says Zambrana. Endow offers studies on Mulieris Dignitatem (St. John Paul II’s letter on the dignity and vocation of women); on the writings of female saints such as St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Hildegard and St. Edith Stein; and other writings of the Church like Catholic Social Teaching, St. John Paul II’s Letter on the Rosary and his Letter on the Christian Meaning of Suffering.
“We want to make the truth beautiful and interesting,” Zambrana continued. “How do we help women on their journey? Not everyone had an education at TAC or a faithful college and all women deserve to know their dignity. We focus on making the riches of our inheritance accessible.”
Going back to when Zambrana was deciding on which college to attend, she explained, “I was a naturally dissatisfied student with textbooks at age 14… When I heard about this school that had no textbooks, it intrigued me.” Zambrana attended the TAC summer program, and it was there that she was able to meet “people like me who also wanted to know the answers the hows and the whys. I became excited to learn after attending the summer program.”
Zambrana says that education, prayer, and friendship are what she values most from attending TAC. “TAC opened my eyes to new horizons. Study for study’s sake, for my humanity, to feed my soul. I am a better wife, mother, friend, and employee because of this unique course of study.”
“I had never experienced the unity of faith and life until I went to TAC. Things like being surrounded by students who make it a point to pray every day, didn’t eat meat on Fridays, and the seamlessness of my teachers and my friends going to class and then to Mass” made a deep impact on her life.
Zambrana also described the “amount of spontaneity and fun that arises at a place where you are all studying for studying sake and praying because that was what we were created to do… a wholeness and not studying just to get a job. The fun and comradery builds bonds of friendship to last a lifetime.”
Now in her work with Endow, “we call women together to study the documents of the Church and the lives of the saints. It is text-based like TAC. The text is the teacher—not the Endow host. The commentary is on the text. It is so similar to my undergraduate experience.”
“Questions for the discussion are an important part of the study guide,” she continued. “The friendships that emerge from Endow hinge on these questions, which are based on the text in the same way that TAC tutors were there to ask the deeper questions.”
Zambrana wants Catholic women across the globe to get a taste of what she experienced during her undergraduate years, through her work with Endow. “We really want to create a culture where women are reclaiming the time for study, prayer, and friendship.”