National Essay Contest Winner Saw ‘Firsthand’ the ‘Great Riches’ of Faithful Catholic Education

/in , , /by

While many students go off to college and lose their faith and joy, one college-bound student saw how his older siblings’ faith was strengthened and lives were enriched by attending a faithful Catholic college—and now he, too, will be attending a faithful college with a $5,000 scholarship.

Jacob Kristine, a homeschooled student from Pennsylvania, is the winner of The Cardinal Newman Society’s 2023 Essay Scholarship Contest. His $5,000 scholarship will be applied toward his first year at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., and he is eligible for continuing scholarships from Christendom in subsequent years.

“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,” explained Kristine in his award-winning essay, which can be read in its entirety here.

“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.

The topic for this year’s contest was to reflect on the following question: “The Cardinal Newman Society recently released a 7-minute video on the advantages of choosing a faithful Catholic college. Pick a key point(s) or theme(s) from the video and explain why attending a Newman Guide college will have special value for you.” Essays were judged by how well they demonstrated appreciation for faithful Catholic education, as well as the quality of the writing.

The judges were thoroughly impressed with Kristine’s essay, which emphasized the academic, spiritual, and social life at faithful Catholic colleges. Kristine is the fifth of eight children in his family and has been homeschooled his entire life. Since third grade, he has served as an altar server at his Catholic parish and worked at the church cemetery as a groundskeeper. He has also enjoyed competing in sports, especially cross country and track and field, which he hopes to continue next year at Christendom.

Kristine explained how The Newman Guide and The Cardinal Newman Society’s “Recruit Me” program proved helpful in his college search:

Without the Newman Guide, I am not so sure that my college search would have been as comprehensive and complete as it turned out. The “Recruit Me” program was a fantastic blessing, as it allowed so many colleges to reach out to me and provide information that I could digest and review. I would then turn to the Newman Guide to further enlighten me about the most vital and important aspects of a truly Catholic college education. With your fantastic resources, I was able to confidently find a home for the next four years that would equip me to become the man of God that this world so desperately needs.

The annual contest is open to high school seniors in the United States who participate in the Newman Society’s Recruit Me program and use The Newman Guide in their college search. The innovative Recruit Me program invites Newman Guide colleges to compete for students while providing information about faithful Catholic education. Rising high school seniors who wish to enter next year’s essay contest can sign up for Recruit Me online here.

Kristine’s $5,000 scholarship is made possible by the generosity of Joseph and Ann Guiffre, supporters of The Cardinal Newman Society and faithful Catholic education.

“We are grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Guiffre for enabling this scholarship,” said Newman Society President Patrick Reilly. “They understand the unique value of a truly Catholic education, and they are thrilled to help a student experience all that a Newman Guide-recommended college can provide.”

Each year’s winner of the contest also has the opportunity to receive an additional $15,000 from participating colleges over the course of their college education. Sixteen of the Newman Guide colleges, including Christendom College, have agreed to supplement the Newman Society’s scholarship with additional $5,000 grants over three additional years, under certain conditions including full-time enrollment and academic progress.

Newman Guide Colleges Prepare Students for Happiness, Says African Missionary

/in , , /by

A graduate of Wyoming Catholic College who now serves as a teacher and missionary in Africa says that there’s “no better option” than faithful Catholic colleges for “being formed as a whole person for happiness and flourishing.”

“Any college can provide job training, but Newman Guide colleges are looking at students as a person created in the image of God, so yes, providing the skills and education needed to work in this life, but also to be happy, both in this life and the next,” says Hannah Graves.

Currently serving as a teacher and missionary in Malawi, Africa, Graves credits her faithful Catholic education with giving her the “perspective” she needs to continue her service. “While there is a lot that is beautiful here in Malawi, there are also lots of major problems. Corruption and destitution are ubiquitous.”

After graduating from WCC, Graves worked for a parish in Washington state that wanted to set-up a sister relationship with a parish in Malawi. Inspired to share the joys of her Catholic faith and support the sister parish, Graves took a trip to visit St. Mary’s in Ntaja. During her visit, Graves discovered, “there was a lot about the life in Malawi that appealed to me.” She was drawn to a life of simplicity.

“I have wanted to live so as to ‘tread lightly on the earth,’ and in Malawi I saw the possibility of stepping out of the materialist consumerist culture that has dominated America and to learn to live without ‘essentials’ like refrigeration, air conditioning, dishwashers, and washing machines,” Graves said.

After Graves returned from that trip, she explored the opportunity to share her faithful Catholic education and teach in Malawi full-time.  She contacted the Sacramentine Sisters and moved to Malawi in July 2022. She currently teaches high school students in a Sacramentine school, but she also volunteers regularly at a local orphanage run by Franciscan sisters.

Hannah Graves volunteers at an orphanage run by Franciscan sisters.

Living in Malawi, Graves has noticed that “so much poverty is caused by poor agricultural practices and broken family units.” Despite the poverty, Graves admires the joy she sees. “The women are always so thrilled that I am there… They take such joy in the simplest gestures and so frequently break into song.”

“My neighbor is an Italian nurse who runs physical therapy centers for disabled children (cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, osteogenesis, club foot). On my days off, I go with her out to the villages for the PT sessions. The monthly gatherings at the centers always end with a simple meal. I love ‘helping’ the women in the kitchen and trying to communicate.”

Graves is striving to live a life detached from worldly things, a life of prayer and service for the Catholic Church and the people of Malawi. She plans to stay in Africa for the length of her work permit which is two years, but is “open to considering a longer stay depending on what God seems to want.”

Editor-in-chief of Magnificat Magazine Developed ‘Habits of Prayer’ at Faithful Catholic College

/in , , /by

Fr. Sebastian White, O.P.

The editor-in-chief of the popular Magnificat magazine says that a faithful Catholic college is where he “began to develop daily Catholic habits of prayer and a whole Catholic outlook on the world.” Now Fr. Sebastian White, O.P., helps Catholics across the globe strengthen their prayer lives through the monthly Magnificat prayer companion, which reaches more than 300,000 subscribers in English and Spanish through the U.S. edition alone.

Fr. White is a Dominican priest and convert to Catholicism who earned his Master of Theological Studies from the International Theological Institute Catholic University in Trumau, Austria, which is recognized in The Newman Guide. He oversees the monthly publication of Magnificat, which includes the readings for daily Mass, meditations, essays on saints and sacred art, his own editorial, and more.

The Cardinal Newman Society recently asked Fr. White to share how attending a faithful Catholic college influenced him personally and prepared him for his current role with Magnificat.

CNS: What is it that drew you to attend ITI Catholic University? 

Fr. White: In early 2004 I had just returned to the Catholic Church and been confirmed as a Catholic, shortly after graduating from college. (I had been baptized Catholic as an infant, but then raised in a protestant church.) Thomas Howard, a beloved writer and convert who had been a visiting professor at ITI Catholic University in his retirement, became a close friend and mentor. I was spending much of my time reading Catholic books and talking to Tom, and he suggested that I consider going to study at ITI. When I read about the richness of ITI’s international community, the unity of the intellectual and devotional life that it offers, and the beauty and history of Austria, I became more excited at the prospect of living there and studying there. When I applied and was accepted, I knew that it would be a great blessing and would help to deepen my Catholic faith.

CNS: Could you share how your faith was deepened through your studies at ITI Catholic University?

Fr. White: ITI Catholic University is really the place where I began to develop daily Catholic habits of prayer and a whole Catholic outlook on the world. I have always felt that, had I been living in suburban Boston and working for a bank, for example, struggling to find time for daily Mass and daily prayer, I would have had a much harder time maturing as a Catholic. At ITI I was surrounded by other young, intellectually motivated Catholics and formed great friendships that last until this day. Additionally, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, daily Mass in both the Roman Rite and the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, hikes and excursions to other beautiful Catholic sites, all supported what I was I learning in the classroom. At ITI, the Catholic faith is the air you breathe!

CNS: How did your time at ITI Catholic University help prepare you for your role as editor-in-chief of Magnificat?

Fr. White: At ITI I had to read a lot and write a lot. That was an important formation that helped me, first of all, when I returned to the United States to enter the Dominican Order and in my studies for the priesthood. At Magnificat, I continue to have to read and write regularly. Additionally, ITI gave me a familiarity with the breadth of the Catholic tradition. As the editor, for example, I am responsible for choosing the daily meditations that are a beloved feature of Magnificat. I am better equipped to select those wonderful texts because of my time at ITI.

CNS: What is something about Magnificat that you look forward to sharing with its readers each month?

Fr. White: The most challenging part of Magnificat for me has always been writing the editorial because it is completely open-ended. Whereas the meditations, for example, are essentially a work of selecting and curating great texts from our Catholic tradition, when it comes to the editorial each month, I am, so to speak, starting from scratch. But ITI helped me to grow in the discipline of writing regularly. Consequently, I am less intimidated by the task. Often, I write about my own life and experiences from my upbringing. Readers have seemed to enjoy these stories and feel a personal connection to the editor. I see the editorial as an opportunity for readers to get to know the editor a bit. So over time I have begun to look forward to the opportunity to share some personal story or experience. The Catholic Church is often described as a big family. I think of Magnificat as a family, too.

CNS: What advice would you give to those who are discerning where to go to college?

Fr. White: I think young people ought to consider where they will truly get a good education. After all, college isn’t simply a religious camp. On the other hand, college is a place where a person’s moral and spiritual life can either grow and mature or suffer tremendously. Ideally, young people can find a place that offers both a high quality of academic learning and a milieu in which they can deepen their faith and develop good habits. In college, we are laying the groundwork for the person we will be for the rest of our lives. A good Catholic institution such as ITI Catholic University helps us to grow and mature in faith even while we are learning other natural disciplines.

Faithful Catholic Colleges ‘Vitally Important,’ says Senior Director at Word on Fire

/in , /by

Sean Lee

A leader in an apostolate that is reaching millions of Catholics and drawing them into—or back into—the Catholic faith believes that faithful Catholic colleges are “vitally important” in forming strong Catholics.

Sean Lee, senior director of operations at Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, explains that “College is a crucial time for students to form strong friendships, learn how to engage with ideas and to deepen their relationship with Christ. Faithful Catholic colleges are the best place to do that.”

The Cardinal Newman Society recently asked Lee about his experience at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla., which is recognized in The Newman Guide, and how it prepared him for the work he does today.

CNS: Can you tell us about your experience at Ave Maria University?

Sean Lee: My experience was tremendous. I am a cradle Catholic and went through the public school system prior to attending Ave Maria. By the time I was ready for college, I was drifting away from my faith, and so Ave Maria served as a very important pivot moment in my life. It was at Ave Maria where I met some of my closest friends, friends who showed me what a relationship with Christ looks like. I was taught by an incredible faculty who really cared about forming us in the intellectual tradition of the Church. I was afforded the opportunity to play sports and study abroad in Rome, two experiences that really shaped me in profound ways. In short, Ave Maria changed my life, it gave me life-long friendships, it provided me with a strong foundation for my future work and it allowed me to encounter and deepen my relationship with Christ. I’m forever grateful.

CNS: How did your education at Ave Maria help prepare you for the work you do at Word on Fire?

Sean Lee: It was critical. The liberal arts education Ave Maria provided has been a bedrock for so much that I have done and do at Word on Fire. Being able to think critically about ideas and issues has been very important in my work.

CNS: Word on Fire is about drawing people into or back into the Catholic faith. What are some exciting projects underway at Word on Fire?

Sean Lee: Where to start! We continue to work on the Word on Fire Bible and will soon be launching volume three of seven. Plans are underway for our second Wonder Conference which focuses on the intersection of Faith and Science, a topic that’s so important with an increasingly secularized culture. Bishop Barron, of course, will continue so many of his evangelical initiatives, all the while modeling a way for Catholics to engage with the culture. There are a lot of exciting talks, shows, and videos we are planning for Bishop Barron that I’m really excited about. As important as it is to form our young students in the faith, it’s just as important to provide opportunities to adults with faith formation. In that vein, I’m excited about the future of the Word on Fire Institute, where we plan to transform it into an engaging community that equips individuals through its courses to become modern day evangelists. Those are just a few of so many projects we’re working on.

CNS: What role do you see faithful Catholic colleges playing in forming strong Catholics?

Sean Lee: They are vitally important, especially in this increasingly secular world. College is a crucial time for students to form strong friendships, learn how to engage with ideas, and deepen their relationship with Christ. Faithful Catholic colleges are the best place to do that. Many of our staff members come from Newman schools, and we’re very blessed to have them. They are well educated and very motivated by the missionary work of Word on Fire. We need more of them!

Newman Guide Colleges Can Help Students Find ‘Holy Spouses,’ Says Author

/in , , /by

A Catholic author who studied how saints met their spouses believes that attending a Newman Guide college can “increase one’s odds to find a holy spouse.”

Patrick O’Hearn just released a book titled, Courtship of the Saints: How the Saints Met their Spouses. O’Hearn earned his Master of Science in Education at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, and served as acquisitions editor at TAN Books for the last two years.

The Cardinal Newman Society asked O’Hearn how his book can inspire young Catholics today, and the value he sees in students attending a college recognized in The Newman Guide.

CNS: Can you tell us about your new book, Courtship of the Saints: How the Saints Met their Spouses?

Patrick O’Hearn

Patrick O’Hearn: Courtship of the Saints is a book filled with some of the most fascinating stories of how various saintly couples met their spouses. In this work, I was able to interview St. Gianna’s daughter, reveal details in English for the first time concerning Pope St. John Paul II’s parents (now on the path to sainthood), and countless other beautiful couples.

Before I share these couples’ stories, I define what courtship is through the clear teachings of Venerable Fulton Sheen and Father Chad Ripperger. At the end of the book, I include wisdom for those discerning marriage, those already married, and a plethora of beautiful prayers.  This is not just a book for those discerning marriage, but even those married will see that the saints were the greatest lovers in the history of the world.

CNS: How can the 25 saintly couples that you feature in your book inspire young Catholics today?

Patrick O’Hearn: We need to set the bar on courtship and marriage, especially in a time of moral confusion. God calls some men and women to Himself. These souls will spend years preparing for the priesthood and final vows in religious life, and yet, many preparing for marriage spend little time striving for their vocation.  How one prepares for their marriage can likely influence how one lives out his or her marriage.

Furthermore, these 25 couples offer a glimpse into God’s love for His Spouse, the Church. In these stories, we see a love that is passionate and sacrificial.  For that reason, these stories are better than any romantic novel, for they return to the source of love itself, God.

CNS: The college years are often so critical in determining much of the faith and future of a young person’s life. What value do you see in attending a Newman Guide college, not only to prepare for a career, but also for students who are called to the married life?

Patrick O’Hearn: Our first vocation is to be holy. How we live out that vocation (as a priest, consecrated religious, or married) is our second most important calling. Often, young people are so focused on pursuing their occupation rather than their vocation. Our occupation is always at the service of our vocation. The key is to let God reveal our vocation by being open to His will, but also putting ourselves in the best possible places to hear His will. Just as there is the near occasion of sin, there is something on the flip side. The near occasion of grace. That being said, attending a Newman Guide college with its promotion of the sacramental life, faithfulness to the Magisterium, and flowering of Catholic culture increases grace in one’s soul, but also increases one’s odds to find a holy spouse. You are more likely to find a holy spouse at daily Mass than you will at a bar. You are more likely to find a holy spouse sitting in a theology class than sitting in a class on LGBT studies.

CNS: How did your time at Franciscan University of Steubenville earning your master’s degree help prepare you for both writing this book, and your work at TAN books?

Patrick O’Hearn: My time as a graduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville opened my eyes to the longing on every heart for love. Having served as a resident assistant at Franciscan, I saw so many men who were afraid to pursue women, and so many women who wanted to be pursued. Through my own sufferings, rejections, and disappointments, I believe God prepared me to write this book to give hope to so many people that our God is the “Greatest Matchmaker.” His Divine Providence works mysteriously, but powerfully. We do not know the road ahead of us, but Our Lord and Our Lady walk with us each step of the way.

CNS: Anything else you’d like to add?

Patrick O’Hearn: I would like to say “trust” in God.  I spent so many years worrying about my future vocation. Now more than ever, I realize the Father is carrying us in His arms. He longs for our love. He wants to bless us, and this blessing might come in the way of sufferings and trials. But through these challenges, God is perfecting us. Trust Him… whether it is attending an authentic Catholic school that might hurt the budget, or trust Him when you are worried about meeting your spouse. God is faithful.

CNS Joins Amicus Brief on Upholding Ministerial Exception – Faith Bible Chapel v Tucker, U.S. Supreme Court

/in , /by

Click here to access the amicus brief PDF.

CNS Joins Amicus Brief on Equal Treatment of Religious Groups – Fellowship of Christian Athletes v San Jose Unified School District, 9th Circuit

/in , /by

The Cardinal Newman Society joined an amicus brief at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, urging the full court to uphold a panel ruling that protects a religious student group from discriminatory treatment.

Gender Confusion in Australia’s Catholic Schools

/in , /by

In September, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released “Created and Loved: A Guide for Catholic Schools on Identity and Gender.” While the document has thoughtful and salient points regarding gender identity, it also recommends that Catholic schools use the preferred names and pronouns of children suffering from gender dysphoria, providing “flexibility with uniform expectations.”

As a lifelong Catholic educator, I have deep concerns about this approach, which is fundamentally at odds with the mission of Catholic education. The challenge for Catholic schools today is not that we work with gender-dysphoric children, but how. Children suffering from gender dysphoria can be admitted under certain conditions: The gender dysphoria is acknowledged as a disorder; the child’s family obtains proper counseling and treatment; and the child is able to function in an environment where gender expression is expected to match biological reality. However, Catholic schools do great harm by allowing children suffering from gender dysphoria to externally represent and even celebrate that disorder and requiring that others in the school support and participate in it.

The document’s injudicious recommendation stems from three misconceptions.

The first misconception is that it is unacceptable to ask children suffering with gender dysphoria to follow gender norms while in a Catholic school. It is, in fact, necessary for the good of the child as well as the integrity of the school. Eighty-four percent of children experiencing gender dysphoria will not continue to experience it through adolescence and adulthood, according to an oft-cited 2011 study from Sweden. We must therefore love such students through the challenge on our terms, not theirs. This is not unlike how we deal with children with anorexia who have a dangerous distortion of their sense of weight. We admit them to school but require that they receive care, and we refrain from supporting their bodily disorientation through false affirmation.

The second misconception concerns the implications of Christian anthropology and respect for the human person. The Australian bishops’ document correctly notes that Christian anthropology “demands that we respect the worth of each person at every moment of their existence—from conception to death—regardless of who they are or how they present themselves in the world. It also asks us to see each person holistically rather than seeking to define them by just one aspect of their identity.” It continues: “Any relevant educational programme and the care of individuals in a Catholic school must be faithful to this Christian Anthropology.”

However, the document goes on to mistakenly conclude that being “faithful to this Christian Anthropology” and promoting “a fundamental attitude of charity and respect, of care and compassion,” requires Catholic schools to conform their activities and policies to reinforce gender dysmorphia. This is neither caring nor compassionate. We must interface with children “holistically” as integrated beings, a unity of mind, body, and spirit, and not reduce them to “just one aspect of their identity.”

The third misconception is the assumption that, since Christian anthropology provides a basis for human worth and dignity—we are loved by God and created in his image—and since we are made for communion and flourishing in community, any exclusionary activity is an affront to Christian anthropology. With this argument, the Australian bishops compel Catholic schools to accept and placate children who have “transitioned” to a new name, pronouns, or way of dress.

The natural order has supplied children the family as the primary social unit and source of belonging and wellbeing. Formal institutions can assist in creating other environments of belonging, but a child not being admitted to a certain school, for whatever reason, is not deprived of human dignity or worth, nor of family, church, friends, or love.

We must not conflate attendance at a Catholic school with membership in the Church. Most Catholic children worldwide do not attend Catholic schools but are full members of the Church. The modern Catholic school itself has only been widely available for less than 10 percent of the Church’s history, with catechesis and Christian socializing taking place in the home and parish for most Catholics.

Catholic schools are in the business of integrally forming children in mind, body, and spirit. It is what we do, it is all we do, and we do it one way: in conformity with the will of God and with respect for children as mind-body-spirit unities. Those who seek a different type of formation are free to do so—but they cannot demand that we adapt to their differing goals and conceptions of reality and of the human person.

Using students’ preferred names and pronouns goes against the nature and goals of Catholic education. It casts Catholic schools as active participants in the child’s catastrophic quest for emancipation from the body. It has us (knowingly or unknowingly) participating in relativism, gnostic dualism, materialism, and the toxic fluidity of the modern world. It implicates us in destroying the differences between male and female and the dignity of sexual distinctiveness. It involves us in eroding the roots of the family, severing God from his creation, and distorting the nature of reality itself. And worse yet, by our personal example in forming those under our direct care, we invite our students and families to do the same.

Dan Guernsey is a senior fellow at The Cardinal Newman Society and a 30-year veteran of Catholic education.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the online edition of First Things on February 3, 2023.

After Roe v. Wade, Catholic Colleges Prepare Pro-Life Nurses

/in , /by

Many people are asking, “What’s next for the pro-life movement after the overturning of Roe v. Wade?” One strategic answer coming from faithful Catholic colleges is to populate the medical field with more pro-life, ethical leaders.

More than half the colleges recommended in The Newman Guide offer nursing programs, and some also prepare students for other medical careers. These are colleges rooted in the truth of human dignity and Catholic moral teaching, and already many graduates have become pro-life leaders in the medical fields.

Now that commitment to pro-life healthcare is growing, with several exciting, new programs.

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register…

Cardinal Newman Society Celebrates 15 Years of The Newman Guide

/in /by

MANASSAS, VA – On today’s Solemnity of All Saints, The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) celebrates 15 years of The Newman Guide, which recognizes Catholic colleges for their strong fidelity and formation. Every year, more than 75,000 families use The Newman Guide to find a faithful Catholic college, and now CNS will reach more families than ever with a NEW video helping Catholic families navigate their college search.

“Every young adult is called to be a saint,” said Kelly Salomon, director of family and parish programs for The Cardinal Newman Society, who produced the new video and manages the Newman Guide. “We want Catholic families to know and choose great Catholic colleges that not only educate for careers but form students for sainthood.”

“And for me, it’s personal,” she adds. “The Newman Guide helped me find my own Catholic college, and I want others to have the same extraordinary experience.”

The Cardinal Newman Society launched the first edition of The Newman Guide in 2007, after years of decrying infidelity and scandal across much of Catholic higher education. The Guide has become families’ most trusted source of information on Catholic colleges that have stayed true to the Catholic faith while integrating it across the curriculum and campus life.

The late Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR, wrote the preface to the first edition of The Newman Guide and said it was the Newman Society’s “most important contribution to Catholic higher education ever.” Newman Guide college leaders today confirm that the guide has been instrumental in their success.

Today, Newman Guide colleges are thriving. While total college enrollment in the U.S. has declined 14 percent since 2012, Newman Guide college enrollment increased more than 10 percent in the same period.

In addition to the Guide, The Cardinal Newman Society sponsors Recruit Me, an opportunity for high school students to get recruited by Newman Guide colleges. Recruit Me subscribers are eligible to participate in an annual essay contest, for which the winner receives a $5,000 scholarship. Also, this year CNS will distribute 60,000 copies of My Future, My Faith, a publication explaining the benefits of a faithful Catholic college.

The Cardinal Newman Society’s new video, based on the content in My Future, My Faith, explains the advantages of faithful Catholic education. It helps families consider academics, residential life, spiritual life, and campus activities from a Catholic perspective.

The Newman Guide’s impact is immeasurable, because one can never truly account for winning souls for Christ. May God continue to bless The Newman Guide and lead many more families to experience the blessing of faithful Catholic education.

 

For Media Requests: Please contact Kevin Murphy, vice president of marketing and communications, at KMurphy@CardinalNewmanSociety.org or 703-367-0333 ext. 108.