Christendom College

Educational mission

Christendom College is a Catholic coeducational college institutionally committed to the Magisterium (teaching authority) of the Roman Catholic Church.

The College provides a Catholic liberal arts education.

History

Christendom College was founded by Warren H. Carroll in 1977 in Triangle, Virginia, with $50,000. The original campus was an abandoned elementary school in Triangle, housing a total of 26 students and five faculty. The founding faculty consisted of Carroll, William Marshner, Jeffrey A. Mirus, Kristin (née Popik) Burns, and Raymund P. O'Herron.

In 1979, the College acquired its new campus in Front Royal, Virginia, overlooking the Shenandoah River. It still occupies this site today.

In 1997 Warren Carroll acknowledged the debt Christendom College owed to L. Brent Bozell, Jr. and Triumph magazine in his obituary for Bozell:

"Christendom College was gestated in the womb of Triumph magazine and the Society for the Christian Commonwealth, Brent Bozell's creations. All of our original five faculty were long-time subscribers to Triumph and three had attended the program in Spain. Our current president and his wife and our executive vice-president had attended the program in Spain. Two of the three original major donors who enabled our College project to be launched financially had attended the program in Spain, and the third had seen his son attend it. Many of the original members of our Board of Directors were Triumph readers. In a very fundamental sense Christendom College was a Triumph enterprise, and always will be."

A Call To Greatness Campaign

Starting September 19, 2016 Christendom College launched an ambitious project called the "A Call To Greatness Campaign" to raise $40 million. The funds are to be divided between the college's endowment, the annual fund, and a construction project to build a new 750-seat medieval gothic chapel featuring a 130-foot tower and eight prayer altars. The cost of the chapel is estimated to run approximately $13.5 million, with an additional $13.5 million allocated to the endowment and the remaining $13 million going to the annual fund. Within a month of the fundraiser's launch, roughly 70%, or $28 million, had been raised for the campaign.

Academic degrees

Christendom College has two schools offering graduate and undergraduate degrees.

Undergraduate students combine a liberal arts core-curriculum with eventual upper-level courses in their major field (or fields) of study.

Graduates can choose from three theological concentrations: Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, and Catechetics

Undergraduate college

All graduates of the undergraduate college are awarded the bachelor of arts degree. The fields of study are:

Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College

Robert J. Matava, Dean

Rome Program

The Rome Program includes a continuation of the College's core curriculum program for juniors (THEO 301 Moral Theology during the Fall; and THEO 302 Apologetics in the spring), as well as courses in Italian, Roman Art & Architecture, and a general catch all course that highlights Rome as a center of culture. The Program also includes a week's pilgrimage to Assisi and Siena.

College presidents

1. Dr. Warren Carroll 1977 - 1985
2. Dr. Damian Fedoryka 1985-1992
3. Dr. Timothy T. O’Donnell 1992 - current

Basic statistical data for the 2012-2013 undergraduate academic year

Students:

Freshman SAT Midranges:

Tuition: $21,000

Room & Board: $7,970

Freshman Retention Rate: 83%

Graduation Rate: 69% 4 years 70% 6 years

Course Information:

Residence halls

Men's dormitories:

Women's dormitories:

Academic buildings

Other buildings