CDU Partners with the Magis Institute

CDU is expanding its partnership with Rev. Robert J. Spitzer and the Magis Institute. Father Spitzer, who is a member of the Advisory Board, teaches courses on science-based apologetics. Now his 10-hour, non-credit program will be certified by CDU. This partnership broadens the scope of CDU influence in promoting the compatibility of faith and science.

CDU Partners with Shepherd University

On July 23rd Catholic Distance University signed a Memorandum of Understanding and an articulation agreement with Shepherd University, a state university in West Virginia. The agreement allows students who earn CDU’s AA degree in the Liberal Arts with a Concentration in Catholic Studies to continue on at Shepherd University to earn a Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA) degree. The documents were signed by CDU President Dr. Marianne Evans Mount and Shepherd University Provost Dr. Scott Beard. Also in attendance from Shepherd University were Dr. Virginia Hicks, assistant provost for academic community outreach, and Beth Thomas, RBA program coordinator.

Shepherd University’s RBA program was designed to help students work around life’s challenges to earn a bachelor’s degree. CDU expects the program to be particularly attractive to Catholic students in West Virginia, who may choose to earn CDU’s online AA degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Catholic Studies to save money while living at home and to become better grounded in the faith before heading off to Shepherd University to earn a Bachelor’s degree. At just $305 per credit hour, CDU’s AA degree is an affordable option.

“We are excited about the opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Marianne Evans Mount, “and continuing opportunities for our faculty to work together and explore ways of expanding our curriculum. We are thrilled to be working with a state university like Shepherd University.”

Dr. Scott Beard said, “We are really appreciative of this opportunity to collaborate with Catholic Distance University and to really have some clear degree pathways for a new population of students. We look forward to future collaborations with Catholic Distance University.”

Pictured, left to right: Dr. Virginia Hicks, assistant provost for academic community outreach; Dr. Marianne Evans Mount, CDU president; Dr. Scott Beard, Shepherd University provost; and Beth Thomas, Shepherd University RBA program coordinator

ATS Grants Candidacy to Graduate School of Theology

At its February 7-8, 2019, meeting, the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) unanimously voted CDU’s Graduate School of Theology a Candidate for Accreditation. Founded in 1918, ATS accredits more than 270 graduate schools of theology and most Catholic seminaries in the United States and Canada. Member schools offer post-baccalaureate professional and academic degree programs to educate students for the practice of ministry and for teaching and research in the theological disciplines.

The Graduate School of Theology’s purpose is to provide a transformative learning experience in the digital space and to develop leaders and teachers for the new evangelization in the 21st century. Nearly ninety percent of Graduate School of Theology alumni serve the Church in some ministry, including as youth ministers, directors of religious education, catechists, school teachers, liturgy directors, professors of theology, parish administrators, religious sisters, and diocesan staff. Others use their education to work in the public, non-profit, or private sectors in a variety of fields including education, healthcare, and business.

Notable alumni include Dr. Angelo Giardino, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Well known within the medical community, his career has focused on treating and preventing suffering in children who may have experienced abuse or neglect. Dr. Giardino serves on the National Board of Directors for Prevent Child Abuse America, the National Review Board for the Protection of Children, and the U.S. Center for SafeSport, in addition to CDU’s Board of Trustees. He also serves as a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Fifty-two percent of Graduate School of Theology alumni are women. Since CDU was founded in 1983, its educational programs have offered women an opportunity to more fully enter into the life and leadership of the Church community. About one-third of the graduate school’s faculty members are women, and a number of women serve on CDU’s Board of Trustees.

Collectively, ATS member schools enroll approximately 74,500 students and employ more than 7,200 faculty and administrators. The mission of ATS is to promote the improvement and enhancement of theological schools to the benefit of communities of faith and the broader public. Member schools are committed to the following shared values: diversity, quality and improvement, collegiality, and leadership. Candidacy is the first step toward full accreditation, which would likely be achieved in a period of two years.

CDU has been continuously accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, a national accreditor, since 1986 and is authorized to grant degrees through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. In November 2018, CDU was named a Candidate for Accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits post-secondary educational institutions in a 19-state region that includes West Virginia, where CDU is headquartered.

Graduates Honored at Academic Convocation Mass

On November 3, 2018, CDU graduates from across the United States traveled to the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington, DC, to attend the annual Academic Convocation Mass, where all 2018 graduates were honored for their academic achievements. More than 60 students from throughout the United States as well as Japan, Scotland, Austria, and Canada earned academic degrees and certificates this year. University Chancellor Archbishop Timothy Broglio served as the principal celebrant, and trustee Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde of Arlington con-celebrated.

Given the many reasons why students choose to study online, including cost, schedules, family responsibilities, work, and health, we are always delighted to meet those who are able to travel to the Washington, DC, area to participate in the Academic Convocation Mass. They represent their fellow graduates and and enjoy the opportunity to meet each other, the faculty, and staff members who attend. Read more about the outstanding graduates who attended the Mass below.

 

 

Irma Juanita Alvarez: MA (Theology)
Irma Juanita Alvarez enrolled in 2011 immediately after retiring as a teacher and administrator at Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista, CA. She had seen Dr. Robert Royal and other CDU representatives on EWTN promoting CDUs graduate programs in theology and felt the Lord’s call to deepen her understanding of the Catholic Church and its theological roots so she could teach and evangelize others. “The fact that the CDU program was taught by an outstanding faculty and that it was taught online caught my interest,” she says. “The CDU program has been both challenging and inspiring for me. I am very grateful for the education I have received from such distinguished professors, and I thank God for having allowed me this opportunity.”
Cierra Elizabeth Holt: BA Theology
After moving around the United States in her youth, Cierra and her family settled in Florida. Wishing to focus on the most important thing in life, relationship with God, Cierra chose to complete her undergraduate studies at CDU. Cierra uses the knowledge gained from her studies to teach others about the Faith, especially children in her parish’s faith formation program. Cierra is grateful to CDU for offering her an orthodox Catholic education, to her parents for making her studies possible, and to the Holy Trinity for blessing her continually.
Alfredo Garcia Lopez: BA Theology
Alfredo Garcia Lopez, of Fresno, CA, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and emigrated to the United States in 1987. He is married with three children and is self-employed, working in the field of taxes and insurance since 1989. “Going back to the Church in 2005, I started to participate in bible studies. I now participate in several ministries at Saint John’s Cathedral,” he says. “I was looking for a more in-depth understanding of my faith and providentially found Catholic Distance University. It has been a marvelous and awesome experience to have been introduced to the wonderful mysteries of our God. I’m deeply thankful to my teachers and all the people at CDU.”
Mary McKay: MA (Theology)
Mary McKay is Liturgy Director at St Mary of Sorrows. In a volunteer role she serves as a facilitator for some of the adult faith formation programs offered at St Mary’s, which is a passion of hers. “In both my paid and volunteer capacities, I use what I learned at CDU nearly every day,” Mary says. “I’m also particularly grateful to Fr Bramwell who, early on, pushed us to be precise in our language when speaking about theology.”
Maria Moore-Michels: BA Theology
Maria Moore-Michels of Wrightwood, CA, first heard of CDU in 2007 from a former student. “I thought it was a tantalizing dream,” she says. “My wishful thinking, written on a napkin, became reality in 2013. Today, I am here to joyfully walk for my BA first and foremost by the grace of God who filled my life with my daughter Jacqueline, whose studies inspired me to keep learning, because of Robert my late husband’s love of the word, and because my current husband Arnie and my parents Maria Luisa and Narciso lovingly encouraged me. I thank my Lord for this unbelievable achievement in his honor, for directing me to follow him as an Oblate of St. Andrew’s Abbey, for all the children I have been blessed to teach in RCIC, and for the tremendous joy of serving him as Eucharistic Minister, Reader, and Master of Ceremonies at Our Lady of the Snows in beautiful Wrightwood, CA.”
Nicholas R. Radloff: MA (Theology)
Nicholas Radloff of Dyersville, Iowa, a former captain in the U.S. Air Force and now a civilian, studied aerospace engineering at Saint Louis University. After completing undergraduate studies in 2008, he began a career as a Combat Search and Rescue Navigator with the U.S. Air Force flying the HC-130 aircraft. While on active duty, Nicholas began his studies at CDU and is grateful for the opportunity to study theology while simultaneously being deployed to many parts of the world. His courses played a role in his discernment, and he left the Air Force to pursue the priesthood. Nicholas is currently a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Dubuque studying at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.
Suzanne Reinhardt-Johnson: MA (Theology)
Suzanne Reinhardt-Johnson is married with four adult children and two grandchildren. She works part-time as a preschool teacher. After serving as a catechist for her children, Suzanne began her studies at CDU. “The convenient online classes and support of the instructors and discussion chat rooms made learning the curriculum and deepening one’s faith an unsurpassed experience,” she says. She makes use of both as a catechist in multiple ministries in her home parish.

CDU Supporters Celebrate 35 Years at Annual Gala

Friends, trustees, faculty, and staff of Catholic Distance University gathered to celebrate 35 Years of serving the New Evangelization at the annual gala on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018, at the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington, DC. Helen Alvaré, professor of law at George Mason University School of Law and noted Catholic advocate for women and families, served as the master of ceremonies. The event was hosted by Dr. Charles Wasaff, the first lay chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Archbishop Timothy Broglio, university chancellor and vice chairman of the Board. Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington and trustee of CDU delivered the invocation. “Here we are at the Shrine of St. John Paul II, who told us always to use every appropriate resource and tool possible to teach the truth and the joy of the Gospel,” he aptly noted. Bishop Burbidge thanked God for blessing CDU for 35 years and for the many ways the University has responded to that challenge and call. The evening began with an academic convocation Mass to honor CDU’s 2018 graduates, who hail from throughout the United States as well as Japan, Austria, Scotland, and Canada. Archbishop Timothy Broglio served as the principal celebrant, and trustee Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde of Arlington, who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2003 until 2017, con-celebrated.

MA in Theology degree graduates attending Mass included students from California, Virginia, and Iowa. A student in attendance from Iowa who earned the rank of Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force is now studying at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. He began his career in aerospace engineering in the Air Force as a Combat Search and Rescue Navigator. While deployed abroad during active duty he enrolled in CDU’s MA program and discerned a vocation to the priesthood. BA in Theology degree graduates attending Mass included students from California and Florida. BA graduate Alfredo Garcia Lopez of Fresno, CA, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and emigrated to the United States in 1987. All of the graduates actively lead or participate in ministries in their parishes and are committed to sharing the faith with others. Dr. Charles Wasaff and president Dr. Marianne Evans Mount presented the Bishop Thomas J. Welsh Parish Award to the Basilica of St. Mary of Alexandria, VA. Rector Rev. Edward C. Hathaway warmly accepted the award on behalf of St. Mary’s Parish, which was founded in 1795 as the first Catholic parish in Virginia. Pope Francis named the church a minor basilica on December 6, 2017, due to its important role in the growth of the Catholic Church in North America. Dr. Wasaff noted the Basilica’s outstanding record of service. The Basilica has 54 apostolates; 400 parishioners actively volunteering in the community; and a 700 plus-student school, making it the largest K-8 school in the Diocese of Arlington. Three of its pastors, including Father Hathaway, have generously supported CDU through the years.

In attendance from the Diocese of Brooklyn, which partners with CDU, were Theodore Musco, a CDU trustee and secretary for the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese, and Father Joseph Gibino, coordinator for curriculum and degrees for the Diocese. CDU is the academic partner to the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Holy Spirit Institute for Service and Leadership, providing degree and certificate programs at the noncredit, bachelor’s, and graduate degree levels.

Dr. Angelo Giardino, an MA graduate of CDU, trustee, and president of the Alumni Association, also attended. Dr. Giardino, who is professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and chief medical officer at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, is also a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In her remarks, Dr. Marianne Evans Mount thanked the gala chair, The Honorable Susan R. Malone, for her leadership of the event. “Susan is a dedicated member of our Board, a Dame of Malta, and one of the first two women chosen to serve our country in the FBI,” Dr. Mount said. “She works throughout the year to ensure that we have a spectacular evening and a great Silent Auction to raise money for scholarships.”

Dr. Mount recalled the early history of CDU, which was begun by Bishop Thomas J. Welsh in 1983 as a catechetical institute to put out into the deep for the new evangelization. “Today, as a University, [CDU] honors graduates with a global presence and an impressive diversity as missionary disciples for the 21st century,” she said.

“Her graduates proclaim the transformative experience of learning online because we embrace a different pedagogy, a new model of Catholic university not bound by time or place, whose door is always open,” Dr. Mount explained. “CDU offers a contemplative classroom in the comfort of home, highly credentialed faculty passionate about their faith, and the flexibility and rich interactivity of a cutting-edge learning platform that mirrors the warm conversational teaching of Jesus with his disciples 2000 years ago.”

Attendees were treated to a video that reflected on milestones in CDU’s 35-year history and featured heartfelt messages of congratulations. “Thirty-five years represents a significant moment in the history of CDU,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio. “Thirty-five years of bringing the Catholic Faith right into the homes of individuals, allowing them to study, earn a degree, and develop in their understanding of our Catholic Faith.” Others featured included benefactor Blanche Moore, who spoke of the importance of spreading the Catholic Faith through distance education. Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde remarked, “The next 35 years will see this University growing and touching the lives of many more people so that light can come into darkness, so that clarity of truth can dispel misgivings [and] misunderstanding, so that people can live with the Lord Jesus as he brings us closer to each other and one day closer to our eternal reward.” “Thank you for equipping students to be a vital part of the New Evangelization,” said Bishop Burbidge. Others congratulating the University on 35 years of service to the New Evangelization included Greg Erlandson, director and editor in chief of Catholic News Service; Rev. Robert Spitzer, president of the Magis Center and the Spitzer Center; and Rev. Edward Hathaway.

Among a roomful of loyal supporters, Dr. Margaret B. Melady, trustee of CDU and president of the Order of Malta, gave a toast to CDU, looking ahead to its future. “At this milestone, we might ask: what does the future hold? What will CDU look like in the next 10 or 20 or 35 years? I imagine that our faculty will be exploring newly invented, technological tools to improve interactive learning. We will be encountering learners in the peripheries of our global world in all walks of life. We do that now, but this will expand as access to digital communication increases.”

“Our current alumni are from diverse fields—medical, criminal justice, education, media, military, church ministry. More and more of them will be disciples for Christ using their faith formation to evangelize—and much of that will employ digital means,” she added. In addition to a wonderful meal, fine wine donated by the Napa Institute, and a lively cocktail hour, attendees enjoyed the St. John Paul II Shrine’s multimedia exhibit on the life of the sainted late pontiff and enjoyed a silent auction featuring unique items and trips to exotic locations.

Fr. deLadurantaye Named to Vatican Secretariat of State

The Arlington Catholic Herald

Father Paul F. deLadurantaye, executive director of the St. Thomas More Institute and diocesan secretary for catechetics and sacred liturgy, has been appointed to the English section of the Vatican Secretariat of State for five years beginning Sept. 1, 2018.

Click here to read more.

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