Your Summer Preparation for Christendom
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Dear students,
On behalf of the Department of English Language and Literature, I congratulate you on choosing Christendom College in your pursuit of an authentically Catholic liberal arts education. Within Christendom's core curriculum is a two-year study of the literature of Western Civilization. Our adventure begins with the first great works of Western Literature, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and continues through your sophomore year with literary masterworks of Christian antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the modem world.
I am sure you are eager to undertake the spiritual, intellectual, and aesthetic journey in pursuit of the knowledge of the true, the good, and the beautiful which is the goal of our literary study here at Christendom College. Thus, we ask you to begin with the short address to young Christians given by a Doctor of the Church, St. Basil the Great (b. 330, d. 379). As you will see, the address examines the subject of reading classical (pagan) literature as a prelude to reading Christian, and specifically Catholic, works. Please read the address this summer so that you can begin to consider why such literature is part of the curriculum at Christendom. Then be sure to print it out, review it before classes start, and bring it to your first session of English 101: Literature of Western Civilization I. Here is the link to download and print the reading.
Before arriving at Christendom, you may also wish to get a head start by reading Homer's Iliad, about "the wrath of Achilles," and perhaps even his Odyssey, about the "man skilled in all ways of contending." In these great books, the virtues of men and women are put to the supreme test. The literature classes at Christendom all use the same assigned editions: Richmond Lattimore's translation of the Iliad and Robert Fitzgerald's translation of the Odyssey.
I hope you will enjoy reading St. Basil's address this summer and—if you choose to do so—Homer's epics. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at tstanford@christendom.edu.
Yours in Christ Our King,
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Dr. Thomas Stanford
Chair, Department of English Language and Literature
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Second Philosophy Class with Mr. Brown
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Thanks to all who joined Mr. Brown for the first philosophy class last Wednesday! The next class will be this coming Wednesday, again at 8:00 pm (Eastern), and you can use the information below to join:
Time: Jun 18, 2025 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94524557763
Meeting ID: 945 2455 7763
Even if you missed the first one, we hope you will be able to join us for the next! We will be discussing St. Thomas Aquinas' treatment of the second great commandment, "Love Thy Neighbor," and the reading is available here.
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GET-TO-KNOW Dr. Kevin Tracy
Vice President of Academic Affairs
- Hometown: Valhalla, NY
- Professor of Classical and Early Christian Studies
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Undergraduate: Swarthmore College (97')
- Master/Doctorate: University of Pennsylvania (06')
- Hobby: trail running
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- June 18: Second Online Philosophy Class with Prof. Brown at 8:00 pm EDT
- June 26: Deadline to complete your Orientation Checklist and submit all required forms.
- Action: Submit all required forms.
- Mid-July:
- Final Welcome Weekend schedule will be shared.
- Information on accessing online course registration will sent via the Christendom Beginnings email.
- Updated booklist for Fall semester courses will be available online.
- Two Weeks Prior to the Start of the Semester: Roommate and residence hall assignments will be emailed to you.
- August 22: Move-In Day and Welcome Weekend begins.
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In Case You Missed It:
Video of the Week
Christendom's Faculty Making the Oath of Fidelity
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studentlife@christendom.edu
134 Christendom Dr. Front Royal, VA 22630
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