The Blue Mantle Christendom College Yearbook 2024-25

The Blue Mantle

Christendom College Yearbook 2024-25 Academic Year

Christendom welcomed 553 students to campus this semester, with 380 returning students, 160 freshmen, and 13 transfers.

August Year In Review

The Northern Lights were visible one night this September, amazing students and faculty alike.

September October

George A. Harne, Ph.D. was officially installed as the fourth president of Christendom College on August 25, 2024. Following the installation ceremony, he led the faculty in the annual Oath of Fidelity to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

The Lady Crusaders soccer team opened the season with a loss - but then went undefeated in the next 13 games. This streak sent them to the National Championship, where they finished runner-up in the nation for the first time in school history.

For this year’s Fall Play, students performed The Actor, bringing to life a new side of Pope St. John Paul II as illustrated by Dr. Daniel McInerny.

This year’s Christmas at Christendom, an annual event for donors of Christendom College, featured keynote speaker Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR.

November December

Students were able to witness the second public swinging of the botafumeiro following vespers on the Feast of Christ the King.

The Lady Crusaders basketball team went undefeated for the entirety of the Fall Semester, going into the new year as the #1 team in the country.

Over break, students experienced life in Guadalajara, Mexico while spending time with the FSSP, touring the local area, helping local charities, and going on retreat.

January

The Christendom community celebrated the achievements of Dr. William Marshner, founding faculty member of the college, as his groundbreaking translation of Cardinal Cajetan’s Commentary on St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae: Prima Pars was published.

The Christendom community mourned the passing of Professor Emeritus Mary Alice Rice, who was a beloved professor for 40 years.

February

A Survivor-themed Dorm Wars was a huge hit with the students. Senior Joshua Cruz finished the weekend with his fifth Swing Dance Competition victory, and his second with senior Monica LaFramboise.

Students and staff went to 4 different countries over Spring Break for Mission Trips, serving the local communities and growing in their spiritual lives.

April was a month of performances, with both the Spring Musical and Mystery Dinner Theater occurring. The latter raised nearly $14,000 for the Senior Class Gift.

March April May

The Lady Crusaders won their second consecutive USCAA DII National Championship with a nail-biting 63-60 win in the final game. Catherine Thomas was named DII Player of the Year and Miranda Keller was named DII Student Athlete of the Year.

Students, faculty,and staff gathered in the OCH Crypt on May 8 to celebrate the election of the new Roman Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.

Campus Life

Academic Life

This year students learned from more than 50 professors over the course of eight majors (including the newly-formed Natural Science major). A new delight for academic life was Christendom chaplains Fr. Pollard and Fr. Flynn teaching Theology 102 for the freshmen in their spring semester.

quodlibets

Major Speaker

Spiritual Life on Campus

The ‘Death of St. Joseph’ statue was constructed and finished during the school year.

Students gather in the beautiful Christ the King Chapel for Mass, Laudamus Te holy hours, numerous retreats, and other events throughout the year as the summit of spiritual formation on campus.

Swing ‘n’ Sundaes

C

hester

-B

Fall Semester

Students volunteered on the Welcome Weekend Commitee to help new students move in.

Orientation Weekend

SAC welcomed everyone to campus with a Friday night social, gym night on Saturday, Dr. Cuddeback’s barn dance on Sunday, and the Orientation Party on Monday.

The RAs were victorious in the annual SAC vs RA dodgeball match, and students enjoyed an evening of skits and games at the Orientation Party.

Bishop Burbidge celebrated the opening Mass of the academic year, after which George A. Harne was officially inaugurated as the fourth president of Christendom College, with President Emeritus Dr. Timothy O’Donnell bestowing upon him the Chain of Office. After his inauguration, Dr. Harne led the faculty in making the Oath of Fidelity.

Cuddeback Barn Dance

Karaoke night Canoe trip Carols FallFun

Line Dance

BONFIRE NIGHTS

at St. Brendan’s Dock & St. Catherine’s Glade

Songs, stories, and sound advice were shared around the

Two bonfires were hosted during September: one by SAC at St. Brendan’s Dock, and the other by Dr. Cuddeback and Mr. Brown at St. Catherine’s Glade. Both fires were a smashing success, with plenty of music, food, and fun for all!

Hotdogs, marshmallows, and bananas were cooked over the fire in abundance.

Italian Night

CONVOCATION Men’s Women’s

Upper

“We gave them the very best we had...and it wasn’t enough.”

-Aron Forthofer

Under

“The final score: a lot to a little.“ -Matt O’Hara

POWDER PUFF

Senior Benefit

SPIRIT WEEK

HOMECOMING DANCE

“In a word: ‘Ethridge.’”

- Aron Forthofer

EAST VS.WEST

“I’ve never seen anyone run so fast he ran out of his shoe.”

- Fr. Pollard

FINAL SCORE: WEST 52 EAST 42

Oktoberfest featured a German feast, music, competitions, and a Landler lesson. Congrats to the Class of 2025 on winning the games for the second year in a row!

Fall Semester in Rome

HALOWE N DANCE

Tragedy vs Coedy

DAY OF SERVICE

On All Saints Day, groups of students used their day off to clean up campus. Other groups helped the Dominican Sisters in Linden with yard work, and more went to various places around town to give back to the local community.

THE ACTOR

faculty

CAST

CARDINAL WOJTYLA: Ignatius Birdsall

BROTHER ALBERT: Aron Forthofer

LOLEK: Patrick Ohotnicky

JULIUSZ KYDRYNSKI: Paddy Deighan

FATHER FIGELWICZ/JAN TYRANOWSKI: Thomas Brehany

JULIUSZ OSTERWA/MASTER OF CEREMONIES: William Cleary

CAPTAIN WOJTYLA: Alex Girata/Justin Zappe

ARCHBISHOP SAPIEHA/GERMAN SOLDIER: John Teter

FATHER ZACHER/CARDINAL VILLOT/GERMAN SOLDIER: Justin Zappe

MEICZYSLAW KOTLARCZYK/STAGE MANAGER: Nico Alvarez

FATHER KOBIERSKI: John Paul Cole

HALINA KROLIKIEWICZ: Mikaela Kent

IRENA SOBOL: Theresa Byers

DAUNTA MICHALOWSKA: Bridget Palm

BRONYA NOWAK: Abby Matava

STEFANIE NOWAK: Jillian Vincent

MRS. NOWAK: Catherine Accurso

YOUNG MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE: Mary McCaughey, Cecilia Marter

ZOFIA KOTLARCZYK: Abigail Greca

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Liz Foeckler

Written by Daniel McInerny

St. Cecilia’s Night

Christendom students have a strong appreciation for good music, and so for the feast of the patroness of musicians, they share their talents during a night of festivities!

Christendom welcomed its fourth President, Dr. George Harne, and his family in the summer of 2024, and he was officially installed in the beginning of the fall semester.

Dr. Harne’s First Semester

Christmas Formal at Historic Rosemont Springs

This year, Christmas Formal was held on December 8, 2024 at the Historic Rosemont Springs, in Berryville, VA. Coordinated by Aron Forthofer, Kaylee O’Neill, the Class of 2025, and the entire Student Activities Council, this off-campus formal was a night full of dancing, friendship, and holiday cheer.

Spring Semester

March For Life

Students, faculty, and staff attended the 52nd Annual March For Life on January 24, 2025, marching for the rights of unborn babies around the world!

Welcome Back Dance

Karaoke night SpringFun Nutella Night

Art Night Night

MR. BROWN EVENTS

Bowling in town! Thomistic Dinners!

Cup o’ Coeli

SADIE HAWKIN’S DANCE

DORM WARS2025

Swing & waltz Competition

Dance Under the Stars

Mission Trips

Students and staff represented Christendom on mission trips to Honduras and the Dominican Republic, going on pilgrimage to Paris, and working on projects for parishes and schools in the Momence, Illinois area.

Honduras

Dominican Republic

Momence, Illinois

•St. Patrick's Day•

Adventures Abroad

WITH THE SPRING ROMERS

Students held an impromptu dance in their common room.

COFFEE HOUSE

At Coffee House, students showed off their skills in fun songs, acts, and other amusements in this light hearted event. Even some professors made an appearance! (Or was that just the MCs?)

Habemus Papam!

The Christendom community joined the world in welcoming Pope Leo XIV on May 8, both in St. Peter’s Square and in the OCH crypt. Campus assembled in Christ the King Chapel to pray a rosary for the Pope a few hours after his election.

Cinderella

CINDERELLA: Lauren Bosack

PRINCE CHARMING: Andre Morales

STEPMOTHER: Abigail Greca

PORTIA: Maggie McCourt

JOY: Jillian Vincent

FAIRY GODMOTHER: Kaylee O’Neill

KING: Aron Forthofer • QUEEN: Tess

Brons

HERALD, Understudy for Prince

Charming & Ensemble: Nick Anderson

CHEF, Ensemble: Ignatius Birdsall

STEWARD, Understudy for Herald, Ensemble: Joseph Spiering

COACHMAN, Understudy for Steward, Ensemble: Christopher Cruz

FOOTMAN, Ensemble: Thomas Cole

CLUMSY MAN, Understudy for King, Ensemble: John Hill

MINISTER, Understudy for Chef, Ensemble: William Cleary

UNDERSTUDY FOR CINDERELLA, Ensemble: Sarah Mandy UNDERSTUDY FOR STEPMOTHER, Ensemble: Hannah Simpson UNDERSTUDY FOR PORTIA, Ensemble: Mary McCaughey • UNDERSTUDY FOR JOY, Ensemble: Maryann Casey

UNDERSTUDY FOR GODMOTHER, Ensemble: Bea Stanford • UNDERSTUDY FOR QUEEN, White Horse, Ensemble: Mary Landry • ADD’L WHITE HORSES, Ensemble: Maria Blank, Bridget Palm, Clare Witter

MYSTERY DINNER THEATER

The Game’s afooT

in Gunbarrel CiTy

This year’s Mystery Dinner Theater broke records, raising almost $14,000. Featuring 19 actors, the play was directed by Erin McLaughlin and Johnny Gunthorpe, produced by Aron Forthofer and Kaylee O’Neill, and written by Helen Davis.

SPRING FORMAL

The baseball team poses for a photo. They finished their season that afternoon by beating Patrick Henry 13-3.

Athletics

Women’s Soccer

Senior Spotlight

This year’s seniors were Josie Belleville, Georgia Francis, Teresa Janaro, Miranda Keller, Colleen Kosten, Mary Sabados, and Catherine Thomas. This group helped lead their 23-person team to the National Championship game in Pittsburgh, the farthest the team had progressed in the USCAA DII.

Men’s Soccer

This year’s seniors were Sean Corcoran, Joshua Cruz, Andrew Snyder, Michael Townsend, and John Paul Tsakanikas. All seniors were strong influences on the team, and led the way to a strong season.

Rugby

STATS

Conference

Senior Spotlight

Overall Record: 29-17-2

15s Record: 6-5

7s Record: 23-12-2

This year’s seniors were Jude Burkett, David Foeckler, John Gunthorpe, Will Kolesar, Chris Santschi, Geoff Scrivener, Chris Usher, and Nick Ward. They all served as good influences to their teammates, leading them to victory nearly 30 times this year alone.

Volleyball

Overall Record: 9-11

Home Wins: 7 • Kills 571

Digs: 1042 • Points: 759

Receptions: 890 STATS

Senior Spotlight

This year’s seniors were Cate Brezinsky, Adrienne McShurley, and Margs Stahl, with Annie Crnkovich providing sideline support to the players and coaching staff. They were leaders on and off the court, and provided mentorship and a positive image for the other players on the team.

olley

Women’s Basketball

Senior Spotlight

This year’s seniors, Regina Bonvissuto, Miranda Keller, Bridget McCaughey, and Catherine Thomas, led their team to their second consecutive national championship, with Catherine collecting a record 2311 career points and USCAA DII Player of the Year award, and Miranda acheiving USCAA DII Student Athlete of the Year.

Men’s Basketball

STATS

The boys performed at Coffee House in the Spring, performing ‘I Want it that Way’ by the Backstreet Boys

Overall Record: 9-14

1490 • PPG 64.8

Largest win: 82-47

Home Record: 6-3

Senior Spotlight

David Echaniz was the team’s lone senior this year, returning for his third straight season. He finished his final year strong, influencing the team through his experience and skill.

Overall Record: 12-19

Avg: .332 Runs: 245

Home Record: 8-7

Stolen Bases: 32 STATS

Home Runs: 13

Largest Win: 26-0

Cross Country Year in Review

The 2024–2025 athletic year at Christendom College was filled with milestones, championships, and individual excellence across every sport. With programs continuing to grow and student-athletes competing at the highest levels of the USCAA and beyond, this year marked one of the most successful in Crusader history. Here’s a look back at a season defined by hard work, unity, and a relentless pursuit of greatness.

Final Word: Champions in Every Sense

From the courts and fields to the national spotlight, Christendom Athletics proved this year that we are built not only to compete— but to lead. The Crusaders not only had a great year on the playing surfaces with three conference championships, one national runnerup, one national title, and a host of All-American and All-Conference honors, but also in the classroom. The overall GPA of all teams was a 3.51, and finished the year with 48 Academic All-Americans, a true testament to these student-athletes’ commitment to excellence in the classroom as well as on the playing surface. The 2024-2025 year will go down in the books as a very exciting year, and everyone will be working hard to build and do everything possible to make the next year even more successful.

Lights Camera Headshots

Freshmen

Class of 2028

Freshmen

Class of 2028

Sophomores

Class of 2027

Sophomores

Class of 2027

Juniors

Class of 2026

Juniors

Seniors

Seniors

Class of 2025

Seniors

Thank you, Class of 2025!

Faculty/Staff

Faculty/Staff

Faculty/Staff