By LIAM DILLON, Naples Daily News
Monday, March 31, 2008
What was once just a tomato field is
now holy land. What was once just a
building is now a sacred place.
Ave Maria and the Roman Catholic
Church joined Monday in a 1,500-year-
old ceremony that dedicated the town’s
100-foot, $24 million landmark as a
church and made official the link
between the new community and its
inspiration.
Diocese of Venice Bishop Frank
Dewane led a two-hour service in front
of 1,100 worshipers inside the church,
known as the Ave Maria Oratory, and
about 1,000 others watching the
celebration on closed circuit television
nearby. The service functioned like the
building’s baptism, dedicating it as a
house of worship and celebrating its
first Mass.
All elements of Catholic sacred life,
including Mass, baptisms, weddings and
funerals, will now be performed inside.
The ceremony began in the mid-
afternoon with Dewane’s hands clasped
in prayer, standing outside the church,
leading a procession of priests.
“Grace and peace of God be with you in
this holy church” were Dewane’s first
words.
And then, Dewane and the priests
entered, beginning a service filled with
intense ritual, ceremony and prayer.
Illuminated by sunlight and thousands of
watts of electricity, sounds of the choir
singing, camera shutters clicking and
babies crying mixed with the smell of
burning incense.
In his homily, Dewane spoke of the
Feast of the Annunciation and quoted
Pope Benedict XVI: “Mary tells us why
church buildings exist.” The feast day,
which celebrates the angel’s appearance
to the Virgin Mary to announce she
would carry the baby Jesus, is vital to
Ave Maria. The Blessed Mother is
considered the community’s patron
saint and its street grid is oriented
toward the sunrise on the traditional day
the feast is celebrated.
Nearly four years ago to the day, plans
for the church were first revealed in a
North Naples hotel along with the initial
phase of Ave Maria town and university.
They were to be built on old tomato
fields in eastern Collier County on land
donated by area developer Barron Collier
Cos. to university founder and former
Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom
Monaghan. Together, they would build
the town.
The centerpiece, linking the town and
the university, was this building, then
envisioned as 150 feet tall with a larger
seating capacity than any Catholic place
of worship in the country.
Since then, the building’s size and its
seats were scaled down, but its
construction came with its vaulted
ceiling and steel buttresses rising toward
the heavens. Along with the building
came just under 500 students and the
first couple hundred homeowners, a
majority of whom are Catholic.
Those students and residents were
overjoyed at the church’s dedication.
“This is the biggest step the school
could have made,” said freshman
Joseph Satkowski, 19, as he stood
waiting to enter the building. “Yes, we’
ve had the first day of classes and the
town opening, but until you have that
faith center, everything else feels
superfluous.”
Sitting in a pew before the service,
Marielena Stuart waved her camcorder
excitedly. She sat next to her husband,
Thomas, and in the row in front of two
neighbors, Karen Apang and Kathy
Delaney, who also had camcorders.
They all live on Kentucky Way in town
and can see the back of the church
from their homes. They prayed for this
moment every day.
“You can imagine that this church is
supposed to be the center and the heart
of the town,” Stuart said. “Without this
church, it was like we didn’t have a
heart. Now it’s like we’re alive.”
Now, Stuart said, her 7-year-old son,
John Paul, could have his first Holy
Communion inside.
The road to Monday’s dedication didn’t
go as smoothly as its founders hoped.
Monaghan said he wanted the ceremony
to take place in December, then in
January and then the university didn’t
plan any more. Prolonged negotiations
with the diocese over the building’s
status were taking place. Neither side
would address substantive issues
involved, but church experts speculated
matters of spiritual and financial
authority were at play.
After Monday’s service, both sides
made oblique references to
disagreements — university President
Nick Healy called them “the
complexities of the whole situation here”
— but declined to elaborate.
What university officials wanted to
emphasize, however, was that the
bishop is in control of pastoral care and
they are working toward the same goal:
the development of the Catholic faith.
Responding to a question about who
was in charge, Monaghan pointed to
Dewane.
“We respect the bishop, we’re always
obedient to the bishop and we’ve always
intended to be,” Monaghan said. “If we
don’t do that, we’re hypocrites as far as
being a Catholic university. That’s the
way the church is structured and that’s
the way I believe it should be.”
Dewane said his concern above all else
was and remains appropriate care for
the town’s Catholic population.
“Always when there are people gathered
in an area, I look and the other bishops
of the country do look at how do we set
up a church there, how do we realize
the spiritual life of the people,” Dewane
said. “That’s what this does today for
the town. It renders very present the
fostering of the spiritual life.”
But the ceremony doesn’t mean the
relationship between the university and
the diocese is now clear. The official
name for the structure is “the quasi-
parish of Ave Maria Oratory,” a term
that unlike “parish,” “church” or
“oratory” is imprecise in Catholic law,
experts have said, implying a unique
arrangement between the school and the
official hierarchy.
Near the end of the dedication, Dewane
announced that the Rev. Robert Tatman,
a diocesan priest, would be priest
administrator in charge of the church.
Tatman, 48, formerly the parochial vicar
at St. John the Evangelist in North
Naples, will oversee liturgical life in the
community.
“I am very glad to be part of this and
the new initiative that’s behind it,” said
Tatman, after the service. “We’re trying
to make the Catholic presence really
viable as an institution here. That’s what
we’re all working toward.”
But what has now become clear — after
the building’s construction, after
townspeople have settled into their
homes, after students have started their
classes and after Monday’s ceremony
— is that the building is now holy, not
only in the eyes of its community, but
also in its church.
“It’s only steel and concrete until it’s
dedicated and consecrated as a church,”
Monaghan said. “To put that into words
would be beyond my capabilities.”
© Naples News
Live in Ave Maria, FL
| As many of you know, there is literally a new town on the horizon. The new town is called Ave Maria; and, it is a town unlike any other town in history. Many of us have heard of or thought of the idea of a town centered on a Church, where all life and activity has the right sense of the Divine at its center (see Thomas Merton quote). We feel that this is something often lacking in this day and age; but, we just cannot place our finger on what it is or why it ended up this way. Where there is a basic need, man eventually attempts to build it. Ave Maria is already radically unique because of the concept of building a planned city and university from the ground up. It is currently the largest construction site in the country. Nowhere in history do you find such an undertaking. Usually in a college town, the town comes first or the college; but a college town built all in one! Its the product of rooted inspiration coupled with the modern need for comprehensive planning. "Ave," as the students have already decided its nickname, is a university town of excellence, already being built in the hearts of people. No amount of concrete or colored paint can cause this vision to take place. But the intentions and the vision of the founder, along with the hearts of all those who share in it. This is what makes it the town of Ave Maria. |
Oratory Church under
construction
construction
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |
 |
 |
SCRIPT>
microsoft_adcenterconversion_domainid = 62796;
microsoft_adcenterconversion_cp = 5050;
::adCenter::
 |
Click for site map
A New Town
on the Horizon
on the Horizon
Nova
Oberlin
Kendall
Prescott
Celtic Cross
atop Oratory
atop Oratory
 |
 |
3835 41st Avenue NE
Naples, FL 34120
Naples, FL 34120
Shenandoah
Tidewater
DEL WEBB
HAMPTON VILLAGE
 |
BELLERA WALK
Capri III
Oakmont
Carlyle
Live in Ave Maria, Florida
Pulte, Pulte Homes
Pulte, Pulte Homes
Pulte, Pulte Homes
Pulte, Pulte Homes
Pulte Homes
Pulte
Pulte, Pulte Homes
Front Entrance
La Piazza
| (239)353-2173 Office |
| (239)451-0434 Mobile |
Contact:
3835 41st Ave. NE
Naples, FL 34120
Naples, FL 34120
Pulte Homes, Pulte
Pulte Ave Maria
Pulte Mortgage, Ave Maria
Pulte Ave Maria
Pulte Mortgage, Ave Maria
Laurel
Cypress
Belmont
Brentwood
EMERSON PARK
Dover
Doral
Durham
Pulte, Pulte Homes
Dennison
| For Lending Services: |
| New Publix Grocery Store coming to Ave Maria |
| (800)317-1491 Office Fax |
| (239)353-2173 Office |
| (239)451-0434 Mobile |
| (800)317-1491 Office Fax |
| For Real Estate Services: |
| Thousands welcome Ave Maria oratory into Roman Catholic Church |
 |
Policy & Procedures: for employee use only
By LIAM DILLON, Naples Daily
News, Thursday, May 8, 2008
The new kid on the block is getting
much larger.
Ave Maria University expects to
increase its undergraduate enrollment by
as much as 60 percent next year.
Projected enrollment for 2008-09 —
the university’s fifth year and second at
its permanent campus in eastern Collier
County — is between 600 and 700
students, an estimate based on 340 new
students who have put down deposits
for next year, according to Michael
Williams, Ave Maria’s director of
admissions.
The university, funded primarily by
former Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom
Monaghan, has greatly expanded
enrollment while sustaining academic
standards, such as incoming students’
average SAT scores.
College admissions experts are bullish
about the university’s numbers and
ability to maintain its academic levels.
If Ave Maria’s numbers are accurate,
then “they have done a remarkable job
of targeting Catholic families,” said Don
Hossler, an education professor at the
University of Indiana who has written
extensively about college admissions.
Tim Brunold, the University of Southern
California’s director of undergraduate
admissions, called Ave Maria’s statistics
“pretty promising.”
“Their numbers look pretty good to me
based on the fact that they’re so new,”
Brunold said.
For now, it appears much of the
university’s admissions strategy involves
throwing around various amounts of
cash and smartly promoting that fact.
Other Catholic schools have taken note.
“I think we’re priced as the best value in
Catholic education,” Williams said.
Financial aid is best understood through
the university’s “discount rate” or the
percentage off tuition a school can offer
to its entire incoming class. Ave Maria
has a discount rate of 35 percent. That
allows the school to divide need- and
merit-based scholarships among
incoming students by up to 35 percent
of the school’s total tuition dollars.
Merit scholarships are the primary
selling point in the school’s direct mail
campaign that began this year. The
school purchased a list of SAT scores
matching the kind of student it wanted to
attract: those with scores between
1,850-2,100 and a self-reported
interest in Catholic liberal arts colleges
and programs.
Ave Maria then sent out approximately
25,000 letters addressed “To the
parents of” each student with an enticing
offer: It states the student is “eligible to
receive an academic scholarship to
attend Ave Maria University.” A smaller
mailing went out to parents of students
who took the ACT.
Williams said the school received 200
new applications in a week after the
SAT mass mailing.
Direct mail that focuses on potential
financial savings is critical for a school
that is looking to build itself a name,
Brunold said.
“Talking aggressively about scholarships
is a great way to get people’s attention,”
he added.
The university’s financial aggressiveness
continues once prospective students are
admitted. Accepted students receive a
$200 travel voucher to visit the school.
Once they arrive, Williams said the
school provides a “concierge” service.
The school picks up prospective
students at the airport, current students
host the prospects in their rooms and
professors allow the visitors into their
classrooms.
Williams said he is aware of the
importance of instilling a “pioneering”
spirit in new students. Current students
repeatedly mention being there at the
start of the Ave Maria enterprise as a
major attraction to the school.
“In the end it’s the product,” Williams
said. “The dream is catchy.”
© Naples News
News, Thursday, May 8, 2008
The new kid on the block is getting
much larger.
Ave Maria University expects to
increase its undergraduate enrollment by
as much as 60 percent next year.
Projected enrollment for 2008-09 —
the university’s fifth year and second at
its permanent campus in eastern Collier
County — is between 600 and 700
students, an estimate based on 340 new
students who have put down deposits
for next year, according to Michael
Williams, Ave Maria’s director of
admissions.
The university, funded primarily by
former Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom
Monaghan, has greatly expanded
enrollment while sustaining academic
standards, such as incoming students’
average SAT scores.
College admissions experts are bullish
about the university’s numbers and
ability to maintain its academic levels.
If Ave Maria’s numbers are accurate,
then “they have done a remarkable job
of targeting Catholic families,” said Don
Hossler, an education professor at the
University of Indiana who has written
extensively about college admissions.
Tim Brunold, the University of Southern
California’s director of undergraduate
admissions, called Ave Maria’s statistics
“pretty promising.”
“Their numbers look pretty good to me
based on the fact that they’re so new,”
Brunold said.
For now, it appears much of the
university’s admissions strategy involves
throwing around various amounts of
cash and smartly promoting that fact.
Other Catholic schools have taken note.
“I think we’re priced as the best value in
Catholic education,” Williams said.
Financial aid is best understood through
the university’s “discount rate” or the
percentage off tuition a school can offer
to its entire incoming class. Ave Maria
has a discount rate of 35 percent. That
allows the school to divide need- and
merit-based scholarships among
incoming students by up to 35 percent
of the school’s total tuition dollars.
Merit scholarships are the primary
selling point in the school’s direct mail
campaign that began this year. The
school purchased a list of SAT scores
matching the kind of student it wanted to
attract: those with scores between
1,850-2,100 and a self-reported
interest in Catholic liberal arts colleges
and programs.
Ave Maria then sent out approximately
25,000 letters addressed “To the
parents of” each student with an enticing
offer: It states the student is “eligible to
receive an academic scholarship to
attend Ave Maria University.” A smaller
mailing went out to parents of students
who took the ACT.
Williams said the school received 200
new applications in a week after the
SAT mass mailing.
Direct mail that focuses on potential
financial savings is critical for a school
that is looking to build itself a name,
Brunold said.
“Talking aggressively about scholarships
is a great way to get people’s attention,”
he added.
The university’s financial aggressiveness
continues once prospective students are
admitted. Accepted students receive a
$200 travel voucher to visit the school.
Once they arrive, Williams said the
school provides a “concierge” service.
The school picks up prospective
students at the airport, current students
host the prospects in their rooms and
professors allow the visitors into their
classrooms.
Williams said he is aware of the
importance of instilling a “pioneering”
spirit in new students. Current students
repeatedly mention being there at the
start of the Ave Maria enterprise as a
major attraction to the school.
“In the end it’s the product,” Williams
said. “The dream is catchy.”
© Naples News
| Ave Maria University Sees Enrollment jump for '08 |
Excerpts from Naples Daily
News Articles
News Articles
By LIAM DILLON, Naples Daily
News, Thursday, June 19, 2008
Ave Maria University received long-
awaited recognition Thursday, gaining
full accreditation from a national agency.
The American Academy of Liberal
Education, a Washington D.C.-based
organization, granted the Collier County
university its final approval after its board
met earlier this month.
“We think they have a lot of promise,”
AALE Vice President Jeff Martineau
said.
University founder Tom Monaghan
“wanted to start a new kind of institution
that he didn’t think existed anywhere,”
Martineau said. “We think in five to 10
to 20 years, they do have a chance to
create a unique Catholic liberal arts
curriculum.”
Accreditation is a significant benchmark
for a school’s legitimacy. Ave Maria’s
recognition with the AALE secures the
school’s access to billions in federal
financial aid funding. Accreditation also
ensures credits transfer between schools
and provides a standard for employers
and graduate programs to accept a
school’s degree.
AALE’s eventual approval of Ave Maria
was of little doubt — AALE President
Jeffrey Wallin said last November he
expected Ave Maria to receive full
accreditation — but Ave Maria officials
were still overjoyed by the news.
“It means a great deal, I would say
almost psychologically,” University
President Nick Healy said. “We know
what kind of quality education and
programs we offer, but the system
requires that they are evaluated by a
third party with all their policies and
procedures. It’s very gratifying to have
an agency tell you what you already
know.”
AALE’s recognition includes the school’
s branch campus in Nicaragua, known
as Ave Maria University-Latin American
Campus. But Martineau said his
organization planned a separate review
of that campus, specifically through a site
visit, in the fall. AALE has visited the
Nicaragua campus in the past, but not in
the past year, Martineau said.
“It’s still our policy to evaluate each
branch campus,” Martineau said.
Ave Maria has also applied for
accreditation with a large regional
agency, Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools. SACS recognizes
Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison
College and Hodges University, among
other schools in the Southeast United
States. Healy said he anticipated SACS
would make a formal site visit to Ave
Maria this fall. A SACS vice president
said last month a decision on Ave Maria’
s candidacy status with the organization
could come as soon as December.
AALE is a small agency that accredits
21 liberal arts domestic and foreign
institutions and programs, Martineau
said. The agency has had difficulties of
late with federal regulators, and those
problems forced a delay to its final
decision about Ave Maria, AALE
officials said. In spring 2007, its
recognition — and access to federal
funding — from the U.S. Department of
Education was threatened in a letter from
Department Secretary Margaret
Spellings. But in December, a
Department of Education committee
postponed a final decision on AALE for
another year.
News, Thursday, June 19, 2008
Ave Maria University received long-
awaited recognition Thursday, gaining
full accreditation from a national agency.
The American Academy of Liberal
Education, a Washington D.C.-based
organization, granted the Collier County
university its final approval after its board
met earlier this month.
“We think they have a lot of promise,”
AALE Vice President Jeff Martineau
said.
University founder Tom Monaghan
“wanted to start a new kind of institution
that he didn’t think existed anywhere,”
Martineau said. “We think in five to 10
to 20 years, they do have a chance to
create a unique Catholic liberal arts
curriculum.”
Accreditation is a significant benchmark
for a school’s legitimacy. Ave Maria’s
recognition with the AALE secures the
school’s access to billions in federal
financial aid funding. Accreditation also
ensures credits transfer between schools
and provides a standard for employers
and graduate programs to accept a
school’s degree.
AALE’s eventual approval of Ave Maria
was of little doubt — AALE President
Jeffrey Wallin said last November he
expected Ave Maria to receive full
accreditation — but Ave Maria officials
were still overjoyed by the news.
“It means a great deal, I would say
almost psychologically,” University
President Nick Healy said. “We know
what kind of quality education and
programs we offer, but the system
requires that they are evaluated by a
third party with all their policies and
procedures. It’s very gratifying to have
an agency tell you what you already
know.”
AALE’s recognition includes the school’
s branch campus in Nicaragua, known
as Ave Maria University-Latin American
Campus. But Martineau said his
organization planned a separate review
of that campus, specifically through a site
visit, in the fall. AALE has visited the
Nicaragua campus in the past, but not in
the past year, Martineau said.
“It’s still our policy to evaluate each
branch campus,” Martineau said.
Ave Maria has also applied for
accreditation with a large regional
agency, Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools. SACS recognizes
Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison
College and Hodges University, among
other schools in the Southeast United
States. Healy said he anticipated SACS
would make a formal site visit to Ave
Maria this fall. A SACS vice president
said last month a decision on Ave Maria’
s candidacy status with the organization
could come as soon as December.
AALE is a small agency that accredits
21 liberal arts domestic and foreign
institutions and programs, Martineau
said. The agency has had difficulties of
late with federal regulators, and those
problems forced a delay to its final
decision about Ave Maria, AALE
officials said. In spring 2007, its
recognition — and access to federal
funding — from the U.S. Department of
Education was threatened in a letter from
Department Secretary Margaret
Spellings. But in December, a
Department of Education committee
postponed a final decision on AALE for
another year.
| Ave Maria University Gains Accreditation! |