Ave Maria Living.com
Ave Maria, Florida – the town with a Catholic heart.©™ Stories & information for residents & visitors.Archive for Ave Maria Families
No Surprise: Ave Maria is a rapidly growing traditional college town with a Catholic heart
Those who haven’t been paying attention might not realize just how nice Ave Maria is and why it has attracted several hundreds of homebuyers in the past two years. The latest video about the town is very well done. It hits all the points. The tag line is: “Ave Maria. Life. Made Simple.”
And it’s all true. Ave Maria is a rapidly growing traditional college town with something for all ages and for everyone who loves family, friends, faith, sports, art, education and old fashioned hometown values. And one drive or stroll through town will help you see that Ave Maria is the town with a Catholic heart. And, as the video reminds us, Ave Maria has 100 miles of trails!
Ave Maria is the home of Ave Maria University, the Donohue Catholic prep school, the Ave Maria Montessori School and a homeschool co-op. The town is also home to Arthrex‘s large (and expanding) medical device factory, as well as many other businesses including a Publix grocery store. Five health care providers offer services in town: the Braden Clinic offers primary care physician appointments onsite five days a week and can also make house calls, Ave Maria Chiropractic provides services in town, physical therapy is offered by ResultsCare, dental and orthodontic services are offered by Ave Maria Dentistry, and massage therapy is offered 5 days a week via house call or at the Oasis Club by Ave Maria Massage.
Recently Ave Maria was named one of the top 50 master planned communities in the country, and was also named one of the top 20 communities for those who are retiring.
Robb Klucik has lived with his family in Ave Maria since it opened in 2007. In addition to running his law practice in Ave Maria, Robb edits this blog, administers a facebook forum for 1000 Ave Maria residents, serves as the President of the West Point Society of Naples, and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
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McTeigue: Goals, resources and allies in the battle to restore the male soul (all present in Ave Maria)
In his latest column, Father Robert McTeigue “identif[ies] assets both spiritual and natural that we can bring to bear in this great struggle for men.” Father sent AveMariaLiving.com a note requesting that we link readers to it because in it he favorably mentions the town of Ave Maria, Florida. This is the second of three columns in which McTeigue addresses the cultural and spiritual battle for the male soul. The first column described “some of the academic, legal, social, cultural and economic forces arrayed against men as men, and pointed to [the battle’s] spiritual root.” In the upcoming third column he will “describe a concrete plan of life for the cultivation of authentic masculinity, addressing a man’s role as pilgrim, warrior and king.” The fourth column will discuss distinctively Christian friendship among men.
UPDATE:
1st column in this series: Modern culture has declared war on masculinity.
2nd column in this series: Goals, resources and allies in the battle to restore the male soul.
3rd column in this series: Male role models from Scripture, not GQ.
4th column in this series: Distinctively Christian friendship among men.
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Capital campaign underway for Oratory parish center (link to give online)
Recently Father Cory Mayer, Parish Administrator of the Ave Maria Quasi-Parish, announced a new capital campaign to establish a parish center on Annunciation Circle next to the Oratory. The goal is to raise $250,000.00, and at this point the parish is about $62,000.00 short of that goal. According to the campaign brochure:
By providing a place for fellowship, faith formation classes and presentations, parish group meetings and more, we can better fulfill our mission to build the kingdom of God in and through our Parish Community.
The projected Parish Center will have 1,716 square feet of space and include a main hall, accommodating 100, a reception area, lavatories and storage. It will have a serving section, tables and chairs, but no food preparation facilities.
The parish has established a link where donations to the capital campaign can be made online: https://avemariaoratory.weshareonline.org/
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Everything old is new again: a simple gift for readers on this Gaudete Sunday
The Mass is the source and summit of Christian life. It is both worship and a re-presentation of His gift to us of salvation. As a thank you to the readers of this blog, we are passing along a free treat that would make a great stocking stuffer. The original source is here. While this obviously would be nice for children, it is also very informative for adults. Perfect for altar boys or catechumens or people who simply love to learn about our faith. We combined the images into one pdf booklet that you can download and print on sturdy paper. Gaudete!
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Years ago, a founding Ave Marian dressed as Saint Francis for All Hallows Eve – circa 1992, somewhere in Bavaria
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Joseph Pearce: not a nice guy
Our former neighbor, writer Joseph Pearce, is someone many of us in Ave Maria admire and miss seeing around town. But that doesn’t mean he is a nice guy.* What are we to make of a guy who claims that the Arabic writing is on the wall?
Nevertheless, according to the folks at Father Robert Barron’s Word on Fire blog, Pearce’s newest book is worth reading. Likewise, according to the Integrated Catholic Life blog:
…his brand new book, Beauteous Truth: Faith, Reason, Literature & Culture… explores the connection between the Good, the True and the Beautiful [and] makes the important connections between faith and reason and between theology, philosophy, history and literature…
If you enjoy Joseph’s work then you might want to visit the journal he edits, Saint Austin Review. In the meantime we will continue to miss him as we pray for the success of his newest endeavor as director of the Center for Faith & Culture at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee.
* Read the link before jumping to conclusions.
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AMU Hoops Coach offers Youth Basketball Camps
Gyrene head coach Ken Dagostino is leading basketball camp at AMU this summer for all grades. If you have questions you can contact Coach at ken.dagostino@avemaria.edu or (239) 280-1503. Registration is now through July 1. Camps are July 7-11 and July 14-18.
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Craft brew: Two Ave Maria IPAs win accolades
Two of the men of Ave Maria – Hampton Village to be precise – entered their own home-brewed India Pale Ales (IPA) in a beer tasting contest held at Hurricane Grill & Wings in Estero, Florida. The contest included both professional and amateur brewers. Chris Buccheri’s IPA earned 3rd place overall and Darryl Klein’s brew came in 2nd place overall!
Micro-brewing in the United States has rapidly
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Adoramus te, Christe
Ave Maria is blessed to have adoration 24/7 during AMU’s acadmic year, and presently from Wednesdays at 1:00 PM until just before the noon Mass on Thursdays. We still need adorers and subs (contact the parish). Maybe this video will inspire you.
He is the best marriage counselor, greatest teacher, powerful healer, and wisest friend. Find the peace that only comes from God. Jesus is calling you home to His mercy, healing love, and Sacred Heart. Come adore Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
The Adoration chapel is always open and He is always present there in the Tabernacle.
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Smalltown USA: Little League Champs, Knights of Columbus, Memorial Day Picnic at the Water Park
Knights of Columbus poster from WW I
UPDATE: Here are some photos and a report about the party.
While Ave Maria has an obvious Catholic flavor, it’s really a rebirth of small town USA. This post honors several American traditions.
Ave Maria’s 
first rate little league fields in North Park now have a first rate Little League championship team to match. The Minor B Ave Maria Twins capped an undefeated season with a sweep through their league’s championship tournament. The story is at the Ave Herald.
You can congratulate the boys and their dads when you see them at the town’s Memorial Day party at the Water Park sponsored by the always patriotic Knights of Columbus – free admission and hot dogs! As we enjoy the long weekend, we can take some time to remember those who have given their lives to defend our God-given freedoms.
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Ave Maria celebrates Holy Matrimony
Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Philip Barrows.
Wedding season in Ave Maria is a great opportunity to reflect on marriage. As our pope, St. John Paul the Great shared these thoughts on matrimony in Familiaris Consortio:
Being named after Saint John Paul the Great (a town where it’s common, and 1 young John Paul who is attending the canonization)
On the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday when Pope John Paul II will officially enter the canon of saints of Christ’s Church, many families in the town of Ave Maria are also planning a feast day for their sons – or their Sister! It is fitting that a town where one of the streets is named “Pope John Paul II Boulevard” – a town whose founding was inspired by that pope’s “new evangelization” – has so many boys and young men named after that extraordinary man.
His papacy saw a rise in the popularity of the name “John Paul” for newborns in the USA as shown in this graphic, with spikes in popularity based on events in his life:
How many newborns were named “John Paul” in the USA each year?
Of course not everyone bearing the name received it as a newborn boy. Sister John Paul, OP, who teaches in Ave Maria at Donahue Catholic, received the name when she entered Religious life.
“I received the name John Paul as my religious name the day I received the holy habit of St. Dominic, August 5, 2001. ‘John Paul II, we love you!'” – window at the Mother House of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist
Among the estimated dozen John Paul’s in Ave Maria, several have provided photographs, below.
John Paul Raiger
John Paul Klucik
John Paul Tamisiea
John Paul Moore, who made his First Holy Communion today.
John Paul Moore – born second – was blessed while in the womb with his twin sister Rhodora by John Paul II. And while the parents had no idea they were having twins, the Pope knew because he gave them two extra rosaries (instead of one extra) for the baby!
One lucky Ave Maria boy bearing the name is having the trip of a lifetime with his mother – they traveled to Rome to attend tomorrow’s canonization ceremony! John Paul Allan’s friends and neighbors have been able to follow his special pilgrimage via Facebook. Mrs. Allan owns a Catholic gift and book store and home school supply store called By Way of the Family that she named after a phrase from Saint Pope John Paul”s apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio: “The future of humanity passes by way of the family.”
John Paul Allan and his mother Chelsea with the Vatican in background on their canonization pilgrimage in Rome.
Pope John Paul II canonization banner over the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica with John Paul Allan standing under it at St. Peter’s Basilica.
John Paul Allan praying at the tomb of Pope John Paul II the day before his canonization.
John Paul Allan praying at the tomb of Pope John XXIII the day before his canonization.
John Paul Allan and his mom Chelsea sent this image showing where they are standing in line at 3:00 AM on the eve of John Paul II’s canonization.
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23 children make First Holy Communion in Ave Maria
Pastor Fr. Cory Mayer and catechists with communicants – Ave Maria Oratory First Holy Communion
First Communicants process in for Mass at the Ave Maria Oratory
Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist attended the First Communion Mass in Ave Maria
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Recent Herald stories: Ave Maria Water #1, Veterans home proposal, more
Since its founding in 2007, the town of Ave Maria has been able to consistently rely on one solid source for news: the Ave Maria Herald, a project of Pat Sette and David Shnaider, who moved their family to town in the beginning. We are fortunate to have them as part of our community. These are some of the stories in the Herald recently about Ave Maria:
Ave Maria Is a Potential Site for VA Nursing Home
Ave Maria Water Judged Florida’s Best for 2nd time
Travis Curtright Honored with 2nd Laub-Novak Award
Laura Mastandrea Named to All-Area HS Soccer Team
Donahue Football Players Receive State-wide Awards
Former AMU Student Remembered as “Everyday Hero”
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Ave Maria
This recent blog piece gives high praise to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Here is an excerpt:
[This] program for children has given the kids something I could never be sure I was conveying: a simple, synthesized, profound involvement with the Gospel and with the liturgical life of the Church.
Did you know this program is present here in Ave Maria at the Montessori school in town? On the website, one local family offers this testimonial:
…We are especially grateful that Ave Maria Montessori incorporates the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd so that our children can experience the truth and beauty of Sacred Scripture and the Liturgy in a way that is accessible to them…
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Great News: Scanlon new athletic & formation director at Donahue Catholic
Two sources have confirmed that beloved Shamrock football coach Rich Scanlon has been hired by Donahue Catholic as its Director of Athletics, Director of Formation, and Physical Education Instructor. Last week Coach Read the rest of this entry »
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Typical Saturday in Ave Maria: cappuccino, Mass, little league, rugby, confession, brewing beer, etc.
Many people arrive at this blog by googling terms such as “what is Ave Maria really like”. This post tries to give some insight by sharing what a typical Saturday looks like for an Ave Maria family. These are some of the things members of my family did yesterday: walked to adoration and morning Mass, made cappuccino for a neighbor, biked to the little league game, walked to church to make First Confession, biked to local ice cream shop to celebrate, walked across the street to play/watch rugby matches, biked to neighbor’s porch to brew (and consume) India pale ale, visited grandmother down the street who just got home from hip replacement (and arranged to have pastor bring Holy Communion to her on Sunday), watched toddler of a young couple who had a date night, brought guitar to neighbor for restringing, walked over to a praise festival at the university, and walked to the Catholic school to play organized games at the gym. I’m sure I only left out a dozen other things.
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Throwback Saturday: Oratory dedication 2008
It was a great day! Click image below for full story (it’s short but worth a read). Can you find the two references to AMU’ s two mottos?
This was written when Bishop Dewane dedicated the Ave Maria Oratory in 2008
Click thumbnails to go to Naples Daily News coverage.
Click here for the video.
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A year in Ave Maria, Florida
Bob and Erin Campbell have lived in town since almost the beginning. Hailing from Iowa, Erin is an alum of Ave Maria College. Bob is from Bayonne, NJ, and his alma mater is Franciscan University of Steubenville. Both Bob and Erin are Marine Corps veterans. They and their three daughters just welcomed a new boy to the family. Bob helps coach the football team at Donahue Catholic and is active with the Knights of Columbus and the Naples St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. They are both real estate agents at the John R. Wood Properties office located in Ave Maria.
They created this video to celebrate the past twelve months doing business in the town they call home, Ave Maria.
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Update: Myra talks Ave Maria on Sunday TV
This teaser video clip (click the photo) has me curious. Myra Daniels really does love Ave Maria, and this Sunday we’ll be able to hear why.
UPDATE: Wow – Myra is passionate about Mother Teresa, Ave Maria University, and the town of Ave Maria. Full video is now available here.
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Ave Herald continues to deliver the news about Ave Maria
Since its founding in 2007, the town of Ave Maria has been able to consistently rely on one solid source for news: the Ave Maria Herald, a project of Pat Sette and David Shnaider, who moved their family to town in the beginning. 
We are fortunate to have them as part of our community. In the past week alone the Herald reported the following important news stories:
Seminole Tribe Reported Planning Hard Rock Hotel for Immokalee
Contributions of AMU Community Acknowledged at Former AMU Nicaragua Campus
Ave Maria Law School Names New President
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Ave Maria to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day
Every year the Church throughout the world celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph on March 19. Italians are known for celebrating this feast in particular. Our pastor, Father Cory Mayer just happens to be Italian. So this year the parish has several things planned to mark this special feast day.
Wednesday March 19, 2014: At noon Father Mayer will celebrate Mass in the Oratory, after which he will give the traditional blessing of the Saint Joseph bread. By tradition the bread is made from a slightly sweetened dough flavored with anise. This will be followed by a concert of sacred music in the Oratory given by the Southwest Florida Italian Opera Society, featuring Eva Evola, Ellie Roberts, Dino Valle.
Update: at 5:00 p.m. there will be a St. Joseph’s Day table and meal at Donahue Catholic in Ave Maria.
This is how one family in Ave Maria celebrates the day:
Family and friends celebrate a traditional Saint Joseph’s Day table with sfinge (also known as zeppoli), St. Joseph bread, oranges, fennel, eggplant, fish, artichokes and pasta
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One year ago: Habemus Papam
One year ago, a daughter of Ave Maria was among these holy women as they joyfully received the news “habemus papam”. Can you spot her big smile?
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Invitation from Sister John Paul: Youth 2000 in Ave Maria
The wise and wonderful Sister John Paul, O.P. (DSMME), wants everyone (especially students who mi
ght not have heard yet) to know about the upcoming Youth 2000 event. It is sponsored by Rhodora J. Donahue Academy of Ave Maria and will take place in the Ave Maria University ballroom. There is a requested fee, but scholarships are available to all who ask (just write “partial/full scholarship requested” on the application).
Forms are below. Here is the note that Sister sent me:
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Sharing Ave Maria 16,000 times in One Year
The graphic below shows our website traffic statistics for the last 365 days. If you like what we are doing here to provide people with information about Ave Maria, then please let your friends know about us. We can always use a boost.
For the las
t seven days the statistics are even better – we had almost 1300 page views in just one week:
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Ave Maria: this is who we are
Road trip to the Mother House in Ann Arbor. Our daughter met the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist back there when she was one of their students from 2000 to 2003. She was reacquainted with the Sisters in 2007 at their mission convent in Ave Maria where five Sisters live in our neighborhood (3 of them teach at the amazing Catholic K-12 school in town). In 2012 she became a postulant and she is now a Novice.
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We are AVE MARIA
My neighbors and I are wonderfully created fallen people hoping in the promises of Christ our Redeemer, Who came to dwell in our midst after the angel said “Hail Mary, full of grace!”
Sometimes we look a lot like the cast of not-so-pleasant characters in this leaf from an ancient book of hours. Yet we carry on, trusting in God’s grace – the same grace that filled Mary and that she wants us to know.
That’s who lives here in Ave Maria – and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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In case you missed it: Ave Maria’s Waldstein reacts to Pope Francis
Did you miss this, too? Last summer Ave Maria University theology professor Susie Waldstein and resident Bill Dunstan superbly answered media inquiries about Pope Francis. Dr. Waldstein and her husband, professor Michael Waldstein, previously served on the Pontifical Council for the Family.
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Beautiful: The 7 minutes after “This Mass has ended. Go in peace.”
Artist Rylan Steele, whose work we have linked to for many months, gives us a creative and beautiful look at the 7 minutes following the dismissal of two Masses at the Ave Maria Oratory.
I spy FOCUS missionary Trey Johnson…
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