Ave Maria Living.com
Ave Maria, Florida – the town with a Catholic heart.©™ Stories & information for residents & visitors.Archive for Ave Maria University
Lent & Easter liturgies in Ave Maria
As Lent continues, several special liturgies are approaching: Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Easter Triduum itself, and then Divine Mercy Sunday. The Ave Herald has the schedule, and these AMU flyers provide details for Lenten observances and worship at the Ave Maria Oratory.
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Bishop Dewane in Ave Maria to support youth
On Saturday evening Bishop Frank Dewane celebrated the vigil Mass at the Ave Maria Oratory with parishioners. His visit was in support of the Youth2000 retreat being held in town this weekend.
Five Franciscan Friars giving the retreat and pastor Father Cory Mayer concelebrated the Mass. With nearly 100 local high school and college students participating, the retreat was organized by Sister John Paul, O.P., a teacher at Donahue Catholic academy, and supported by dozens of volunteers.
Bishop Dewane expressed joy in his own vocation while encouraging the retreatants to seriously consider whether God might be calling the young men to be priests or Religious, and the young women to enter Religious life. While in town he also spent time with middle school students.
Venice Bishop Frank Dewane distributes Holy Communion at the Ave Maria Oratory assisted by altar boy Joseph Klucik
A shaft of bright sunlight focuses attention on Venice Bishop Frank Dewane and Father Cory Mayer during Mass in Ave Maria
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Duc in Altum: Vocations Fest 2014
Ave Maria University is hosting Vocations Fest 2014 on Friday April 9. The Herald has more details. Contact campusministry@avemaria.edu for more information or to rsvp for the BBQ.
Meet & Greet at Student Union: 11:00am-2:00pm
Outdoor BBQ and live Music: 5:00pm-7:00pm
The following groups will be present:
Diocese of Venice, FL
Dominican Friars
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Franciscan Capuchins
Missionaries of Charity
Order of Friar Minor
Oblates of St. Joseph
The Piarist Fathers
Salesians of St. John Bosco
Society of Jesus
Order of the Most Holy Trinity
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist*
Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal
Franciscan Sisters, TOR
Little Sisters of the Poor
Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco
Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker
* editor’s favorite
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Hail Myra (hail, yes)
The formidable Myra Daniels has been a “maker” for decades – a doer, a rut buster. This week the local PBS station featured this short profile, which highlights her involvement with the Mother Teresa Museum at Ave Maria. Myra (a Jewish octegenarian) mentioned praying about her post-retirement projects. She chose to help the Salvation Army and Ave Maria University, saying she was very inspired by Mother Teresa’s gift of self to others. It is something she wants to imitate in her own way. Hail Myra.
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Shakespeare’s What You Will at Ave Maria: a jester who seriously enjoys acting
Name: Nicholas Ciavarra
School: Ave Maria University
Major: Humanities
Graduation: 2015
Troupe: Shakespeare in Performance at AMU
Play: What You Will (aka Twelfth Night) (click here for tickets April 16-27)
Years with the troupe and various jobs and roles: This is my second year with the troupe. Last year, I played the role of Claudio and this year I am playing the role of the clown, Feste. I performed at the Ave Maria Scholarship Dinner too.
How did you discover and become part of Shakespeare in Performance? I transferred to Ave Maria in the fall of 2012 from a prestigious Liberal Arts college in Massachusetts, where I was pursuing a theatre minor. Whenever I told someone at Ave Maria about my interest in theatre,
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Carved in stone: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ
The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is normally celebrated on March 25 (tomorrow), which is nine months before the Feast of Christmas. It is also known as the Feast of the Incarnation and the Annunciation of the Lord. 
The feast marks a gospel episode that has been portrayed in art countless times through the centuries, often with the angel Gabriel kneeling before a standing Mary.
Of course, the town of Ave Maria is named after this Incarnation episode. 
Fronting Ave Maria Boulevard (but with the altar facing east) and situated in the middle of Annunciation Circle, the Oratory at the very center of town features the massive Annunciation sculpture, carved here in town in glistening white Carrara marble by Márton Váró from 2009 to 2011. The sculpture is composed of huge carved blocks that are stacked on top of one another and set into the arched tympanum on the front of the Oratory. The carved block portraying Mary’s head and torso was lowered into place from a crane at 6:00 p.m. on January 7, 2011, at which point onlookers joyfully prayed the Angelus (led by Dan Guernsey).
This is how the Annunciation story is told in Luke 1:26-38:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
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All hail, Mary! Let the feasting begin!
On Tuesday March 25 Ave Maria University hosts students and townsfolk alike at its second annual grand Annunciation Feast. This is the seventh year the town and parish have celebrated the Annunciation; this day marks the sixth anniversary of the Oratory’s consecration on this feast day in 2008 by Bishop Frank Dewane.
For all who carry the Ave Maria banner – town, parish and university – this is the feast day of
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THIS is how to promote the Culture of Life (Ave Maria University)
This week Ave Maria University celebrates the Culture of Life with a “Life Week” of programmed
events. Choose life!
LIFE WEEK – March 17-23:
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Mother Teresa exhibit opens April 2, anniversary of John Paul II’s death
Ave Maria University’s new Mother Teresa Project Exhibition Hall will open to the public on April
2, 2014. According to new information on its website, this date was selected “in honor of Mother Teresa’s friend, Pope John Paul II, on the ninth anniversary of his entrance into heaven.” The opening had been tentatively slated for the feast of St. Joseph, March 19.
According to its website, the Mother Teresa Project “educates students on the life and unique spirituality of Mother Teresa through a program of study that immerses them in her life and writings.”
Update: Link to the AMU press release.
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Newsflash: Ave Maria is Normal
Ave Maria University: Normal?
Every year or so somebody writes a summary about how the Ave Maria project – town and university – is progressing. While the most recent such article appearing in Gulfshore Life seems to start with that broad aim by recapping some history, it ends up focusing only on Ave Maria University. If you don’t have time to read it yourself, here are some highlights along with article quotations from each of the people shown in the photos:
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Art: AMU alum John Broadhead’s “Reflection Films”
This is the animated logo for Reflection Films, a project of AMU alumnus John Broadhead.
Pretty sweet, huh? If you click around and watch, you will soon realize John is a real film maker. An artist even. You can check out Reflection Films’ latest project below, and maybe you will want to help fund the project (click).
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What’s up at Ave Maria University?
The 3rd Annual AMU Scholarship Dinner was held on Feb. 20, 2014 at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples.
Someone in the know had this to say:
The whole video is great: Cog Audino juggling during Jim Towey’s speech, Myra’s passion about the Performing Arts Center, and everything. But if you really want the goods, check out Travis’ troupe at 1:50 when Andrew Olson, Michael Stewart, Nicholas Robert George Ciavarra, John C Miller, Peter Atkinson, and Andrew Heim rock out to One Direction.
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RUGBY: Ave Maria University Wins its First State Championship
Click: very important message from Papist Rugby Club.
submitted by John Audino
[Editor’s note: In support of this great effort of Catholic sportsmen, the Alex Klucik Memorial Fund is pleased to pledge $100 to the fundraising efforts of the Papist Rugby Club.]
True to form and to their authentically Catholic fervor, the lads took a knee … witnesses to the glory of the day to offer that glory up to the God Who made them and to His most Holy Mother, the patroness of their alma mater.
On Saturday, March 8th, the Ave Maria University Papists Rugby team took to the road in hopes of finishing off a first ever undefeated season. With a storybook rematch against the University of North Florida standing between AMU and glory, the stage was set for a dramatic season finale.
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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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New Advent: Go Catholic!
It was great to see AMU’s impressive Go Catholic! “Truth is Our Story” campaign (featuring Father Robert McTeigue, SJ) get featured at New Advent, the amazing Catholic news aggregator.
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Mother Teresa at the Ritz
AMU had its big gala tonight (at the Ritz). The legendary Myra Daniels (may God bless her and this project more and more) and President Towey seem well-positioned to raise the millions needed for the new performing arts theater and Mother Teresa museum. I am a big supporter of this very worthy project, which will be about 300 yards from my front porch. But I couldn’t stop laughing at the first sentence of this story (close your eyes and imagine a wrinkled Sister in a white sari tapping her toes to the music):
Click to read the original article’s first sentence
which brought this book to mind:
Monsignor Albacete’s book “God at the Ritz” is excellent (if you live in town I’ll loan it to you)
UPDATE: As ever, the Ave Herald has the best coverage of the gala:
“You have blessed me by giving me the chance to do this,” Mrs. Daniels said. “This is the most exciting thing I have done. It’s needed, it’s wanted, and it will change the life of the students.”
and of the dedication of the temporary home of the Mother Teresa Museum:
Sr. Lima Marie told the group, “I really feel the presence of Mother here. Anyone who visits won’t be the same person when they come out of this room.”
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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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Location of the new Ave Maria Center for Truth, Beauty and Goodness* and Mother Teresa Museum
For those who are curious, we have pieced together exactly where the Ave Maria Center f
or Truth, Beauty and Goodness* will be located. Today AMU issued a press release with this site plan:
According to the clues provided in the Ave Herald, we can overlay the site plan onto the official county map of Ave Maria to see exactly where AMU plans to build the performing arts center and Mother Teresa museum:
[*not its real name]
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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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Big news: Ave Maria Center for Truth, Beauty & Goodness* launches this week
After a year of whispers, the news finally leaks out as Ave Maria University gets ready for its annual gala: a new $10 million performing arts center is planned. The Ave Herald has the best details (they usually do).
May this facility ever be to God’s greater glory and may God bless Myra Daniels.
[*not its real name]
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Appreciating how good we have it
One joy and privilege of being in Ave Maria is the abundance of people we encounter each day who raise us up, show us mercy, remind us of our raison d’etre, and who witness and inspire hope, gratitude and joy. And who make us think. Life is hard – but we can’t be reminded often enough that the good things in life require sacrifice.
Father Robert McTeigue, SJ, has been with Ave Maria University since the beginning, providing such encouragement, inspiration and reminders to AMU for a decade. And to the people in town for almost 7 years.
A few years ago a visitor noticed how good his homily was and wrote about it. I wonder if she knows his homilies are always that good. I wonder if we appreciate how good we have it.
Just to entice you to click the link, here is a sample from the homily:
Socrates was intolerant of the Sophists. Moses was intolerant of Pharaoh. Jesus was intolerant of the Pharisees. Frederick Douglass was intolerant of slavery. Blessed Rupert Mayer was intolerant of the Nazis. Blessed Mother Teresa was intolerant of abortion. Blessed Pope John Paul was intolerant of the culture of death. Intolerance can be a beautiful thing — you just need to know how to do it properly.
Jesuits can be awesome.
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What you missed if you weren’t studying at AMU
These posters Professor Michael Pakaluk has designed speak volumes about Ave Maria University (don’t worry, someone already let him know about one world-renown Thomist who should be added). Is there anyone else he missed? He also has a question for you at the link. For those who don’t already know: most of these lectures were open to the public, too. Another reason to love living here in Ave Maria.
Full image at the link.
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Did you hear the one about Harvard, St. Dominic, and Ave Maria?
But, it’s no joke. Some of you may recall reading about this impressive Latin scholar from Harvard a few years back. Well, a novitiate and some temporary vows later, and now she is a Dominican Sister studying theology here at Ave Maria University. Even though this story is no joke there is one thing that might make you smile: the irony of her very beautiful name, Sister Maria Veritas.
Veritas.
Truth?
At Harvard?
Medallion
of the
DSMME
Veritatis Splendor
Splendor of Truth
AMU’s motto
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3 degrees of unity: Ave Maria pastor requests Synod input from the faithful
While sometimes we think Rome is so far away, in fact each Catholic parishioner is only three steps from the Pontiff: parishioner to pastor, pastor to bishop, bishop to pope. As requested by Pope Francis, our local shepherd, Bishop Frank Dewane, has asked our pastor Father Cory Mayer to gather from parishioners feedback for the upcoming extraordinary synod having the theme “Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization”. As is the custom with a synod, the pope has asked for input from all parts of the globe so as to assist the bishops as they prepare for and participate in the synod meeting. 
This exercise is a shining example of the real love and concern that is shared across these relationships we have with our pastors at every level – their pastoral love and concern for us and our love and concern for them as brothers in Christ and as the shepherds God has provided to lead us on life’s pilgrimage. This is a unique opportunity to share our views and concerns with our spiritual leaders at every level.
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Ave Maria Odyssey to the Dry Tortugas
What: 100-mile sailing voyage from Naples
Harbor to Dry Tortugas (and 100-mile return trip)
Vessel: 36 foot sailboat Jubilee, federally registered with home port of Ave Maria, Florida
When: May 10 – May 14, 2013
Skipper: Captain Bob Campbell, owner of the Jubilee
Crew: Drew Emmans, Jim Fox, John Fox (with 2 college friends Steve & Mark), Darryl Klein, Robb Klucik, John-Paul Klucik, Tim Moore, and Sam Moore
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