The Catholic College of the South
In the sixth episode of Conversatio, Fr. Matthew Schneider sits down with Dr. Shane Gomes and Dr. Richard Dell鈥橧sola to discuss the integration of faith and psychology. Discover how these two fields intersect to provide healing and insight.
海角社在线 Establishes Permanent Belmont House in Washington, D.C.
Belmont, N.C. (October 19, 2023) 鈥 海角社在线 announces today the establishment of a permanent residence in Washington D.C. with the purchase of a property for its thriving Belmont House, made possible with a $1.7 million gift from Dr. Maximo Alvarez. 海角社在线 has established a new home for the Belmont House in Washington, D.C., located in close proximity to the U.S. Capitol. The college established the original Belmont House in 2021 where it has helped to return Christian voices to the public square, promote Judeo-Christian values, and prepare young professionals to engage with our culture and politics in fruitful and ethical ways. The venue has brought together people of faith, people in government, policy experts, and Catholic ecclesiastical leaders from around the world, particularly where Catholics and Christians face severe persecution. The recent bipartisan Nigerian resolution addressing the systematic ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom in the country is one fruitful example of these consequential discussions.
In the spirit of the Benedictine Hallmarks of hospitality and stability, the Belmont House on Capitol Hill is in service to the church and country. The work of the Belmont House seeks to restore the witness of faith to its rightful place in the public square. Even within its first two years, Belmont House has become a significant Catholic intellectual and public policy venue in our nation鈥檚 capital, and thanks to Dr. Maximo Alvarez, the Abbey looks forward to a future Made Strong in Washington, and someday in other centers of cultural influence across the United States.
Having immigrated from Cuba to the U.S. as a child under Operation Pedro Pan, Dr. Alvarez now serves as a trustee of the Pedro Pan Group, an outreach of the Catholic Welfare Bureau of Miami still working to sponsor and assist immigrant children in need. Founder and President of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, Inc, he has long been both a vital force in the Florida business community and an exceptional philanthropist, whose generosity demonstrates an unwavering commitment to giving back.聽
Today Dr. Alvarez鈥檚 exceptional generosity continues to champion those often denied a voice in the public square. Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Alvarez expressed his gratitude for the pivotal role 海角社在线 played in his success. He stated, “I’m here to express my gratitude for the years that I spent at Belmont Abbey. Belmont Abbey is another entity, to which I owe my success. Today I鈥檓 just paying back a little bit of what was given to me. If I gave away everything I have today, it wouldn鈥檛 even be 10% of what was given to me through charity by the people of this country.鈥
While Dr. Alvarez鈥檚 legacy already extends far beyond any simple calculation, his contribution, through the Belmont House, to Making Strong the future, not only of 海角社在线, but also of this country, is genuinely incalculable. 海角社在线 plans to refurbish and enhance the newly purchased property, ensuring it is ready to welcome the public. Learn more about Made True: the Campaign for 海角社在线 by visiting .
About 海角社在线: Founded in 1876, 海角社在线 is a private, Catholic baccalaureate and liberal arts institution. Our mission is to educate students in the liberal arts and sciences so that in all things, God may be glorified. Guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Benedictine spirit of prayer and learning, we welcome a diverse body of students and provide them with an education that will enable them to lead lives of integrity, to succeed professionally, to become responsible citizens, and to be a blessing to themselves and to others. Our beautiful and historic campus is conveniently located just 10 miles west of Charlotte, N.C., and is currently home to more than 1500 students. For more information, visit /.
I’d like to share with you something I’ve been pondering as the season changes.
There鈥檚 something urgently authentic about the fall. It isn鈥檛 just the frenetic squirrels or the birds vaunting over each other in the turning trees. And it鈥檚 not just the necessary hum of human preparations for an imminent holiday rotation. These certainly play into our experience, but the year鈥檚 turn, the planetary rotation and the chill drop in light that trigger creaturely responses, all of this seems to invite a contemplation particular to the time.聽
Underneath all the activity, there鈥檚 a sense of having accepted the signs of approaching winter and, consequently, rejected the possibility of hesitation. There鈥檚 no time for anything less than the utmost of color and light and movement. There鈥檚 no time for anything less than Beauty before we die.聽
Strange as it sounds, I鈥檓 realizing that a similar kind of impatience lives under the measured rhythms I witness in the monks鈥 morning prayer. It doesn鈥檛 negate – or even detract from – the slow, deliberate order. If anything, it bolsters the stable continuity of these forms, strengthening them in the same way that eagerness for someone鈥檚 arrival gives an added energy and firmness of purpose to the concrete necessities of preparation.聽
St. Augustine famously wrote that 鈥渙ur hearts are restless until they rest in [God],鈥 and it is this same yearning that I see reflected in the monks鈥 decision to rise every morning and attend to their faithful, vigil quiet. It鈥檚 the restlessness of human hearts hungry for perfect union with God, in comparison with which nothing truly satisfies. Why occupy ourselves with anything less than Him? Our very mortality urges us to ask the question.
It isn鈥檛 that we don鈥檛 find joy in this created life. We do and should. We are both body and soul, and this very fact makes us sacramental creatures, who encounter God鈥檚 presence and grace through sensory reality. This in itself is a miraculous source of wonder. But the extraordinary outburst of joyful, autumnal color reminds us, too, of the impatience in our own hearts, the shortness of our lives, and the need for each of us to 鈥渙rder our days in [His] presence:鈥 with all the radiance of anticipation that overflows in us a restless foretaste of eternal rest.
Dear Colleagues, Students, and Friends,
Today we remember the miracle of the sun that occurred in Fatima on October 13, 1917. There is also some exciting news to share with you about the Theater program and Abbey Players.
God Bless,
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