Before returning home following the Angelus Press Conference last month, I had the great pleasure of visiting St. Mary’s Academy & College with some good friends. Operated by the Society of St. Pius X, the Academy serves grades K – 12, while the College offers an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and a four-year Catholic Teacher Preparation Program.
St. Mary’s is a rare treasure in this day and age when young adults all-too-often go off to a supposedly “Catholic” college only to witness the faith being openly belittled and attacked. Even the best of the lot are polluted with varying degrees of post-conciliar modernism.
Every inch of St. Mary’s, by contrast, is permeated with Catholicism. From the curriculum, to the religious art, and the beautiful Chapel housing a magnificent display of literally hundreds of relics; it’s truly an amazing place.
I left there with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it’s encouraging to know that an institution like St. Mary’s exists; on the other, it’s discouraging to realize, unless I’m mistaken, there’s no place like it anywhere else.
Well, hopefully, that’s about to change.
Following Holy Mass for the Feast of Christ the King, I had a chance to meet with Deacon Edward Schaefer (pictured with me above) to talk about his plan to establish a traditional Catholic college in Florida called Collegium sanctorum angelorum.
That’s right. He’s a permanent deacon who is determined to establish a traditional Catholic college.
I have to tell you… There was a time (during my days of “conservative” confusion) when I thought that I was called to the permanent diaconate. In hindsight, I can say that I had it about half right; Our Lord was calling me to something.
Why He chose to open my eyes to tradition, and yet not others, I still don’t know. I’m just thankful that He did.
Well, I can tell you after having spoken with him extensively (including in the interview below), Ed Schaefer’s eyes have been opened as well; i.e., as permanent deacons go, there’s nothing “ordinary” about him, nor is there anything ordinary about his vision for Collegium sanctorum angelorum.
Below is an excerpt from the interview, with my questions in boldface.
Before we talk about the college, tell me a little about yourself.
My educational background is in music, with a specialization in the musical patrimony of the Church. I have four degrees and a certificate in music, along with formal studies in chant at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Dance de Paris and studies in chant with several individuals at monasteries in the United States and Europe. I taught in Catholic colleges and universities for twenty-seven years, leaving only after it became impossible to support the direction in which these schools were moving. Currently, I direct the Florida Schola Cantorum, a group that sings weekly for Traditional Latin Masses. Overall, I have over thirty-five years of experience in higher education teaching and administration.
I am probably a little unusual as a permanent deacon. I was raised on the traditional Mass, its spirituality and its theology. I am also fully versed in its ritual, having served as a deacon or subdeacon in solemn Masses numerous times. In fact, my assignment in the diocese was, in part, based on my attachment to the Traditional Latin Mass in the diocese.
Tell me about Collegium sanctorum angelorum and what is motivating your efforts.
Other than St. Mary’s College, a two-year college operated by the Society of St. Pius X, there isn’t a single college in the United States that is truly devoted to traditional Catholicism. Some accommodate it to varying degrees, but no college is dedicated to living, learning, and praying according to traditional Catholic teaching and practice. We are.
We also don’t have colleges that are truly affordable. We are dedicated to keeping the cost of tuition, room and board at $13,500/year per student.
Traditional and affordable will get a lot of our readers’ attention. Talk about these in more detail, starting with “traditional.”
Most colleges today are so expensive that they focus on preparing students for the workforce in order to justify the cost. There is nothing wrong with preparing students for work. We will do that, too. But our primary mission is to prepare students for heaven.
How will you go about doing that?
We’ll do that through embracing Catholic teaching and practice as it has been handed down to us from Apostolic times; making it a part of everything we do.
On the level of simple day-to-day living, for instance, we intend to create an environment that helps students live virtuous lives, rather than one that throws near occasions of sin in front of them constantly. One small example of this is the residence halls, which are commonly co-ed today. Ours will be single-sex residences, and we’ll have a dress code that promotes modesty as well.
The students of the college will also come together regularly each day for prayer. They will be taught how to sing traditional Lauds and Vespers, and will gather to sing them every day, in addition to having the option of singing Compline.
Traditional liturgy, obviously that’s very important. What about Holy Mass?
At present we will be able to assist at the Traditional Latin Mass offered (sung) each Sunday nearby at a local parish. If at some point we are granted a chaplaincy, we’ll have Mass daily at the college. It is curious that, with all of the hype in Sacrosanctum concilium about the Liturgy being the “source and summit” of the life of the Church, in practice today – and especially in the colleges – the liturgy is anything but the source and summit of Catholic life. That will change at Collegium sanctorum angelorum.
OK, having daily Mass at the college sounds terrific, but I have to ask, how will the college respond if the local bishop requires celebration of the Novus Ordo as a condition for granting a chaplaincy, a chapel, or anything else?
At this, I invite you to read Deacon Schaefer’s answer to this question along with the rest of the interview on the Collegium sanctorum angelorum website.
Please consider lending your prayerful support to this worthy effort.
Does anyone know whatever happened to Fisher-More college?
I have yet to read a detailed account of what led to the downfall of the traditionalist college. If anyone knows of an article with some detailed explanations, I would love to read about it.
Louie, that is a very good question. I know of Catholic parents who sent their children to “catholic” universities only to discover that not only is the school NOT Catholic as far as the faith is concerned, but also that security on campus is totally lacking leaving students in a very unsafe environment. Some parents actually have had to remove their children for fear of their safety. I am not speaking merely of mischievous behavior, but criminal activity of every nature including burglaries, break-ins and sexual harassment including all sorts of violations including rape. The most shocking aspect to all of this is that when these matters are brought to their attention, those responsible in the administration turn the other way without offering real solutions. Parents must be very vigilant regardless of the reputation of the school. Among the schools in question is Catholic University of America, which has received a very poor rating regarding security measures and reaction to student/parent complaints. Yes, we need SOLID Catholic education on every level firmly grounded in the Traditional Catholic faith and the TLM.
I am somewhat perplexed at to the fact he is a so called “permanent deacon”. He thus has received Holy Orders and yet he is dressed in civilian clothes and please don’t tell me he is married to boot. Can’t get more modernist than that in my book if that is the case.
Please don’t lecture me on how the pastoral discipline for married deacons has been changed and they are no longer required to take vows to live as brother and sister with their wife. I have heard enough of the ‘line’ that says that the obligation for continence-celibacy is not a doctrine but only a discipline which can be changed. Which is why we made the changes. Which by the way it most certainly is rooted in theological foundations. To beleive otherwise would be absolutely incorrect even if the wool has been pulled over the eyes of the Catholic faithful ever since the inception to reintroduce the permanent deaconatery. Wait to you see the big white elephant in the room on this fiasco of married incontinent deacons and the blasphemy against celibacy continence that has entered into the back door in the way of these ignorant malinformed deacons on the obligation for perfect and perpetual continence for married clergy. I take it he is not part of the SSPX. They certainly don’t acknowledge this new novelty of incontinent married permanent deacons from the last time I visited their website.
Sorry Louie but I can’t support you on this one that is for sure. Maybe he isn’t married but I assume he would have no issue with it since most of these permanent deacons are married and why the civilian clothes?
So is the new college affiliated with SSPX?
I cannot find the answer to the last question asked on this blog. When I click the link that is…
Has the last question been deleted or something?
I was rather curious actually.
Found it. Sorry. The question was not in boldface. So I looked over it.
Dear Anastasia–The same thoughts came to my mind in a different way, perhaps. I see Mr. Schaefer as being on a journey–a journey many of us have taken. At this point, he may not have arrived at Traditional Catholicism in its fullness, but he certainly is on the right track. With friends like Louie and others which brought him to this point, we must all be encouraging in his efforts to establish a Traditional Catholic College. It won’t be easy and, undoubtedly, he will meet many obstacles along the way which will aid him in his journey toward the TRUTH. In the SSPX chapel where I attend Mass, there are a number of parishioners who were at one time Permanent Deacons in the N.O. church. They were treated with kindness and understanding and eventually become Traditional Catholics who rejected the postconciliar church including its “invention” of the Permanent Deacons. Mr. Schaefer needs our support and understanding as he continues this journey.
Even tough I am no fan of VII innovations, I’m afraid there is precedent for married clergy and deacons in the Catholic Church: For example, here is a quote from The Life and Passion of St Cyprian by Deacon Pontius:
” 4. He had a close association among us with a just man, and of praiseworthy memory, by name Caecilius, and in age as well as in honour a presbyter, who had converted him from his worldly errors to the acknowledgment of the true divinity. This man he loved with entire honour and all observance, regarding him with an obedient veneration, not only as the friend and comrade of his soul, but as the parent of his new life. And at length he, influenced by his attentions, was, as well he might be, stimulated to such a pitch of excessive love, that when he was departing from this world, and his summons was at hand, he commended to him his wife and children; so that him whom he had made a partner in the fellowship of his way of life, he afterwards made the heir of his affection.”
The whole document can be read at New Advent.
It is clear from this document that St Cyprian was a priest, and yet here in the very same record is the story of his commending his wife and children to a friend before his martyrdom. So there are historical records that give some evidence that there were in certain times and places, a married clergy.
Knee jerk reactions to disciplines we don’t care for is not helpful. We cannot simply ignore the historical record. I personally in no way care to see a married clergy and I do not support married clergy at all, and I am glad that the Church very early on saw the benefits of a celibate clergy. But Traditional Catholics cannot call things “inventions” of Vatican II without being sure of our facts.
Michael F. Poulin
Well this is great, but over a decade late, for me! Ha. What we also need is are traditional grad school offerings… I’ll sign up for that.
ARE YOU A FAKIR ?
“The word ‘fakir’ refers to the one who is self-sufficient and only possesses the spiritual need for God.Faqirs are Muslim ascetics and Sufis who have taken vows of poverty and worship, renounce all relations and possessions. They willingly renounce their desires and surrender to the will of God and hence are not dependent on anyone except God.”
————
“However, a misunderstanding could arise and someone might ask: “Father, might I think that sanctification is achieved based on my efforts, as a victory is achieved by athletes through training?”.
“No”, the Pope replied, explaining: “The efforts that we make, our daily efforts of serving the Lord with our soul, with our heart, with our body and with our whole lives”, only serve to open “the door to the Holy Spirit”. Then it is the Spirit “who enters us and saves us”; the Spirit “is the gift in Jesus Christ”. If it were not so, Pope Francis said, “we would resemble fakirs: no, we are not fakirs. With our efforts, we open the door”.
———–
http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/cotidie/2015/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20151022_one-step-each-day.html
Good question. A real mystery. If I had to guess, I’d say that they–like pathetic, simpering dogs or, alternatively, ethnomasochist cuckservatives–went ahead and fully conformed to the rot.
Nor can we ignore the subsequent work of the Holy Ghost in seeing to it that such practices were abandoned.
When we assent to the Faith, receive the Sacraments, we open ourselves up to receive the graces we need to be godly.
The blessings of God on you, Alphonsus. Have you made any films lately??
Dear My 2cents,
It is not clear to me that you are actually certain that these married permanent deacons are oblidged to take vows to live as brother and sister before they can receive the holy orders of the permanent deaconatery. Nonetheless I can perhaps safely assume that you don’t like this reintroduction of the permanent deaconatery because it smells of a ‘novelty’ but the only true novelty in the permanent deaconatery is that they were NEVER instructed during from the onset of its reintroduction during the modern reign of John Paul II on the obligation to continence. Here inlays the scandalous novelty.
One must realise that in the Code of Canon law requires that the wife give her consent before her husband can be ordained and this is not just because the deaconatry requires time away from her but it is because her agreement has always meant that she understood that she was accepting to renounce her right to the conjugal life as man and wife. i.e renouncing conjugal intercourse. The wife has
‘first dibs’ so to speak because the marriage came first and has precedence. If she says no. It’s no. I wonder if you have any idea how many married so called permanent deacons, have no idea that this is the case not only from Church History but also from Canon Law and Sacred Scripture. They were definitely never told this by any NO seminary. Does it even surprise us? But beleive me this is the teaching of the Catholic Church since apostolic times that even though a married man can become a priest it is not without the wife’s agreement. AND THE AGREEMENT has always been UNDERSTOOD TO CARRY WITH IT THE OBLIGATION TO LIVE AS BROTHER AND SISTER. Please,readers, do yourself a favor and read Father Christian Cochini’s extremely well researched and documemted book on this very teaching that proves without a doubt that all holy orders, bishops, priests and permanent deacons were oblidged to celibacy continence. Please read Cochini’s book called “The Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy”
MPoulin who is quoting an exerpt that shows that some deacons were indeed married does not prove that they did not agree to take vows to live as brother and sister prior to his ordination.
All this sweet talk on accompanying them on their journey is utter hogwash. Haven’t we been acusing the present day Bergoglio disaster for spewing such utter scandal as we are been asked to accept the divorced and remarried, who have refused to repent and to live as brother and sister, to receive holy communion. This is the exact same error that is being espoused in regards to married incontinent clergy. They, by accompanying them, in the meantime are scandalizing the faithful into error on the obligation of continence for holy orders, on knowing who Christ is and what Scriture taught in this regards. I know that the divorce and remarried are in mortal sin and a married man who is faithful to his wife is not in mortal sin. The similarity exists in the fact that the act of not living as brother and sister in each case goes against the theological foundations for the requirements of marriage and for the requirements of the priesthood.
Please, everyone who is following this thread it is your duty to read “Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy”. Celibacy is by far too serious a teaching of the Cathiolic Church to just bury ones head in indiference. It si connected to everything eapescially marriage and purity and who Christ is. It is a very big deal and the fraudulant modernist hierarchy at the Vatican know darn well that perfect and perpetual continence for married clergy has always been a requirement throughout the Churches history. Since apostolic times. Just like they know darn well that the divorced and remarried are to live as brother and sister if they wish to receive holy communion. It was a piece of cake for the hijackers in Rome to pull the requirement of celibacy continence for the deaconatery from the nonsuspecting layfaithful of modern times who never even knew there was such a thing in the past as the permanent diaconaterie and the requirement for continence.
Here are some quotes from “Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy”. Furthermore Dr. Edward Peters has written a present day paper titled ‘ Canonical Considerations of Continence for the Permanent Deaconatry’. This of course created quite a stir in the NO land of NFP and married deacons. Maybe another time I will show you the hard evidence that lack of clarity in Canon Law was planned as another one of John Pauls experiments.. The drafters of Canon 277 in the 1983 Code gave every opportunity for John Paul II to make it clear that the deacons were not required continence and John Paul refused clarity. He left it ambiguous enough so not to draw anyones attention. Sound familiar? They went on with the reintroduction of the permanent deaconatry with a pastoral application that remained silent on the obligation for continence for the permanent married deacons and their wives.Dr. Edward Peters has shown these 1982-83 drafts but has since, for some stange reason, has removed them from his website. I still have a hard copy though and hopefully will find the time to post it.
Here is a quote from “Aposrolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy” to hopefully help to get one motivated to read this book that documents not only what was said by the Church Fathersand Popes but everything that was recorded on the matter since the first century of the Church.
I will start with this although it is only one in many.
“Pius IV decided to give his answer to the German princes who were asking Rome to authorize the marriage of priests, ( some things never seem to change do they?- me talking) his first word on the matter would be a quotation from the decree of Carthage.
Here then is the document that was to play such a part in the History of ecclesiastical celibacy:
Epigonius, Bishop of the Royal Region of Bulla, says: The rule of continence and chastity had been discussed in a previous council. Let it [now] be taught with more emphasis what are the three ranks that, by virtue of their consecration, are under the same obligation of chastity, i.e the bishop, the priest and the deacon, and let them be instructed to keep their purity.
Bishop Genethlius says: As was peviously said, it is fitting that the holy bishops and priests of God as well as the Levites, i.e., those who are in the service of the divine sacraments, observe perfect and perpetual continence, so that they may obtain in all simplicity what they are asking from God; what the apostles taught and what antiquity itself observed, let us also endeavor to keep.
The bishops declared unaimously: It pleases us all that bishops, priest, and deacon, guardians of purity, abstain from [conjugal intercourse] with their wives, so that those who serve at the altar may keep perfect chastity……”
There are many more documentation from our most Holy Catholic Church that clearly spoke and defended time and time again on the obligation of perfect and perpetual continence.
I wish I had more in me to talk on this issue but I am tired. I hope this helps.
Sorry but in my last comment I should have put “here is a quote” above the actual quote from Pius IV’s statement instead of starting to bring up ‘Dr. Edward Peters’ in all this. Anyhow Dr. Edward Peters is not a quote fromFather Christian Cochini’s book “Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy. Sorry for the sloppiness. I guess it is time to rest.
This is sure an odd way to refer to the Roman Catholic Church: “Every member
of the faculty and staff at the college is a practicing Catholic in full communion with the CHURCH of ROME, is fully supportive of the purposes of the Collegium, and has signed the Collegium’s pledge of fidelity to the magisterium of the Catholic Church and its oath rejecting the philosophy of Modernism.”
http://www.collegiumsanctorumangelorum.org/#!college/c1a0a
Also doesn’t sound to me like a college, but more like a monastery w/out a profession/training in the spiritual life (and since no priest/religious, i.e. mass at a nearby parish I would say dangerously close to a cult) : “The formative components of the college program are desribed as follows: Prayer – Lauds, Vespers, and Compline are sung daily in the traditional Benedictine manner. (Students will be required to attend Monday through Friday and Sunday.) All students are taught the requisite Latin and psalmody for singing these Offices. Mass is sung in the extraordinary form. [Are stu req to attend the mass in extraordinary form at the nearby parish once a week? What diocese would support this by giving chaplaincy or priest?]
Work – The Collegium has two auxiliary enterprises that help to support the college.
These are Holy Angels Ministries, a thrift/consignment/ebay/salvage/religious articles store, and Holy Angels Online Academy, an online middle school and high school offering traditional Catholic courses to assist homeschooling families. In addition, the college has a small agricultural business and numerous needs in its regular upkeep. Students WORK in all these areas, developing beneficial work habits and gaining valuable experience that can be applied to any vocation or profession.
Study – Students take five courses each semester. These courses are carefully planned and designed as part of an integrated liberal arts curriculum. The curriculum is discussed in more detail below.
Recreation – There is time daily for hobbies, exercise, activities, sports or however students wish to spend this free time. The college does not participate in inter-collegiate sports, but intramural sports are organized according to the inclinations and motivation of the students.”
http://media.wix.com/ugd/affa41_4ec384f2bab1476bb28bb73c4037659c.pdf
If you check out his CV, he became a permanent deacon in Diocese of Spokane and worked for 20 years at Gonzaga University there. I think he may like “chant” and maybe monastic (not necessarily Catholic) life appeals, but not sure can make a Catholic, a College, or a religious order out of that.
http://www.edwardschaefer.net/vita/images/Schaefer-cv-October-2013-rev.pdf
Also seems to work w/Ave Maria U about 4 hours from where this new college will be located. Seems they are targeting their tuition to be about 1/2 of Ave Maria’s. Ave Maria incidentally doesn’t have co-ed dorms (neither does CUA anymore).
“Residence halls are separated by gender, but the University recently loosened its restrictions on visiting dorm rooms. As a reinstitution of an old policy, students may now visit the rooms of the opposite sex — with registration upon entering the residence hall and doors propped fully open — on Friday and Saturday evenings until midnight and on Sunday afternoons. In common areas, hours for visiting are until 1:00 a.m.” – See more at: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/thenewmanguide/recommendedcolleges/avemariauniversity.aspx#sthash.tZbe29wB.dpuf
Yes, Anastasia you are correct, my quote re St Cyprian does not address the celibacy issue, only the married clergy issue. I was no really addressing celibacy, I just didn’t think we can say the married clergy issue is a recent Modernist invention, I was responding to your ” please don’t tell me he is married to boot. Can’t get more modernist than that in my book if that is the case” statement. I think we agree that all clergy should be celibate as the Tradition has come down to us no? Thank you for the resources.
Michael F Poulin
Oh, Alphonsus…you couldn’t be more wrong. You don’t hear anything more about Fisher More because they DID NOT compromise. They stuck to tradition, despite a diabolical series of attempts to alter its course, ending in a flat refusal of the Diocesan Bishop to allow the traditional Mass, which deal it the deathblow. They closed rather than compromised. There was for a time a blog up, called Among the Ruins, which told the story from the perspective of a board member. That’s been taken down recently, but the content is still available where it was reposted on Angelqueen.org. Take a look at it there to understand how the Enemy will attack this new apostolate.
To my mind (indulter that I am) the only hope for a traditional Catholic four year college lies with the SSPX. They’re the only ones with the material resources and the support base to do it, the ability to provide proper priestly leadership, and with the willpower to do it in the face of hostility from the hierarchy.
Dear MPoulin,
I see what you are saying and what I meant by, “Please don’t tell me that he is married to boot” is that to even just belong to the present day permanent deaconatry should send up a red modernist flag because no present day permanent deacon would raise an eyebrow to the issue of incontinent married deacons whether these deacons are married or not. The great majority of permanent deacons are married and there are about 18,000 of them in the U.S. The permanent married deaconatry is far more popular and in use in the U.S. than in Europe Just like the high number of annulments are mostly granted in the U.S.
Even if this deacon were not married I would stay away from them with a tenfoot pole precisely because of their ignorance and erroneous beleifs on the falsely taught non obligation of continence for married clergy.
I need to ad, for those who are not aware of the obligation of continence for married deacons and priests, and that is that if this modern reintroduction of the married deacons is going to do an about face and attempt to continue now on with faithfulness to the Catholic teachings on Celibacy continence, which has theological foundations, it most certainly demands that the layfaithful be from now on informed that the married deacons have indeed taken vows to live as brother and sister because as it stands today 100 percent of the Catholics most likely assume that married deacons are most certainly not continent because they are married and married couples. Of course all married layfaithful are not oblidged to not announce to the Catholic lay faithful at large each time they take vows to live as brother and sister but because the married deacon CONFIGURES CHRIST and is in the position of shepherding the layfaithful they must inform them of their continence so as not to scandalize the Catholic doctrines on Celibacy continence. This of course even goes for those Catholics who disagree with this obligation or who could care less wether the married deacon is continent or not.
I forgot to say that to the question that rightly wonders what would we do about all those so called deacons that had no idea that they were to take vows with their wife to live as brother and sister if they wished to be ordained is that here is their chance to see if they really were called to this most holy order and if they can’t give up their wife then there lies the answer. They were never called to the deacontry and their ordination was invalid.
Dr. Edward Peters suggest that we should just let them be. This is where he and I part roads. Because to suggest this type of compromise just shows me that his paper proving and exposing the obligation of continence for the married deaconatry is simply a scholarly excerise not truly rooted in preserving the Catholic doctrines on purity, holy orders and the sacrament of marriage. I quess it is all about getting your paper published because of its usetting truth that he wishes to dismiss as no big deal in the end from the solution he recommends.
Oh, Alphonsus…you couldn’t be more wrong. You don’t hear anything more about Fisher More because they DID NOT compromise. They stuck to tradition, despite a diabolical series of attempts to alter its course, ending in a flat refusal of the Diocesan Bishop to allow the traditional Mass, which deal it the deathblow. They closed rather than compromised. There was for a time a blog up, called Among the Ruins, which told the story from the perspective of a board member. That’s been taken down recently, but the content is still available where it was reposted on Angelqueen.org. Take a look at it there to understand how the Enemy will attack this new apostolate.
http://angelqueen.org/2014/03/14/former-board-member-of-fisher-more-college-set-the-record-straight/
To my mind (indulter that I am) the only hope for a traditional Catholic four year college lies with the SSPX. They’re the only ones with the material resources and the support base to do it, the ability to provide proper priestly leadership, and with the willpower to do it in the face of hostility from the hierarchy.
I count Dr. Schaefer as a good friend and mentor and must say that some of the comments on this post are nothing short of deplorable. We can always count on the oh-so-pure pharisee trolls that dwell under the bridge over which those who actually get things done march and point their fingers in judgment. Shame on you. I must add that such attitudes are among the greatest reasons that Tradition has not advanced as much as it could and should. It breaks my heart.
I chuckle when TWN says that the expression “Church of Rome” is an odd way to refer to the Catholic Church. Honestly? If this is shocking to you then I suggest you do a bit more reading of Church history. Is not the Catholic Church referred to at times as the Church of Rome? And I must condemn TWN’s wicked assertion that the Mass celebrated at the nearby parish or at least the college concept is akin to a “cult”. You might be referring to our TLM celebrated by the FSSP in a thriving traditional community in which I have exclusively assisted at Mass with my wife and children for upwards of 7 years. That Mass. Because that is the Mass Dr. Schaefer assists at and the community that is working to raise money and support for the College. Or are you saying that a Catholic educational model based upon the Benedictine spirituality is cultish? I might add that Dr. Schaefer is a Benedictine oblate of Fontgombault, but you didn’t bother to inquire. I guess there is no pleasing these trolls!
With regards to the college, I can offer my two cents as one who has talked about it at length with the good Doctor. He has “surveyed the landscape” so to speak and seen what has become of other experiments in traditional education such as Fisher More and Ave Maria and learned from their mistakes. This is intended to be a small-scale, self-sustaining school free as much as possible from the oft-negative influence of powerful, moneyed donors, hence the auxiliary businesses. Some of the infrastructure is being provided by local parishioners supportive of the school. This is as subsidiary and local a project as you can get. As we can see with Ave Maria, when the donors start asking for their way, the first thing to go is orthodoxy. I might add that the bishop has not been entirely supportive, as such the school is being established as an independent Catholic college.