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20 US Colleges and 1 Canadian are North America's Most Faithful to Catholic Identity

Solid alternatives to larger number of sexually liberal, dissident, secularized Catholic colleges in US today

MANASSAS, VA, October 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Today The Cardinal Newman Society announced the publication of a new comprehensive college guide for students and parents, The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find It. Edited by Joseph A. Esposito, The Newman Guide will be officially published on Nov. 1, 2007.

The culmination of two years of research and interviews, the unique Newman Guide recommends 21 Catholic colleges and universities which most faithfully live their Catholic identity and provide a quality undergraduate education.  Each college profile examines the school's history, governance, Catholic identity, curriculum, student life and community.

Those recommended represent the top 10 percent of Catholic colleges in the U.S. based on Catholic identity and cover a wide range of institutions in terms of history, size, location and academic focus.

Colleges range from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD., the nation's second oldest Catholic college, to Wyoming Catholic College of Lander, WY, which opened in Sept. 2007.

Twenty of the colleges are located in the United States while one school, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, is in Ontario, Canada.  Some were founded explicitly to meet the needs of Catholics seeking an authentic Catholic education while several have recently strengthened their identity and curriculum.

The Guide's editor, Joseph Esposito, said, "These colleges and universities represent a unique perspective on higher education.  They are all impressive institutions, offering a wide range of choices from a Great Books curriculum to a degree in motor sports management.  But what sets them apart from others is the day-to-day living of their Catholic identity.

"This Guide will provide a valuable tool for parents and high school students seeking direction in the college-selection process," he added.

Esposito, the Cardinal Newman Society's director of research, is a former Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Dept. of Education.  He also has been a full-time writer for Catholic publications and an adjunct history professor.

The recommended colleges are grouped into three categories: "Joyfully Catholic," "Born from the Crisis" and "Fighting the Tide." 

The first group is characterized by a Catholic identity that permeates all areas of campus life; the second includes institutions founded or expanded in the last few years; and the third group represents older colleges and universities that have succeeded in renewing and strengthening their Catholic identity.

The "Joyfully Catholic" colleges are:  Christendom College, The College of Saint Thomas More, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Magdalen College, Thomas Aquinas College, The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, University of Dallas, and the University of St. Thomas (Houston, TX.).

The "Born from the Crisis" colleges are:  Ave Maria University, Holy Apostles College & Seminary, John Paul the Great Catholic University; Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, Southern Catholic College and Wyoming Catholic College.

The "Fighting the Tide" colleges are:  Aquinas College (Nashville, TN.), Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, DeSales University, Mount St. Mary's University and St. Gregory's University.

In addition to in-depth profiles of the 21 colleges, The Guide includes essays from prominent Catholic leaders.  Among the clergymen are Archbishop Elden Curtiss of the Archdiocese of Omaha, NB., noted writer and spiritual director Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., and author and evangelist Father C. John McCloskey III.

Prominent lay contributors are philosopher Peter Kreeft, Cardinal Newman Society founder and president Patrick Reilly and Eileen Cubanski, co-founder and executive director of the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools.

The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find It will be available at bookstores nationwide beginning on Nov. 1. 

To order the guide:
http://www.thenewmanguide.com/OrdertheGuide/tabid/347/Default.aspx

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