A momentous occasion is about to take place at Magdalen College. In nine days, Rev. Fr. Roger Boucher will consecrate the college to the Blessed Trinity, entrusting her to the care, protection, and loving embrace of the triune God. Dr. Ryan Messmore, 5th president of the college, unveiled plans for the consecration this week:
The public is invited to join the collegiate community for the consecration in Our Lady Queen of Apostles Chapel at 1:00 PM on Sunday, Oct. 31st. The consecration also will be livestreamed on this page and on Magdalen’s YouTube channel for those who desire to consecrate themselves and their families but cannot participate in person. The consecration is the culminating event of Welcome Weekend. Earlier in the day, a solemn Sung Mass will be offered at 10:30 AM and brunch will follow. All liturgies are open to the public, and the chapel is open for prayer throughout the day. All are welcome.
To prepare for this special occasion, the entire collegiate community will pray a novena to the Blessed Trinity on the nine days leading up to Consecration Day. The novena begins on Friday, Oct. 22, the Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II, co-patron of Magdalen College. Consider uniting yourself in prayer with us from the comfort of your home by watching our daily reflection videos. They will be posted here on this page, on our website homepage, and on our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels each day.
Thank you for praying for this special college. May the Blessed Trinity guide and protect each one of us.
Consecration Day Livestream
Day 9, Sat. Oct. 30
Novena to the Blessed Trinity
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O Blessed Trinity, your love is the most powerful force in all reality. Your love created the universe. Your love raised Jesus from the dead. Your love triumphs over sin, addiction, principalities and powers. Open the eyes of our hearts to know your surpassing power (Eph. 1:19). Breathe into the core of our being the love that is at the core of all existence—the love that moves the sun and the other stars.
- Day 9 Novena
Days until Consecration:
Day 8, Fri. Oct. 29
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Jesus, you are one with the Father, and you know and are known by the Father perfectly. Thank you for coming to make Him known to us (John 17:12). Grant we pray, by the indwelling of your Spirit, that we may grow in wisdom and come to know more fully all three persons of the Blessed Trinity.
- Day 8 Novena
Day 7, Thu. Oct. 28
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Your communion, O Blessed Trinity, is a communion of self-giving love. Father, you gave your very son for us. Jesus, you emptied yourself and took the very nature of a servant, even unto death on a cross. Holy Spirit, you pour yourself out for the life of the Son and for the world. As we grow deeper in your triune love, help us to give ourselves to you and the good of our neighbor.
- Day 7 Novena
Day 6, Wed. Oct. 27
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Holy Spirit, you are the beauty and delight of the triune love. In you Jesus Christ rejoiced and took comfort. We desire to increase our delight in you and to share in the joy of the Blessed Trinity. Shape our longings and loves in your direction and lift us to the joy divine.
- Day 6 Novena
Day 5, Tue. Oct. 26
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Jesus the Son, you always honor, adore, and praise your heavenly Father. Thank you for allowing us to share in this relationship. It is inspiring and comforting to know that our worship takes part in the eternal worship that you offer to the Father. By the power of your Spirit, keep us from idolatry, deepen our trust in you, and help us to place our highest loyalty and identity in the Blessed Trinity.
- Day 5 Novena
Day 4, Mon. Oct. 25
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Living together amidst deep differences is difficult. Unity is not something we can achieve by our own power. It is a gift from you, O Blessed Trinity, who maintains perfect unity in diversity. Holy Spirit, be our peace and our fellowship. Unite us as members of the Body of Christ by incorporating us into the Son’s relationship to the Father.
- Day 4 Novena
Day 3, Sun. Oct. 24
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By your mercy, Father, we do not approach you by our own merit and power. Rather, you enable us to unite with your Son, who prays to you without ceasing. Thank you for the gift of participating in the prayer of Jesus your Son—for the possibility of referring intimately to the God of the universe as “Our Father.” Help us, Holy Spirit, to be faithful in prayer, and when we do not know how to pray, continue to intercede for us with sighs too deep for words. (Rom. 8:26)
- Day 3 Novena
Day 2, Sat. Oct. 23
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By opening the circle of your love to us, we are no longer aliens or strangers to you or to each other. You have called us to become members of your family. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for making us adopted children of God by uniting us to Christ. Father, as we prepare to consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Trinity, send forth the Spirit of your Son into our hearts in a fresh way, so that we might know you as “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15)
- Day 2 Novena
Day 1, Fri. Oct. 22
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On the sixth day of creation you declared, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” You have made us in the image of your personal divine communion of love. We are made for community. Thank you for the community you have placed us in for this season of life. Help us to be grateful for it and to work for its upbuilding. Indwell us with your Holy Spirit, so that we become “members of one another” (Rom. 12:5) and fellow citizens of your Kingdom.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore LIMITED SPOTS REMAINING When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times? Saint Pope John Paul II has provided valuable teaching in this area. Along with his “Theology of the Body,” this course will explore the nature of love, the meaning of betrothal and marriage, and sexual ethics from a Christian perspective. Class discussions will be theological and philosophical as well as practical.
Philosophy & Humanities: Friendship in Western Culture (1 credit) – Dr. Brian FitzGerald and Dr. Erik Van Versendaal LIMITED SPOTS REMAINING One of the most important features of human experience is friendship. Drawing on the great books of Western culture in literature, history, philosophy, and theology, from Aristotle and St. Augustine to Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis, this course will reflect on the nature of friendship across the centuries. Why do we need friends? What makes a good one? What are some obstacles to friendship? What happens as friends grow and mature in different ways?
Christ in Scripture (1 credit) – Deacon Karl Cooper LIMITED SPOTS REMAINING “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” In this course we will seek to meet and understand Christ as he presents himself in all the Scriptures. We will read, discuss, enjoy, and pray through the most crucial texts, and focus our work on the living and present Christ.
Tuition:
$395.00 USD Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Session I
June 18 – July 1, 2023
Limited spots remaining. Register today.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec ENROLLMENT OPEN This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena through studying air flight, fluid dynamics, the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Poetry and Politics in the Western Tradition (1 credit) – Dr. Mary Mumbach ENROLLMENT OPEN This course will examine poetic form and political form in the tradition of the West. Students will explore, in particular, how the Incarnation shapes the roles of imagination, prudence, and the heroic in literature and political philosophy. Readings in poetry, fiction, and American Founding documents will be considered.
Moral Philosophy: How Do We Make the Right Decisions? (1 credit) – Rev. Fr. Stephen Rocker THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL – A WAITLIST IS AVAILABLE Natural law morality and utilitarianism are incompatible frameworks of moral reasoning, yet elements of both are mixed in the public mind. Catholic moral teaching and the Western system of law are grounded in natural law. This course will present these two moral frameworks and apply them to moral issues.
Tuition:
$395.00 USD Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Collegiate Summer Programs Registration
Omega Session: College-Level Intensives for Credit
July 10 – 23, 2022
This session is now full.
Students will have the opportunity to earn one college credit by taking one of the following courses offered at Magdalen College. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and discover if it could lead to a college major or area of focus. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer liturgy, and sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Myth in Philosophy: Seeking Wisdom through Poetry and Story (1 credit) – Dr. Erik van Versendaal What is the relationship between poetry and philosophy? Why does speaking about ultimate things lead philosophers into the realms of poem and story? This course considers philosophical works that are undertaken in a poetic mode alongside poems that express philosophic truth.
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton, by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena: through the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, fluid dynamics, air flight and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times?
Tuition:
$325.00 USD
Alpha Session: Engage a Variety of Liberal Arts Fields
June 19 – July 2, 2022
This session is now full.
Students will experience the joy of learning in a variety of liberal arts fields, including courses in literature, philosophy, theology, and politics. Taught primarily in Socratic-style seminar discussions, these courses allow students to read classic texts and wrestle with big questions across a range of disciplines. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, and sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.