When we think of the liberal arts, we typically think of activities that primarily take place in the mind and the imagination, arts corresponding to the fundamental verbal and mathematical disciplines of grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy.
While the traditional subjects of the liberal arts are not in doubt, this characterization is incomplete. (One can, after all, study these subjects in an illiberal way.) Another essential characteristic of the liberal arts is that these arts are studied for their own sake. It is this feature that marks the athletic clubs and activities at Magdalen College: we engage in them for relaxation, restoration, leisure, and the building-up of friendship and community. These are noble ends conducive to higher purposes.
And no doubt the ancient Greeks would approve. Among ancient writers on education, Plato described education as consisting of two basic disciplines: music and gymnastics. Both categories include far more than the terms currently designate, but they indicate an important understanding of the need for an education that includes attention to the body and the benefits that a healthy body contributes to a mind open to learning.
And how much more would we, who live after the Incarnation, affirm this attention to our embodied nature.
It is in this spirit, that Magdalen College offers the following clubs:
Founded in 2018 with an initial voyage on Lake Sunapee, the Magdalen College Rowing Club begins its formal training in the spring of 2019. The club will practice on the water each week before classes and during the winter months students will stay fit with two ergs (indoor rowing machines). The club will compete in the spring and finish the season with an invitational competition in May.
Nestled at the base of Mt. Kearsarge and just miles from the White Mountains, the Magdalen College campus is the ideal location for an active hiking club. Members of the club undertake a range of moderate to advanced hikes, the most advanced being the Franconia Ridge Mountain Range, an eight-mile hike. Other locations near campus include Rollins St. Park, Mt. Sunapee, Mine Falls Park, and others. The students hike in the spirit of their patron, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who once said “The higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ.”
With an average annual snow fall that is rivaled by only six other states and a free ski-pass for all students, the four years of study at Magdalen College are also the perfect time to enjoy skiing and snowboarding. The college provides multiple and regular shuttles to Pat’s Peak and with a valid student ID, students can rent ski gear for only $10 and enjoy unlimited free lift access. In addition to skiing, snowtubing is also available free of charge on Fridays and Saturdays.
Other local ski resorts include: Abenaki Ski Area, Black Mountain, Bretton Woods, Cannon Mountain, Cranmore Mountain Resort, Dartmouth Skiway, Eastman Cross Country, Granite Gorge Ski Area, Great Glen Trails, Gunstock Mountain Resort, King Pine At Purity Spring Resort, Loon Mountain, McIntyre Ski Area, Mount Sunapee, Pats Peak, Ragged Mountain, Sunset Hill Nordic Center, Waterville Valley Resort, and Cross Country Skiing.
The Magdalen College running club is active from August to early November with a variety of moderate to difficult runs at least three-times a week. Members of the club run shorter distances at the beginning of the year and increase their mileage as the year progresses. The club accommodates early-morning risers with consistent morning runs, as well as the night owls, with evening runs. Members of the club compete in the annual Warner Fall Foliage Festival five-mile race.
Throughout the year the students participate in regular tournaments and pick-up games in a variety of sports including soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, and hockey. In the fall the students play at least ten games of soccer on our full-size outdoor soccer field overlooking the beautiful Mink Hills. Volleyball—played in our expanded gym—is a much-loved game played in the evenings after classes and homework, bringing together students from all different skill levels. Students also use the local recreational field to play co-ed games of softball.
Hockey is played both in our gym throughout the winter as well as on an ice pond that is utilized for hockey and skating in the winter months. (The college has a collection of ice skates for the students to borrow.)
This club consists of two tracks. The first alternates between ballet, contemporary, and jazz classes in the St. Mary’s residence once a week. The second is offered in the gym for both men and woman twice a week. The theme for the second track during 2018-2019 academic year consists in learning iconic dances from musicals, in which students learn famous numbers that they grew up watching on stage and on the screen and would like to learn themselves.
The defensive Mixed Martial Arts Club trains three times per week in Hookset, New Hampshire, learning self-defense techniques such as striking, grappling (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), and kickboxing. Through a partnership with Tokyo Joes Martial Arts Studio, Magdalen College students pay a modest membership fee of $30 a month.
This Irish Step Dancing Club meets twice a week, for an hour. On Wednesday mornings the club gathers to rehearse the hornpipe jig in soft-shoe reels and on Monday mornings they gather to learn a special hard shoe jig.
Attn high school students! Want to earn COLLEGE CREDIT while having the summer adventure of a lifetime? Choose one of 6 credit-bearing courses. ✔️ Explore historic Boston. ✔️ Hike, canoe, & swim in the beautiful mountains of NH. ✔️ Register today at magdalen.edu/summer ... See MoreSee Less
Here are some fond memories of Magdalen’s Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony from last weekend. Thanks to our special guests, Dr. Jay Richards (The Heritage Foundation) and the Very Rev. Jason Jalbert (Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, Manchester) for joining us on this special day. Congratulations to the Class of 2023!
#graduation #baccalaureate #ManchesterDiocese #magdalen #classof2023 #catholiccollege #newmanguidecollege ... See MoreSee Less
It was a beautiful morning. Thank you.
Great
It’s hard to believe that our seniors graduated only a few days ago. Magdalen’s faculty and staff are proud of them. We pray that God will bless their next steps!
#graduation #classof2023 #magdalen #newmanguidecollege #catholiccollege #liberalarts ... See MoreSee Less
Congratulations 👏👏👏
Well done!
Congratulations to the Class of 2023, who graduated this weekend! We are proud of you!
#graduation #classof2023 #collegegrad #magdalen #catholiccollege #liberalarts #newmanguidecollege ... See MoreSee Less
God’s blessings to all🙏🏻🕊
May God bless you all as you journey forward
Best wishes to you all!
Magdalen students and faculty celebrated the final Coffee House of the year, enjoying songs, skits, poetry, and dances before hitting the books for exams. 
#coffeehouse #magdalen #liberalarts #catholiccollege #newmanguidecollege #studybreak ... See MoreSee Less
Magdalen‘s choir was invited to usher in the spring Minor League Baseball season by singing the National Anthem at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, home of the NH Fisher Cats. 
#nationalanthem #minorleaguebaseball #starspangledbanner #choir #magdalen #catholiccollege #newmanguidecollege #fishercats #DeltaDental ... See MoreSee Less
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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?
$325.00 USD
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.
$125.00 USD