Posted on 02/27/2006 10:26:11 AM PST by annalex
Tom Monaghan, the founder of the Domino's Pizza chain, has stirred protests from civil rights activists by declaring that Ave Maria's pharmacies will not be allowed to sell condoms or birth control pills. The town's cable television network will carry no X-rated channels.
The town will be centred on a 30m tall oratory and the first Catholic university to be built in the US for 40 years.
The university's president, Nicholas J. Healy, has said future students should "help rebuild the city of God" in a country suffering from "catastrophic cultural collapse".
Monaghan, 68, sold his takeaway chain in 1998 for an estimated $1.5 billion.
A devout Catholic who has ploughed millions into religious projects - including radio stations, primary schools and a Catholic law faculty in Michigan - Monaghan has bought about 2000ha previously used by migrant farmers.
The land on the western edge of the Everglades swamp will eventually house up to 30,000 people, with 5000 students living on the university campus.
Florida officials have declared the project a development bonanza for a depressed area and Governor Jeb Bush attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the university earlier this month.
Civil rights activists and other watchdogs concerned about the separation of church and state are threatening lawsuits if Ave Maria attempts to enforce Catholic dogma - none of which has deterred Monaghan, who initially tried to build his new university in Michigan but could not get permission.
Asked recently about possible lawsuits in Florida, he replied: "That's great. That would be the best publicity we could get."
Monaghan was sent to a Catholic orphanage with his brother James after the death of their father on Christmas Eve 1941. After serving with the US Marines and later dropping out of university, he founded Domino's in 1960 with his brother, who sold back his share for a Volkswagen Beetle.
Monaghan then set about building what became America's second-largest pizza chain. He collected antique cars, bought a yacht and became the owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball team.
About 15 years ago he read Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. "That was a big turnaround," he said recently. "I decided to simplify my life. No more airplanes, no more yachts. It's been a big relief."
Sources close to the project said Monaghan was particularly disturbed by what he regards as the failure of Western civilisation to resist Islamic fundamentalism. In a speech to students last year Healy warned that Islam "no longer faces a religiously dynamic West".
From The Sunday Times
As I said before, perhaps. I do wish him luck, but wouldn't live there. I am a Midwesterner, and actually like four seasons!
>>I get their literature as I am a donor, and any controversy was settled amicably years ago. He remains on their board and helps them raise money.<<
That truly doesn't mean that there wasn't a suit, just that it was settled. I'm sorry that I didn't know it was settled but it is not a rumor to tell facts. A suit was filed. God Bless him for spreading around cash where it is needed but he is not a saint, none of us are.
I have heard from people who did move here and do not want to move again. That is not rumor, maybe heresay.
I wish him the best but will tell what I know of it before FReepers start selling their houses. Nothing is wrong with information.
You have a point about the Amish, but I think that no one but them live there because they live so primitively, Catholics don't live that type of lifestyle where they abhor electricity, etc. I mean, look at how they "finance" themselves. Its not modern and no one wants to move in there, even if they could
(Refuse to speak Leftist.)
Really? Then lets correct your leftist newspeak above.
I'm sure gay homosexual Catholics will be welcome. On the other hand, Catholic engaged in the sin of homosexuality sodomy and other perversions might have a problem.
A gay person is someone who is happy. Last I checked, people who are mentally deranged and in need of psychotherapy or a trip to a mental institution, such as actual sodomites, and those with a strong mental attraction to the comission of sodomy (homosexuals) are obviously by definition not happy, since they are at war with their conscience and body, and are disturbed by a perverted mind that revels in comission of disturbing and unnatural acts that normal people find physically sickening and repulsive.
Great Tag line. This sounds very interesting.
There are still little slices of Americana like this left, mostly in rural areas, but also even in some urban neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly Catholic.
Our daughter WILL be living there, if she gets into Ave Maria University!
One of the things the town wants to do is provide several types of housing, so that even those who work in service jobs in the town can afford to live there. There will be smaller homes, condos, apartments, and then larger homes for those who can afford them.
He started Ave Maria College in MI, but pulled his $$$$ because the town would not let him expand the operations. Since he was not allowed to grow the college there, he decided to move it to FL, where the Barron Collier people donated land for the University, and they started the joint venture of Ave Maria.
There is a lot of very negative chatter in some cirles about Mr. Monaghan, and Ave Maria. Frankly some of it is bordering on libel.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Ave Maria University is the entity that began as Ave Maria College, but was moved because of the restrictions placed on Monaghan by the town officials where the school was located.
The professors and students were given notice at least three years ago that the change would be made. At that point, no new students were accepted at Ave Maria College, and those who were already there were allowed to stay so that they could graduate from the college at which they began.
Professors who are new at colleges don't have automatic tenure, and can be replaced at any time. The professors who began at Ave Maria College were offered jobs in the new university; if they refused them, they were then free to find employment elsewhere. Some have been miffed by the change, and have been very vocal about it.
Hmmm. Seems like you are getting all your information from one source. I've read the 'stories' you're passing on, and they are not true. Dr. Rice was a visiting professor at the Law School; that implies that he could leave at any time. Some are saying he was fired for not wanting to move to FL, but I haven't seen any confirmation of that, only the 'rumors'.
We get information from the Law School all the time, as we are donors, and I have yet to hear anything about them moving to FL. As far as I know, they are in MI for the forseeable future. They might move to FL in the future, I just don't know, but be careful about spreading rumors planted by disgruntled former employees, or those who have a personal beef with Mr. Monaghan for whatever reason.
Are you in MI?
Have you been effected by one of these Elementary Schools closing?
Some people dream big. Monaghan put his money behind his dreams. It's not libel when one reseaches the facts.
He is in many more projects than just Ave Maria School of Law.
And actually, I would love it if he would come and build a school at my parish. It would be just what he dreamed the other schools would be, financed by the people within a few years. From what I see, he hoped that his Spiritus Sanctus schools would become just that. He is a businessman as well. I can see what happened from a business stand point.
Your comment was that nuns are currently suing him.
First, it was a rumor for which you had no proof but spread nevertheless.
Second, it is not in fact true. There is no suit. And to my knowledge (as a former employee of Tom's philantrhopic entities, a grad of his law school, and a donor to and friend of the nuns, my circle of friends includes the nuns and those who work for Tom's entities) there was never any lawsuit - instead there was only a viscious rumor that people use to smear Tom.
Third, what you might have said was that many people are upset that Tom is building his university in FL instead of MI and there is much controversy over that. I don't think you are in a position to say much more without dragging yourself down into the mud of gossip and rumor.
Fourth, I know you did not mean to smear Tom, but you did. And I am pointing out that fact - though I want everyone to understand that I see this as an anomoly and not indicative of your character - which I presume is quite laudable.
SuziQ is quite right to point out that some of you seem to get all of your information from the blogs of disgruntled people who do not want the university to end up in FL.
Dr. Rice is a great man. He was never the dean at ND or Ave. He was a visiting prof and he sat on the board of directors. I do not like the way he was removed from the board and wish he was still on the board. He did not support the move to FL and was vocal about it. The board of directors - all upstanding moral people with inpeccable reputations - approved a new by-law which term-limited him off of the board. Not pretty, not prudent, but not exactly immoral, either. As an alum I have been privy to many details and even recieved emails as an alum from the dean and Dr. Rice to explain their version of what happened.
As for the 4 elementary schools: every project he began was told from the start that the idea was to become self-sufficient eventually. As projections showed that goal to be way way off, he invested tons of cash to DOUBLE the capacity of two of the schools, and he closed the other two. The local parish that is most closely associated with his philanthropy ended up with one closed school 9whcih is adjacent to the parish). And all the schools were within the same general are of Ann Arbor, so no student ended up without the ability to stay at these great schools. My kids went to the schools until 2003 and we keep in touch with many friends who are still at the schools.
There is a place for monasteries within Christianity, and it seems that Ave Maria will serve this function. It's one of the few schools that I will consider sending my children to.
You have jsut explained why we homeschool.
I forgot: Dr. Rice remains on the Ave faculty!!!!
I thought the same thing. But then again, monasteries have a place within Christianity, and this community can serve a similar function. Additionally, and paradoxically, this seeming retreat from society could actually serve, by its way of life, as a beacon of light to our largely pagan society.
Interesting. I drove through it when I visited Disney World, and thought it was the creepiest place on earth. Well organized and laid out, but souless. OTOH, I think Ave Maria will have soul.
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