Free Republic

The relationship between Ave Maria University and the Catholic Church took a major step forward this month. The university named Diocese of Venice Bishop Frank Dewane to its board of trustees, the first official role for the senior local cleric at the eastern Collier County university. Unlike 18 months ago, when an empty 100-foot church building symbolized a disconnect between them, now everyone is speaking the same language: Collaboration. “It shows that we’re working collaboratively with the diocese,” university President Nick Healy said. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the university, particularly with regard to the spiritual and...

The university, as an institution, has been a critical partner in the mission of the Catholic Church since the founding the first great universities at Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, and Bologna. John Carroll, America's first Catholic bishop, and founder of America’s first university in Georgetown in 1789, was driven by the vision of securing the future of American Catholicism through education. Today, more than ever, society needs strong Catholic leadership inside and outside the Church and looks to the university as a foundational establishment to cultivate future leadership. Like John Carroll, the founders of the New Catholic University (NCU), under formation...