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FRONT ROYAL, VA (January 27, 2010) - "Christendom is more than a place, a college, an institution—it is a living reality. It is part of who I am," alumnus Sabatino Carnazzo says. "You can send a Christendom graduate into the world and say goodbye, but you will never take Christendom out of the heart of that student."

That certainly is true for Carnazzo. He has taken Christendom’s motto, "to restore all things in Christ," to heart by founding The Institute of Catholic Culture, a non-profit adult faith formation organization dedicated to the re-evangelization of society through educational and cultural projects offered to the public at no charge. Carnazzo describes the Institute as the incarnation of the gift he received at Christendom College.

"When I first came to Christendom, I expected to learn facts, doctrines, and formulas. I did learn these, but more importantly, I learned a way of life. Through the liberal arts education offered at Christendom, I learned to see the whole of reality centered upon Jesus Christ," Carnazzo says. "Like many Christendom graduates, I will never forget the first semester of my freshman year. It was a time of discovery for me, a time in which my eyes were opened to the world in which I stood, but had never really seen. I discovered the transformative character of authentic education and I pledged to God to share this gift with others."

While at Christendom, Carnazzo remembers that many parents of his fellow students, while grateful for the incredible education their children were receiving, felt a loss in that they had no such opportunity as college students. He recalls one parent in particular describing her generation as the "lost generation that grew up during the cultural revolution of the 60s and 70s."

"The next generation, my generation," explains Carnazzo, "has Christendom College to set it on the right path, but what about our parents? These men and women have just as much of a need for an authentic Catholic education as I did."

He is on a mission to do just that. Carnazzo, who further completed his Christendom education at its Notre Dame Graduate School and received the prestigious Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma, says that he wants to hand on what he received, "to give to others a taste of Christendom."

The Institute has featured many influential Catholic educators, including Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Dr. Robert Moynihan, as well as Christendom professors John Cuddeback, William Marshner, Brendan McGuire, and Mark Wunsch.


Carnazzo received the prestigious Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma from Christendom's Graduate School of Theology.

Drawing hundreds of eager attendees each week from all walks of life—Catholics and non-Catholics alike—the Institute is changing lives by exposing them to the beautiful traditions and wonderful truths of the Faith. Incredibly, College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell’s administrative assistant, Melanie Baker, was led to the Faith through educational programs offered by the Institute of Catholic Culture.

"The Institute of Catholic Culture has spearheaded an educational and cultural revival in the hearts and minds of adults throughout the Washington-metro region," O’Donnell says.

Christendom College Founder Dr. Warren Carroll, a frequent attendee at Institute programs, says, "The Institute is part of what Pope John Paul the Great called the new springtime of the Church."

"I have found my life’s calling," Carnazzo explains, "sharing with others the life-changing education that I received at Christendom."

To learn more about the Institute of Catholic Culture visit www.InstituteofCatholicCulture.org.