Ave Maria University: Catholic Campus Review

Review: Ave Maria University Location: Ave Maria, Florida About Me I am a practicing Catholic pursuing an undergraduate degree in Communications at Ave Maria University. I am going into my sophomore year, I reside on campus, and I am a part of the Founder’s Scholarship Program where I meet with a group of my peers and we discuss and reflect on Scripture every week. Why I Chose This University I was immediately attracted to Ave after I visited the campus in person. I was drawn to the obvious faith-filled environment and the sunny atmosphere that seemed to literally radiate happiness throughout the school. After a year at Ave, I can confidently say that my first impression was accurate. The community at this university is nothing like anywhere I have ever experienced before - the air is warm, people are genuine and kind, and Jesus is alive and present. Catholic Identity Balancing academics, social life, and worship is made easy at Ave due to the constant access to the sacraments. 6-8 daily Masses are offered, Confession is available every day, along with 24-hour perpetual Eucharistic adoration and spiritual direction provided by priests and sisters who live on campus. The Catholic faith is very apparent at the university. Students visibly strive for goodness, professors integrate faith and reason into their lectures, and the school upholds Church teaching. Campus Ministry The Campus Ministry team is very active at Ave Maria University. They bring in guest speakers to give talks frequently; these talks cover all sorts of topics like Mary, angelology, vocation discernment, marriage, and more. They also host on and off campus retreats as well as extravagant celebrations for All Saints’ Day and the Annunciation. These feasts are a university-wide favorite; they each include a beautiful Mass outside, Eucharist procession, and a catered meal. One of the most impactful contributions the Campus Ministry team had on my spiritual life was the Marian consecration they promoted during my freshman year. They set up tables to get students involved, provided books, and invited the whole student body to consecrate themselves to the Blessed Mother on the feast of her Immaculate Conception. We followed the 33 Days to Morning Glory Book and it is definitely something that I will go back to time and time again no matter what stage of life I am in. Academic Experience The liberal arts education that AMU provides is fairly rigorous. Core classes alone take 3-4 semesters to finish and students are expected to complete around 30 hours of out-of-class work each week, the majority of that being reading. Due to AI writing technology being a temptation to cheat, most essays are done in class, but I noticed that professors are gentle in their assignment grading for core classes. The current top three majors in accreditation and popularity would be Nursing, Theology, and Psychology, but other notably strong programs include the Business, Communications, and Exercise Physiology departments. I’ve quite enjoyed my classes at AMU. Professors like, Dr. Bonanno, Dr. Gonch, and Dr. Van Wart offer so much wisdom on their respective specialities, genuinely wish to see their students succeed, and always root everything they teach back to Christ and the Church - I always feel like I am being formed with faith and reason alike. Community I found Ave to be extremely welcoming from the moment I first arrived. I was very eager to meet new people and everyone around me seemed to feel the same way. I will say that the orientation groups were cheesy and mainly overwhelming for me, but through the different events, clubs, and intramural tournaments the school put on, I was able to meet so many different, lovely people that I hope to stay close with for the rest of my life. Spiritual Growth My faith has been significantly strengthened by my time at college. Attending daily Mass and spending time in adoration became a firm habit that stuck with me even after returning home. It deepened my love for Christ and understanding of my faith in a profound way. This was due in part to the constant accessibility of these sacraments, but also due to the good example provided by my peers. I remember a time during my freshman year when I had a holy hour scheduled at 2am, my friends and I were all hanging out, and when it was eventually time for me to go, I said goodnight and went to the chapel. A few minutes later my friends joined me, and all of us together filled up the small adoration chapel. At that moment, I felt extremely blessed to be in that environment, surrounded by people who I knew would help me to become the person God made me to be. That is what Ave Maria University provides - a strong, faith-driven, Catholic community.