Fiat Society

Every fall, Ave Maria University comes alive with the joyful rhythm of Move-In Day and the start of Orientation, as students settle into residence halls, explore campus, and form new friendships. At the heart of this joy was the Orientation Mass at Ave Maria Catholic Church, where students, their families, faculty, and staff began the year in prayer.

The standing-room-only Mass was celebrated by Fr. Leandro Fernandez, one of AMU's Campus Ministry priests, with the homily preached by Deacon Dr. Mark Miravalle, the Constance Schifflin Blum Chair of Mariology. He posed a question central to the Christian life: Are we truly detached from material things?

Drawing from the Old Testament, Deacon Miravalle reflected on Isaiah and Ezekiel, whose personal sufferings prefigured the purification of Israel. He turned to the Book of Job, where God answers Job's suffering not with explanation but with a revelation of His own infinite power and love: "Were you there when I laid the foundations of the earth?" In moments of profound loss, he reminded the community, God's will is often beyond our understanding, but it is never beyond His infinite mercy and love.

 Deacon Miravalle then shared a story of a young man reluctant to attend Mass, drawn in by a friend. That young man's life was later transformed by a devastating accident that left him paralyzed. In the depths of that suffering, he found himself entrusting his life to Our Lady, surrendering with the words, "God's will is perfect. Okay, God. Let's do this." From that moment of surrender came a new mission, beginning with his own family.

The homily left the Class of 2030 with a challenge: to examine what still holds their hearts bound to passing things, and to entrust themselves, like that young man, fully to Christ through Mary.

This Orientation Mass set the tone for the Class of 2030's journey, and because of your generosity, every new student has the opportunity to be formed under the mantle of Our Lady at Ave Maria University. Thank you for helping to shape future leaders for the Church and the world.

Thanks to the generosity of benefactors like you, Ave Maria University is proud to announce a new minor in Sacred Music launching this fall.

Music has shaped the life of this university since its earliest days. Sacred music in particular has always set AMU apart, most visibly through the University schola's continued devotion to the Church's musical patrimony. Music majors have long contributed to that tradition, but this new minor takes formation a step further. It exists to send graduates into parishes as trained, faithful ministers of sacred music, ready to help the Church renew her worship through beauty.

"This program will invite students to embrace the Church's teachings on sacred music as an informed scholar and prepare graduates to serve reverently and effectively in parish music positions," said Professor Trenton Phillips O'Neil, Director of Sacred Music. "All music students are necessarily involved in making sacred music while at AMU, but having this additional distinction communicates to pastors everywhere that if they want to see a renewal of faith through beauty and the promotion of the Church's rich musical heritage in the Mass, it will be an AMU graduate who will get the job done."

Students in the minor will complete five courses in Gregorian chant, church music leadership, sacred music doctrine, and the philosophical, theological, and historical dimensions of music and ministry. Alongside coursework, they will serve as members of the University schola and complete a hands-on sacred music internship at a local parish, gaining real pastoral experience before they graduate.

Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in his 2003 Chirograph on Sacred Music that the Church's musical tradition is "a treasure of inestimable value." This new minor is one way AMU safeguards that treasure and hands it on. It reflects the Church's enduring conviction that sacred music expresses the deep meaning of the liturgy's sacred texts and disposes the faithful to receive the fruits of grace.

Programs like this one are made possible by benefactors who share AMU's conviction that beauty has the power to shape souls and renew the faith. We ask the intercession of St. Gregory the Great and St. Cecilia, patrons of sacred music, for the continued success and growth of this program.

Creating a will is one of those important tasks that can be easy to postpone. Yet, putting your wishes in writing can bring peace of mind to you and greater clarity to the people you love.

August is National Make-A-Will Month, making it the perfect time to create or update your will if it's been sitting on your to-do list.

As a free resource for our benefactors, Ave Maria University is pleased to offer access to Catholic Legacy, a ministry of Relevant Radio. Through Catholic Legacy, you can create your will online, at no cost to you, in about 30 minutes. Built by experts in estate planning, canon law, and Catholic teaching, Catholic Legacy helps you make informed choices that reflect your Catholic faith.

One of the greatest gifts you can leave your loved ones isn't found in your estate. It's the clarity of knowing exactly what you wanted.

There's no cost, no complicated process, and no reason to keep putting it off. In about 30 minutes, you can make one of life's hardest moments a little easier for the people you love.

For questions about creating your will, please contact Beatrice Sanford, AMU's Planned Giving and Donor Engagement Specialist, at beatrice.sanford@avemaria.edu.