See also With Friends Like Tom Monaghan -- The Final Word, 04/03/07.

02/18/06
Of continuing interest is the story of billionaire Catholic Lowbrough-Newby, Tom Monaghan and his efforts to build a Catholic university and town in South Florida--right where Hurricane Wilma passed over last summer.

It is a classic tale of a fool and his money and an interesting collection of hangers-on enabling his folly. Monaghan's latest and grandest venture has attracted some of the most prominent figures in American Catholic orthodoxy today. Ave Maria University's trustees include Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things and scholar Michael Novak whose CV is as long as the pope's arm. The board of Ave Maria law school, still located in Michigan, includes Catholic U. Law Professor, Helen Alvare, the USCCB's former spokeswoman on pro-life issues.

One has to wonder why these respected Washington/New York Catholics get mixed up with such a transparent screwball as the fickle Detroit pizza baron with no college degree himself and a record of projects that fell far short of their ambitious goals. Is it not obvious to such intelligent people, many of them academics, that Monaghan's idea of a great Catholic university is merely one with Division I teams that beat Notre Dame and a beautiful campus--bigger and fancier than a mere college campus, with a Gi-Rine Hall of Fame tacked on to boot?

Even though Mr. Monaghan is the virtual dictator of a university, what actually goes on in such a place is as mysterious to him as the Problem of Universals.

One also has to wonder what goes through Monaghan's trustees' minds when they hear about mismanagement, broken promises and a lack of regard for Catholic social doctrine in the treatment of Ave Maria employees. I can't say for sure, but it looks like it's either "Well, you can't please everybody. There are always going to be some malcontents." or "We're doing something great for the Church. So what if a few non-Tom-Monaghans and non-Michael-Novaks get hurt."

Of course, one need not wonder too much. It's the old story. The reason why a screwball gets such respect, support and looking the other way, even from prominent pillars of Catholicism, is his money. In his presence, they probably chomp down on their tongues to hold back fits of laughter, but they still hope that if they rub elbows long enough and risk their respect, he will throw some of his wealth toward their projects. And perhaps toward them.

Well, if their projects involve intangibles and not buildings, he won't be interested. And even if he is interested, he won't be interested for long.

Here's an assignment for some web journalist who has the burning desire (and time) to dig up truth in this story: Find out how much of his billion Mr. Monaghan has actually given away. Thus far, he has only pledged $250 million to build Ave Maria University. At its February, 2006 groundbreaking, Monaghan said that others would have to support the project. Was this a statement of fact or a warning?

Will Ave Maria University and its surrounding town ever be finished or turn out as promised? I have always thought it was a bet that they won't be and I think it's getting to be a better bet all the time. For one thing, the location sucks. Florida is a deathtrap. Since August of 2004, the state has been hit or skimmed by seven hurricanes. Climatologists expect there to be a period of heightened storm activity for at least the next twenty years. Even if buildings are built to withstand 150-mph winds, how many people want to endure storm aftermaths that include hardships, shortages, losses and disruptions in daily life?

All the post-hurricane rebuilding that is being done along the Gulf Coast now has caused labor and material costs to skyrocket. Collier County Florida is already a pricey residential area, go figure. Low and middle-income houses in Ave Maria Town are promised, but builders find it a bad business model to build cheap housing on expensive land. Ave Maria Town will pobably be another gated community of "luxury" homes.

Also, the Ave Maria project is being eyed by those who hate the Catholic Church. Monaghan--and here's a laugh--is viewed by lefties as a wealthy conspirator using his position to impose orthodoxy on the church and Catholic values on society. They have accused him of building a town (which not he, but Barron-Collier is actually building) intended for Catholics only. Perhaps they got this impression when Monaghan declared that "we" are going to control what's sold in AMT's stores (no condoms, X-rated videos). Barron-Collier has not seconded this.

In fact, when the big media finally got wind of Monaghan's avowals in early March 2006, Ave Maria representatives rushed to New York to do damage control on network TV.

Attracting or repelling homebuyers because of their race, religion etc. is called "steering" and a violation of federal law. One could argue that the very name "Ave Maria Town" is intended to steer as would a place named "Torah Town." Thus far, AM has avoided any legal hectoring by pesky civil libertarians and their environmentalist allies, but I predict it's only a matter of time before such challenges occur. According to a report on news-press.com, the executive director of the Florida ACLU promised that Collier County may be in for "a lot of litigation indefinitely into the future."*

Lastly, working against the Ave Maria project is the Monaghan psyche itself. This is the psyche that conceived and launched a network of Catholic radio stations and a "chain" of Spiritus Sanctus Catholic elementary schools. Neither plan ever progressed beyond a couple of radio stations and schools.

*www.newspress.com, "Ave Maria leaders separate plan's fact, fiction" by Joan D. Laguardia, March 04, 2006

See also With Friends Like Tom Monaghan -- The Final Word, 04/03/07.

For More Info:

The tale of Tom Monaghan and Ave Maria University is a long and complicated one of amateurishness, mismanagement, broken promises, nepotism, in sum, a great disservice to the Catholic Church and to people truly dedicated to advancing that church's mission. No one has told this story well or completely thus far. It is also an ongoing story, but you can get some information from these links:

avewatch.com: a new investigative site

Read 7/30/06 New York Times article Our Lady of Discord by Susan Hansen

Google News Search

New Oxford Review's Ave Maria College and University Topical Dossier

Ave Maria Parents Ave Maria News. Just how many Ave Maria Parents there are is never made clear. It could be only two. This site concerned the pro-Monaghan factors at Ave Maria enough for one of them to set up a web site with a very similar name.