Birth of clean town: Ave Maria

[Digitonomy]

In my opinion to have a village such as Ave Maria, and to not have the poor anywhere around, smacks of exclusivism…based upon economics…Christ calls us to the poor, the disinfranchised, the downtrodden…that is our apostolate as baptised Catholics

There are many ways to serve Christ and to serve the poor, and they don’t have to involve moving out of your exclusive resort home, or inviting the poor inside the gates to camp out on your lawn. I’m not especially crazy about Monaghan and his Ave Maria town/university, but I think it’s perfectly legitimate to establish the town as he sees fit for the success of his venture. If, once the town is established, it is hostile toward the poor, that will be a different issue. But setting a development policy to attract the upper middle class to the town is probably wise, and may make the whole thing less likely to fail.

 

[jrabs]

I’m very angry with Mr. Monaghan about this town. He made a ‘Catholic’ town where only those who could afford a 'starter house at $250,000 could live. I’m a good Catholic. But I can’t afford $250,000 for a house. Why doesn’t he want me for a neighbor?

Wow - if you have ever been to Naples - which is simply fabulous by the way - then anything under $500,000 would be a great bargain. The land is in demand there and that is the going price.

One has to take into account the region. If you want something affordable and a Catholic Town in your area, then band together and start one with prices you feel are affordable in your area.

Then leave your gripe about not being able to afford the house in Naples out of it. It’s irrelevant. This isn’t supposed to be a subsidized housing town. You pay the prices that the region offers just as you would in CA or NYC.

 

[childofmary1143]

I think we need a Bible lesson about poor and poverty. First off Jesus said “Blessed are the poor IN SPIRIT” not the poor in poverty.

Poverty is a sin. To want to promote poverty is shameful. Sure there are rich people who hoard and make money off the working class but then there is the poor who are just as materialistic as rich because they want it.

 

[Digitonomy]

Poverty is a sin.

I don’t think I’d go that far. Does the corollary also hold true - Wealth is a virtue?

 

[stinkcat_14]

I don’t think I’d go that far. Does the corollary also hold true - Wealth is a virtue?

I think there are many people who subscribe to that heresy. Part of the problem is that many of us were born on third and we think we hit a triple.

 

[childofmary1143]

I don’t think I’d go that far. Does the corollary also hold true - Wealth is a virtue?

I apologise for not explaining myself clearer. It seems to me that countries where there is great poverty isn’t because they had a bad year for crops but because of wars.

As Our Lady of Fatima said War is a punishment for Man’s sins.

 

[MrS]

Wow - if you have ever been to Naples - which is simply fabulous by the way - then anything under $500,000 would be a great bargain. The land is in demand there and that is the going price.

One has to take into account the region. If you want something affordable and a Catholic Town in your area, then band together and start one with prices you feel are affordable in your area.

Then leave your gripe about not being able to afford the house in Naples out of it. It’s irrelevant. This isn’t supposed to be a subsidized housing town. You pay the prices that the region offers just as you would in CA or NYC.

That might be true in Naples… which is west of the interstate , it was higher priced than many locations in the country, but has seen hugh price devaluations.

More to the point…

Ave Town is way east of Naples. Collier county has been owned by the Collier family for a century… with no one interested in developing. So they offered 750 acres to Monaghan, free, if all the partnerships would follow.

Really, it is becoming a mess. Monaghan, who was a marine in his youth, now wants to name the sports teams as his university, the Gyrenes.

How does Ave Maria Gyrenes sound.:bigyikes:

Interested parties should really research this town… and the man who controls everything there, from bank, to property, to rules.

www.avewatch.org sift through the MANY reports… all linked and all verified… some weird stuff.

Buy the way, some of the small group of home buyers are unhappy after being hit with the un-announced “extra” costs and assesments running tens of thousands of dollars.

.

 

[Fuerza]

Bingo. $250,000 isn’t that outrageous. That is about what your average brand new Pulte house goes for around here.

I would be ecstatic if I could find something liveable for $250,000. Where I am that amount wouldn’t even get you an outhouse in the filthiest, most crime-ridden neighborhood.

A three bedroom semi-attached home (one house-like structure divided into two homes; that’s right…half a house) in a semi-safe neighborhood will run about $700,000.

 

[dostoyevsky]

Why are people bashing Tom Monaghan???
Here you have a man who vowed to give all of his money away and is really trying to make a difference in the world. You may think he could do different things with his money, but he’s trying to serve God and is not hoarding it. I think he deserves credit for that. He’s going to have enough trouble and people bashing him in the world. I think we could refrain from criticizing him.

 

[MrS]

Why are people bashing Tom Monaghan???
Here you have a man who vowed to give all of his money away and is really trying to make a difference in the world. You may think he could do different things with his money, but he’s trying to serve God and is not hoarding it. I think he deserves credit for that. He’s going to have enough trouble and people bashing him in the world. I think we could refrain from criticizing him.

He is his own worst enemy. By “giving away” his money, he transfers it to “non-profits” or foundations which he controls. Some give-away. He stands to make a fortune on housing and rentals etc IF the town survives. And he still makes millions off his percentage he retained in Dominoes.

go to www.avewatch.org for a long and detailed look at the history of Tom Monaghan.

His actions against employees and others needs to be bashed.

He may think he is doing “God’s will”. But the actions and their effects on destroying people’s lives is evil.

.

 

[dostoyevsky]

I fail to see what is so evil about his control over nonprofits and foundations. He is trying to make them good. He is trying to serve God. He is giving away all of his money.

 

[GregoryPalamas]

I’m very angry with Mr. Monaghan about this town. He made a ‘Catholic’ town where only those who could afford a 'starter house at $250,000 could live. I’m a good Catholic. But I can’t afford $250,000 for a house. Why doesn’t he want me for a neighbor?

$250,000 is an average price for new homes throughout the country. Does he have condos or is he planning condos?

CDL

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Yep, and the reason why I will not eat Dominos pizza - I won’t buy it and won’t eat it even if someone else buys it. Eleanor Roosevelt (not that I agreed with much she had to say) said: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Tom Monaghan does not have my consent.

You wouldn’t be saying this if you didn’t already feal inferior and I don’t thin Monghan had anything to do with it. Moreover, he doesn’t own Dominos anymore.

CDL

 

[Nullasalus]

You wouldn’t be saying this if you didn’t already feal inferior and I don’t thin Monghan had anything to do with it. Moreover, he doesn’t own Dominos anymore.

CDL

If I had a dollar for every time someone has told me they will ‘never eat any Dominoes pizza!!’ because of Monaghan, I could probably afford to live in Ave Maria!

Really though, houses are expensive no matter where you are. And what’s more, if Ave Maria turns out to be a successful development, I doubt we’ve seen the last of the houses built. It will be interesting to see if he can achieve what he wants to.

 

[mamacita]

That might be true in Naples… which is west of the interstate , it was higher priced than many locations in the country, but has seen hugh price devaluations.

More to the point…

Ave Town is way east of Naples. Collier county has been owned by the Collier family for a century… with no one interested in developing. So they offered 750 acres to Monaghan, free, if all the partnerships would follow.

Really, it is becoming a mess. Monaghan, who was a marine in his youth, now wants to name the sports teams as his university, the Gyrenes.

How does Ave Maria Gyrenes sound.:bigyikes:

Interested parties should really research this town… and the man who controls everything there, from bank, to property, to rules.

www.avewatch.org sift through the MANY reports… all linked and all verified… some weird stuff.

Buy the way, some of the small group of home buyers are unhappy after being hit with the un-announced “extra” costs and assesments running tens of thousands of dollars.

.

What does it matter if the reports are linked and verified? Are you saying that people (especially the media) don’t ever exaggerate or write false statements?? We all know that happens everyday:shrug: Some people just may have it out for the man so we shouldn’t always believe what we read unless we go directly to the source itself, just my :twocents:

 

[GregoryPalamas]

If I had a dollar for every time someone has told me they will ‘never eat any Dominoes pizza!!’ because of Monaghan, I could probably afford to live in Ave Maria!

Really though, houses are expensive no matter where you are. And what’s more, if Ave Maria turns out to be a successful development, I doubt we’ve seen the last of the houses built. It will be interesting to see if he can achieve what he wants to.

That’s pretty much as I see it. I think the effort is worth the risk. In fact whenever I see people picking some grand idea apart I know that the idea itself is one of great worth. For every creative person in the world we seem to have ten arm chair quarterbacks who haven’t created a d…n thing. Whenever I can afford it and the idea has any plausibility, as this one has, I will always choose the creative person over the loser. If I could have talked my wife into it we would have been there already. Heck, even if the idea should collapse next year its worth the effort.

I think along with the Bible and the Catechism everyone should read Rudyard Kipling’s, “If” and stop whining.

CDL

 

[Pier]

Why should the ACLU have ANYTHING to say about this town? People that live there don’t BELIEVE in using b/c, as it’s against our religion.

(Not that they should), but do they watch over the Amish, or the Hasedic (sic) communities? Why should the town of Ave Maria be any different?

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Why should the ACLU have ANYTHING to say about this town? People that live there don’t BELIEVE in using b/c, as it’s against our religion.

(Not that they should), but do they watch over the Amish, or the Hasedic (sic) communities? Why should the town of Ave Maria be any different?

Good post.

I’m not sure why some people think that the ACLU is a governmental agency. I stopped caring what that goofy group thought years ago. Why have lawyers if we can’t protect ourselves from the likes of them?

CDL

 

[stinkcat_14]

Why should the ACLU have ANYTHING to say about this town? People that live there don’t BELIEVE in using b/c, as it’s against our religion.

(Not that they should), but do they watch over the Amish, or the Hasedic (sic) communities? Why should the town of Ave Maria be any different?

I think Monaghan is using the ACLU to get some free publicity. He says something, the ACLU get’s upset, it gets all over the news, and now virtually all of the 70 million catholics in the US know about Ave Maria Town. Pretty clever if you ask me (BTW, I am not being critical here).

 

[childofmary1143]

I think Monaghan is using the ACLU to get some free publicity. He says something, the ACLU get’s upset, it gets all over the news, and now virtually all of the 70 million catholics in the US know about Ave Maria Town. Pretty clever if you ask me (BTW, I am not being critical here).

Well perhaps he learned from Mel Gibson with regard to the movie The Passion of the Christ.