Birth of clean town: Ave Maria

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childofmary1143 said:
Well perhaps he learned from Mel Gibson with regard to the movie The Passion of the Christ.
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I think Mel Gibson wins the free publicity game hands down. Anytime you can get evangelicals pushing a catholic movie, you figured out the free pr game.
 
mamacita said:
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:
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Actually what helps to make this such a mess are the statements that Monaghan makes himself. Even here at CA, there are threads on Monaghan, Ave Maria town, the school, the Board of Governors etc.

Many still think he is “giving away his money” Yet he is no less wealthy today than a decade ago.

If you prefer to cut him slack, or to give him free reign with “his money”, that is fine. But if you have a concern for the Church, and for Catholic families and young adults who are swayed because of his money… please reconsider.

Why have so many Board of Governors resigned?

Why was Fr Fessio fired/rehired?

Why did the Department of Education suit and collect?

Why did Fr Beers (head of Monaghans heralded Theolgate programe) resign - and he now works for Bishop Carlson.

Why do former professors at the aborted AveMaria College still suffer from what Monaghan did to them and their families.?

Why does a MAJORITY of the Law School Faculty reject both Monaghan and the Dean because of their administrative incompetence?

Why has a MAJORITY of the alumni petitioned the Board to reverse the inane and devasting decisions that have come from that administration?

Like I said before, he is his own worst enemy. His slams against the Church and its teachings are in stark contrast to the apparent image you have of him.

More will be written, more will be read about this man.

Unfortunately more will continue to ignore him “just 'cuz he is so generous to Catholic things”

Like the Catholic Radio… he left them high and dry
Like the local order of nuns… they had to suit to retain what they had
Like the great Catholic newspaper, Credo, … he got tired and withdrew without notice
Like the Spirtus Sanctus School… when they objected to his interference in teachers, contracts, curriculum, he destroyed much of their organization.
Like the Ave Maria College… the list of broken promises, abandoned families, lies and deceit is public knowledge too
Like the Ave Maria Law School… he donated a hugh sum of money, but within a few years it became apparent how many strings were attached.

So each of us has a choice.

We can ignore and let him continue… no problem… I personally don’t care what he does on his own.

or

We can at least become informed and perhaps protect some one some where from being damaged by him.

by the way… the Mel Gibson comment was interesting.

When Monaghan declared he was going to make a movie of JPII, people were in awe of his willingness to spend $25 million to do it. When reality set in the the projected costs became $75 million. Mel Gibson offered to assist in the financing. Monaghan told him to get lost.

And true to his history, Monaghan dumped that project too. Guess is was not profitable to one who wants to “give it all away”.
 
Pier said:
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?
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Perhaps the difference is the Amish just go about their business quietly. They don’t seek publicity.

Monaghan needs the publicity badly. His plans are not coming together as big as he hoped for. It is automatic… when the ACLU enters the big picture, many side with the entity they are “watching over”, regardless of the entity.

The history of the ACLU has given us confidence that they are most often over the edge and just plain wrong.

Meanwhile the Bishop of Venice continues to reject the concept of Monaghan’s private church (oratory) and acknowledges there is no plan for the oratory to comply with diocese rules and regulation. Even their liturgy is subject to the President of the school.

And now, even the local papers are beginning to see through Monaghan’s facade.

naplesnews.com/news/ave_maria/
 
I don’t have an opinion about Mr. Monaghan. But I do believe his critics do a pretty poor job of bashing him. Consider:
  1. He’s a self-made millionaire businessman. This kind of personality is HIGHLY control oriented and demanding of productive results. You can’t just turn that off. It’s part of who he is. Most of the criticisms I have seen so far MIGHT be easily explained as a decisive leader’s intolerance of poor results and a businessman’s ruthlessness for writing off a failed enterprise before it turns from a failure into a catastrophe. And if he is managing his philanthropy in such a way that money spent is merely equal to the return on the capital investments, well, that really isn’t out of business character either, is it? I’d like to hear of instances where he allegedly came out against church teachings. That’s a new allegation I’ve not heard before.
  2. As for home prices in this new town, LOL! Folks, I develop residential subidivisions in Chicagoland. You would not BELIEVE the costs today to do this. They have to: establish a water supply, drinking water treatment, sewer system, sewage treatment, roadways, drainage systems, wetland mitigation and permitting, earthwork, a city hall, police and public works, the church, the university buildings, a commerical center, parking facilities, not to mention paying the army of consultants needed to design and permit all of this. This is why this is national news. No one can afford to establish a new town from scratch. The initial investment is staggering. I’d be SHOCKED if his land development costs were under $80,000 per 1/4 acre lot. Economics simply takes over from there; you can’t even break even if your new home isn’t three times the cost of the improved lot cost. And Tom Inc. isn’t building the homes. Last I heard, Pulte was and they ain’t doing it for free either.
 
That’s the best you got? That he is anti-union?

:rolleyes:

Guess I’m a heretic too. While I believe the early unions made a HUGE difference for the better, today I see them as short-sighted, self promoting organizations that destroy the ability of American companies to compete with foreign companies. Not universally, of course, but the unionized trades I have dealt with have always slowed projects down, driven up costs and caused delays in project completions due to silly turf rules and mutual recognition of picket lines when any one of the dozens of trades decides to strike.
 
Pier said:
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?
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I think you have a misconception about Ave Maria. I’m not sure what the current status is, but as the town gets larger there will certainly be non-Catholics and those who do believe in using birth control. The town has no right under current US law to prevent them from doing so. And the story is the same if I move to an Amish community: I have every right to watch television, and even to sell televisions in my store.
 
Im quite shocked at some of the responses ive seen thus far, whatever happened to Christian Charity. Tom Monaghan is doing a great thing, by going against the tide of this culture and trying create a town that holds Catholic values. I can understand how some people say that it isnt quite fair that the living conditions are so expensive, but its just outside miami in florida what do you expect? I bet if this town was created in a state where the property taxes, and house values were not so high, there would be a more economically diverse community. I hear people complain all the time about having this culture corrupt their children, well this is a way to somewhat shelter them. I would love to live in Ave Maria. Its too bad there are not more towns like this. If the ACLU is fighting Monaghan, you know that he is doing a good thing.
 
AaronsStaff said:
Im quite shocked at some of the responses ive seen thus far, whatever happened to Christian Charity.
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I think part of the problem is that Tom Monaghan is moving into a realm where it is not clear that he has the expertise to be successful. After all, If a high school graduate become chancellor of a university, that is going against the norm and is likely to draw criticism. Also, there seems to be a lot of disgruntled employees and former employees of his schools. That should at least give us some concern. I think the way he handled the Fr. Fessio affair can be criticized.

Please realize, reasonable people can differ as to whether he is doing a good thing here.
 
Housing costs, living costs and Catholic Schools are of the highest concerns for many Catholic families. As we are normally larger and desire to have only one parent (the father) working then jobs, cost of housing and living are high in our needs. The upper scale living style of the Naples area is just not within the budgets of most of us.
 
KathleenElsie said:
Housing costs, living costs and Catholic Schools are of the highest concerns for many Catholic families. As we are normally larger and desire to have only one parent (the father) working then jobs, cost of housing and living are high in our needs. The upper scale living style of the Naples area is just not within the budgets of most of us.
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However it is within the budgets of those selecting to live in the Naples area. That is the point.

You live in the area that meets your budget. Like everything in life, not everyone is going to be able to afford it. Why is that a problem? It’s life.
 
jrabs said:
However it is within the budgets of those selecting to live in the Naples area. That is the point.
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Can the people who live in Immokalee afford to move to Ave Maria? Shouldn’t that be the standard, since it is closer to Ave Maria than Naples is?
 
stinkcat_14 said:
Can the people who live in Immokalee afford to move to Ave Maria? Shouldn’t that be the standard, since it is closer to Ave Maria than Naples is?
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The product is priced according to how much it costs to produce and according to competition, not how many people from which area can afford to buy it. Obviously, if it is so expensive that no one can afford it, it will flop.
 
geezerbob said:
The product is priced according to how much it costs to produce and according to competition, not how many people from which area can afford to buy it. Obviously, if it is so expensive that no one can afford it, it will flop.
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That’s a good point. I imagine that Tom M is savvy enough in business to have done some market studies in real estate in that area.

Stinkcat asked this question in a post:
Can the people who live in Immokalee afford to move to Ave Maria? Shouldn’t that be the standard, since it is closer to Ave Maria than Naples is?

Why? The price is the price. People who want and can afford to pay it will move there. I guess I don’t really follow why the property must be affordable to all?

That’s not even realistic. Do you live in an area that you would LIKE to live in or one that you can afford to live in but enjoy just the same. If you are lucky, you have picked the exact location regardless of financial constraints. Most likely you are bound by a budget.

I enjoy my location…but would much desire to live in a more affluent area. Just my pocket doesn’t accommodate that. I am not bitter, resentful or demanding any thing more than what I can afford. Nor do I expect that I can live where ever. So why is this any different?

Life is like that. God has blessed many to be more successful financially than me. But perhaps these same folks need the surrounding of a Catholic environment more than I do.
 
jrabs said:
You can laugh all you want. He’s still the millionaire. Joke’s on you I guess? 🤷
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Sorry, the only thing I found funny was your comment. With Monaghan it is no joke. It is just sad. Ask the families of those left in his wake as he made his millions. If he is an example of a “success”, much less a succussful Catholic, Lord help us.

But then, for those who can research the info on him, and then still choose to admire his actions… well, the joke is on them.

.
 
So far I see that he dislikes unions and that the catholic university he is struggling to establish holds a position on TLM similar to the vast majority of US bishops.

BURN the witch! BURN him!!! 😉
 
manualman said:
So far I see that he dislikes unions and that the catholic university he is struggling to establish holds a position on TLM similar to the vast majority of US bishops.

BURN the witch! BURN him!!! 😉
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visit www.avewatch.org at your own risk, or just be patient. He will self destruct long before his money runs out… especially when he has all his strings attached to his “donations”

Yes he dislikes unions… and prefers only at-will employees, from his upper administration to the security guards who prevent anyone from talking to his students and asking tougher questions.

I guess it must be okay if he has so much to conceal. Actually, I was surprised when he told CNN that “…I didn’t know what I was talking about…” Yet the pride of personal accomplishments that he claimed to distain is still entrenched in his actions. Do you really believe his oratory is a Cathedral? heheheh.

.
 
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