Catholic billionaire envisions city of God
The founder of Ave Maria, Fla., plans a university and town devoted to strict religious values
By Dahleen Glanton
Tribune national correspondent
Published March 31, 2006
AVE MARIA, Fla. -- America's newest town is rising up in the midst of a dusty tomato field in southwest Florida. And if the Catholics building it have their way, this ultraconservative community with a 65-foot crucifix at its center will be the closest thing to heaven on Earth.
They envision a town that adheres to strict religious values, a place void of adult bookstores, strip clubs, massage parlors and abortion clinics. At one time they had planned to prohibit the sale of contraceptives at drugstores and bar X-rated channels from cable television. But the law got in the way.
The town, to be anchored by a new Roman Catholic university, is mostly the vision of Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, a devout Catholic who is pouring $400 million of his personal fortune into the project. Insisting that he is doing God's will, Monaghan, who is well-known in conservative political and religious circles, has staked his reputation on the controversial project, the latest of his many philanthropic ventures designed to spread conservative Christian values around the world.
At this point the town of Ave Maria, about 30 miles northeast of Naples, is nothing more than 5,000 acres of leveled dirt, a row of cinder-block building frames and a small cornerstone marking the site where a church will stand. But by the time the first phase is completed in the spring of 2007, developers said, Ave Maria will be a full-fledged town filled with people, both Catholics and non-Catholics.
"This is the most important thing I can do with what God gave me, and I've got a lot of making up to do," said Monaghan, 69, who spent most of his childhood raised by nuns in Catholic orphanages and later became a self-made billionaire. "God gave me a lot and showed me it is not impossible to use it to help people get to heaven."
Monaghan insists that his primary goal is the construction of Ave Maria University, whose $200 million campus will include the Oratory of Ave Maria. The church, which will hold about 1,100 people, will stand near a 65-foot crucifix.
One supporter: `It's a miracle'
The university will move from its temporary building in a retirement community in Naples to Ave Maria, producing a larger pool of orthodox Catholic theologians to teach in affiliated schools and universities, said Monaghan, who also founded a law school in Michigan and a college branch in Nicaragua.
"It's a miracle," said Anne Morrow Doherty, 64, a supporter of Ave Maria. "Our culture in America is dying, not just Catholics, but all Christian culture is hurting. We need communities such as this, and God has chosen the Catholic Church to build it."
Rev. Joseph Fessio, the college provost, has had a long relationship with Pope Benedict XVI, having written his dissertation under the direction of the former cardinal. According to Newsweek, when Fessio saw the pope recently, the first thing he asked was, "How's Ave Maria?"
While the town is not restricted to Catholics, its planners concede that it likely will appeal to those supporting its strict religious values. Still, they said, they are working to make it inclusive.
"This will be an entertainment-driven area and a fast-growing community," said Blake Gable, vice president of Barron Collier Co., which donated the land and is overseeing construction of the town. "At the end of the day there will be 25,000 residents and 5,000 students, all with differing beliefs."
Monaghan drew the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union and other critics last year when he said in a speech that he would not allow stores that sell pornography or dispense contraceptives, including condoms, to operate in the town. In recent weeks, after lawyers warned that the plan was unconstitutional, Monaghan and Barron Collier chief executive Paul Marinelli have traveled the country in a public-relations blitz to clarify the statements.
"I prefer not to have those things, but I am not going to break the law," said Monaghan, who also owns a Catholic newspaper and a radio station in Naples.
While Monaghan said they are only requesting that contraceptives not be sold in the town, they will have control over what will be available on campus to Ave Maria students. Naples Community Hospital plans to open a clinic in the town and has agreed not to provide contraceptives to students as a means of birth control, said hospital spokesman Edgardo Tenreiro.
Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida ACLU, said there is no problem with people of like mind creating a community and living together. He said problems arise when there is no separation between religion and government, which is clearly outlined in the Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled in 1994 that a group of Hasidic Jews in upstate New York could not receive government school funding because their town, Kiryas Joel, was organized around sectarian religious principles.
"This is not just about the sale of contraceptives in the local pharmacy, it is about whether in an incorporated town there will be a fusion of religion and government. It is a question of whether not just people living there but others who use the facilities, make purchases in the pharmacy and attend public schools will be required to live by religious rule," Simon said.
"Will they honor living wills of those whose wishes differ from their views? Will they provide emergency contraception for victims of rape or even advise them of the availability? We could be looking at the prospect of medical decisions made not in the best interest of the patient but by a doctor practicing medicine with one hand tied behind his back."
Florida Atty. Gen. Charlie Crist has said problems that may arise in the future likely will be decided by the courts.
Over the next decade, more than 11,000 homes will be built in seven communities, including condominiums, low-income housing and luxury estates, many of which will cost less than the $491,000 median home price in the county. Gable said about 20 businesses have committed to the town.
Construction has begun on six town-center buildings that will encircle the oratory. Initially there will be a parochial school for grades K-12 and later public schools run by Collier County. Parks, coffee shops, restaurants and office buildings will all be within walking distance of the homes.
The Naples area, however, was not Monaghan's first choice. Monaghan, the former owner of baseball's Detroit Tigers, had planned to build the campus in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich., but zoning officials turned down his request.
County welcomed project
His proposal was welcomed in conservative Collier County. At the groundbreaking last year, Gov. Jeb Bush called Ave Maria a community where "spirituality and serving almighty God is the centerpiece of our day-to-day life."
Interest has run high for the initial 1,000 residences. Without spending any money on marketing, Gable said, the company has received more than 25,000 inquiries.
Among the future residents are Daniel Dix, 36, and his wife, Monica, 34. After viewing only a floor plan and an artist's rendering, the Dixes placed a deposit on a 1,600-square-foot, three-bedroom unit that will sell for about $500,000.
Daniel Dix, who is a graduate student at Ave Maria, also has signed a contract to open a coffeehouse in the development.
"It appealed to us to live in a college town and it seemed like a nice environment for my family," said Dix, who has two young daughters. "I don't have any problems with the family values."
