Ave Maria, Florida

My wife and I traveled to Naples, Florida to see our niece graduate from Ave Maria University.  Founded by Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, Ave Maria University just celebrated 10 years in operation and is a Catholic university located about 45 minutes from Naples, Florida. The University is situated in the town of Ave Maria, a planned college community being built around the University and boasts nearly 5,000 residents. The drive in to the University is beautiful – winding roads surrounded by palm trees leading to a family farm, and passing the different developments beginning to spring up as part of the town of Ave Maria (Del Webb, Maple Ridge, etc).  The drive up to the University culminates with the Oratory, a Catholic Church that serves as the de facto center of town. The church is surrounded by town shops which include a Publix grocery store, the Queen Mary pub & grill, and other retail stores. Apartments line the top of these retail stores adding another layer of living in town. What a beautiful, young campus dedicated to the ideals of the Catholic faith! 

Getting here: The closest airport is Fort Myers (RSW).  The University is about an hour from the airport and 45 minutes from Naples, Florida.

What to do: Walk the planned community, shop in the retail stores around the Oratory, or visit the Mother Theresa Museum, the only one of its kind in the United States. Take in a Mass offered daily in the Oratory . The inside of the church is a mix of the old and the modern. Tom Monaghan’s fondness of Frank Lloyd Wright is obvious in the light fixtures throughout the church.