astro
February 20, 2006, 3:26pm
1
Halfway to Heaven - A Catholic millionaire’s dream town draws fire.
Feb. 27, 2006 issue - The 5,000-acre tomato field in southwestern Florida sure doesn’t look like heaven. Bulldozers scrape the land flat while clusters of Porta Pottis signal an undeniable earthiness. But soon a massive cathedral will rise from this barren spot. Reaching 100 feet in the air behind a 65-foot crucifix, the Oratory will anchor Ave Maria, a whole new town and Roman Catholic university 30 miles east of Naples. Ground was officially broken last week, and the plan is to build 11,000 homes—likely drawing families who already hold the church at the center of their lives.
For Tom Monaghan, the devout Catholic who founded Domino’s Pizza and is now bankrolling most of the initial $400 million cost of the project, Ave Maria is the culmination of a lifetime devoted to spreading his own strict interpretation of Catholicism. Though he says nonbelievers are welcome, Monaghan clearly wants the community to embody his conservative values. He controls all the commercial real estate in town (along with his developing partner, Barron Collier Cos.) and is asking pharmacies not to carry contraceptives. If forced to choose between two otherwise comparable drugstores, Barron Collier would favor the one that honored that request, says its president and CEO, Paul Marinelli. Discussing his life as a millionaire Catholic who puts his money where his faith is, Monaghan says: “I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don’t want to be on the sidelines.”
As a commercial real estate agent I’m almost tempted to call him ask if there are any parcels available for my client who wants to build a Mosque. A big 100 foot tall Mosque!
A clear case of more money than brains…
Well, as someone whose enjoyment of Domino’s Pizza is only enhanced knowing the founder’s right-wing religion & politics, I think this is fine, tho I’m a contraception-supporting Protestant. I’m totally in favor of a person or group of people using their resources to create intentional religious or ideological communities.
saoirse
February 20, 2006, 6:12pm
5
Wow. Wrong twice in a row.