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Article: Halfway To Heaven; A Catholic millionaire's dream town draws fire.
- Article from:
- Newsweek
- Article date:
- February 27, 2006
- Author:
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Byline: Susannah Meadows
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 ...