For Anthony Fontecchio, going to Franciscan University was partly about family legacy and partly about the school’s culture and community.
Anthony’s maternal grandfather, Don Materniak, is the retired chair of Franciscan’s Business Department, and his parents, Michael ’97 and Amy (Materniak ’99) Fontecchio, are alumni. His sister, Serena, graduated in 2024, and his brother, John, will be a freshman this fall.
Although those family connections influenced his decision to go to Franciscan, Anthony said an even more important consideration was the school’s strong faith-based community.
“Everything we do here, no matter what each person’s major, is all grounded in the same passionate Catholic faith,” he said. “That’s really important to me . . . and was a big factor when I was looking for colleges.”
As someone whose homeschool experience was supported by a small Catholic community, Anthony said at Franciscan he has benefited from being part of a larger group of faithful men and women.
“One of the ways it has pushed my faith life is seeing different sides of the faith and how people interact and build their relationship with God differently and how I can learn from that and apply it to my own life,” he says.
For instance, some are focused on reading Scripture or papal encyclicals, and others on praise and worship or spending quiet time in front of the Eucharist. Some are converts, and others are in the process of converting. This, he said, has enhanced his understanding of the faith, as well as his relationship with God.
A junior from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, who is studying accounting and finance, Anthony hopes to become a financial advisor and eventually to create a company in which he can align his Catholic faith with helping people plan for their future.
At Franciscan, he is part of the Guardians of the Divine Will Household. Their main model saint is St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was recently canonized on September 7. Anthony, who is studying abroad in Austria this semester, was blessed to attend the canonization.
Anthony also is a senior student ambassador and campus team coordinator with SBA Pro-Life America, a group he encountered on campus and got involved with after he agreed to do some political canvassing over a spring break. Although he previously had been part of pro-life groups at his home parish, he said working with SBA has forced him out of his comfort zone.
“There’s nothing like going up and knocking on a door and talking with someone about a very difficult topic. It really tests you,” he says. “I saw it as a good challenge and a way to push myself to reach people because it’s a really important cause I believe in.”
Additionally, Anthony is involved with Christian Students in Free Enterprise, serving on its personal finance team, and the Leadership Institute Student Fellows Program, a three-year formation program that helps students understand and embrace their personal vocations.
“It’s essentially built upon discerning and bringing out your gifts and how you can live with them fully in God’s creation, how you can take what God has given you, your characteristics, the person you are, and use it to build up the Kingdom of God here on earth,” he explained. “Our personal vocation is not just a vocation to marriage or a job. It’s how we cultivate our gifts on a daily basis and interact with others. So, it’s not just something we do when we become a father or take vows for the priesthood. It’s something we do every day.”
