Domino’s Pizza Mogul’s Ultra-Conservative Catholic Ave Maria University Plagued by Measles Outbreak

A measles outbreak at Ave Maria University was confirmed in late January with two cases, which had grown to nearly 60 by February 11. In response, Ave Maria University is no longer releasing data on how many students are recovering from the outbreak and how many are currently quarantined. “Instead,” the Catholic university in eastern Collier County [Florida] will rely on case data from the state Department of Health’s reportable disease website,” the Naples Daily News’ Liz Freeman recently reported (https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2026/02/13/ave-maria-university-says-it-rely-on-state-department-of-health-measles-count-but-there-is-a-lag/88659396007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z117449p119850n00—-c00—-v117449&gca-ft=42&gca-ds=sophi).

“The catch,” Freeman noted, “is the state website does not provide details of geographic regions within a county for origins of cases. That means people in Collier will not learn if new cases of measles remain confined to the campus of 1,400 students or if it has spread to the Ave Maria community of 7,400 residents or beyond.”

As Freeman pointed out, last year Florida state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo “announced he planned to eliminate vaccines required of children to attend public school. He does not have the authority to eliminate all vaccine requirements; it requires legislative action for some, including for measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR). That vaccine, along with polio, diphtheria, rubeola and tetanus, requires legislative action to repeal.”

A few years back I wrote a profile of Ave Maria University. Here are a few excerpts of the story headlined: 

Tom Monaghan’s Big Box Church: Pizza magnate is building homes in a Florida sanctuary for orthodox Catholics called Ave Maria, where there won’t be any porn, condoms, or television smut

In late March, at the first annual Boston Catholic Men’s Conference held at Boston College High School, Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza who has become a major league conservative philanthropist, was feeling the spirit. He triumphantly told the enthusiastic crowd of more than 2,000 men (including over 80 priests) in attendance that construction of Ave Maria University — the first Catholic university built in 40 years — was moving forward. According to published reports, “the $240 million first phase of the campus plans to be centered around the ‘Oratory of Ave Maria,’ a 60,000 square-foot church with aluminum and glass arches, and will include the nation’s largest crucifix in stained glass with a 60 foot high bleeding Jesus. Officials say the church would be the largest fixed-seating Catholic church in the nation, with room for 3,333 to 3,500 worshipers “

The Ave Maria campus plans to be centered around the ‘Oratory of Ave Maria,’ a 60,000 square-foot church with aluminum and glass arches, and will include the nation’s largest crucifix in stained glass with a 60 foot high bleeding Jesus

[You can read the full story @ https://www.nowhere.dropmn.com/story.php?storyID=76&fbclid=IwY2xjawP-88NleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEzMEgwNWZBbnl6elNrdDRqc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpgxuXvN6Xa49-Ch7tOsfFknI3OT00VKA0a_ABhsYxycPcnubwevfQC-i8yo_aem_d-XMk0Up–iMblqqijJXtg]

Ave Maria officials are reporting a 98% vaccination rate among it students. However, despite the high overall rate, health experts point to “pockets” of unvaccinated individuals. In Florida, there has been a documented rise in students seeking religious or “conscience-based” exemptions. Critics argue that the university’s traditionalist atmosphere may attract families who are skeptical of modern medical mandates, even if the official Catholic Church position supports vaccination.