Bring Back The "Catholic" University

Alright, this has nothing to do with discernment, but it has to do with being Catholic, so I am going to post it anyways. As you probably know by now, I attend the University of Notre Dame, which is known as one of (if not the) finest universities in the world. I am proud to go here and I love Notre Dame; it was my dream school and I am very happy to be here. However, over the last few days, I really have been wishing I was at a school like Franciscan University. In my mind, Franciscan is what a Catholic university should be like but for some reason I didn't look at it much out of high school, probably mainly because they weren't really strong in my major. While Notre Dame has flashes of brilliance, and has such an opportunity, it just seems like in a lot of ways we are becomming like everyone else. We are the home of Fr. McBrien (who I am amazed is allowed to teach anything Catholic), the Queer Film Festival, and the Vagina Monologues (both of which play annually).

The University has such great promise; it is 85% Catholic and most of those Catholics are practicing. Yet, there is so much sinful behavior (not to say I am not guilty too, I am a sinner) and a lot of intemperance and it just makes me wish that I was at Franciscan at times. I don't want to seem cold-hearted to anyone but we are a Catholic university, so why do we allow people to build a closet on the quad for National Coming Out Week? Why do we allow the university to sponsor Vagina Monologues and Queer Film Festival? WHY? Is it because that is the PC thing to do nowadays? Is it because that is what a top-20 ranked university should do? Is it intellectual freedom? I came to Notre Dame because in my mind it was the absolute finest Catholic univeristy in the nation. I just don't understand, now that I am here, why we don't follow Catholic teachings. If I wanted the QFF and the VMs I could have gone to Berkeley, I would have been accepted. I could have stayed in-state and gone to the University of Colorado. Instead I came to the University of Notre Dame with the hopes that I would grow in my faith. I have, I won't say I haven't, but it could be so much more. We have such promise, and we do have some great departments (such as the center for Ethics and Culture and our Philosophy and Theology departments) which are by and large very good and very Catholic (minus McBrien). Why can't the rest of the University be the same?

We recently had a president transition with Fr. Malloy leaving office and Fr. Jenkins coming into power. There is a lot of hope for change on campus with Fr. Jenkins who seems much more orthodox and frankly conservative than Fr. Malloy who did and let some questionable things happen under his watch. Let's hope and pray that Fr. Jenkins can bring ND back to where it belongs.

ND is not the only one, "Catholic" schools all over the nation are falling into the trap of secularism. This may give my identity away a bit, but I will tell you that I started at Creighton University and transferred to the University of Notre Dame. Creighton is a Jesuit school in the Midwest that to me was much worse off than Notre Dame. Other than the Cathedral on campus and Philosophy and Theology requirements you really couldn't tell it was a Catholic school. I am lucky enough here at ND to be able to go to daily Mass as the Mass times are based on the students and we have Mass in the dorms. However, at Creighton I never could make daily Mass because there was Mass in only one of the dorms (and the Cathedral of course) and the times were horrible for the students. Creighton also had a Sunday "microwave" Mass for those who just couldn't go to Mass for a whole hour, but I will leave that discussion for another day. Creighton is one of the better Jesuit schools; when you look at Boston College and Georgetown especially you have to wonder how they can call themselves Catholic (mainly Georgetown).

I don't know, I just don't like the way the Catholic universities are headed. Why is it that there are only a handful (or maybe only one) Catholic universities which are really true to the church? I guess at least we have Franciscan University; I wish more were like it and at times I really wish I were there. Oh well, I hope to be able to teach there should I receive my Ph.D in Psychology (the plan if I don't become a priest).

Pray that Pope Benedict will help get these Catholic universities in line because if not, then soon they will become like so many universities that are Catholic only in name.