Often in discussions with friends, we hit on the state of the Catholic university student in America. Perhaps I sound like an unrealistic optimist, but I am usually pretty hopeful. For four years at Christendom I was surrounded by serious young Catholics. It was "normal" to see a great percentage of the students attend daily Mass. We all agreed on the basics. Now that I'm home, I'm able to get together with my old friends from high school. They too are all good Catholics, but we all have different college stories to tell. Some who went to larger Catholic universities do not share my optimism. They tell stories of low morality among the student body and Catholic professors who are far from authoritative on serious issues. Some friends often felt isolated and their desire to participate in the social life of the university clashed with their personal disgust with the lives many of their fellow students. While I am grateful for my experience at Christendom, sometimes I wonder if it presented me with an realistic impression regarding the state of our young university peers.
Some of my friends are now in graduate school and their observations regarding the morality of their fellow students is equally troubling. Those in medical school tell of professors and students who disregard the transcendent dignity of the human person in favor of a cold, utilitarian vision of medicine. In our discussions, my friends and I agree that many young Catholics feel a void in their souls. They are searching for something that would give meaning to their existence. If they are presented with the truth in a way that personally relates to them, they will usually respond. The "If it feels good, do it" motto of our parents' generation has become tiresome and many young people are beginning to realize this and are embracing religion in the hope of finding meaning and fulfillment. Many have accepted the challenge of Pope John Paul II to live a life of responsibility, authentic love and holiness. Our current culture preaches a radical individualism that results in self-alienation and emptiness. There's definitely a lot of work to do, but it looks like there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Young Catholics are embracing their faith with renewed appreciation and hope. Maybe we could start a little discussion of our own experiences and thoughts regarding this topic. We all come from different backgrounds, some are students, others are in the work force or military, so each insight will be extremely useful in arriving at a better understanding of the current situation.
It is sad that the Catholic school system has corroded into an unrecognizable heap.
ReplyDeleteHowever here is my question. . .should we fight to reenter these former bastions of Catholic intellectualty? Or should we allow them to die with the rest of culture and nurse the number of fledgling schools in the country that are making it a point to stay faithful to the magisterium?
Dr. Charles Rice of Notre Dame's law school recently said that Stubenville is the best university in the US when he spoke to the alumni association of UND in my hometown. Many had no idea where it was or what it stood for. Most were nominal Catholics at best, listening to a man they niether knew or cared to know. It was just another catered social event.
Is it more important to educate these lost souls or to help the small Catholic schools gain influence? Or can one be deemed more important than the other?
One thing is true, TAC, Christendom, and Stubenville have the home schoolers behind them, and it is my belief that home schooling families will be the monasteries of this century.
Will these good natured, well educated students be the real spark of a cultural turnaround? Only time will tell and sometimes it seems unpromising.
That's the big question. I don't know if I have the answer. I've heard critics of colleges like Christendom complain that the solution does not lie in forming Catholic "break-away" schools. While I see where this argument is coming from, I can't help but express my frustration with the big-name Catholic Universities that have all but abandoned their identity. For example, Marquette University held a debate featuring all the Democratic pro-abortion candidates. Was there any protest from the Catholic president of the University? My good friend, Steve Zanoni, attended Marquette and read off a laundry list of grievances. He now attends Creighton medical school and witnesses a similar lack of Catholic identity. The list could, of course, go on and on. I would think that if I had college-bound children, my top priority would be their well-being. I would want them to attend a school where they would not be fed moral relativism and 1960s inspired moral theology. There's so much formation that takes place during the college years, and I would hesitate to send my son or daughter to a place where the line distinguishing black and white has been blurred, or even erased. I think a balance can be struck between the "normal", yet orthodox Catholic University. There are many I can think of. I think those who criticize Christendom and Steubenville assume that they are right-wing and out of touch. The fact is that these schools are only following the teachings of Pope John Paul II, they should read Ex Corde Ecclesiae. Usually such critics never really experienced what these kinds of colleges offer. They hear things second-hand, etc. So, should the mainstream Catholic Universities be "abandoned"? Well, no...I think there is a grass-roots movement to restore some sanity on many campuses. The Catholic University of America is a good example. I know a few people there who say that the faith is very much alive and growing. It still looks pretty bleak though for many other places and until concrete changes start taking place, I'm siding with Christendom and Steubenville. This doesn't mean that we should become too comfortable with such environments. I think the other extreme is to "hide" in traditional Catholic circles, and not experience the real world which, more often than not, isn't a Catholic utopia.
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