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Employers Value the Liberal Arts

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Faithful Catholic colleges offer a wide variety of majors, each beginning with an inspiring core curriculum focused on the liberal arts. You’ll study the great works of mankind and come to a fuller understanding of God, creation, philosophy, history and science.

You’ll learn the facts and the reasons behind the facts. You’ll learn skills and how to serve humanity in your career. You’ll learn how to think clearly and rationally in any situation.

Studies find that 93% of employers value critical thinking skills more than a person’s college major. And consider these recent headlines:

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Supreme Court Rulings Already Impacting Catholic Schools

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This month, even before the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the Court’s importance to Catholics was made apparent — and Catholic educators especially should take notice.

The Supreme Court’s summer rulings are now being tested in Indianapolis, where a teacher who was rightly dismissed from Cathedral High School because he entered into a same-sex civil marriage has filed a federal discrimination complaint. His case will likely rest upon the Court’s Bostock ruling in June, which forbids employers from considering homosexuality or transgender identity in employment decisions.

The same teacher has also sued the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, claiming that Archbishop Charles Thompson improperly interfered with Cathedral’s personnel decisions by requiring Catholic schools to uphold moral standards for teachers. The policy complies with the Church’s Canon 806:

“The diocesan bishop has the right to watch over and visit the Catholic schools in his territory, even those which members of religious institutes have founded or direct. He also issues prescripts which pertain to the general regulation of Catholic schools….”

Thankfully, Archbishop Thompson has an ally in the Trump administration. On September 8, the U.S. Justice Department filed a brief in Indiana court supporting dismissal of the lawsuit by Cathedral’s former employee. The brief relies in part on the Supreme Court’s July ruling in Our Lady of Guadalupe School, which upheld the “ministerial exception” for Catholic schools. The exception prevents discrimination lawsuits against Catholic schools, when they are brought by employees who teach the Catholic faith.

Moreover, the Justice Department’s brief makes a First Amendment case for the right of Catholic schools to choose employees according to their Catholic mission. This effectively calls for a religious exemption to the Supreme Court’s Bostock ruling.

“Our ancestors arrived on our shores to establish a country where the people would be secure to practice their faiths and to gather freely with their religious communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division when filing the Indiana brief. “To that end, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of religious institutions and people to decide what their beliefs are, to associate with others who share their beliefs, and to determine who will teach the faithful in their religious schools.”

Also this month, the U.S. Education Department issued a final rule to protect religious freedom in higher education. In addition to enforcing free speech and the rights of religious groups at public universities, the rule clarifies that a college with a clear religious mission is exempt from Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in education. This is especially important in helping protect Catholic schools and colleges from the Bostock ruling, which directly concerns only Title VII regarding employment discrimination, but is expected quickly to impact interpretations of Title IX.

“Federal law provides that Title IX ‘shall not apply’ to educational institutions that are ‘controlled by a religious organization,’ to the extent that application of Title IX would not be consistent with the religious tenets of such organization,” the Education Department explained. But it has never been clear how courts should determine whether a school is “controlled by a religious organization.”

The final rule includes a “non-exhaustive list” of common factors that a school or college may rely upon for Title IX exemption. These include an “institutional mission” statement that “includes, refers to, or is predicated upon religious tenets, beliefs, or teachings,” which should cover schools and colleges that are openly faithful to the Catholic magisterium.

All of this is good news for Catholic educators, so long as the federal government remains supportive of religious freedom. We do not yet know the outcome of these interventions. But it is clear that Supreme Court rulings have serious consequences, and the direction of the Court is of great importance to Catholics.

Catholic educators need to do everything possible to protect against lawsuits, and that begins with a clear and consistent Catholic identity. The ability to maintain faithful Catholic education depends on a vigorous defense of religious freedom. Schools and colleges need to be prepared to go to court and demonstrate their uncompromised commitment to their Catholic mission.

This article first appeared at the National Catholic Register.

New Ave Maria University President Committed to ‘Solid, Orthodox Catholic Identity’

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In January, President Christopher Ice began his term as the third president of Ave Maria University in Florida, which is recommended for its strong Catholic identity in The Newman Guide. The Newman Society recently asked President Ice about his vision and goals for the University in the years ahead.

Newman Society: Congratulations on your appointment as president of Ave Maria University! When Tom Monaghan founded the University 17 years ago, he presented a bold vision to answer St. John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization. What is your own vision, looking forward to the third decade of Ave Maria University?

President Ice: My vision is to maintain the solid, orthodox Catholic identity and principles upon which this University was founded. I want to strengthen the Marian identity in numerous ways, strengthen the Catholic identity in all areas of the University, expand the mission outreach efforts for our students through the Mother Teresa Project and help students discover the beauty of the truth of our Catholic faith to go forward and change the world. Our mission was founded in fidelity to Christ and His Church in response to the call of Vatican II for greater lay witness in contemporary society. This is front and center of everything we do. For example, on August 15, 2020, the 30th anniversary of Ex corde Ecclesiae, we launched a year-long study of St. John Paul II’s teaching on Catholic higher education.

Newman Society: Ave Maria University has always had a strong devotion to Our Lady. How does that impact the education and student experience on campus, and do you have any plans to build upon that devotion?

President Ice: Last March 25th, I consecrated Ave Maria University to Jesus through Mary, and a large number of students, faculty and staff joined me in their own personal consecration. We have students who are heavily involved in the Mary and Mercy Center that is spreading the message of consecration across all college campuses in the country and impacting thousands of college students. We have brought back the Angelus at noon, our students have a rosary walk every night at 9:00 p.m., we have perpetual Eucharistic adoration and our biggest celebration of the year, every year, is the Feast of Annunciation at the end of March. Recently, we added classes specifically for the study of Mariology which are taught by Dr. Mark Miravalle, one of the leading Marian scholars in the world. If it’s Marian, we are talking, teaching or celebrating in her name.

Newman Society: What most distinguishes Ave Maria from other faithful Newman Guide colleges?

President Ice: Our Marian identity and that we were founded as a lay apostolate and not affiliated with any religious order. This is unique, and this allows us to create a solid Catholic identity under the guidance of our local bishop and build a University that was founded in the spirit of St. John Paul II’s call for the new evangelization and working under the mantle of the Blessed Mother. There is no other university in the country that has a town and a university united in our Catholic faith, all founded by a similar vision.

Newman Society: In its early years, Ave Maria University had impressive markers of its Catholic identity, such as the Angelus at Noon, a dress code ensuring modesty, and dorm rules ensuring total privacy and security in bedrooms. As the student body grows, how can the University maintain a strong Catholic culture? 

 

President Ice: The Angelus is back at the noon hour with the bell ringing once again this fall. Our student handbook still stresses modesty in all areas of dress and we are re-emphasizing some of the major points on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as a part of our freshman orientation, to help our students understand the importance of modesty and purity. We are a campus of many different countries and cultures and will educate them through our beautiful Catholic teachings in many areas. We need to show our students why we are doing what we are doing and the importance of the teachings of the Church. Educate and evangelize.

Newman Society: What are your top goals for Ave Maria University in the next five years?

President Ice: With the help of our board of trustees, we will develop the top five goals for the University over the course of the next year. One goal will remain consistent, and that is to create saints and help every student, staff and faculty member get to heaven. We have started a marching band that will expand our extracurricular activities. The other goals have been sidetracked with COVID-19 and getting our campus open. I will assure you they will be beautiful, bold and ambitious, and it will propel the University to become the leading orthodox Catholic university in the United States.

My Future, My Faith Magazines Preparing to Ship

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One of the benefits of your involvement with the Newman Society’s Catholic Education Honor Roll is that your students are provided free copies of My Future, My Faith.

This is a full-color, 8.5 x 5.5 inch, 40-page magazine that explains the advantages of faithful Catholic colleges. It also helps students transition from high school to college with advice on how to make a good campus visit, how to pay for college, and so much more!

Keep an eye out for a letter and email with more information about when your copies will arrive.

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Newman Society Grateful for Federal Defense of Religious Freedom

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Two actions by federal agencies this week have great importance to Catholic educators seeking relief from hostility to Catholic beliefs and protection of their religious freedom.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department filed a brief at the Indiana Supreme Court, defending the Constitutional right of an Indianapolis Catholic high school to uphold moral standards. The action supports the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, which is being sued by a teacher whose contract was terminated because of his public, same-sex marriage.

On Wednesday, the Education Department issued final rules to protect religious freedom in higher education. In addition to enforcing free speech and the rights of religious groups at public universities, the rule clarifies that a college with a clear religious mission is exempt from Title IX regulations, which is especially important to Catholic schools and colleges confronted by discrimination lawsuits because of the Catholic understanding of sexuality and marriage.

“The Newman Society has worked for 27 years to promote and defend faithful Catholic education,” says Newman Society President Patrick Reilly. “We are grateful to the Trump administration for its strong defense of religious freedom— a welcome relief after years of efforts by the Obama administration, many state and local governments, and activist organizations to force Catholic institutions to violate our faith and contradict our Catholic teaching.”

The mission of Catholic education requires that all Catholic school teachers are witnesses to the faith, in word and deed. Canon law requires that “teachers are to be outstanding in correct doctrine and integrity of life” (Canon 803). Catholic school teachers have an important role to play in helping prepare students not only for this life, but for the one to come.

The Justice Department rightly points out that Catholic institutions should be able to choose their own teachers, a right enshrined in the First Amendment. One part of the protection provided under the First Amendment is the “ministerial exception,” which was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court this summer. The Newman Society provided key points about the “ministerial exception,” including guidance to Catholic schools to be explicit about the religious duties and requirements for teachers.

Colleges Keep It Catholic Amid the Epidemic

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While avoidance of COVID-19 has forced many schools and colleges to shift to online classes this fall, a few faithful Catholic colleges are attempting in-person education — and they are making extraordinary efforts to preserve the spiritual life on campus.

Impressively, the fast-growing Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, doubled the number of priests on campus this year and added additional Mass times to help offset limited seating in the campus church due to COVID-19 restrictions. There are now four Masses on campus every Sunday and three every weekday, including a new 9:00 p.m. weekday Mass.

“At Benedictine College we are committed to providing a dynamic, faith-filled environment for our students,” says Father Ryan Richardson, associate chaplain at Benedictine College. “I like to advise students to be intentional about prayer, sacramental life and Christ-centered community.”

The campus ministry office at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, is also adjusting to best serve the spiritual needs of students. Since the university altered its class schedule this fall to better ensure student safety, it also changed its Mass and Confession times to be available to the most students. A Sunday Mass was added, and campus chaplain Father Thomas More Barba says he is open to adding more as needed.

Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, decided that its education “can only truly be offered in-person, with our students studying together and challenging each other to be better leaders and better Catholics.” Its reopening plan received laudatory remarks from the Virginia State Council of Higher Education, and the college even proceeded with its week-long summer conferences for prospective high school students, immersing them in the faith and giving a taste of Christendom’s courses and faculty.

Also opening in-person this fall is Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida, which had the distinction of never fully closing its campus last spring when the COVID-19 epidemic began. “Sacramentally, after only a six-day hiatus, our community returned to receiving our Lord in the Holy Eucharist,” reported President Christopher Ice. “We live-streamed Mass daily out of our St. Sebastian Hall Chapel and distributed Communion outside,” he said.

Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, is “ensuring students have access to the Sacraments and to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, even though our spaces might look a little different with social distancing,” says campus minister Sarah Gohn. The college also plans to make frequent use of outdoor space and small-group Bible studies.

“In a time when people in our world are feeling very isolated from one another, we know that Christ still unites us as brothers and sisters and that we have communion with one another through the Eucharist,” Gohn says.

 

Prayer, sacrament and community

Such opportunities are important for young adults, whose faith is seriously endangered. After college graduation, nearly 75% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. And even among those who attend Catholic colleges, nearly one in eight Catholic students leaves the faith by graduation.

It is crucial that students preserve their faith in college. But even more, the college years are a time when students should be formed for sainthood, and that requires a lot more than simply “holding on.”

Prayer, the sacraments, and community are key to helping students keep the faith on campus, according to campus ministers at Catholic colleges across the country. And its very difficult to find the support students need, even at a Catholic center at a secular college. Faithful Catholic colleges like those recommended in The Newman Guide offer a truly Christian environment, where students are free of the toxic lifestyle at many colleges today.

“At the University of Mary, I see every week more and more students who are ‘catching’ the routine of prayer, visiting the chapel, attending Holy Mass, going to confession,” says Father Craig Vasek, chaplain for the athletic teams at the faithful college in Bismarck, North Dakota. “Even if people aren’t doing it, they are seeing people, hearing of people, and it brings God to mind.”

He recommends that college students “go to Mass and a chapel more than just your Sunday obligation. It changes things. Daily study of the Catechism with daily practical application, or even monthly ones, to establish a new virtue each week or month.”

“Surround yourself with others who are striving to live their faith,” he adds. “You are who you hang out with. Don’t be the best person in your friend group — I mean, strive to be — but if you are the best person in your friend group, who is going to call you upward?”

Gabriel Salamida, coordinator for household life at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, agrees. “Community is absolutely vital during one’s college years. Students are ‘on their own’ for the first time, and they are faced with an opportunity to grow into a better version of themselves.”

More than 900 students at Franciscan are a part of its faith household system, which connects students to accompany one another on their faith journeys. “Jesus didn’t draw us into relationship with him to keep our faith to ourselves. If we don’t share it, then our faith will die,” Salamida says.

 

Don’t be a statistic

At secular universities, students are often taught by professors who push ideologies that are contrary to the faith. They are surrounded by a binge drinking and hook-up culture on campus and in the dorms. Access to campus ministry offerings may be limited and vary in quality.

At a faithful Catholic college, students see the integration of the faith across campus. They are formed in mind, body and soul for this life and for the one to come.

“College is such a time of questioning and growth, and attending a faithful Catholic college allows young people to find the answers to their deepest questions in Christ and his Church,” says Gohn. “I have so many peers who abandoned their faith in college or allowed it to dwindle, because when challenged in their faith, they had no community around them to support them, and they were easily swayed by alternate ideologies.”

Students should “not simply have the mindset of keeping the faith, but growing it,” advises Austin Schneider, director of campus ministry at John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, California.

“In the spiritual life, staying where we are at is stagnation and ultimately leads to a weak, tepid faith,” Schneider says. “Instead, Christ calls us forward and draws us by the beauty of his love. Holiness isn’t simply keeping or maintaining the faith. Holiness means gaining momentum, accelerating toward Christ.”

While many students will tragically lose their faith on campus this year, others attending faithful Catholic colleges have the support they need to grow into sainthood. A Catholic college that fully embraces its mission — and sadly many do not, so investigate carefully — can do so much good for the souls of students.

This article first appeared at the National Catholic Register.

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Catholic University Founded to be ‘Guiding Light’ for Higher Education, Says Provost

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“Catholic University was founded to serve the Church and the nation as a comprehensive research university — to be a guiding light for higher education,” says Dr. Aaron Dominguez, provost at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

At Catholic University, which is recommended for its strong Catholic identity in The Newman Guide, students receive an education in the Catholic intellectual tradition, and also have the opportunity to engage in research opportunities with faculty. The Newman Society recently asked Dr. Dominguez to discuss the unique offerings, and Catholic identity, of Catholic University today.

Newman Society: The Catholic University of America is sometimes referred to as “the bishops’ university” or “the national Catholic university.” How does this distinguish Catholic University from other faithful Catholic colleges? How is the Catholic identity maintained, and what do you see for the future?

Provost Dominguez: We are unique in the United States as being the only university founded by our bishops with a charter from Pope Leo XIII. Our mission is to serve the Church and the nation as a faithfully Catholic research university in the capital of the free world. Our fidelity to the Church and her teachings is not only part of our past, but is a vibrant part of the present and is in fact the only way we could truly fulfil our mission in the future.

The Catholic University of America

Newman Society: President Garvey transitioned Catholic University’s campus housing to single-sex residences and supported a student petition to screen pornography from the campus internet service. Why is promoting a Catholic culture on campus important to the academic work of the University?

Provost Dominguez: We respect the inherent dignity of the human person and the call to participate in God’s beautiful plan for us. This is why we put in place conditions that encourage and facilitate the kind of mutual respect needed to do so, which also allows us the kind of true freedom for our academic pursuits.

Newman Society: Catholic University describes itself as a research university, which is distinct from the Catholic liberal arts colleges also recognized in The Newman Guide. How does the University integrate research and the scientific disciplines with teaching the liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition? How do Catholic University’s research initiatives benefit the Church?

Provost Dominguez: A research university is a place where new knowledge is discovered.  A Catholic research university is also a place where we search for truth, while acknowledging the origin of the truth in God and we can do that in all of our disciplines: in the humanities, the sciences, the arts and in professions. We are truly an authentically Catholic, global research university. We unite faith and reason. In all of our departments and schools, we carry out research as part of our teaching mission. All of our students, both undergraduate and graduate, have the chance to work with world class professors making new discoveries. By adhering to the teachings of the Church, we are more free academically to explore the natural world, our place in it, our connection to each other and to God.

Newman Society: Catholic University was founded as a graduate school and stands out among the Newman Guide colleges for its extensive master’s and doctoral programs. How does this commitment to graduate programs impact the experience of undergraduate students? And what makes Catholic University a good choice for graduates of other Newman Guide colleges, if they pursue graduate studies?

Provost Dominguez: Catholic University was founded to serve the Church and the Nation as a comprehensive research university — to be a guiding light for higher education. Our graduate students are some of the best and brightest from around the world.  With their graduate degrees in hand, they are set to become future leaders carrying with them the knowledge they have discovered and our mission in their hearts.

Newman Society: What do you think makes Catholic University such an exciting choice for Catholic families today?

Provost Dominguez: Catholic University is not only an academically rigorous institution, it is a caring community where students can grow both intellectually and spiritually. Catholic is also just a very fun place to be! We have a beautiful large, green campus in the heart of the nation’s capital with a vibrant campus life. It is an academic oasis with direct access to all the history, culture, food, music and beauty that the District of Columbia has to offer.

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Take a New Look at Catholic Education

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After a summer of disappointment — closed camps, museums, movie theaters, even many pools, beaches and restaurants due to COVID concerns — the decision of many public and private schools to go entirely online is a crushing blow to parents.

Now I see that some localities are doing everything possible to interfere with Catholic schools that want to open for in-person learning. Montgomery County in Maryland backed off a ruling that Catholic schools were forbidden from opening, only after families and educators heroically opposed the order. Catholic schools are demanding that California Gov. Gavin Newsom allow in-person classes.

Why is this happening? Because public schools — which increasingly embrace anti-Catholic, radical secularism and feed it to our children — are afraid of losing families to Catholic education.

This should stir every Catholic parent to ask the question: Have I given serious thought this year to the option of Catholic education? Whatever the barriers that stood in our way in prior years, might something have changed that makes it possible now?

Cost is the most significant barrier to Catholic schools, and it remains a major concern. But increasingly there are cost-effective ways to provide your child a Catholic education. (Keep reading to the end.)

Also, fidelity and Catholic identity have been a serious concern over the past 50 years. Tragically, many Catholic families have found that the experimentation, immorality and downright nuttiness at many Catholic schools is scandalous. Many families have turned to homeschooling, but others have chosen public schools rather than confusing students with wayward Catholic education.

These are important concerns! However, the declining numbers of Catholic in faithful Catholic education is a catastrophe. Today we have a laity and even clergy that seem far less concerned about ensuring a Catholic education for every Catholic child.

That’s not a utopian dream. It is a clear teaching of the Church that every child has a right to a Catholic education… that every parent is the primary educator of their child and has the responsibility of ensuring a Catholic education… and that the Church is obligated to do everything it can to serve the needs of parents in providing Catholic education.

Sadly, we are far from this today. But the options are increasing, and unlike many public schools, much of Catholic education is open for in-person formation this fall.

Parochial schools: If you haven’t looked lately at the local Catholic school managed by your parish or diocese, it’s worth another look. There is an ongoing renewal of fidelity and Catholic identity across Catholic education, and many schools have re-emphasized the Mass, Eucharistic adoration and prayer. Catechesis is improving at many schools. Perhaps most importantly, there is growing emphasis on hiring teachers who fully embrace the Catholic faith and witness to Catholic moral teachings in both their words and their behaviors.

The cost of a parochial school education is still generally high — much too high, in my opinion. But dioceses have made a concerted effort to ensure financial support for low-income families. It’s the middle class that often has the greatest difficulty affording parochial schools.

Most parochial schools still embrace methods of modern education and the Common Core State Standards, which have been detrimental to education across the U.S. Some dioceses, however, are embracing explicitly Catholic curriculum standards, classical learning methods and a renewed focus on the liberal arts, with great results. Overall, Catholic schools still boast higher graduation rates and college acceptance rates than public schools.

Lay-run schools: There is a growing number of lay-run schools that provide a superior Catholic education at far less cost. Not every diocese is willing to recognize these schools, so you need to look very carefully to ensure that they are faithful to Catholic teaching, but I have visited and studied many of them, and for the most part they are very faithful schools that do an outstanding job of education and Catholic formation.

If you are looking for first-class facilities, computer labs, well-funded athletics programs and Ivy League graduates among the faculty, generally these schools are not the place for you. Most make every effort to keep costs low, aware that they serve the needs of parents before school prestige. You are highly likely to find teachers who graduated from faithful Newman Guide colleges and were homeschooled and classically trained.

Homeschooling: It is difficult to get exact numbers, but Catholic homeschooling seems to be growing rapidly. Whereas its growth initially was fed by the decline of American schooling and especially problems with Catholic identity in many Catholic schools, today it has much to do with the multiplication of strong, faithful curricular materials and online services that make homeschooling easier and better.

It would be a big mistake to confuse homeschooling with what many schools are doing this year because of COVID. Homeschooling is a lifestyle that prioritizes the family’s needs and the complete formation of the child: intellectual, moral and physical. It is a rare homeschooling parent that would put their child in front of a computer each day for long hours, taking direction from a teacher and supplementing class time with homework. Even online homeschool programs rely heavily on self-learning with the aid of the parent and course materials that promote observation, contemplation and confidence in knowing truth.

Hybrid options: It is becoming increasingly difficult to label programs a school or homeschool curriculum — the lines are blurring rapidly. Many homeschool programs are far more than a curriculum, providing advice, tutoring, grading and a community of faithful Catholics sharing experiences and resources. To save costs, some schools are sending students home for a couple days to engage in self-learning. Homeschoolers are developing school-like tutoring programs for a day or two each week, with tutors in classrooms and students in uniforms, engaging in dialogue and public speaking. These hybrid options enjoy benefits of both homeschooling and brick-and-mortar schools, with Christian community and shared formation.

Parents may think that homeschooling or hybrid schooling are not available options, because they usually require one parent to stay at home, but it is worth a careful review of the family’s finances. The cost is low, and a truly Catholic formation for your children, the renewal of family relationships and even the opportunity to welcome more children are enormous blessings.

The most important point is that Catholic education is a responsibility of every Catholic parent, so if there is no good option for a formally Catholic school or program, then the parent must supplement with Catholic formation — and this should not consist only of sacramental preparation and catechesis, but also integrating the truths of the Catholic faith into every area of study. If parents understand this to be essential — and if dioceses and parishes acknowledge that parochial schools serve the needs of many Catholic families, but not all — then together we might continue to develop new solutions.

I’ve worked for the renewal of faithful Catholic education for 27 years. In that time, The Cardinal Newman Society has worked to identify the key elements of Catholic education as defined by Vatican documents. We have seen the exciting growth of truly outstanding Catholic schools and colleges, such as those recognized by our Catholic Education Honor Roll and Newman Guide. My own family has experienced the great benefits of Catholic homeschooling and a classical hybrid program that my wife developed.

Catholic education is moving in the right direction, better fulfilling the needs of Catholic families who take seriously their responsibility to their children. But it’s tragic that not every family finds adequate solutions, especially as public schools flounder amid the COVID challenges. Still, Catholic families should be aware of the growing options for a strong Catholic education and strive to make it work.

This is critically important for young people, for the Church and for society. If your child is in a public school, now may be a great time to reassess your options.

This article first appeared at the National Catholic Register.

Tips for Keeping Your Faith Alive in College

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College brings momentous changes in life and exciting opportunities. Having studied at several colleges and universities—both secular and Catholic, in the United States and abroad—and now teaching as a professor, I want to share with you what I hope is both important and useful advice about how to stay Catholic in college. In terms of your long-term happiness, in this life and the next, nothing will be more important than whether you love God and neighbor as you live out your faith.

I remember going running with one of my best friends from high school after we had graduated from college. He was facing some difficult decisions: what career to pursue, where to live, finding the right person to marry. We were talking about how to reach good decisions. I told him that in my life I’ve had success in praying about what the future holds.

“I don’t believe in God,” he replied.

I was shocked. After he spent eight years in a Catholic grade school, both of us attended a Catholic high school for four years. His loving family had a background and culture tightly knit with the Church. Yet college had changed him profoundly, into an avowed atheist. He found himself missing the guidance, security, beauty, and holiness that only a relationship with God in Christ can provide.

My friend was not alone in losing his faith during college. Various surveys show patterns of decreasing belief and participation among Catholics attending college (whether or not they are Catholic schools).

It doesn’t have to turn out this way. I know others who, during college, greatly deepened their appreciation of the beauty and wisdom of the teaching of Jesus, found their vocations, and became much better friends of God.

College is a time of new beginnings, first explorations, and novel experiences. It is also a time of crisis, a turning point, a time of decision, where the direction of travel of adult life is undertaken. I want to share with you some insights gathered from my own experience as well as from trusted friends with even more experience to help you make the most of this turning point. The Church recognizes that college can be a key moment in a person’s spiritual journey.

 

Be a Good Student

You are laying the groundwork now for a productive future and, in some way perhaps not now known, serving people in a profession. It is a great privilege to be able to go to college, so make the most of it by trying not to miss class unless you are really sick, doing your schoolwork (including starting projects and papers with plenty of time before the deadlines), and taking care of your physical well-being through exercise and eating well. If you get sick, you won’t be able to study well. Do your best both in terms of grades and actual learning.

As a Catholic, you have nothing to fear from embracing learning and acquiring wisdom. There can never be a contradiction between a truth of faith and any truth that you learn in higher education. No area of knowledge is forbidden, off limits, or contrary to spiritual development. Whether you major in history, engineering, biology, English, or psychology, nothing true that you learn can jeopardize or undermine your faith.

That said, there are some ways of approaching these subjects that are indeed incompatible with the Christian faith. Suppose your history professor is a Marxist (both of mine were) who believes that religion, Catholicism in particular, is the “opium of the masses” and a fanciful fable standing in the way of the communist revolution.

Such a professor may slant the telling of history in a way that biases your understanding against the Church and in favor of communism. Weeks will be spent exploring the intricacies of torture in the Spanish inquisition so as to drive home the point that religion leads to violence. But killing and torture in the atheistic former Soviet Union and other Communist countries will be passed over in silence.

Do not be afraid of history, but do be discerning. It is true that members of the Church at times in history have committed acts incompatible with being a follower of Jesus. But as Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13). Christians, like everyone else, are people who sin and need God’s mercy. That fact is bound to show up in history—and in the world today. As a Catholic you can acknowledge that without fear, but do not be too quick to condemn the people of the past, for you may not be hearing the full story in class.

An objective and fair assessment of the Church’s role in history must also take into account the great good that members of the Church have done through time. It includes: the founding of universities, the establishment of hospitals, the upholding of the rights of young men and (especially) women to consent, or not consent, to marry, as opposed to the older system whereby the children could be forced to marry whomever their parents chose, the preserving of Western culture during the “dark ages,” the invention of musical notation as well as pretzels and beer by monks, and most of all the saints through the ages who have helped, taught, healed, and inspired countless people. It is the saints, not the sinners, that most properly represent the Church.

Learn as much as you can about Catholic culture. Make yourself familiar with Dante, medieval history, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture, Gregorian chant, John Henry Newman, Ronald Knox, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger).

Alongside your academic reading, read Catholic classics and perhaps the Catechism of the Catholic Church (or the abbreviated Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). Just read a little bit each day, ten to fifteen minutes. Over time, you will gain invaluable perspective and enlightenment.

Most importantly, read a little bit from the Gospels each day. Get to know who Jesus is and ask Him who you should become. As you read, don’t be afraid to stop and wait. Ponder. Reflect. What insights can you gain from the passage? What is Jesus saying through it to you? If you want to delve a little bit deeper into the meaning of Scripture, try the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible with its commentary, notes, and study questions.

Questions will inevitably arise from your experiences inside and outside the classroom. You will have questions about the faith as well as many other matters that you may not be able to answer. The questioning of your mind, the lack of rest it will experience, is a wonderful thing, for it is an invitation to go deeper.

Don’t be afraid of such questions, for even if the answers are not on the tip of your tongue, that certainly does not mean that the answers are not to be found. Many things that are puzzling for years become easier to understand as you investigate the matter over the course of time.

In order to find the answers, you will have to search out books that are specialized. Your questions will be your questions, so it is impossible to say beforehand what would be best to read in terms of answering them.

But answers are there. We are so fortunate to have the benefit of so many great minds who have considered deeply virtually any matter that might come to mind.

 

Make Good Friends

As important as learning in the classroom is, you will learn much more outside the classroom. The most important choice you will make in college is not about your major or which classes to take, or even where to live, but the choice of friends.

The friends you choose to have are going to be essential in enabling you to do well in your academic life and in your faith life. Be discerning and picky. Do these people “bring me up” in terms of doing well and living a Catholic life, or do they “drag me down”?

I would find friends at and frequently attend meetings of a solid Catholic group, on campus or off. You could look to a pro-life group, a “faith and reason” group, a parish organization for college students, or a service club. Look for friends who are not obsessed with activities that are at best a waste of time (such as hours of video games or Internet surfing) and at worst can derail your well-being (such as hardcore partying).

Do not use illegal drugs of any kind, even once. If you end up not liking them, you’ve wasted your time and put yourself in needless danger. If you end up liking them, then you could find yourself in short order addicted and miserable.

My best friend from my freshman year in college started out on marijuana, graduated to other drugs, and was expelled from school my senior year after getting into a fight with and injuring a police officer. The changes I saw in him were gradual, but in the end the difference between the person I knew my freshman year and the one who got kicked out was dramatic.

In your future, as you apply for jobs, you may be faced with the question “Have you ever used illegal drugs?” Even if you tried them only once, the only honest answer will be yes. Avoid the conflict. Staying clean is not only the right thing to do; it allows you to always be comfortable answering such questions. (The same is true for any serious violations of the law, such as driving under the influence.)

Be careful of alcohol abuse. During my own college stay, two people from my class died, and another nearly died when he fell out a dorm window eight stories up and impaled himself on an iron fence. Others began a path that would end with a lifelong fight against alcoholism.

Concentrate on your studies rather than getting into sexually intimate relationships. The emotional roller-coaster ride of physical relationships can derail your academic and spiritual development. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Do your best to follow God, and He will help guide you to a good spouse if your vocation is to marriage.

 

Grow Closer to God

As a Christian, you are a friend of God. A friendship with God cannot exist without spending time together. As you go to college and begin your life as an adult, resolve to make deeper your friendship with God by means of a few good habits:

Attend Mass each weekend, no matter what. Jesus asks few things of all his disciples, but this is one of them.

Speak and listen briefly to God each morning and each night, no matter what. Each morning thank God for another day, offering yourself to God that day. Each night, thank God for the good of what has past and consider whether you are better friends with him now than you were this morning.

Look for opportunities to volunteer to help others: for example, elderly shut-ins, disadvantaged children, or those in physical or spiritual poverty. In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “Love of neighbor is a path that leads to the encounter with God, and closing our eyes to our neighbor also blinds us to God.In helping other people, you’ll not only be helping them; you’ll also be helping yourself know and love God more.

Go to confession at least once a month. Each sacramental reconciliation is a time to “begin again,” to restore and strengthen your friendship with God. If you get your hair cut more often than you go to confession, you should consider whether your spiritual appearance before God is more important than how you look in a mirror. Be honest with yourself about what you know is right and wrong, and then, if your behavior does not measure up, make a good confession and start again.

One of the most important things that you will be doing in the next few years is figuring out your vocation, your call from God. Should you get married? If so, to whom and when? Should you consider life as a priest or religious? Does God want you to remain single and pursue ordinary work? Perhaps God has a special call for your life, one that you have not yet even considered. In times of doubt, decision, and discernment of your future plans, ask God repeatedly for help, using perhaps the words of Mary at the Annunciation: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) or the prayer of Jesus himself, “Not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).

Find someone trustworthy, such as a good priest or well-informed lay person with whom to talk whenever needed. You will have questions that no book can answer about your own life and spiritual journey. It should be a person you can see frequently and who is knowledgeable in spiritual direction. A spiritual director or confessor, like a coach, helps you maintain accountability, encourages you to keep perspective, and enables you to do your best.

This is an exciting new chapter in your life; it is really the start of adulthood. You owe it to yourself and to God to take the road less traveled—the way that will help you face the challenges before you and find the fulfillment that God created you to have.

Originally published Jan. 1, 2015. The essay was adapted from How to Stay Catholic in College, originally published by Catholic Answers. We highly recommend the entire booklet, which  is available for purchase from Catholic Answers for only $2.95 at shop.Catholic.com.

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A Checklist for Growing Your Faith

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Participate in Mass

Bishop Ricken

There are frequent opportunities for you to have a personal encounter with Jesus on campus. This occurs most immediately in the Eucharist. Regular Mass attendance helps strengthen your faith through the Scriptures, the Creed, other prayers, sacred music, the homily, receiving Communion and being part of a faith community.

Go to Confession

Like going to Mass, you will find strength and grow deeper in your faith through participation in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Confession urges people to turn back to God, express sorrow for falling short and open their lives to the power of God’s healing grace. It forgives the injuries of the past and provides strength for the future.

Learn about the lives of the saints

The saints are timeless examples of how to live a Christian life, and they provide endless hope. Not only were they sinners who kept trying to grow closer to God, but they also exemplify ways a person can serve God: through teaching, missionary work, charity, prayer and simply striving to please God in the ordinary actions and decisions of daily life.

Read the Bible daily

Scripture offers first-hand access to the Word of God and tells the story of human salvation. You can pray the Scriptures (often times in a group setting in dorms or led by your campus chaplain) to become more attuned to the Word of God. Either way, the Bible is a must for helping you sustain and grow your faith during college.

Read the documents of the Church

College is a time of learning and studying, and expanding your knowledge of our Catholic faith is an important part of that. To become the kind of well-formed person you surely wish to be, you must understand what the Church really teaches and how it enriches the lives of believers.

Study the Catechism

The Catechism of the Catholic Church covers the beliefs, moral teachings, prayer and sacraments of the Catholic Church in one volume. It’s a resource for growing in understanding of the faith. Another helpful resource is the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA).

Volunteer in campus ministry

Growing your faith can’t only be about study and reflection. The solid grounding of the Scriptures, Church teachings and the Catechism must translate into action. Campus ministry is a great place to start, and each person’s gifts help build up the community. Helping others brings Catholics face-to-face with Christ and creates an example for the rest of the world.

Invite a friend to Mass

A personal invitation can make all the difference to someone who has drifted from the faith or feels alienated from the Church. Everyone knows people like this, so everyone can extend a loving welcome.

Incorporate the Beatitudes into daily life

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) provide a rich blueprint for Christian living. Their wisdom can help you to be more humble, patient, just, transparent, loving, forgiving and free. It’s precisely the example of lived faith needed to make your campus years a time of your life that you will remember fondly for years to come.

Originally published Jan. 1, 2015.