What is it like to be a Catholic at ND? What are the masses like? What does the school have to offer for Catholic students, in terms of clubs, organizations, etc.? I’m a Catholic student, and its emphasis on Catholicism is one of the reasons I am so interested in the school.
@ashhh2017 While I do not know much because I do not attend Notre Dame (unfortunately denied admission this year :-S ), I will tell you what I know. Catholicism played a significant role in my college admission process. Probably the main reason why I loved ND so much was because of its Catholicism; after all, it is the University of Our Lady!
My interest in ND peaked when I watched the movie Rudy. There are a lot of scenes in the movie that depict Notre Dame as a place of national prestige, but also as a place centered on God.
The question, “Is Notre Dame still Catholic?” gets a lot of airplay, especially in the past 5 years. I will share my thoughts.
First and foremost, the student body is very Catholic. I believe >75% is Catholic, and most are at least Christian. Also, the caliber of students being admitted proves each ND student seeks truth, so even if they are not necessarily Catholic, or Catholic but fallen away/lapsed, they will be exposed to a premier Theology/Philosophy Dept. that is one of the best in the nation.
There is an abundance of Masses offered every week at Notre Dame; I don’t know the exact number, but it is actually astounding how many there are. Campus Ministry is probably good, I assume.
The Congregation of the Holy Cross is a religious order with many good men. Most of the younger guys are starting to wear the full habit again, which is a good sign.
Sooooo… The University of Notre Dame is extremely Catholic, at least on the inside.
However, the administration (including at least one CSC priest) has been somewhat dissident throughout the past few years. When President Obama was invited to campus, a huge controversy ensued. A lot of ND faithful protested because of the president’s pro-abortion/pro-gay marriage agenda.
ND has also been lax on things like the HHS Mandate, and more recently, legislature within the state of Indiana concerning gay issues.
One of the CSCs wrote a book awhile back: http://www.amazon.com/For-Notre-Dame-Battling-University/dp/1587312654
Fr. Miscamble is a very holy priest and he cares about the future of the school. You will see one of the main issues surrounding ND is its faculty; a decent amount of professors hired in the 70s and 80s valued the secular, academic success over the Catholic identity.
Overall, the school is still “Catholic,” but it is on thin ice. Until the administration changes though, it cannot be called authentically Catholic, since authentically Catholic schools require the administration to adhere to Church teaching. Prayers are good, and there is a lot of promise, imo, with the younger CSCs who will run the show in the next 20 years. They are a very holy group of men.
Every dorm has it’s own chapel where Sunday (and in some cases daily) Mass is said. There is Catholic imagery/statues all over campus. The Grotto just beckons those needing some quiet time in prayer. And, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the focal point of campus. Masses at the opening of each academic year and at Commencement are spectacular, meaningful celebrations. Members of the Notre Dame familynd those who just love the University can be part of a very faith-filled community, http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/start.aspx?gid=609&pgid=61.
ND is very Catholic, especially considering its place as a strong “mainstream” undergrad university. Catholic ritual and iconography permeate pretty much every aspect of the University (I understand there are priests assigned to all of the sports teams).
I am not religious but attended the law school, and frankly had I appreciated just how different the “Catholic” environment at ND is then, say, Georgetown Law, I would have went elsewhere (in-class, professor-led prayer was uncomfortable, no woman may serve as president, and there were several faculty who were priests throughout the school who were clearly unqualified as academics). So I guess you could say it’s Catholic enough to discomfort secularists!
On the other hand I understand there is some degree of controversy as to whether Notre Dame is still a “true” Catholic school but a lot of that seems to get down to doctrinal minutiae and increasingly irrelevant given the priorities of the current pope, IMHO
Hi, I’m a rising junior at ND, and this has certainly been widely discussed both on and off campus. First, I’d definitely recommend you check out campus ministry’s website, it does a great job of outlining all of the many resources available to students (Masses, retreats, bible study, etc.). Second, a lot of the Catholic life is centered around the residence halls, so it might be helpful to check out the dorm’ individual web pages.
It’s easy to practice your faith here, in whatever way you choose. There are liberal Catholics, traditionalist Catholics, and Catholics somewhere in the middle. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth worrying about the Obama thing or the HSS thing. That stuff isn’t what defines an institution, and I think sometimes certain people in the Church try to monopolize Catholic identity.