<p>if anyone happens to know - what's the Catholic community like at GW?</p>
<p>i've looked at the Newman Center online as well as the local parish.
looks neat.</p>
<p>just curious to know from those who might have participated in the past. </p>
<p>active group?</p>
<p>weekly mass on campus? (sounds like the one on the Vernn cloosed up shop)</p>
<p>is the communit particularly conservative/liberal/both? we're pretty liberal, wondering if she'll fit in.</p>
<p>priest on campus?</p>
<p>catholic events with kids from other local schools - Gtown, CUA, AU?</p>
<p>thanks for whatever thoughts you might have!</p>
<p>the Catholic community is one of the largest religious groups on campus, Catholics and Jews are up there neck and neck as the two largest groups. The newman center is very active, sends out newsletters weekly with evetns which in the past have included skiing trips to pennsylvania, weekly free spaghetti dinners, and other such events. There are weekly masses, and masses specifically for GW students. While the Newman Center is right on campus, mass is held barely off campus on Penn Ave., near the Hospital. Masses for students are held at 7:30pm, i believe, and also 10pm on Sunday nights, so it is very convenient. There is a priest on campus, who is awesome and very active with the students. he also is the one that performs the masses. There are many opportunities as well if ur s or d would like to volunteer within the newman center. As for it being liberal/conservative, idk if u mean GW as a whole or the Catholic community. GW as a whole is heavily liberal, while i would say a majoirty of the active catholics tend me more on the conservative side, either way, theres a mic of everbody in both groups. Dont let ur personal pilitcal views hold u back or make u feel u wont fit in bc that is definitely not the case in my opinion. As for the inter-mixing of catholic students at the other local universities, i am not too sure about it, im sure it exists somewhat, but idk much about it. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>that does help. thanks for the info. </p>
<p>sorry - i didn’t mean politically liberal/conserv, i meant the catholic community in terms of their faith practices. just a curiosity really. like many religious persuasions, some catholic communities are conservative, some more liberal in terms of their faith practice. just curious. :)</p>
<p>glad to know it’s an active community! :)</p>
<p>1sttimemom,</p>
<p>As a Catholic student at GWU, I can say that the Newman Center is very active and is a great resource for helping students to stay strong in their faith. The students there are very welcoming to anyone who professes to be a Catholic and even to non-Catholics just interested in learning about the Church. However, the vast majority of them have a very orthodox understanding of the Faith. I still wouldn’t forsee it being a problem from the standpoint of your daughter feeling welcome there.</p>
<p>The Newman Center itself is on campus, but Mass is at St. Stephen Martyr on Pennsylvania Ave., about a 15-20 minute walk away.</p>
<p>However you have to be realistic to a certain degree. This is a college campus. Even amongst those Catholic students who frequent the Newman Center, the majority of them are out on the scene on Friday and Saturday nights. Temptation is strong. Some lose their faith. One of my friends, who’s basically been Jesuit-educated all the way through high school, pretty much defected from his faith and became an agnostic fall of freshman year. </p>
<p>I’m not saying your daughter will lose her faith. I don’t know either of you from Adam. My point is that while the Newman Center is a great resource for those interesting in continuing to practice their faith, I know tons of “Catholics” who are lapsed. It’s up to your daughter whether or not to take advantage of what the Newman Center offers.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts IrishLad!</p>
<p>Fully expecting D to find her own way to include her faith in her college life - as we all did at that point in our lives.</p>
<p>When we go up for move-in I’ll carve out some time for us to find the Newman Center and to walk to St. Stephen’s and get the Mass schedule (although I know we can get it online).<br>
At this point in her life all I can do is make sure she knows where the church/community is! 
</p>
<p>I’ll give her the same advice my dad gave me when he dropped me off at college: “I love you. You’ll do great. Go to Mass. Go to class. Call home when you need anything.”</p>
<p>It’s up to here from there!</p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder!</p>