Any thoughts appreciated on D attending ND as a non catholic, but a strong faith Christian. Thanks!
I think it won’t be a problem at all! I live near the campus, and have practically grown up at ND. I have had a few classes at ND and attended an open house tonight! While ND does offer masses on campus, they will help students of different faiths find other places to worship if they would like. Some people also do have concerns over the theology / philosophy class requirements - I believe you only have to take one, philosophy would definitely be an option if she didn’t want to take theology. (Someone can correct me on that if I’m wrong) I believe the theology / philosophy requirement is also being considered right now within the curriculum and may not be required anymore - but that’s just speculation.
I think the question may be how you feel about being at a Catholic school.
Hi and congrats on the ND acceptance for your daughter. My son will be attending ND in the fall. I certainly can’t speak for the experience itself (as he is not yet a student), but I can say that the kids we know that currently attend ND (most happen to be Catholic but we are too:-) all are very accepting of other faiths. Many Catholic ND students probably attended Catholic grade school and/or high school so they will “get” that her faith is part of her daily life.
Over the years my kids have attended various Christian based camps (theater, sports) that were affiliated with other Christian churches. They always respected and appreciated the faith based side of those camps…even though the tenets might have been different from our own. I would imagine your daughter will have a similar, positive experience.
That being said, of all the Catholic colleges we looked at, Notre Dame is one of the more “Catholic” ones. There will definitely be Mass on Sunday nights, talk of giving up things during Lent, etc. I think the above poster asked a good question as to whether or not that will bother your daughter?
Best of luck!
While the university is very heavy on Catholic ritual/iconography, IMO it is the best university for bright students who want Christianity/theism to be an integral part of their education. There are also a number of non-Catholic but very Christian faculty, such as Alvin Plantinga in the philosophy department.
Thank you all.