<p>How present is Notre Dame's Roman Catholic-affiliation? Does it have a big impact things like academics or excurs?</p>
<p>It is present in the sense that there is a church on campus and crosses in classrooms but other than that it is up to you if you want religion to be part of your time at Notre Dame. In terms of academics, it does not interfere with teaching at all. However, we do have to take theology in order to graduate so I guess that could be considered an “impact.”</p>
<p>Well, there is also a chapel in every dorm, and in many other campus buildings. The rectors in the men’s dorms are priests. There are dozens of priests on campus, many of whom are faculty members. The dining halls do not serve meat during Fridays in Lent. There is no official student pro-“choice” group or a Gay-Straight Alliance. The student health office does not dispense contraceptives. A sizable percentage of students regularly attend Mass on Sunday. There are large, well-attended Masses celebrated in connection with orientation, Junior Parent Weekend, and graduation. There is regular Eucharistic Adoration in Coleman Morse. Immediately following every home football game, there are well-publicized Masses celebrated all over campus. </p>
<p>But jsmithers is correct – it’s really up to you to take advantage of (or avoid) religious activities. Students and faculty are all over the map when it comes to religious beliefs and observance thereof.</p>
<p>I would agree with what has been said above. While there are many Roman Catholics that attend ND, many of them will never miss mass or eat meat on Fridays in Lent and then there are others (like myself) that are technically Catholic but do not practice. I know the faith really well and am knowledgeable about traditions and most of what Catholicism has to offer but I just choose not to practice it. Even with this being said, ND is a wonderful place for me and I consider the religious affiliation as a very good thing.</p>
<p>We are not Catholic, and D will want to have the option of attending worship services while at school. Are there other options on campus, or would she feel welcome or comfortable attending mass? Would she be able to take communion, etc.? I’ve had experiences at Catholic weddings/funerals where it felt like we were not really “invited.”</p>
<p>She would absolutely be welcome. At first she would not be able to take Communion, but there is nothing wrong with going to the priest while everyone else receives communion and the priest will simply give her a blessing. This is as simple as crossing your arms over your chest (which shows that she is not Catholic) instead of extending your hands to take the host. If this is not her style, then she can simply stay seated the the pew and let everyone pass by. There is absolutely no negative connotation to either of these acts and I would be willing to bet that many other students do the same thing.</p>
<p>If you were to attend mass on a Sunday morning with your daughter I would not be surprised if you saw several individuals do one of the two options I listed.</p>
<p>I actually go to a Catholic High School, but probably 10% of the students are not Catholic and still attend mass when we go as a school. I have talked to several of them about going to mass and they almost all enjoy it and they do not feel like outsiders. It really is no big deal for non-Catholics to attend mass.</p>
<p>She could still go and get communion if she wanted to. It’s not like they know who is Catholic and who isn’t.</p>
<p>Alessandra V-
I fail to understand your distain and lack of respect for the faith and beliefs of the Church that built the university where you are receiving your education. When someone receives the Eucharist, by that action they are declaring that they are in communion with the beliefs and tenets of the Roman Catholic Church(one of which is that the bread and wine is transubstantiatied in the actual Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ). Why, for what reason, would a person feel it necessary to receive something that they do not believe in?
Your suggestion that they do so is ridiculous and immature. </p>
<p>The Church welcomes new members to study and explore our Faith. That does not include that a knowing person intentionally receive the Eucharist unworthily. </p>
<p>Why would someone who(as you stated in a different thread) thinks “the crucifix in your room” is the #1 thing that they dislike about Notre Dame (along with the crosses to remember aborted children) go to a Catholic university where you are, and rightfully so, surrounded by reminders of our Church’s teachings?</p>
<p>I don’t know why someone would choose to receive a symbol of something they do not believe in, but the option is always there. I am not saying that someone who is not Catholic SHOULD receive communion, I’m just saying that they COULD. I won’t pretend to understand the theology behind it all. </p>
<p>The crucifix was not the #1 thing I dislike about ND. It happened to be first on the list. I go to ND because over a doze of my relatives are ND grads and I grew up on ND football. I didn’t attend because it was Catholic, and certainly don’t love ND because it is Catholic. If you really want me to go into detail about why I dislike the crucifix and the abortion crosses, send me a message.</p>
<p>Thanks for calling me ridiculous and immature; to fulfill those adjectives, I hope you go somewhere else.</p>
<p>Yes, she COULD receive communion, but it would be wrong, and disrespectful of Catholic teaching, for her to pretend to believe that the host is truly the body and blood of Christ. That said, there are plenty of people who attend Masses on campus but who do not receive communion, either because they are not Catholic, or because they are Catholics who know that they are not properly disposed to receive. At Basilica masses, there is generally an announcement before Mass explaining the procedures for receiving a blessing at communion time. Every effort is made to ensure that everyone feels welcome to attend Mass, even if they cannot join in communion. </p>
<p>The office of Campus Ministry has resources available to help non-Catholic students find local worship opportunities. [Local</a> Places of Worship // Campus Ministry // University of Notre Dame](<a href=“http://campusministry.nd.edu/ecumenical-interfaith/area-churches/]Local”>http://campusministry.nd.edu/ecumenical-interfaith/area-churches/)</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone, for your comments. I appreciate it.</p>