As I’ve said on other threads, I grew up as a High-Church Episcopalian, but converted to Catholicism while I was an undergraduate at Harvard. Fr. Porras of Opus Dei was the Chaplain of the Harvard Catholic Club at that time, and there were a lot of faithful Catholics in the Club.
I went to Mass at St. Paul’s Church in Cambridge pretty often. It is a beautiful church, and at that time was a wonderful place to attend Mass. I don’t know how things are now. But I’m certainly encouraged by what I read about the response of Harvard and Boston Catholics to this challenge.
FYI
Still lots of folks trying to be good Catholics, still plenty of folks in the Catholic Student Association, still lots of folks at Mass at St. Paul's. The 11 am Mass is still celebrated beautifully. The Knights of Columbus council is doing well. In recent years, the school has averaged about one vocation to the priesthood or religious life per year.
As well, my son and his Catholic friends find many open-minded young people, who often start out irreligious and quite liberal, paying attention to the witness of their lives. There are also plenty of closed-minded doctrinaire liberals who couldn't find their rear end with both hands, but many of my son's non-Catholic friends rallied around the Catholic community this past week.
It is discouraging when folks herein say “Harvard is this” terrible thing, or “Harvard is that” terrible thing. Most folks don't have any idea what they're talking about. This is exams week. Yet, over a thousand folks crammed into St. Paul's. Over 60,000 - that's SIXTY THOUSAND students, faculty, and alumni signed the on-line petition denouncing the night schoolers and their scheme.
This week, Harvard is overwhelmingly pro-Catholic.
sitetest