Posted on 09/02/2005 10:32:58 AM PDT by Salvation
Steubenville, Sep. 02, 2005 (CNA) - Most people have never heard of Front Royal, Virginia or Steubenville, Ohio, but for throngs of faithful Catholics, these places are like small icons. Both towns are home to colleges who boast both faithfulness to the teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church and record enrollments for this years incoming freshman classes. Speaking to Franciscan University of Steubenvilles 390-member freshman class--the largest in the schools 59 year history, Steubenville Bishop Daniel Conlon told the group that, Mom and Dad have their faith. They have shared it with you. Praise God. But it now must become your faith. This is your chance to come face-to-face with Jesus Christ who wants to have a loving relationship with you. The bishop encouraged students to use their time in college to grow intellectually to understand the mysteries of God. Use theology and philosophy to enter into the mystery of Gods truth. At the same time, down in Front Royal, VA, Christendom College announced last week that it too, recently welcomed its largest freshman class--379 students--to its rural campus near the Shenandoah National Park. Tom McFadden, Director of Admissions for the school also added that they still have a large waiting list of students wanting to get in. Schools like Franciscan, Christendom, and others like Floridas Ave Maria University and Kansass Benedictine College are all bursting at the seams with students wanting to study in the light of the 2,000 year old Catholic faith. Professors of Theology and religious studies at these institutions, along with only a handful of others across the country, all pledge fidelity to the Magisterium and teaching authority of the Catholic Church--and students and parents love it. Joel Recznik, Franciscan Universitys dean of Enrollment Management said that he attributes the enrollment boom, in part, to the universitys vibrant teen summer conference series, but also to the fact that the word is getting out about Franciscan Universitys commitment to integrate the Catholic faith into the daily university experience; classroom, residence hall life, campus ministry. He added that todays parents are more closely involved in their son or daughters college picks than in past generations. Its not unusual, he said, for parents to tour 3 to 4 schools along with their son or daughter
For Catholic parents, these tours become an opportunity to observe the faith environment and spiritual and moral values their child will be exposed to and to examine to what degree it is infused into the total university experience. Canon Law number 812 reads: "It is necessary that those who teach theological disciplines in any institute of higher studies have a mandatum from the competent ecclesiastical authority." While this controversial requirement has been a source of contention for numerous Catholic institutions who fear a loss of academic freedom, many of the colleges whose professors have the mandatum (recognition from the local bishop of the instructors pledge to teach in line with the Church) have seen dramatic increases in their enrollments since implementation. New Vision At this years convocation and opening of the school year Mass at Franciscan University last Monday, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Max Bonilla told students that because only a small fraction of Americans hold degrees from Catholic institutions, that the students have a rare privilege to be given a vision of the world that is drastically different from what the world offers. Noting the plight of the human condition today, Bonilla said that The mandate of a Catholic university is to instill in its students an entire vision of the world and of humanity that is grounded on a Christian anthropology that is able to respond to humanitys darkest hour with hope and truth. Franciscan University was the first Catholic university in the country to support a 1989 decree by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asking all theology professors to pledge fidelity to the Church. The faculty voted unanimously that same year to pledge their commitment. Tom Sofio, associate director of public relations for the university told CNA that For over 30 years the trend at Catholic colleges and universities was to relegate the Catholicity of a University to a few corners of the campus, usually campus ministry which sponsors liturgies, retreats and mission work. Good as those are, he said, they are not enough to inculcate Catholic values into the total academic experiencefrom the classroom to residence halls, to sports, clubs and other activities. By the grace of God we are seeing a reversal of that trend among a handful of Catholic colleges and universities. |
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The University of Dallas was developing into a good choice for faithful, traditional Catholics ten years ago, but a liberal leadership coup ran off many of the best teachers and turned the school hard left. I pray the Holy Spirit will lead the school back onto the right track but I would not send my kids there today.
Hey! Where's Boston College?!
(sigh)
(it's too expensive anyways...why spend 42k a year so your child can lose their religion)
Thanks! I knew you had a ping list!
Has anyone sent there own children to any of these schools? My pastor has recommended Christendom for my oldest son.
My son, who is a high school junior, says he has only two requirements from a college. It must be Catholic and the climate has to be a lot warmer than Vermont.
You can add Quincy University to that list. The new president is making changes. All theology faculty MUST be Catholic to teach there, preferably with a mandatum.
My son has just begun his freshman year at Christendom. He loves it! He could have gone anywhere(graduated top 8% of his class at a Catholic high school with a straight A average, scored a 32 on the ACT) but he chose Christendom after attending their summer program for high school students last year.
He says his entire day is spent with Christ at the center of his life. We've had the opportunity to meet some of the faculty and its hard to imagine a better group of scholars dedicated to the Church's teaching assembled in one place.
The social life at the college is also a blast. Barn dances, hayrides, a texas-hold 'em club, a fall Medival festival, musicals, the list of activities just goes on and on.
Frankly, I couldn't recommend a better college for your son.
great!
I wish her all the best.
We dropped off our oldest a couple of weeks ago to start his freshman year at Thomas Aquinas College. Still getting used to him not being around the house. It is a beautiful campus with a great program. The college is in California a little north of the Reagan Presidential Library.
I'm always asking my friends up here in MA just that question!
Our daughter is really interested in Ave Maria University. We plan to go down there for their Open House the first weekend in November.
Tell your son to check out Ave Maria in Naples FL. Our daughter was concerned about the summer heat in FL, then I reminded her that she'd be spending her summers here in MA. That satisfied her. ;o)
This is a program for students between their junior and senior years?
If you are still "listening" to this conversation, please explain your comments about the Univ. of Dallas, thank you,
Carol in OK
Assumption College
Ave Maria College
Benedictine College
Campion College
Christendom College
Holy Spirit Institute
The College of St. Thomas More
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Magdalen College
New Catholic University
Our Lady of Corpus Christi
Southern Catholic College
Thomas Aquinas College
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
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