Anonymous has left the following comment on my last post on Notre Dame:
"I am sorry Catholic kids do not make a school Catholic, what makes a school Catholic is the people that teach their (being in good standing with the Vatican) and the people that attend the school actually believe what the Church teaches...so far ND is batting 0-2.Hence it is catholic with a small c and not a BIG C as say Franciscan Univ. is!!! "
OK, anon, what is this all about? I will grant you that Franciscan University has a greater unity of faithfulness among students and faculty than does Notre Dame. It is also much smaller than ND. Franciscan University of Steubenville is a wonderfully unusual faith-filled place. It's fantastic. Does that mean no Catholic young person should attend any other university?
Do you think that the Lord wants to abandon Notre Dame (as you seem to be doing) because of the few isolated areas that have drifted? I think Scripture tells us that the Lord tends to do just the opposite.
Are you trying to say that there are no faithful faculty members or faithful students at Notre Dame? That's ridiculous. Where is your data to back up your claim? My son took an entire course on John Paul the Great's Theology of the Body. He also took an entire course on the Reformation from, naturally, a very Catholic point of view. There's a Eucharistic Chapel in every dorm, large enough for daily Masses. Public rosaries are said every night at the grotto.
Do you know anything at all about the President of Notre Dame, Father Jenkins, who is widely regarded as a good and faithful priest?
Did you know that this year's valedictorian is entering the seminary? I urge you to read his valedictory address. Here is one quote. "I likewise was taken aback when I noticed in my dorm that the most popular weekend spot was the chapel for Sunday night Mass. The University’s faith foundation was instrumental in my decision to come here, though only after arriving as a student did I start to realize the distinctiveness of this place and the role faith plays in that distinctiveness."
Like many faithful Catholics have done, Anon, you seem to be looking at a few isolated examples of problems at Notre Dame and then generalized that impression to the whole university. Such judging is prejudice. You have prejudged the entire university with inadequate information. To do so is an unjust accusation made against a very large community of people, most of whom are decent people trying to be good Catholics.
I think you ought to leave Our Lady's University alone, or better yet, pray that it will be purified of all that displeases her, that Father Jenkins will be given wisdom and courage to continue the housecleaning he has already begun. (I'm always sympathetic to those who need to do a little housecleaning....)
The body of Christ is very large and the battle for the hearts, minds, and souls of our children is fierce. Petty finger-pointing only serves to weaken us a a church.
