<p>I know that it’s religiously affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, but does it influence life on campus, or is it merely a historic affiliation?</p>
<p>There are hundreds of Catholic colleges in the United States. Google “catholic colleges and universities.” 98% of them are operated by either an order of priests and nuns or a catholic diocese. That does NOT mean they are “religious schools” such as seminaries. If you want a seminary, then go to a seminary. There are only a very small handful of catholic colleges which fit into the narrow realm of “religious schools”, such as Ave Maria College in Florida. </p>
<p>Most catholic colleges are known for offering a full spectrum of majors and function like any other secular university, except they may offer Mass on campus, have a cathedral or church on campus and may have highly educated (PhD) priests and nuns teaching SOME classes, mostly in theology or philosophy. At most catholic colleges the student body runs roughly 60/40 catholic to non catholic. Nobody will attempt to proselytize you or “convert you.” Catholic schools respect diversity of thought, and often are very independent thinkers…sometimes causing waves within the Church itself and a raised eyebrow from Rome. Some of the most avant garde theologians have been tenured faculty at the Catholic University of America. </p>
<p>A particular order of priests, such as the Dominicans, Jesuits, Augustinians or Assumptionists, Franciscans, etc. is just a particular group who follow certain rules in their own lifestyles. Some have an exclusive dedication to teaching, like the Jesuits. </p>
<p>Villanova is a top drawer very respected Catholic University in Philadelphia. Its admissions website states: In 1842, the Friars of the Order of St. Augustine founded Villanova University. The Augustinians are one of the oldest teaching orders in the Roman Catholic church. Their commitment to love and service is reflected in the Latin words on University’s seal, which translate into Truth, Unity and Love. More than a motto, it is a guiding philosophy for the Villanova community. This is a community where the words “truth” and “justice” are spoken daily, a place where the intellectual and the spiritual come together, where academic rigor and Augustinian wisdom nurture compassionate minds; compassionate minds ready to transform the world. </p>
<p>The Order of St. Augustine is a highly respected teaching order, emphasizing the philosophical views of one of the most famous and oldest Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Augustine. (Even the Jesuits teach his philosophy, LOL!)</p>
<p>If you are non catholic (whether Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or agnostic), it will not affect you in any manner, unless you seek it out and desire to be schooled in Church doctrine and learn a new theology. </p>
<p>You will take core curriculum classes that include philosophy and theology but wont be required to think or believe or adhere to any one point of view. You can take “comparative theology” classes as well.</p>
<p>How it influences “life on campus” depends entirely on you and your choice of friends. Not all catholics are “strict adherents” or “practicing catholics.” You can either belong to a social group that is religious or you can choose to remain completely secular and such. </p>
<p>There may be more strict “official” policies on dorm rooms, such as a curfew (often well after 200am at many colleges) for when males can be in a female room, no cohabitation on campus etc. Though kids being kids, “rules are made to be broken”. Not suggesting you try that, because the repurcussions can be “expulsion”. If you respect the views of others, they will respect yours. Most non catholics attend a catholic university for its academic rigor, depth of programs and outstanding job placement services/internships. </p>
<p>Villanova is in the top tier of Catholic Universities.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I have a question. If you are Roman Catholic yourself, do they expect more from you since you are Catholic? I am looking at schools like Villanova, Boston College and Holy Cross and maybe Fordham. I go more liberal in terms of politics though. I am also confused of all the groups. I am just use to a regular priest and not all those groups. I didn’t really know Catholics had different groups, lol. Do they belive different things if there in different groups? I know there different Jewish groups and some can eat pork and some don’t, but is it like that? Sorry to be asking when I am a practicing Catholic, lol. Are they not Roman Catholics? Thanks!</p>
<p>The Catholic religious orders all adhere to the teachings and doctine of the Catholic Church. Where they differ is in what types of work (colleges, parishes, hospitals, missions, retreat houses, monasteries, etc) they primarily emphasize although many do a wide variety. The Jesuits are primarily known for running universities and colleges and are the largest in number of all the male religious orders by far. They operate 28 different colleges in the USA alone (complete list here: [Jesuit</a> Colleges and Universities Quiz Results - sporcle](<a href=“http://www.sporcle.com/games/jesuit_colleges_results.php]Jesuit”>http://www.sporcle.com/games/jesuit_colleges_results.php)) and many elsewhere throughout the world. The top ranked Catholic colleges operate in a very secular fashion. They offer Catholic religious services to students who are interested but they are not pushed onto students and many are of other faiths or no faith at all who attend these colleges.</p>
<p>Thanks! Do all the Catholic schools go more conservative? Also, all these people are from The Roman Catholic church but do different things? Am I correct? One more thing, what is a Friar? What exactly do they do, I always wondered when I read Romeo and Juliet. And none of my teachers know, since none are Catholic. Thanks again.</p>
<p>A friar is simply a member of a Franciscan Order of brothers and priests (follows the rule of Saint Francis). They are typically called franciscan friars or just friars. Some Catholic colleges are very religious and conservative and some are very liberal and highly secular. Georgetown tends to fall into the latter camp as well as many of the Jesuit colleges.</p>
<p>Thanks!!!</p>
<p>Franciscans are a diverse group as well. OFM is the Order of Friars Minor, which I believe is their largest group. But Cistercians also qualify and so do Trappists, who follow the order of St. Francis. But there are many, many orders, all of which must be approved by Rome, and most of which were approved in the Middle Ages, during the height of monastic life in the Church. Some newer orders are highly conservative and only say the Tridentine Rite Mass. </p>
<p>If you have more questions, how about using Google and Wikipedia and investigating the different orders of priests. </p>
<p>Diocesan or Archdiocesan priests are the ones who you see in 99 percent of parishes on Sunday. They do not belong to any particular order and were most often ordained by their local Bishop, though some have been ordained in Rome. They do the day to day business of running the Parish, performing the Sacraments for the faithful. Few, if any of them, have graduate degrees. But some do.</p>
<p>Not all orders of priests are teaching orders. The Jesuits, Augustinians, Dominicans and Benedictines are the most prolific and famous “educators”. But the Franciscans also operate a few colleges, such as Siena College and St. Francis College, and St. Francis University-Steubenville.</p>
<p>To confuse you even more there are orders of Brothers, men who are religious and take religious vows, but are not ordained as full priests, only vows of chastity and poverty. Such as the Christian Brothers (LaSalle, Manhattan College, Christian Brothers College), Marianist Brothers (Marist and Univ. of Dayton). </p>
<p>Notre Dame is run by the Holy Cross Fathers. College of the Holy Cross is run by the Jesuits. University of Portland (Ore) is run by the Holy Cross Fathers. </p>
<p>Then there are colleges run by nuns which are only for women. These tend to be “more religious” than most.</p>
<p>I think I got even more confused, wonder why I never got taught this at church? You think they would teach the kids this.</p>
<p>They teach it in Catholic elementary, high school and colleges. And if your parents didnt teach you…but its also a bit related to generation. The olden days were better, when parish churches and schools were the center of the universe for roman catholics (as well as lutherans and episcopals). Those days are fading away, sadly.</p>
<p>I was taught it in my generation and my parents were taught it. But that was all during the days of Vatican II when the Latin mass (Tridentine Rite) was still in use.</p>
<p>The Church is returning to what they refer to as “more normal times, after a period of 3 decades of liberalization and democratization inside the Church.” Meaning, there is a growing demand of the Faithful to return to the good old days. But I digress.</p>
<p>To help you I started the google search for you:</p>
<p>You should investigate your faith (you are old enough) and learn what you can. </p>
<p>Priests4
There are 41,406 diocesan and religious-order priests in the United States.
28,067 diocesan priests
13,339 religious-order priests (Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, etc.)
Vowed Religious7 </p>
<p>Sisters: 63,032
Brothers: 5,040 </p>
<p>Catholic Education8</p>
<p>Total Catholic elementary and high school enrollment: 2,256,990
Elementary Schools: 6,266 schools educating 1,576,301 students
High Schools: 1,352 schools educating 680,689 students
Colleges and Universities: 236 institutions educating 794,321 students
Non-residential Schools for Handicapped Persons: 68 schools educating 6,419 students
Public School Students Receiving Religious Education:
Elementary School students: 3,145,424
High School students: 689,552 </p>
<p>[USCCB</a> - (Office of Media Relations) - The Catholic Church in the United States At A Glance](<a href=“http://www.usccb.org/comm/catholic-church-statistics.shtml]USCCB”>United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)</p>
<p>and for the history and number of orders:</p>
<p><a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_religious_order[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_religious_order</a></p>
<p>Thanks! I have gone to CCD (sunday school) since 1st grade. I get my conformation next year in spring (10th) mom/grandma got it a lot sooner. They got in like 6th and 8th and where my grandmother lives they get in 7th. I guess it depends on the church. I think they made it later, so you don’t leave the church. I don’t think no one in my family would even know that. I don’t know anyone in my family who has except my grandfather which went to Catholic school in Sicily, but not for long. My dad is Jewish, so I doubt he knows anything. I also don’t think they teach much now in church, they use to more in Florida. Now we play more games and I don’t even learn much about God, Jesus or any Saints. I liked it better when we had a book with each grade. I also have never gone to Catholic school and have always gone to Public school in the suburbs in South Florida and now Georgia. Also, people here are mostly Baptist or Methodist. I would think though they would teach you, when I go once a week for Sunday school.</p>
<p>One slight edit to above. The Cistercians and Trappists followd the Rule of Saint Benedict (not Saint Francis).</p>
<p>Thanks. Yep…sorry. I’m not a walking dictionary. Then there are the Sulpicians! (Trick question!) And the Celestines!</p>
<p>Ha!</p>
<p>And early: its never too late to start teaching yourself about your faith, which you can do online to a large extent. Looking at college, even if doing so early in the game, is healthy.</p>
<p>I do know things about my faith, I just never knew much about the different types of priests or anything. I wish they teach more in church, but I’ll do some research.</p>
<p>Agreed. Diocesan Priests are often a little protective of their turf and don’t get into talking about different order priests. My parish now frequently invites them as guest speakers, to run small weekend retreats etc: Jesuits, Redemptorists, Franciscans, Benedictines.</p>
<p>I have HUGE respect for many of these order priests and their interesting and colorful history going back hundreds of years. Its fascinating. </p>
<p>I’m Jesuit educated, btw.</p>
<p>And congratulations on your upcoming Confirmation. That is a critical Sacrament of the Church that says, basically, you are confirming the baptismal promises made by others for you as an infant. Its an adult commitment to the Faith. Sadly many kids go through it and then drift away, as if their promise was meaningless. Which is where a Catholic University can be so beneficial and helpful to you. Exploring your faith journey with you, your fears and doubts (which everyone has), your joys and questions. A very, very wise octogenarian OFM monk I know (who is one of the finest Roman Catholic Priests I have EVER known in my many years of life), once told me, “it is your doubt which makes you such a better Catholic!” What a powerful statement. I return to it each time I am shattered by life’s ugly news. Not that you have to go to a Catholic college to do that, or if you do that you must study Catholicism. But its there for the taking and its healthy to explore it and reaffirm your spirituality and relationship with Almighty God. Just my two cents. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks I look forward to my Confirmation. I have been to two church’s (South Florida and Georgia) and none ever talk about different order priests. I also have been to my grandmother’s and never heard them talk about it either. I would think at Sunday School they would. I am guessing these church’s all have Diocesan Priests. Is it rude to ask your priest if he is Diocesan? I think maybe it’s because we are not up North. </p>
<p>I agree that lots of kids do drift after the Confirmation. I also think it depends on if they parents practice and if they go to Mass every Sunday. I think that’s the reason why my church and others made the age go up for the Confirmation. I think maybe you can appreciate it more when you are older though. My older brother just had his and I saw a Monk in the audience (well, he looked liked one). I was so amazed because I have never seen one in my life before. We have a nun (well sister, she said there are no nun’s now), but now they dress like ordinary people. I also never see her at Mass or part of anything much. They also ask the kids questions about their Saint and etc now at the Confirmation. Though, some kids did not know the questions and did not study. I know I wouldn’t have wanted to go to a Catholic High School, because I rather go to a Public ordinary one. I do think some Catholic U’s will be on my list though. I think Holy Cross, Villanova, Boston College, Marquette, Fordham, Georgetown and Loyola Marymount will be on my list.</p>