Goodness, he figured there would be at least one other kid who was agnostic, or at least realize that there were other ways to think about whatever the question was, if you didn’t assume the existence of God. There are plenty of believers in God who still try to start from first principals. (Think Pascal’s Wager, or Voltaire’s “If God didn’t exist we would have to invent him.”)
Crosses in the classroom and an on-campus chapel do not necessarily mean closed minds or parochial attitudes toward non-Catholics.
I went to graduate school at a Jesuit university and came from a Southern Baptist religious background. The people I met there were ideologically and religiously diverse. My mentor (and the reason I went there) was a Polish atheist, but one of my other favorite professors was a former priest who left the priesthood to marry one of his colleagues. Another one of the professors I worked closely with was a Jewish Marxist. I met my husband there and he considered himself agnostic but “culturally Catholic.” Our friends in graduate school included Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims, as well as unbelievers. We did talk about religion a fair amount, maybe because we were sociology graduate students at a Catholic school. But it was anything but constraining.
Brandeis is secular but Jewish in spirit, i.e., there are mezuzas at the entrances to classrooms, for example. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be as much angst regarding gentiles interested in Brandeis as there is with non-Catholics at Catholic universities. Some are one step away to using the term “papist”, for goodness sake!!
No need for such fear. A good school is a good school, whether Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, etc., etc.
As a Catholic I’m almost offended by this…there is no secret agenda to brainwash your child, believe me!!!
I submit that there is probably much more religion shoved down one’s throat on students at “Christian” colleges than at Catholic universities such as mandatory chapel, dating rules, random searches of dorms. Heck, Bob Jones didn’t even allow mixing of the races until relatively recently.
MADad, I don’t think that is what anyone is afraid of. The original question was whether the student would feel exclude. Most have said it depends on the attitude of the student but most felt included whether they were catholic or not.
I always warn that if the catholic elements are going to bother you, don’t go. There are going to be masses held, schedules are going to be made with Easter in mind (and often that’s a pain when you are trying to go somewhere for spring break!), prayers will be included before sporting events and some meetings. There is a catholic presence, and if it bothers you, don’t go. If you are interested, there will be plenty of opportunities to learn and participate . If you want to ignore the ‘Catholic extras’, you can. What you can’t do it change it. It is there to stay.
My friend went to Brandeis. She would not be comfortable at BC or Georgetown. I suggested she apply for a position at Regis College and she said no, she wouldn’t like it. I’m okay with that, her choice and made knowing that it wasn’t for her.
Say what? I’ve been to plenty of football and basketball games and lacrosse and hockey and…, and there was never a time when we took a few minutes for prayer. (TV wouldn’t allow it.)
Please name the catholic schools that open “meetings” with a prayer, particularly meetings that include faculty and staff.
I asked my kid who attended a Jesuit college…and she said they NEVER prayed before a sporting event or meeting. There was an invocation at graduation…but you know…they did that at my public university.
Great idea thx
My daughter played St. Leo’s last year and the prayer was right after the Star Spangled Banner - I was watching online and it was included on the broadcast. I’m sure St. Leo’s says a prayer before every game, but only at home games is it on the field. They also played at a few other catholic schools and while I wasn’t there, I’m sure the games included a prayer at the start. At some schools (Notre Dame) it is in the locker room, only for the ND team, but if you attend the catholic school school you’d be on the team saying the prayers. I have never seen a movie, documentary, or coach’s pep talk of a game without the prayer.
My daughter played at catholic high schools (she was at a public hs) and it was always part of the opening. I don’t find it unusual at all that it is still part of the catholic college openings before a game.
Re: prayers in locker rooms before games at Notre Dame: Actually, prayers in locker rooms before games are pretty widespread, including at non-religious colleges—I don’t think those (as opposed to the on-field ones, like at St Leo’s) should really count as actual datapoints for this discussion.
At ND, an old time tradition is that the entire football team (many/most non-Catholic) attends Mass on game day in coat and tie. The players come out of church and go through a corridor of fans over to the stadium. No pre-game prayer in the stadium as I recall. I think BC has copied this.
ND also has multiple Saturday night Masses held all over campus right after the game lets out. Pretty highly attended (at least by the alums and parents) since that allows the devout types sleep in on Sunday.
I’d guess the chaplain is in the locker room praying before the game, but you’ll find that in almost every public school locker room too.
I know several people who graduated from Santa Clara and it seems like a gem. Folks who went for business and got engaged by academic, intellectual pursuits. And their faculty seems very very charismatic. Good job prospects too since It is ground zero for Silicon Valley and very much on the tech firms’ recruiting lists.
I hate to say this, but I’ve heard stories about the drinking at Boston College that would give me some pause. Prevalent on all campuses, of course, but some are more equal than others.
@northwesty where are you getting the info on percent catholic at each school. I’ve looked for data like that but couldn’t find it.
We had a team prayer in the lockeroom before football games at my very public – and diverse – high school.
btw: my son’s Ivy did have a prayer to kick off graduation…
I’ve never been to a graduation that did NOT have an invocation, delivered by a clergyman of some sort…and that included HS graduations.
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@mom2collegekids I do know people who will avoid Catholic hospitals because they want to avoid doctors and nurses who think that praying helps.
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@pheebers Ok, that’s weird. lol. It’s not as if only Catholics pray …and there are certainly many non-Catholic doctors and nurses who work at Catholic hospitals.
How do these people know that their doctors and nurses at secular hospitals aren’t praying??
Heck, even if I were an unbeliever, I might be happy to think that those caring for my sick loved one won’t give up hope and will think that maybe a higher power will intervene.
I wouldn’t care if the health professional thinks the rabbit’s foot in his pocket brings him good luck.
Either way, at @thumper1 mentions, no one forces anyone to pray for a successful outcome at a Catholic hospital.
How do these overly-sensitive people deal with the fact that many of our gov’t assemblies open with a prayer?
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I also have a non-religious friend who likes the local Catholic hospital because she finds it comforting, even though she doesn’t believe.
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Sometimes, there are no atheists in a hospital room.
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@mom2collegekids No one ever knows what people are actually thinking – I was just reporting what some of my friends do and have said. When it comes to hospitals, I go to the one with the best doctors and facilities, and religion never occurs to me one way or another.
@thumper1 & @bluebayou People who are seeing prayer in public high schools should expect to see that less and less. If it’s led by any authority figure, it’s illegal. My kids have never seen prayer in their public high school and none of their friends in other towns have, either.
I think @twoinanddone said it best: if it bothers you, don’t go. Know thyself.
I have a friend whose Catholic D attended a Catholic university, and her issue with it was that she could not obtain birth control pills from the campus health center.
^^ So, get the Rx from the family home doctor during summers or winter breaks and fill it at nearby pharmacies.
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DD’s Jesuit college did not dispense birth control pills…but there was an off campus place where you could see a doctor and get an RX for them.
It was not a huge issue.
Somehow, I can never get over how absurdly silly some people can be.
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