Some Questions

[DominicanPhilosophy]

[i][b]1.[/b][/i] Is UND's theology program in-line with Rome, though? What is it that has made so many people question the theology at Notre Dame ('scuse the ignorance)? Yeah, from what I was able to find through scouring Google, the Vatican has not made an official statement on the legitimacy of the program. Again, that's really the only thing about Notre Dame that concerns me. I'm not big on many of the liturgical practices, but my experiences have been limited to ND VIsion [good call, [i]thedude[/i] lol!], which is aimed toward teens and is therefore more "happy clappy" and upbeat than focused on sacred music and tradition. Are there more traditional Catholics and Masses on campus? I'm not necessarily meaning Tridentine Masses, though that would be neat; I live in the "Buckle of the Bible Belt," so I've never even been to a Latin Mass. Just so long as there's an alternative to the more Life-Teen-like stuff. Thank you all for your informative responses!

[b][i]2.[/i][/b] IcePrincessKRS, thank you *so* much! I am so glad to have found [i]someone[/i] who knows of OLSWA, haha! It's such a small and new institution that odds are definitely against finding someone who knows former students. Awesomeness!

[b][i]3.[/i][/b] Again, thank you, everyone. I pretty much was expecting to hear this kind of stuff, and I suppose I just needed some reassurance from third parties. [b]FIAT![/b]

+JMJD

[VeniteAdoremus]

You can read [url="http://holywhapping.blogspot.com/"]http://holywhapping.blogspot.com/[/url] , which is written by several ND alumni, and covers church architecture, church architecture, history, what's happening at ND, church architecture and random Catholic hilarious stuff. They talked about the Latin (TLM) masses at ND a couple of times.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1898340' date='Jun 22 2009, 03:00 AM']You can read [url="http://holywhapping.blogspot.com/"]http://holywhapping.blogspot.com/[/url] , which is written by several ND alumni, and covers church architecture, church architecture, history, what's happening at ND, church architecture and random Catholic hilarious stuff. They talked about the Latin (TLM) masses at ND a couple of times.[/quote]

I that blog!

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

[quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' post='1898329' date='Jun 22 2009, 02:24 AM'][i][b]1.[/b][/i] Is UND's theology program in-line with Rome, though? What is it that has made so many people question the theology at Notre Dame ('scuse the ignorance)? Yeah, from what I was able to find through scouring Google, the Vatican has not made an official statement on the legitimacy of the program. Again, that's really the only thing about Notre Dame that concerns me. I'm not big on many of the liturgical practices, but my experiences have been limited to ND VIsion [good call, [i]thedude[/i] lol!], which is aimed toward teens and is therefore more "happy clappy" and upbeat than focused on sacred music and tradition. Are there more traditional Catholics and Masses on campus? I'm not necessarily meaning Tridentine Masses, though that would be neat; I live in the "Buckle of the Bible Belt," so I've never even been to a Latin Mass. Just so long as there's an alternative to the more Life-Teen-like stuff. Thank you all for your informative responses![/quote]
The department is teacher by teacher. Most of the stuff covered in the major has little to do with things that could be presented in a terribly unorthodox way, even if the teacher is unorthodox. You can pick and choose to avoid teachers since a lot of it is elective and left up to the individual student. There are good and bad teachers. I've taken classes from a host of the good ones - I would say the bad are a small minority. It's not perfect, but if you use discretion, you won't come across much bad. From experience I know we have excellent orthodox people who teach in early Church history, liturgy, and scripture studies. A lot of the philosophy classes are solidly Catholic oriented as well (and some are cross listed and can count toward a theology major).
From what I can tell, people who say bad about the department have seen a certain notorious faculty member who voices his dissenting views on cable news once in a while (I won't name him, he is a priest and worthy of the clergy's proper respect). I have never even seen him on campus. As I understand it, he teaches one second-level theology class that nobody is required to take. It's an enormous class that most people take because it's easy, not because he carries any prestige as a theologian. Like I said before, the chair of the department is solid and is doing good things. Unfortunately there is not much he can do about tenured faculty that he inherited.

Are there traditional Catholics on campus? YES! They're cool and I'm friends with a great deal of them. We are one of the very few Catholic campuses with our own weekly Tridentine mass. There is an annual trip to the All Souls Day Tridentine mass at St. John Cantius in Chicago, as well as opportunities to attend Byzantine divine liturgies. Campus ministry is awesome and staffed by amazing people, not to mention the large community of awesome religious on campus. There is also a student club called the Children of Mary who are totally focused on traditional devotions, feasts, chant, and liturgies. The Orestes Brownson Council is an intellectual group that discusses America and Catholicism on a regular basis. We also have Militia Immaculata groups and a very solid Knights of Columbus council on campus (the only club with it's own building, open 24 hours, and complete with its own HD theater room). In addition, all the Basilica liturgies (mass, vespers) are quite traditional, with the slight exception of folk choir music at the 11:45. Your experience on Vision is definitely not the only expression of faith you'll find on campus, but if you're into praise and worship, there is a Catholic club called Four:7 (named for 2 Tim. 4:7) that meets every week and always features an awesome speaker (we had Francis Beckwith once last year as well as David Currie - both famous converts!). Seriously, if you have any questions about ND, let me know.

[DominicanPhilosophy]

Wow, thank you guys so much for your responses! And that is a neat blog! :-)

I've looked at the web sites, but how - in actuality - do Holy Cross College and St. Mary's differ from the University of Notre Dame? I saw that Holy Cross has that unique four-experiences program thing, and St. Mary's looks neat, but why are there separate colleges/how do they tie back in to the overall U of ND thing?

+JMJD

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

I don't know if you're a guy or a girl, but St. Mary's is an all-girls school that goes back to the day when ND was all-male. If you have a Y chromosome, you're ineligible... Both are nice places and basically across the street from ND. St. Mary's girls can pursue majors at ND if St. Mary's does not have that major. A lot of St. Mary's girls are very involved at Notre Dame in various activities. I have a lot of St. Mary's friends. It has an older, traditional looking campus like Notre Dame.
Holy Cross was started as a junior college and has not been a 4-year institution for very long. It is much smaller than ND or St. Mary's and seems to have much less official interaction with the other schools. There are only four majors you can pursue at Holy Cross last I knew. One thing I would warn about is that there is a huge ND transfer culture at Holy Cross. A number of the freshman there are looking to transfer to ND after their first or second year. Some who don't make it transfer somewhere else. From what I understand, a large number do not stay at Holy Cross for four years. I myself was a transfer to ND and a great deal of our transfer class were Holy Cross kids. The Holy Cross campus is more modern than the other two.

[DominicanPhilosophy]

Oh ok, cool, thanks. That clears up a lot. I have an XX phenotype, so St. Mary's is an option. It really does sound like a neat school, and, being at an all-girls' school currently, I'm sure the environment is nice, though probably much more drama than an all-girls' high school, since it's college, lol. My only hesitation is that - from an outsider's P-O-V - it would seem sort of..anti-climactic.. to go to a school right next to UND but not *actually* UND. I think I will definitely visit St. Mary's at some point, though.

+JMJD

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' post='1899317' date='Jun 23 2009, 01:43 AM']Oh ok, cool, thanks. That clears up a lot. I have an XX phenotype, so St. Mary's is an option. It really does sound like a neat school, and, being at an all-girls' school currently, I'm sure the environment is nice, though probably much more drama than an all-girls' high school, since it's college, lol. My only hesitation is that - from an outsider's P-O-V - it would seem sort of..anti-climactic.. to go to a school right next to UND but not *actually* UND. I think I will definitely visit St. Mary's at some point, though.

+JMJD[/quote]

I should have you talk to Emily, my girlfriend. She had that EXACT same concern, but came to experience otherwise once she was there. Lemme see if I can get her to join Phatmass ...

[icelandic_iceskater]

[quote name='thedude' post='1899277' date='Jun 23 2009, 01:46 AM']There are only four majors you can pursue at Holy Cross last I knew.[/quote]They j u s t added more accredited majors this year, and now offer nine. It is limited if you want to go into something unusual, but they can also kind of taylor your degree to your interests. I'll be a Theology/Communications double major. Their theology is orthodox.... at least according to the National Catholic Register. All their teachers have a Mandatum, and they follow Ex corde Ecclesiae. Since HCC is a guys/girls school and they have more sports they do not get to go to Notre Dame games for free. (although I heard from one person that we can get into some games if we're the first x people there? So who knows) I've heard that St. Mary's students do get in for free. HCC students can be in N.D.'s marching band, and some of their clubs. It sounds like their pro-life clubs team up a lot. All three schools have access to each other's libraries, and St. Mary's and HCC students can use the other's cafeteria. And they have these cute little trolleys that go between the three schools! HCC and St. mary's students can take 1 class per semester at the other school. So there's quite a bit of interaction going on there.

The main reason I'm going to HCC is because of their campus ministry. It's not as dripping with catholicism as Steubie or U.D., but they do have 1/4 of their campus actively involved in Campus Ministry. They also have those students that come and go, and the "sunday only" Catholics. And then there's this thing they call their "Mission Team". It's sort of like beefed up campus ministry. They attend daily mass, have weekly meetings, spiritual direction if ya want it, retreats, do regular service in the area, some kids form book clubs, discussion, or accountability groups that meet a few times a week. And between the three campuses and the Sisters & Brothers of the Holy Cross, there's plenty of sacraments & adoration going around. It seems like it's catholic enough to be hardcore catholic, but you still meet people who you can evangelize to. [url="http://faculty.hcc-nd.edu/RKloska/MissionTeam/images/Pray_Up_Catholics.pdf"]Here's[/url] an article from the NCR on HCC's campus ministry. It's from 2007... their campus ministry has grown since then.

I also like the fact that HCC is such a close knit community- everyone knows everyone- yet there's still new people to meet at N.D. and St. Mary's.

Ok enough blabbing. lol. fyi, I'm not actually there *yet*, so everything I know is word of mouth. mostly from current students or their administration.

One last thing... the reason I chose HCC over St. Mary's is because I've heard that St. Mary's tends to be much more liberal. e.g. they were on the list of colleges with a LGBT group on campus. (also they don't offer theology) Just thought I'd throw that out there.

If you ever come to visit HCC, shoot me a PM and maybe we can meet up. Good luck in your college searching!

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' post='1897549' date='Jun 21 2009, 01:59 PM'][i][b]1.[/b][/i] What is the Church's view of University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)? I've been there for a week this summer and last summer, and the more I look into it from the point-of-view of a high school upperclassman searching for colleges, I really do like it. Initially, I was sure that I wanted a small, liberal arts, Catholic college, but UND does feel small, despite its large size; the different scholastic programs offered also interest me. The only thing is, of course, the theology department. I would definitely drop Notre Dame as one of the colleges on my list if the theology department is really messed up/unfaithful to Rome. In light of the recent "scandal," I'd like to hear what the Vatican says about the university. Also, while each male dorm building has a priest, female dorms don't because, well, priests are male. However, I noticed on the school's website that each female dorm has a "rector": a sister (not sure the congregation) with different types of pastoral/ministry degrees. Does this mean that these are "women priests"? That kind of...weirded me out.[/quote]

FWIW, if you're not studying theology, it might be a very good idea to attend Notre Dame precisely because they need the presence of strong, faithful Catholics. You never know what influence you might have, if that is where God sends you.

[quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' post='1897549' date='Jun 21 2009, 01:59 PM'][i][b]3.[/b][/i] If a person has a crush on someone or finds certain people very nice/attractive, does this mean that he or she has no religious vocation?[/quote]

Yep... and you should probably go to Confession too, though I'm pretty sure it's not a mortal sin.

Of course not. In fact, paying attention to what qualities you find attractive in others might provide some good insight in discernment. Besides, it looks like you have four years of college ahead of ya.

[DominicanPhilosophy]

mommas_boy - That would be great ;-)

icelandic... - Thanks for such a great summary of how the schools are all interconnected! Wow; I didn't know St. Mary's doesn't offer theology, though. I'm thinking of maybe a double major in philosophy and theology with a minor in linguistics. Or, if double majors aren't offered, a major in theology and a minor in philosophy. HCC sounds neat, and Campus Ministry !

louisvillefan - Thank you for the insight. If one [i]is[/i] studying theology, though, do you personally believe UND's theology program is solid enough, or would you recommend another school, like U of Dallas?

+JMJD

[Deus te Amat]

I still think you should check out UD....

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' post='1899599' date='Jun 23 2009, 12:55 PM']louisvillefan - Thank you for the insight. If one [i]is[/i] studying theology, though, do you personally believe UND's theology program is solid enough, or would you recommend another school, like U of Dallas?[/quote]

If UND's theology professors are not required to swear an oath of allegiance to the Church, I wouldn't write them off completely, but there are so many great universities and theology programs that are faithful that you shouldn't have to sacrifice that element. After all, there are times when God calls people into a place that needs reform, but I'd rather God push me into that position than seek it out

Since you're obviously into the Dominicans, have you looked at Providence College in Rhode Island? Just heard one of their biology and theology professors, Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, speak about transforming our culture for life. They're definitely not shy about tackling [url="http://www.providence.edu/Academics/Faculty"]tough issues[/url].

Edited June 23, 2009 by LouisvilleFan

[icelandic_iceskater]

fyi HCC does not off philosophy. not even a minor. The do offer some classes, but that's about it.

[quote name='Deus_te_Amat' post='1899609' date='Jun 23 2009, 01:11 PM']I still think you should check out UD.... [/quote]
def do this.

[DominicanPhilosophy]

Ok, yeah, I definitely plan on looking into UD. Hmm..I didn't know that about HCC, either. Would you say that the Campus Ministry is more traditional or charismatic, if you've gotten the chance to experience it yet?
Providence College looks awesome, too! I had never heard of it before. So many great colleges out there, it's overwhelming, though.

+JMJD

Edited June 23, 2009 by DominicanPhilosophy