Catholicsim At Ivy League Univeristies
May 22nd, 2007 by Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P.
CATHOLICISM AT IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITIES SPECIAL REPORT- May 2007
Pockets of orthodoxy exist. But students and teachers face secularist intolerance and some of them succumb to it, reports Jeff Ziegler. The Dominican Friars are mentioned for their campus ministry at Dartmouth and Columbia. Yale’s Stephen Schmalhofer also speaks of the Friars at St. Mary’s…
I was quoted in several portions of this article in the Catholic World Report. The publication is not online yet but hard copies can be purchased via Ignatius Press. The current May 2007 table of contents is here. Jeff Ziegler presents comments from students, faculty and clergy on the state of Catholicism around Ivy League campuses.
I thought I would include the text of my response to Ziegler’s questions to provide a fuller picture of Catholic life at Yale. This seems like an appropriate follow-up to the EWTN appearance.
1. From your perspective as a Catholic student, what unique challenges in living out their faith do Catholic faculty and students face at your university?
Catholics at Yale face many challenges. While most Americans would associate the university with liberal attitudes and behaviors, the extreme nature of the campus culture is shocking and scandalous. The culture is sick at its very core with for support unrestricted abortion, gay “marriage”, pre-marital sexual activity (both homosexual and heterosexual), radical feminism all find a home at Yale. The dorms and bathrooms are coed and each entryway has a bag of free condoms. The culmination of this hedonism is the biennial “Sex Week at Yale”. This week typically involves pornographic film actors, a lingerie show, instructional lectures on how to “hook up” with random sexual partners, and the sale of “sex toys”. Rejection of these extravagances is viewed with the utmost contempt. Students who object on religious grounds find themselves regarded as ignorant hate mongers.
2. Mr. Weigel describes a “Princeton Catholic renaissance.” To what extent is a similar Catholic renaissance taking place on your campus?
Catholic life at Yale has two major focal points- The St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Priory.
Across campus, situated within engineering and psychology departments is St. Mary’s. It is the oldest Catholic Church in New Haven, CT and was also recently renovated. It is the mother church of the Knights of Columbus- Fr. McGivney started the order in the parish basement. The Dominican Friars are responsible for the parish and we are blessed to have six priests and two brothers. The Church is a dedicated Shrine to the Infant of Prague and the Priory contains a gift shop for Catholic books and religious articles.
Many students take advantage of the opportunities for daily Mass and confession. The tolling of the noon church bells invites students to come pray the Angelus and the Novena Prayer to the Infant of Prague. The church is open during the day and it is common to see students stop in for a few minutes with our Lord and to light a votive candle. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows the Friday noon Mass and ends with Benediction later in the day. The priests pay special attention to the liturgical calendar with each feast day marked by either by a distinct homily on the saint or by the veneration of a relic following Mass.
St. Mary’s has an impressive liturgical schedule- three daily Masses and four weekend Masses. The crown jewel is the Sunday noon Mass in Latin with the Schola Cantorum. Students become well acquainted with various chant melodies and the Latin text of the ordinary of the Mass. The Schola Cantorum is at its best on Easter Sunday when the repertoire includes Mozart’s Mass In C Major “Coronation Mass” with traditional Easter hymns and both organ and string music.
Far from being divided, students often go to daily Mass at St. Mary’s and Sunday Mass at St. Thomas More.
St. Thomas More is the official campus ministry. It has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion. The Chapel now boasts of an impressive Catholic student center with ample room for reading, discussion, and hosting events. Staff includes 2 priests, a lay chaplain and a student council. Activities include a soup kitchen, Christian service trips, and small discussion groups. Attendance at Mass is growing, as is alumni financial support.
3. On some problems that have arisen at the Chapel:
While I am hopeful for the future, the current activity at the Chapel leaves something to be desired. I agree with Fr. McCloskey that campus ministry is not about community but rather catechesis and evangelization. The 4 year transitory nature of college demands that students be filled with as much of the Truth as possible before going out into full adulthood.
A stated goal of the Chapel is to foster intellectual growth among Catholic students. Unfortunately, the chaplaincy throws students into the debate without a real foundation in the Magisterium. Students are asked to contemplate issues of our faith without a basic understanding of what the Church teaches. In some cases, students are bombarded with dissenting and heretical opinions. They have unapologetically invited such dubious speakers as Sr. Joan Chittister and Sr. Margaret Farley (signed NY Times Catholics for a Free Choice statement).
4. On the unique role life at Yale for Catholic students: I am very fond of saying that Yale refuses to let you sit in neutral. You cannot simply stand still- you fall off the deep end of sin or you cling to the Church. It is obvious that students are searching for answers. I get the real impression that it is impossible to run from grace. God is at work, even at a place like Yale that can feel barren and godless at times. The Yale Pro-Life group “CLAY: Choose Life at Yale” is regrouping and the Yale Law students have formed their own Pro-Life forum. Yale also recently named a Catholic lay woman as the University-wide chaplain. At the very least students are recognizing that going to Sunday Mass is a way to break up the hectic pace of Yale and recharge. Meeting God in the Real Presence of the Eucharist impacts people in ways, they do not understand at the time. I pray that someday they might grasp the fullness of what the Church teaches and holds.
