Fr. Jay Fostner, O.Praem.
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Fall 2009
To Be or Not to Be ... Catholic
By the Rev. Jay Fostner, O.Praem., Ph.D.
About two years ago, Francis Cardinal George, the archbishop of Chicago, gave a speech where he urged Catholic colleges and universities to “forge … a vision that will provide … a theoretical rationale for the existence of Catholic colleges and universities as a distinctive element in American higher education.” In other words, Catholic colleges and universities must have a clear identity and direction.
We want you, our parents and alumni, to know that St. Norbert College takes our Catholic identity very seriously. In fact, on Oct.15, just a few weeks ago, the college’s board of trustees and administration spent an entire day on retreat, reviewing and discussing plans that keep the mission, especially related to the Catholic intellectual tradition, moving forward. It is clear, from the board through the administration, faculty and staff, and our students, that we are undeniably a Catholic institution.
You might think St. Norbert’s “Catholicity” would be self-evident. But there is a lot of noise out there, on the internet and in other media, in which certain observers raise questions about “fidelity” to the faith of other Catholic colleges and universities. Sometimes people see or hear these discussions and call us to ask about our commitment to being Catholic. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to present a deeper context for the role of a Catholic college.
So, what does it mean to be a Catholic institution of higher learning today? The answer comes from many documents and writings, including those of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II, Catholic scholars and recent letters from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. These documents call for exactly the type of practices in which St. Norbert College engages.
For example, here at St. Norbert we are in the process of discussing a new general education program. The draft is clearly mission-based and incorporates the Catholic intellectual tradition. We have a robust liturgical life and campus ministry department, and we are promoting Catholic social teaching through the Peace and Justice Center. In the past four years we have instituted two new centers—the Center for Norbertine Studies and the Center for Community Service and Learning—both of which promote Catholic thought and teachings. Further, we have an entire department dedicated to helping students discern their personal vocation, including the question of whether that vocation leads to religious life or the priesthood. This does not even begin to mention the daily interaction that students have with faculty and staff who encourage them to think about life’s blessings and challenges through the eyes of our Catholic traditions.
Frankly, the conflicts and questions tend to arise when a Catholic college is trying to balance two imperatives: functioning as an institution of higher learning that entertains a wide range of ideas and experiences, and being Catholic. Put another way, the Catholic college is not, nor is it meant to be, the same as a parish, a Catholic high school or other Catholic institutions.
The questions usually arise when certain speakers, works of art or even support groups appear on campus. Some may ask, should there ever be any spoken word, display or image at a Catholic college or university that does not clearly represent Catholic teaching? The answer is "Yes"—not because we are endorsing anything that is contrary to Catholic teaching, but because that considering questions from every angle is precisely the job that the Church for centuries has asked our institutions to do. As Pope Benedict XVI recently wrote, “[F]freedom from ecclesiastical and political authorities is essential to the [Catholic] university’s ‘special role’ in society.” The pope then asks himself a rhetorical question, “What does the pope have to do or say to a university?” He answers, “He certainly should not try to impose in an authoritarian manner his faith on others.”
Of course, this line of reasoning may be confusing to many, including those who are passionate about their Catholic faith. So let me explain.
While a Catholic college or university is certainly a part of the Catholic faith community, as Pope Benedict states, it has a special role to play in the Church. Although sometimes messy, Catholic colleges and universities represent the “branch” of the Church that is asked to take the time to examine life questions from every angle, including an angle or perspective that is not Catholic or even Christian. To put this differently, the Catholic intellectual tradition, like the liberal arts tradition of academic freedom, asks us to question everything, explore everything, discuss everything, while at the same time making sure that the values and wisdom of the Church are clearly taught and stressed in the discussion.
Why has the Church asked Catholic colleges and universities to do this? Because by using the values of our liberal arts and Catholic intellectual traditions (and, for us, the Norbertine tradition as well), which are understood as gifts from God, we help the Church search for, and at times maybe even find, Truth. With this process in mind, controversial speakers and art forms are not threatening on a Catholic campus because they are simply a part of, or maybe the impetus for, a discussion—a discussion that will ultimately be reviewed and evaluated. It’s all part of a process that engages our students in learning, exploring, discussing and fosters their personal, intellectual and spiritual development. In other words, sometimes we find a deeper Truth when we take the time to examine the entire question, including taking into consideration the antithesis of our expected conclusion.
Some people might argue that with certain issues there is no reason to examine or discuss the antithesis statement. But that is what all colleges and universities do, including those that are Catholic. Why? Because this educational pedagogy has been successful for hundreds of years and has been endorsed by Church leadership, including John Paul II in Ex Corde Ecclesiae (from the Heart of the Church) when he writes, “By means of a kind of universal humanism, a Catholic University is completely dedicated to the research of all aspects of truth in their essential connection with the supreme Truth, who is God. It does this without fear but rather with enthusiasm, dedicating itself to every path of knowledge …. It is in the context of the impartial search for truth that the relationship between faith and reason is brought to light and meaning.” The pope continues, “[The university] is characterized by mutual respect, sincere dialogue and protection of the rights of individuals.”
What is much more important than a controversial speaker or art form, or discussing a topic that is not immediately Catholic, is asking this question: How are our Catholic values being professed in our educational experience on a daily basis? We don’t need to bring a controversial speaker to campus for our students to hear anything different than what they are going to hear or experience simply by turning on the television. What is important is that they are equipped to respond to the ethical and moral questions of our day and of the future. Equipping students is what a Catholic education is all about, and at St. Norbert College we do that by engaging our students in discussions about the message of controversial speakers and art forms, and about why the Church disagrees with the speaker’s point of view—all with the goal of helping our students develop their own deeply held convictions, values and way of life.
By shepherding our students (in a safe environment) through moral dilemmas that are raised by controversial speakers and art forms, by challenging and questioning and discussing, we help our students develop deep convictions about their faith.
Let’s face it—trying to force our students to believe something simply because we say it is so, or trying to protect them from a complicated world that often professes values that are contrary to Catholic teaching, will result in mission failure.
Our students want to learn. They want to engage the topics. They want to test their own “wings” by putting forth arguments that they themselves sometimes ultimately reject. That is to say, deep learning, deep convictions, deep faith only happen when our personal experience is engaged with discussion and challenge, prayer and service, and other attributes that are found on Catholic campuses.
So in the future, if some suggest that a controversial speaker or art form indicates that St. Norbert College is not Catholic enough, the truth is just the opposite. Controversial speakers and art forms, like other aspects of a Catholic/liberal arts university, are nothing more than us living our traditions: traditions that don’t take away from our Catholicity, but instead engage the Catholic intellectual tradition. St. Norbert College does and will respond to the directives and call of the Church, and that call has been clearly stated: to be both a college and Catholic.
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