Catholic universities: Heart of the church

   
     Loyola University New Orleans launched its Presidential Centennial Guest Series Sept. 20 with an address by Archbishop Gregory Aymond on “Catholic Education: The Gifts and Challenges in 2012 and Beyond.” A brief discussion followed by Jesuit Father Kevin Wildes, president, Loyola University New Orleans; Dr. Norman C. Francis, president, Xavier University of Louisiana; and Dr. Ronald Ambrosetti, president, Our Lady of Holy Cross College.
    The following are excerpts of Archbishop Aymond’s remarks:
    One of the great blessings we have in the Archdiocese of New Orleans is the fact that we have three Catholic institutions of higher learning. Many dioceses have no Catholic institutions of higher learning.
    As we begin this centennial series on Catholic education, I would like to use as my starting point a document entitled “Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” (“From the Heart of the Church”). This document was promulgated by Blessed John Paul II in August 1990. In this document he addresses Catholic colleges and universities and makes it very clear that Catholic colleges and universities are indeed a ministry of the church, and they form, in many ways, the heart of the church.
    It is a powerful document that I believe is still timely and wise. It is known mostly, I think, not for its wisdom and profundity, but for what is called the “mandatum.” The mandatum is rooted in canon law – in Canon 812 – which says that anyone who is teaching theology in a Catholic institution must have a mandate from the ecclesial authority – the bishop. What that really means is that the bishop sends forth that person and shares with him or her the ministry of teaching.
    The document itself invites bishops and theologians to dialogue. It also offers the opportunity, through the mandatum, for theology professors to make a commitment, either in writing or verbally, to always remain faithful to church teaching as a theologian of the church.
    I think it’s unfortunate that so much attention has been given to the mandatum, which is important, but not to the document itself. By doing so, I think in many ways we have not heard or reflected upon the affirmation that is given by the late Holy Father in the document, as well as the challenges for Catholic education today.
    Let’s take a brief look at the document. It says that every college and university throughout the world should be committed to seeking the truth and passing on truth and wisdom. Every institution should enable students to reach their full potential academically and intellectually. A Catholic college or university does all that – plus. What more does it do? In seeking truth and wisdom, a Catholic college and university points to the one who is the way, the truth and the life by its existence and its mission to Jesus Christ and by the fact that it is an official ministry of the Catholic Church. One of its important roles, obviously, is to hand on the scriptures and the teaching of the Catholic Church.
    John Paul II says that every Catholic college and university should provide both “subtle and direct” opportunities for all those involved – in the community, faculty, staff and students – to have faith, truth and the wisdom of God awakened in them. The document says this can be done through the environment, in courses and in worship.
    Being the academician that he was, John Paul says knowledge in all areas should always lead us to faith questions, and a mature faith would hunger for more knowledge. He says there must be a mutual dialogue between faith and reason. In so doing, the mission of the Catholic college or university is not simply to graduate people at the end of four, five or six years, but it is for students to gain knowledge and become wise and learn how to become disciples of the Lord Jesus and to be prepared to enter a life whereby they can truly live out their vocation, their mission, and make moral and spiritual choices.
    John Paul says the Catholic college and university is the place where the church does its thinking and its research. That’s a powerful statement. Every Catholic college and university is to encourage scholarly research, respect academic freedom and at the same time encourage fidelity to the scriptures and church teaching.
    I’d like to share some pastoral implications of what the document says and how it can guide and direct Catholic colleges and universities today as well as into the future. I’ve divided these reflections into four categories: what are the pastoral implications of “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” when it comes to Catholic identity as it relates to governance; faculty participation in the mission and ministry of the institution; the course of studies in general and, more specifically, theological education; and providing pastoral care for students.
    ➤ Governance: The Catholic college and university is more than an institution bearing a Catholic name. It is more than simply having a theology department or campus ministry, having religious symbols in classrooms and in the courtyards. It is that, but it is much more. From a governance point of view, it must be a place of learning that conveys in “subtle and direct” ways openness to God.
    The Catholic university is called by its very nature to have a relationship with the local church. John Paul II says, specifically, with the bishop. There must be a relationship, because in doing so the bishop shares his ministry of teaching with the college or university, as I am pleased to do with my colleagues here. That college or university is to offer its service to the diocese in fulfilling the teaching ministry of Christ.
    We should not assume that all board members or trustees automatically grasp Catholic identity. Therefore, it’s important that we as administrators help them read and discuss “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” and have a plan to implement it.
    In the mission statement, as well as in recruitment and advertisements, we should never be ashamed to say we are a Catholic institution and that we are connected to the mission and ministry of Christ through the Catholic Church. The president is in many ways the face of the university. He or she is the CEO, the fund-raiser, the leader of the faculty and staff. Most importantly, at a Catholic college or university, the president is the faith leader.
    ➤ Faculty: The Catholic college or university is to minister to and serve the faculty. It should encourage the faculty to continue their important mission of seeking wisdom and knowledge and encouraging them to teach in innovative and creative ways. It should assist the faculty so that through their work and teaching, they can experience God’s personal love and care for them. For those members of the faculty who are not Catholic, it should give them an opportunity to understand and appreciate the mission and ministry of the Catholic institution, as well as support it. It should encourage the faculty to be an example to students not only by the way that they teach but also by the ways that they deal with others and deal with conflict. Hopefully, faculty would seek out students who are struggling and offer a hand or a word of support.
    The Catholic college or university also should provide for faculty members convocations, seminars, assemblies, days of prayer, retreats and continuing education so that professors can grow personally in knowledge and in faith so that they can understand the Catholic charism of the university. In every area of learning, there are faith questions, and we need to help faculty as well as students identify those faith questions.
    ➤ Course of studies: The curriculum is always intended to share knowledge, but it is not just to share knowledge for that day or tomorrow but to prepare students to take social responsibility now and in the future, to lead them to be disciples of the Lord and be active in the church. The goal of a Catholic college or university is not simply to have people graduate but to teach them how to live, teach them how to make important decisions, teach them how to use their gifts and to be good stewards of those gifts to make a difference in the world.
    The curriculum is to promote a conversation in all classes – and I know I’m being bold in saying this – and that conversation can take place in every class, no matter the topic, so that the student can see a direct relationship between their studies and wisdom, their faith and their future profession. Too often when people talk about their work, we hear them say, “Well, it puts food on the table.” That’s not what we hope for ourselves and our young adults. Our profession is an opportunity to see, develop and use our gifts to contribute to society and make a difference in the local workplace and community.
    The curriculum should enable students to see that the church does have something to say to the modern world and the modern world has something to say to the church. If we’re going to live in the world and be disciples of Jesus, there must be a good conversation between the church and the modern world.
    Let me turn to theological education. It would seem logical to me that in every Catholic college and university, every student would be expected to take at least a minimum introduction to philosophy and theology because it is an opportunity for them to gain wisdom. Even if they don’t necessarily believe in what they are being taught, it’s an opportunity to be exposed to the scriptures, spirituality and the teaching of our church.
    In my humble opinion, sometimes we begin the courses in theology with a course on world religions. I personally challenge that. It would seem to me that it would be much more profitable to have a basic course in Christianity and in the very basic teachings of the church and in the scriptures. Many Catholic students, through no fault of their own, do not really know what church teaching is. Others may know church teaching and have been turned off by it or chosen to reject it. Theological education offers the opportunity to dialogue, ask questions, express doubts, disagreement and even rejection of church teaching – all of this in order to come to a better understanding of what those teachings might be. In a Catholic college or university, a student should not lose his or her faith but explore it and gain knowledge.
    It would seem to me that in theological education, there should be a very clear and important distinction between speculative theology and church teaching. Speculative theology does have a place in theology, in research, in writing and in teaching on the master’s and doctoral levels. In my opinion, on the undergraduate level it is far better to stay with the basics instead of getting into speculative theology, which is complex.
    ➤ Care for students: We have in our Catholic colleges and universities today students whom I love to call the young adult church – not the church of tomorrow, but rather the leaders of tomorrow and the church of today. Our young people are bombarded with far too much information. Because of high-tech, we have lost in some ways ability for interpersonal relationships. Our world tells us that the more we do and the higher up on the ladder we climb, the better and more valuable we are.
    As Catholic colleges and universities, we must teach something very different. Our service to our students is to help them pause – to pause long enough during their years of study to know themselves better, to know and identify their gifts and to see how those gifts could be developed. We want our students to be able to pause long enough to know that they can in some way grasp and experience God’s unconditional love for them, to awaken that desire to respond and to recognize their potential and to be able to live it.
    To non-believers, we do not force faith on them but we offer faith. For the believer, we offer the opportunity to go deeper in faith and come to know the Lord Jesus more personally. To those who have been hurt or shunned by the church for whatever reason, a Catholic college or university has the wonderful opportunity to offer healing and reconciliation.
    In our “outcomes assessment,” have we prepared people just to graduate, or have we prepared people to know their gifts and given them the opportunity to grow in faith and choose a profession that is matched to their gifts, where they can make a lasting contribution to the world?
    Catholic education is one of the greatest gifts that the church has given to the United States of America. In order to do Catholic education, it takes the leadership of our presidents, their staff and faculty members who are open and allow themselves to be moved by God. It takes students who place themselves in the hands of a teacher, not only for wisdom, but to learn by their example. All of that takes a plan. It doesn’t happen easily or automatically, and it is a blessing to our church.
    Tonight, as we begin to celebrate this centennial year, we thank God for the gift of Catholic education in this local church. We thank God for those people of today and the people of the past on whose shoulders we stand, which makes Catholic education the gift, the blessing and the challenge that it is.