Notre Dame's Catholic identity can make it difficult for non-Catholics
to find a place to express their faith. Traditionally only Roman
Catholic worship services are held on campus on Sundays.
But contrary to popular belief, Catholicism does not hold a monopoly
on campus worship.
Muslims pray every Friday in the nondenominational prayer room
in the Coleman-Morse Center, the multipurpose facility built on
the site of the former bookstore. And every Wednesday night at
10, in the chapel of men's dorm Morrissey Manor, Catholic and
Protestant students pray together at Interfaith Christian Night
Prayer.
A group of 10 students under the direction of Campus Ministry
intern Jemar Tisby '02 and Frank Santoni '97, assistant director
for peer ministry and ecumenical activities, organizes the event,
begun five years ago.
"We want to provide a midweek encounter with Christ," said Tisby,
who attended the prayer service as an undergraduate. "We try to
be that base camp, that place where students can refill and make
it to the weekend."
The services, generally 45 minutes to an hour, feature contemporary,
percussion-oriented music and the singing of the 15-member Celebration
Choir. No clergy preside over the weekly meeting, generally attended
by 50 to 60 people. Instead, students share their own reflections
on topics relevant to their lives like doubt, relationships and
religion. The leaders say they hope the individual
stories can help others in their faith journey.
"We're not there to teach. We're there to testify," said Santoni.
Spencer McSorley '05, a team member and Methodist, said he found
a home with the interfaith group his freshman year.
"There are so many religious activities on campus. Most are
Catholic-oriented; some are Protestant, but it's nice to be somewhere
where the focus is just on what's important. It just focuses on
Christ, on Christianity, without emphasizing a particular faith
tradition."
"I felt at home and found a community immediately," said Lisa
Pendarvis '04, who is Catholic.
"It's unifying, a reminder that we all worship the same God."
Notre Dame's undergraduate population has remained about 85
percent Catholic for years. To accommodate the mostly Protestant
minority, Campus Ministry compiles and annually updates a list
of churches and synagogues in the area. Although Notre Dame does
not offer transportation, many of the churches offer to pick up
students on campus.
Earlier this year Campus Ministry sponsored "What If I'm Not
Catholic?" -- a forum and information session targeted toward
freshmen. The event brought together various campus groups that
might appeal to non-Catholic students looking for a place to express
their faith. Under one such program, Emmaus, students (usually
friends or retreat participants) sign up together to form a small
group with a leader. Each week they meet to discuss and reflect
on Gospel readings.
Priscilla Wong, assistant director of administration and cross-cultural
ministry, said she hopes that in coming years Campus Ministry
can offer new services featuring different types of prayer. "We
are always trying to figure out what the needs of the students
are and to accommodate them."
Santoni emphasized that while most non-Catholic students come
to the University with an appreciation of Catholicism, they also
come with questions about the school's dominant religion. Often
the most inquisitive are the parents of non-Catholic students,
some of whom have initial concerns that their children will be
forced to go to Catholic Mass (they're not).
"They know that their kids are coming to a place where it might
be harder for them to express their faith, but really there's
a lot going on, a lot for them," Santoni said.
