During national decline, Old College houses 9 students
By Kevin Allen
News Writer
Notre Dame is one of the most well known Catholic academic institutions in the United States. Students here can partake in daily masses in a faith-based community, largely guided by priests and brothers on campus.
But with a nationwide decline in the number of people choosing to pursue religious vocations, some worry that the same situation could affect life at Notre Dame. The vocation director for Moreau Seminary, Father James King does not think that is a threat.
While some American dioceses are reeling from low numbers of priests and a dearth of new candidates, King said that Notre Dame is doing better per capita than other traditional Catholic communities.
"The Catholic Church is not a monolith," said King. "Some dioceses are doing very well with bringing in new priests and some are not."
According to King, there are currently over 100 Holy Cross priests and brothers that live and work on campus as professors, campus ministers, hall rectors and administrators.
"The number of men getting ordained [at Notre Dame] has been consistent for about 20 years," said King. "Since the 1950s, the numbers in the seminary are down but retention is better."
King attributes the better retention rates in the seminary to an increasingly selective admission process.
"In some respects, it's more difficult to get accepted to the seminary than it is to get into the University because we conduct a series of personal interviews," he said.
However, King added that it is difficult to evaluate the pattern of retention rates for seminarians that complete the program at Moreau because the process is quite lengthy. King has been vocation director for six years, and the candidates that began the program during his first year are just becoming eligible for ordination.
The number of ordinations also varies from year to year. On April 26, one of two ordination days this year, only one priest will be ordained. Next year, seven will be ordained. King said the average is three to four ordinations per year.
Some future Holy Cross priests take their first step toward the priesthood immediately after high school by enrolling in Old College, which is a residence hall for Notre Dame undergraduates who are considering becoming a Holy Cross priest or brother. Nine men currently live in Old College and one Old Collegian is currently spending the semester abroad in Cairo, Egypt.
Ben Wilson and Matt Young, two freshmen who reside in Old College, both said Notre Dame was their first choice for college and found out about Old College after looking into the University.
Wilson compares the life of an Old Collegian to being a varsity athlete at Notre Dame.
"It's a different experience from what most students have here," he said. "And there are additional responsibilities that go along with that."
Another similarity between Old Collegians and some varsity athletes is that they receive full tuition scholarships, which are jointly paid for by the University and the Congregation of Holy Cross. Seminary candidates and Old Collegians are expected to take care of room and board costs and personal expenses prior to taking their first vows.
Greg Giefer, a senior in Keough Hall, is a former resident of Old College. Eleven members of the class of 2003 entered Old College as freshmen and only three continued on to Moreau Seminary. One of those men dropped out this year. Giefer said his experience at Old College was great and that his decision to leave Old College does not mean he has ruled out the idea of becoming a priest.
"I can always go back, the door is still open," he said. "I want to experience the workforce for a few years and see how that treats me."
Giefer said it is not uncommon for men to leave Old College and later decide to enter the seminary. He added that he always wanted to attend Notre Dame for college and the option of Old College allowed him to do that while also exploring the religious life.
"Notre Dame is the only place in the U.S. where you can be an undergraduate and a seminarian at the same time," he said.
The unique nature of Old College makes it practically impossible to measure the relative success of the program. King said Old Collegians are treated just as any other undergraduate who is not sure what they want to do with the rest of their life. He said it is expected that young people will change their minds about their future careers, whether it is in medicine, business or the religious life.
Therefore, students at Old College are free to major in whatever they want, but must take philosophy and theology classes beyond the basic University requirements. The program also requires them to have service placements, get regular spiritual direction, participate in daily prayer and Eucharist and attend weekly community meetings.
Wilson said that students in Old College are truly free to explore their interests and do not feel any overbearing pressure to enter the priesthood.
"We're completely free to major in whatever we want," he said. "Most of the pressures are internal."
After junior year, Old Collegians move on to Moreau Seminary, where they begin the more formal steps on the way to being ordained as Holy Cross priests. About 30 seminarians currently live in Moreau Seminary at different levels of completing their studies.
All News Stories for Wednesday, April 16, 2003
