Lay rectors more prevalent in hall staff
By KEVIN ALLEN
News Writer
According to the Office of Residence Life and Housing, spiritual development is one of the keystones to life in Notre Dame's residence halls. Therefore, one would think that the Office would make a top priority of placing clergy members in halls as rectors.
But not every dorm on campus has rectors and other hall residents who are clerics. Sister Jean Lenz, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, said that does not mean that spiritual life in those halls suffers, or that filling rector positions with clergy members is even a goal for the Office.
"It is a goal to find people who have a good pastoral background," Lenz said. "We look at that very carefully."
Out of the 27 rector positions on campus, Holy Cross priests, brothers and sisters currently fill 19. Two of the lay rectors are in male dorms and six are in female dorms. Those two men's dorms have priests in residence, but four of the six women's dorms do not have any clergy members who live in the halls.
This disparity between men's and women's dorms is partly due to the fact that there are more priests than sisters on campus. But Lenz also cites University tradition and a lack of available apartments in the dorms as other reasons.
"There was never a custom from the time women came to Notre Dame for a chaplain to live in the women's halls," said Lenz. "That hasn't been a continual practice."
Newer halls, such as McGlinn and Welsh Family, have the available apartments for chaplains, she said. Both of those halls have priests that live in the dorms.
Lenz said the priests on campus are very attentive to and actively participate in the spiritual life of both men's and women's halls, even if they do not live there. She also pointed out that no hall is a closed community and that all dorms invite non-resident priests into the hall to say Mass and to help with other spiritual affairs.
Lenz also noted the monumental contributions of laity on campus, both inside and outside the halls.
"There are a lot more trained lay people to address the spiritual needs of people than ever before," said Lenz. She specifically mentioned the accomplishments of Campus Ministry, which is made up of clerics and laypersons and organizes retreats, the RCIA program, musical training and other services.
"Campus Ministry offers so much support to the spiritual life of campus," Lenz said.
All News Stories for Tuesday, April 29, 2003
