Saint Mary's and Notre Dame fail to teach true Catholicism
Mary Beth Ellis
South Bend, Ind.
After reading the Sept. 26 article, "Group discussion analyzes Catholic identity at SMC," I was dismayed, but unfortunately not surprised, to learn of the comments of the participants at this discussion of Saint Mary's Catholic identity. Many of the panelists were leaders in the Saint Mary's and Notre Dame administration and faculty. When the question of what the hallmarks of an "ideal Catholic" are, such phrases as "inclusiveness," "resisting frozen ideas" and "making a just world" filled the air.
Nobody, apparently, thought to mention Jesus Christ.
Or, for that matter, His Mother, for whom both schools are named.
Inclusiveness and social gospel are nice things, but at the core of the Catholic Church lie our catechism, liturgical traditions, beliefs and dedication to the Word of God — in short, our singular Catholicism.
Hopefully these attributes were mentioned and simply didn't appear in The Observer article, but I have a sinking feeling that such unimportant and, apparently, politically incorrect aspects never entered into the conversation.
After 16 years of Catholic education at varying institutions, the only contact I had with catechism or the history and pillars of the Church is what I learned through my own initiative.
Religious Studies professor Terrance Martin, whose primary job is to present the Church and religious issues to the young women who come to him for a Catholic education, stated that being Catholic means that we must "place an emphasis on what we have in common, not on what makes us distinct."
I lean on and strive to grow in my Catholic faith largely because it is distinct from what any other religion has to offer. I love that we believe that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist. I love that we turn to the Blessed Mother for guidance and comfort. I love that we are given the opportunity to completely wipe our sins away with the sacrament of Confession. Why are the men and women of this educational community not taught to celebrate what sets the Catholic faith apart? Or, for that matter, the roots of what we really believe at all? Such an education need not denigrate or exclude other faith traditions, but it should emphasize the nucleus of what it truly means to be Catholic.
Perhaps most saddening were Jo Ann MacKenzie's comments: "I am an educated lay person, wife, mother and sexual being, not really somebody the Catholic Church is interested in hearing from." I do not have the honor of being a wife or a mother, but I am educated and active in the laity, and it seems to me that the Church welcomes any and all who wish to know God. Indeed, great respect is afforded to sanctity of childbearing and the importance of the family unit. It makes me wonder whether those who feel "excluded" have truly stopped to listen to what the Catholic Church has to say to them, rather than struggling so mightily to democratize it. By no means is the Church perfect, but the ancient foundations on which it rests are spiritually sound and command respect.
I chose Saint Mary's because I wanted an education at a Catholic women's school. Although some of the dearest memories I have were formed over those four years and I received an excellent education, I never found an opportunity to foster my faith on campus — not in a place in which the main chapel, the Church of Loretto, features a plaster, shoved-out-of-the-way tabernacle shaped like a stunted tree.
If I wanted to truly learn about Catholicism, I had to escape to my brother school, where I finally found satisfaction in the Basilica and at Knights of Columbus events.
While working in community events and as an altar server — all outside the orbit of the classroom, dorm chapels or either school's Campus Ministries — I grew a great deal as a Christian and experienced an intensely deepening sense of what it means to be Catholic.
It is my continuing prayer that all members of the Saint Mary's and Notre Dame community strive to know Christ and His Church.
Mary Beth Ellis
South Bend, Ind.
class of '99
Sept. 26
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, October 1, 2002
