Choosing a Catholic College

The latest edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College is now available! You may access the guide online HERE.

Who made the cut this year?

Residential Colleges and Universities

Aquinas College (Nashville, Tenn.)

Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, Fla.)

Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, N.C.)

Benedictine College (Atchison, Kan.)

The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.)

Christendom College (Front Royal, Va.)

The College of Saint Mary Magdalen (Warner, N.H.)

The College of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More (Fort Worth, Tex.)

DeSales University (Center Valley, Penn.)

Franciscan University of Steubenville (Steubenville, Ohio)

John Paul the Great Catholic University (Escondido, Calif.)

Mount St. Mary’s University (Emmitsburg, Md.)

St. Gregory’s University (Shawnee, Ok.)

Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula, Calif.)

The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, N.H.)

University of Dallas (Irving, Tex.)

University of Mary (Bismarck, N.D.)

University of St. Thomas (Houston, Tex.)

Walsh University (North Canton, Ohio)

Wyoming Catholic College (Lander, Wyo.)

Non-Residential Colleges and Universities

Holy Apostles College (Cromwell, Conn.)

Holy Spirit College (Atlanta, Ga.)

International and Online Institutions

Campion College (Old Toongabbie, Australia)

Catholic Distance University (online)

Ignatius-Angelicum Liberal Studies Program (online)

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy (Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada)

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome, Italy)

Redeemer Pacific College (Langley, British Columbia, Canada)

Action Alert: City of Steubenville, OH Bullied by Atheists

Please read the article written by Tom Crow of CatholicVote.org HERE. 

If you are Catholic, chances are you have heard of Steubenville, Ohio. Most likely it is not because of the city, but the beloved Franciscan University which is located there. The City of Steubenville decided to replace their old city logo with a new one that reflects images that instantly pop into mind when people think of Steubenville.

Old City Logo

New City Logo 

 On the new city logo, you see that on the far right is an image of the towering main chapel on the University's campus. That image is immediately recognized by anyone who is familiar with the campus.

Christ the King  Chapel, Franciscan University

Enter the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a radical secularist organization. They were 'offended' by the image, citing that a Cross on the logo violated the constitutional principal of separation of church and state. The group threatened the City of Steubenville with an expensive lawsuit if they did not remove the image from their new logo. The city council caved, and agreed to remove the image. They then offered Franciscan University the option to elect another image from their campus that did not include the steeple with a cross, and the University declined. In their statement about the issue, they shared the following:


“Now that the city has decided not to keep the chapel in its logo, the University has declined the city’s offer to be represented by another campus building. The Christ the King Chapel and its cross, which are the centerpiece of the University logo, are internationally recognized symbols of the campus here in Steubenville and are at the heart of our Catholic educational mission. No other campus symbol or architectural feature so immediately identifies the University." 


The FFRF celebrated their 'achievement' on THIS PAGE. Thanks to their celebration, I noticed their call for readers to vote 'Yes' in a newspaper poll to reaffirm their 'win.' This is where +Ponderings+ readers come in. Please shout your views on this story from the rooftops, and when you're done, vote 'No' in the poll. I'm going to link the poll below in big, red, bold letters. Add comments if you are inclined to do so as well. Since the poll is no longer on the front page of the paper's website, I am unsure if the votes are still being counted or for how long. With FFRF driving their followers to the poll, the results are clearly skewed in their favor. 

Herald Star Online Polls - Do you agree with the City's decision to redesign its logo? 

P.S. the FFRF is very anti-Christian and pointedly, anti-Catholic. Check out their website. 

Ignatius Press teams with Angelicum Great Books to offer online college credit to teens

Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ – Chancellor.

Looking for an oustanding educational enrichment opportunity for your teen and have them earn college credit while studying the 'greats'? Ignatius Press and the  Angelicum Academy Great Books  program  have joined with cooperating colleges in the US, Australia, and Europe, to launch the Ignatius-Angelicum Liberal Studies Program (LSP), an online course of studies combining the best of home and distance learning with live, online classes.

According to their website:

• Fidelity to the teaching of the Catholic Church is fundamental to the LSP program. Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution on Catholic higher education, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, guides the LSP's Catholic mission.
• LSP is accepted for college credit at Benedictine College (Atchinson, Kansas, USA); Campion College (Australia); St. Bede's Hall (Oxford, UK); Catholic Distance University, (online); and other colleges and universities.
• LSP allows students to begin college-level and college-credit-earning studies while homeschooling or in Catholic school, as early as age 14 (or 9th grade)
• 48 credit hours are offered at this time, with a continually growing list of schools accepting the credit

This is an outstanding opportunity for parents facing sending their children to a good Catholic university and the enormous obstacle the private tuition can be.  Imagine shortening the length of time needed to earn a bachelor's degree and lowering your costs while doing it!  I clicked on the link which indicated a pay schedule but it did not open.  At the Ignatius site, they do say:

The costs of the LSP are a small fraction of the expense of traditional college education. Tuition and fees at a private, four-year college average $26,273 per year — over $100,000 for a four-year degree. With a coordinated course of study through LSP and its affiliates in the Universities of Western Civilization network of cooperating colleges, students can obtain a bachelor's degree with an accredited college for as little as $26,600 — about a fourth of the cost of four years on campus.

Our son will not be entering college until 2016 and the Catholic university we have been looking at is currently $19,900 per year plus room and board.  This is definitely one program we'll be keeping a close eye on.

______________________________________

Visit Visit Ignatius Press for the best in Catholic Reading!

FREE Brochures "How to Choose a Catholic College"

The kind folks over at The Newman Guide are offering free brochures on "How to Choose a Catholic College." Head on over there and order as many as you would like for distribution at your parish or local high school. Be sure to get approval from your Pastor or school administrator before stuffing the brochure rack. Click HERE to place your order, financially support the project or to view a copy of the brochure. The brochure includes special messages from Fr. Benedict Groeschel and Fr. C. John McCloskey III.

Choosing a CATHOLIC Catholic College

Here is the newly released Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. The 21 American and 8 international universities recognized and suggested this year are:

Aquinas College
Nashville, Tennessee

Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, Florida

Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, North Carolina

Benedictine College
Atchison, Kansas

The Catholic University
of America
Washington, D.C.

Christendom College
Front Royal, Virginia

The College of
Saint Thomas More
Fort Worth, Texas

DeSales University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania

Franciscan University
of Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio

Holy Apostles
College & Seminary
Cromwell, Connecticut

John Paul the Great
Catholic University
San Diego, California

Magdalen College
Warner, New Hampshire

Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, Maryland

Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island

Southern Catholic College
Dawsonville, Georgia

St. Gregory's University
Shawnee, Oklahoma

Thomas Aquinas College
Santa Paula, California

The Thomas More
College of Liberal Arts
Merrimack, New Hampshire

University of Dallas
Irving, Texas

University of St. Thomas
Houston, Texas

Wyoming Catholic College
Lander, Wyoming

International & Online Colleges

Angelicum Great
Books Program
Online

Campion College
Old Toongabbie, Australia

Catholic Distance University
Online

Our Lady of
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas

Our Lady Seat
of Wisdom Academy
Barry's Bay, Ontario, Canada

Pontifical University of
St. Thomas Aquinas
Rome, Italy

Redeemer Pacific College
Langley, British Columbia, Canada

St. Bede's Hall
Oxford, England


National Catholic Register released their own listing back in February of 2009. Please note that the enrollment for this fall is most likely different since a new school year is currently underway.

1. Aquinas College

Nashville, TN 37205

AquinasCollege.edu

Enrollment: 826

2. Ave Maria University

Ave Maria, FL 34142

AveMaria.edu

Enrollment: 672

3. The Augustine Institute

Denver, CO 80236

AugustineInstitute.org

Enrollment: 30 full-time; 60 part-time

4. Belmont Abbey College

Belmont, NC 28012

BelmontAbbeyCollege.edu

Enrollment: 900

5. Benedictine College

Atchison, KS 66002

Benedictine.edu

Enrollment: 1,330

6. The Catholic Distance University

Hamilton, VA 20158-9012

CDU.edu

Enrollment: 1,200

7. The Catholic University of America

Washington, DC 20064

CUA.edu

Enrollment: 6,440

8. Christendom College

Front Royal, VA 22630

Christendom.edu

Enrollment: 385

9. The College of Saint Thomas More

Fort Worth, TX 76109

CSTM.edu

Enrollment: 50

10. DeSales University

Center Valley, PA 18034

DeSales.edu

Enrollment: 2,300

(1,450 undergraduates)

11. Franciscan University of Steubenville

Steubenville, OH 43952

Franciscan.edu

Enrollment: 2,435

12. Holy Apostles College and Seminary

Cromwell, CT 06416-2005

HolyApostles.edu

Enrollment: 285

13. Institute for the Psychological Sciences

(703) 416-1441

IPSciences.edu

Enrollment: 60

14. John Paul the Great Catholic University

San Diego, CA 92131

JPCatholic.com

Enrollment: 100

15. Magdalen College

Warner, NH 03278

Magdalen.edu

Enrollment: 75

16. Mount St. Mary’s University

Emmitsburg, MD 21727

MSMary.edu

Enrollment: approx. 1,600

17. Our Lady of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX 78407

COLCC.com

Enrollment: 12

18. Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy

Barry’s Bay, Ontario

K0J 1B0 Canada

SeatOfWisdom.org

Enrollment: 60 full-time, 20 part-time

19. St. Gregory’s University

Shawnee, OK 74804-2499

StGregorys.edu

Enrollment: 700

20. Saint Vincent College

Latrobe, PA 15650

StVincent.edu

Enrollment: 1,800

21. Southern Catholic College

Dawsonville, GA 30534

SouthernCatholic.org

Enrollment: 168

22. Thomas Aquinas College

Santa Paula, CA 93060

ThomasAquinas.edu

Enrollment: 360

23. The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Merrimack, NH 03054

ThomasMoreCollege.edu

Enrollment: 96

24. University of Dallas

Irving, TX 75062

UDallas.edu

Enrollment: 2,985

25. University of Sacramento

Sacramento, CA 95814

UniversityofSacramento.org

Enrollment: about 97 (graduate only)

26. University of St. Thomas

Houston, TX 77006

StThom.edu

Enrollment: 3,350

27. Walsh University

North Canton, OH 44720

Walsh.edu

Enrollment: 2,705

28. Wyoming Catholic College

Lander, WY 82520

WyomingCatholicCollege.com

Enrollment: 67 (35 returning sophomores and 32 incoming freshman)

_______________________

Read the Holy Father's address to American Catholic Educators HERE. As I stated in a previous +Pondering+, "the Holy Father made his standards very clear with no room for bending and placed the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the educators. Perhaps more and more Catholic universities will now see the yoke beneath the dusty heaps of paperwork. It is a yoke not of budgets and athletic teams, but the yoke of Jesus Christ they are to wear with the boldness of the Apostles."

To Laugh or to Cry - You Decide

What happens when you cross elements of the Diocese of Rochester with what Catholic universities have become? A married man who was ordained a 'priest' by an excommunicated 'bishop' and refers to himself as a married priest, who announces the ordination of 'female bishops', who were graduates of Notre Dame and St. Mary's - both in Indiana. Got that? Let me explain it this way: Phony priest from Rochester, NY who happens to be a 'media liaison' for CORPUS (a group for dissidents who think they are still Catholic but really are not) is proud to announce the ordination of female 'bishops', one a Notre Dame graduate and the other a graduate of St. Mary's. Still messy and full of grammatical errors but not as erroneous as the canon laws which have been trounced. Note that their croziers are as phony as they are in the picture above. Read the news release:

CORPUS Congratulates Four Newly Ordained Women Bishops
By Ray Grosswirth, CORPUS Media Liaison
Dated: Apr 19, 2009

CORPUS, the national association for an inclusive priesthood, wishes to convey its joy over the ordination of four women bishops on April 19, 2009, in Santa Barbara, California.

CORPUS SUPPORTS AND CONGRATULATES FOUR NEWLY-ORDAINED CATHOLIC WOMEN-BISHOPS

CORPUS (www.corpus.org), the national association for an inclusive priesthood, is deeply proud to articulate its support of four ordinations that took place on April 19 in the state of California. It is withgreat joy that we congratulate the following four Catholic bishops: Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea MicheleJohnson, Bridget Mary Meehan and Maria Regina Nicolosi.

Bishops Houk, Johnson, Meehan and Nicolosi join their male counterparts in the Roman Catholic Episcopate as servant-leaders of their respective communities.

For over thirty-five years, CORPUS has been actively engaged in the effort to create a church that is all-inclusive. In its effort to expand its outreach efforts, CORPUS has moved beyond its original mission as a vehicle of support for married priests and their families. We now recognize that the Kingdom of God on earth cannot be realized until all of human creation is treated with dignity and respect. We also realize that
a call from God to ordained ministry is not limited to celibate males. We therefore embrace and encourage all who experience the call, minus any discrimination on the basis of gender, marital status or sexual orientation.

Women who prepare for ordination to the diaconate, priesthood and episcopate are highly trained and have the same educational qualifications as males in similar roles. CORPUS hopes and prays that those who are opposed to the ordination of women will search their hearts and come to realize that if the Catholic Church is to remain vital in the years ahead, we must be open to the will of the Holy Spirit.

The fact that many women are coming forward to respond to a call from God is a reason to celebrate, and CORPUS greets these women of faith with open arms and a feeling of joy and gratitude for their spiritual
and ministerial gifts. Bishops Houk, Johnson, Meehan and Nicolosi give hope to a divided church. CORPUS has every confidence that they will be true disciples of Christ, and we therefore rejoice in their ordination to the rank of the episcopate.

CORPUS has been in existence for over 35 years to promote and support inclusivity in the ranks of the Roman Catholic priesthood.

If you are game, go to youtube.com and search for: 'Rochester married priest' and feast your eyes on the the media laison from CORPUS. He dances with cleaning implements, has fake conversations with the Pope on the telephone and all sorts of nonsense. Then whether you cry or laugh, end with a prayer. Maranatha.

Thanks to fratres for sharing the story.

ReplaceJenkins.com

Hot off the 'press', the newest attempt to correct the path of Notre Dame University.

ReplaceJenkins.com

ReplaceJenkins.com is a national effort consisting of Notre Dame graduates and financial supporters. We feel strongly that the University should not honor President Barack Obama given his well known commitment to abortion in the broadest possible context. Father Jenkins’ decision to honor President Obama directly violates the 2004 US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ directive on Catholics in Political Life and is offensive to all Catholics. That decision, together with other poor decisions over the years, calls into question Father Jenkins’ judgment and leadership. Although we love Notre Dame, our conscience requires that we withhold all financial support from our University until such time as Father Jenkins is replaced as Notre Dame’s President with someone who will be more loyal to the teaching of the Catholic Church.

ReplaceJenkins.com fully supports academic freedom at the University of Notre Dame, but we believe that the truths revealed by Christ through His Church must be taught and defended by a faithful Catholic University.

ReplaceJenkins.com is a non-partisan group which is not opposed to President Obama or Father Jenkins based upon political motivation or party affiliation, but is opposed to their actions and pronouncements which run contrary to the fundamental moral principles of our Catholic faith. No part of our effort is intended to be an attack on President Obama or Father Jenkins personally; rather, our concern relates solely to the actions of both men and is intended to serve as a strong condemnation of Father Jenkins’ moral leadership and President Obama’s unequivocal support of abortion.

Jesus, You'd Better Hide - Obama is in the Room!

IHS, the name of our Savior in Greek. The White House requested it be covered up at a recent speaking engagement at Georgetown University because they wanted a 'simple backdrop' behind Mr. Obama. Now that I think of it, perhaps it was a good idea. We wouldn't want the world to know that Georgetown is supposed to be a Catholic University, would we?

Full story HERE. Find a Catholic University HERE.

A Letter from Bishop D'Arcy, Diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend

"After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation."

March 24, 2009

On Friday, March 21, Father John Jenkins, CSC, phoned to inform me that President Obama had accepted his invitation to speak to the graduating class at Notre Dame and receive an honorary degree. We spoke shortly before the announcement was made public at the White House press briefing. It was the first time that I had been informed that Notre Dame had issued this invitation.

President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life.

This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions.

My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life.

I have in mind also the statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2004. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for.

I have spoken with Professor Mary Ann Glendon, who is to receive the Laetare Medal. I have known her for many years and hold her in high esteem. We are both teachers, but in different ways. I have encouraged her to accept this award and take the opportunity such an award gives her to teach.

Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.

Tomorrow, we celebrate as Catholics the moment when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, became a child in the womb of his most holy mother. Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige.

University of Notre Dame: In Need of a Name Change?

How does 'Our Obama' sound? 'Our Lady' is truly a blasphemous attack upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and all that she means to us (considering Obama's push for the FOCA, refusal to sign the Born Alive Act, federal funding for embryonic stemcell research, Conscience Law revision considerations, etc.). Notre Dame has hit a double with Mr. Obama - he will soon receive an honorary doctor of law degree and give the principle commencement address on May 17th.

I've taken liberty with the Notre Dame 'Fight Song' - see what you think...

Rally sons of Notre Obama,
Sing his glory, and sound his fame
Raise his Gold and Blue,
And cheer with voices true,
Rah! Rah! For Notre Obama.

We will fight in every game
Strong of heart and true to his name.
We will ne'er forget him
And we'll cheer him ever,
Loyal to Notre Obama.

Chorus:
Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Obama
Wake up the echoes cheering his name,
Send the volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky,
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Obama will win over all,
While his loyal sons are marching
Onward to Victory

_____________________

Please check out the archived +Ponderings+ post from last May HERE about choosing a CATHOLIC Catholic College. There are still some.

Offended by this scandal? Click HERE and let your voice be heard.

_____________________

EDITED TO ADD: There are now Facebook groups speaking out for and against this subject matter.

Tell Notre Dame to Un-Invite President Obama
Protest Obama as 2009 Commencement Speaker
We Will be Honored to Have President Obama at Notre Dame

Also of interest:

Notre Dame's Newspaper: The Observer Online, "Obama selection a betrayal..."
Is Obama Worth a Mass by Ralph McInerny (professor at ND since 1955
Condi Rice Commencement Address at Boston University Received Fierce Protest
Latest from CNS News
Latest from Catholic News Agency
The Destruction of Notre Dame
ND Professors React to Stem Cell Decision

Catholic college bars student distribution of free birth control - The Boston Globe

Catholic college bars student distribution of free birth control - The Boston Globe

Frustrated that her college does not distribute birth control, Stonehill College senior Katie Freitas decided she would do it herself.

After collecting hundreds of free condoms from two family-planning agencies, she and about 20 classmates placed boxes of the contraceptives in student dormitories across the Easton campus last month.

But when administrators at the Catholic school learned of the effort, they quickly intervened and collected the condoms, citing the college's ban against distributing birth control on campus.

"We're a private Catholic college," Martin McGovern, Stonehill's spokesman, said yesterday. "We make no secret of our religious affiliation, and our belief system is fairly straightforward. We don't expect everyone on campus to agree with our beliefs, but we would ask people, and students in particular, to respect them."

McGovern said the college's policy follows church teachings, which op pose use of artificial contraception. Most Catholic colleges do not distribute birth control on campus.

"This is not a shocking revelation," that the college does not permit condom distribution, he said.

Freitas, who said she is not Catholic, said she decided to make condoms available because she was concerned about the consequences of students having unprotected sex.

"Abstinence can be part of sex-ed, and should be," she said. "But college students are going to have sex, and they should be encouraged to have safe sex. In certain moments, students aren't going to stop to run to CVS, so I think they should be available on campus."

The dispute at Stonehill echoes debates on access to birth control on other Catholic campuses in the region.

For example, students at Boston College recently passed a referendum urging the college to offer affordable testing for sexually transmitted infections and access to contraception.

Freitas, of Danbury, Conn., said that before distributing the condoms, she tried to start a campus group called the Sexual Health and Awareness Group to educate students about safe-sex practices.

But college administrators, she said, urged her to work with an existing student health group, Active Concerned Educated Students.

Freitas said she was frustrated the condoms were removed, so she decided to make her grievance public. Freitas notified the Brockton Enterprise, which wrote about the matter yesterday.

"I expected some resistance, but I think this is a debate that should be out in the open," she said.

Freitas said she will continue to hang a bag of condoms on her dormitory door, although McGovern warned otherwise.

"She has taken a position that differs from college policy," he said. "I would hope she would remove them."

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Posted using ShareThis

I'd like to have a conversation with this young woman. Perhaps she'll stumble across this blog entry while 'Googling' herself and she will contact me. ;)

Choosing a CATHOLIC Catholic College

Not So Good News

Gone are the days of trusting that a Catholic University will provide a Catholic education.

Sending your kids off to college is certainly a scary prospect for any parent and when you consider what can happen to their faith while there, it can become a topic causing great parental anxiety. A study conducted in 2003 showed that students at many Catholic colleges are significantly more opposed to Church teachings, pray less, and are in many ways less religious than when they were freshmen. If that isn't frightening enough, look at these statistics:

· Whereas a majority of students entered Catholic colleges pro-life (55% opposed to legal abortion, 45% in support), many graduated pro-abortion (57% pro-abortion, 43% pro-life).

· Support for legalizing homosexual "marriages" increased from 55% to 71% by senior year.

· Approval of having sex with someone known "for only a very short time" increased from 30% to 49% by senior year.

· Although 15% of seniors reported much stronger religious beliefs and convictions than when they were freshmen, the same growth was reported by 12% of seniors at nonsectarian colleges and 24% of seniors at other religious colleges (mostly Protestant).

· Only 37% of seniors prayed more than one hour a week; 31% didn't pray at all.

· Among Catholic students, 9% left the faith by graduation. Although 11% of non-Catholic students converted to the Church, their actual numbers were smaller and still left Catholic colleges with a net 4% loss of Catholics.

· Among Catholic seniors, 13% did not attend a religious service in the past year (a four-fold increase since their freshman year), and about half attended only occasionally.

The Good News

10% of all American Catholic schools are excelling at keeping Christ on the campus and in the classroom. The list grows yearly and now the Catholic universities know that we are watching. Two unrelated programs are taking measure and are publishing a yearly list of the universities who are up to snuff. To see how they decide which schools make the list, you can check out The Newman Guide and National Catholic Register's Catholic Identity College Guide. The Newman Guide lists 21 Catholic universities and NCR lists 26. I will include them all in the list below:

• Aquinas College, Nashville TN
• Ave Maria University, Ave Maria FL
• Augustine Institute, Denver CO
• Belmont Abbey College, Belmont NC
• Benedictine College, Atchinson KS
• Catholic Distance University, Hamilton VA
• Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.
• Christendom College, Front Royal VA
• College of St. Thomas More, Fort Worth TX
  
• DeSales University, Center Valley PA
  
• Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH
• Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Cromwell CT
• Institute for the Psychological Sciences, Arlington VA
• John Paul the Great Catholic University, San Diego CA
• Magdalen College, Warner NH
• Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg MD
  
• Our Lady of Corpus Christi, TX
• St. Gregory's University, Shawnee OK
• St. Joseph's College of Maine, Standish
• Souther Catholic College, Dawsonville GA
• Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula CA
• Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack NH
• University of Dallas, TX
• University of Sacramento, CA
• University of St. Thomas, Houston TX
• Walsh University, North Canton OH
• Wyoming Catholic College, Lander WY
• Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, Ontario Canada
  

On his recent visit, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Catholic educators of the United States. The message he presented was a very clear one - Catholic universities are to have Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.

A university or school's Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction - do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self - intellect and will, mind and heart - to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold.

...

Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in which God's active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young person discovers the joy of entering into Christ's "being for others" (cf. ibid., 28).

The Holy Father made his standards very clear with no room for bending and placed the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the educators. Perhaps more and more Catholic universities will now see the yoke beneath the dusty heaps of paperwork. It is a yoke not of budgets and athletic teams, but the yoke of Jesus Christ they are to wear with the boldness of the Apostles.