Geoffrey Mooney (Math, Education)

I came to Notre Dame in the fall of 2005 as a math major having had attended Catholic schools since kindergarten. I loved math, but I also grew up with religion as an integral part of the curriculum each year. During high school I developed a different kind of relationship with theology that as a grade school student I did not fully understand. Through classes devoted to the sacraments, morality, Scripture, and social justice, over time I sensed a truly personal connection to the subject matter that I did not find in quite the same way in, say, history or foreign language or even math. I learned much in high school theology from excellent teachers, but the most important lessons I learned in these classes were about personal identity, relationships with others, my engagement with the Church and society, and God's unfailing love and forgiveness.

That first fall semester at Notre Dame included my initial introduction to theology at the university, and how quickly I felt at home in that course! I was exploring my Catholic faith in an academic setting with readings from theologians spanning the history of the Church, but at the same time I was engaging rich questions about identity in Christ, identity in the Church, and identity in the world. As the end of the semester drew nearer, I could not imagine going into the spring semester without a theology class. I loved math, but I knew something would be absent from my Notre Dame experience if I did not take advantage of the theology offerings here. I knew something would be absent too from my own spiritual journey if I did not continue in theology. The solution was obvious. I added a second major in theology midway through freshman year.

That decision put my life on such a different trajectory that I never would have imagined while still in high school. Studying theology at Notre Dame broadened my horizons about the Church around the world and the Church throughout the ages. I gained a more profound appreciation of the sacramental life of the Church. I discovered a passion for service and ministry to use the gifts God has given me to give back to those most in need. With each passing semester, I felt a growing call to be the hands, the face, the love of Jesus Christ I studied so much in my course work. Theology came alive for me in the interactions I had with others on campus and the experiences I had of prayer, liturgy, and service.

Following graduation in 2009 with my peculiar degree combination of math and theology, I joined the Alliance for Catholic Education program as a high school teacher in Florida, teaching none other than geometry, morality, and Scripture in my first year. The call to serve was clear. My theology classes at Notre Dame provided the perfect invitation and preparation to share my faith and love of the Body of Christ with a brand new audience of fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds. Learning about my students and fellow teachers, their faith backgrounds, and their own experiences of Church gave increased strength and encouragement to my own spiritual journey.

I spent a total of five years in the classroom, shifting between multiple math and religion courses. I may have never discovered that school and met such incredible families and colleagues without that inner desire I developed as a freshman to declare theology as a major. That decision still resonates today as I now find myself back at Notre Dame as a postulant with the Congregation of Holy Cross, living at Moreau Seminary, and preparing to petition to the Holy Cross Novitiate. That call to know God, love God, and serve God about which I wrote in journals throughout high school theology and read in writings of saints, mystics, and faithful servants of the Church while at Notre Dame is truly alive in my heart in a new and wonderful way after my time as an undergraduate and as an educator. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I hope to continue my study of theology in the future at Our Lady's University.

And my high school calculus teacher told me I should be an actuary. #loveTHEOnotredame

'09, '11