Dear Dr. Burish (Provost):
I am deeply saddened and disturbed to learn that the University of Notre Dame is considering removing the Theology requirement from the undergraduate curriculum. Not only would this immeasurably dilute the Catholic identity of the University, it would rob students of opportunities for formation in the Catholic faith and, even more importantly, of unexpected instances of transformation and evangelization.
I was blessed to have been unexpectedly transformed in my own faith life while attending Notre Dame from 1999-2003. Although I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith, I was not brought up in an environment of formation. Like so many, I came to Notre Dame unsure of who I was and who I was going to be. So much of that uncertainty resided in the uncertainty of my own belief system and personal relationship with the Lord. Eager to steep myself in academia, I streamed every course selection possible toward my passion, Russian History. As a member of the inaugural class of the History Honors Track, I was able to hone my interests further with the invaluable opportunity for thesis work and deeper study of historiography. I had no plans to further my faith formation through academic work.
Surprisingly, I found that my required Theology courses planted irrevocable seeds in my mind and heart that would not have been planted had I solely followed a curriculum geared strictly toward my academic interests. These courses gave me a language with which I could think and talk about my faith. They supplied me with the fundamentals that I had been missing and opened up a new way of seeking out a relationship to God: not one of Sunday obligations, but one in which God could come to be known, loved, and served through study, reading, and engaging in discussion with peers. All of these routes to formation were revealed to me and realistic to me. They were familiar and accessible to a history major, who thrived on those very same methods of coming to know the past and the present world.
My Theology courses provided the basic but necessary framework on which I could finally begin to build my faith. Through the intentional work of my professors, I found myself more confident in my faith. I had been freshly equipped with a guided path to our Church traditions, and I could approach the prayers, recitations, and readings in the liturgy with a deeper understanding. I could uncover connections throughout the liturgy to the Holy Sacrament, which took on a whole new meaning for me.
The University of Notre Dame, as I have known it, has always seemed to oscillate in its core identity. Is it a research institution? A teaching institution? I could not answer that as a student, nor can I answer that as an alumna. However, it is shocking to me that in recent years, I’ve had to ask myself if my beloved alma mater is a Catholic university. Notre Dame’s Catholic identity has been increasingly overshadowed by the massive building and fundraising projects that seem to have allowed the physical expansion to overtake the core mission of the university. I was encouraged when the Office of the Vice President of Mission Engagement and Church Affairs was bolstered with new advisors and, what seemed to be, a new zeal in exploring the relationship between Notre Dame and the Church. Would this mean that Notre Dame was once again putting its Catholic Identity on the same plane as growing its already enormous endowment? However, with this new movement to rid the undergraduate curriculum of its Theology requirement, I have to question the leadership’s commitment to the University’s mission in a grave way.
I implore you, Dr. Burish, to consider our founder Fr. Edward Sorin’s intent, Fr. Hesburgh’s lifetime of work, and the University’s Mission. I encourage you to reflect on the countless others who have had transformative faith experiences launched by their theology courses and how you will be robbing future students of that opportunity. Your position holds much greater weight than its title and authority. As a leader of this beloved Catholic institution you assume, in part, a responsibility for students’ souls. You are one of the torchbearers of Fr. Sorin’s legacy, just as those who Archbishop Elder of Cincinnati so eloquently charged to carry on the founder’s good works at Fr. Sorin’s funeral:
Pray, then, my dearly beloved, pray for the souls even of those whose lives have been most saintly. We know not what hidden debt they may owe to divine justice. Pray particularly for your priests, for they have to render a rigorous account both of their own souls and of yours. They have to answer, not only for what they have done, but for what more they might have done by the diligent use of those divine powers which God has given them -- not for their own glory, but for the service of His people; and as God requires them to use their priestly powers for you, so He requires you to use your power of prayer for them.
As a leader, are your decisions helping students get to Heaven? Of course, that is between you and God, and only you will have to answer for that at the end of your days. I pray that your answer is easy to give.
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