Does Georgetown have a strong Catholic community?
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Anonymous
| Asking for my daughter who was just accepted. She's waiting for more decisions. She wants a strong Catholic community with rigorous academics. Obviously ND is one of her top choices. She also likes BC, but hasn't applied yet. Can she find her people at Georgetown? Based on other threads, it feels like they have lost their Catholic identity, but would love to hear from anyone who has positive things to say about Georgetown and Catholicism. |
Anonymous
DC has strong faith and I would love to know this too. Thirty years ago, I attended mass on Healy Lawn on the first day of school. It was packed and everyone was deep in prayer. It was clearly a campus united in faith. I wonder if that's changed. |
Anonymous
| My friend whose husband is a professor there and who's 2 children attend / attended Georgetown is openly hostile to Catholics. That is a sample of one, so take it with a grain of salt. |
Anonymous
| Are you looking for the we only care about fetuses type Catholics or the serve the poor type Catholics? |
Anonymous
OP here. Both. You can care about life and serve the poor at the same time last time I checked. |
Anonymous
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Georgetown is Jesuit. Its academics are very strong (especially the SFS). It accepts students from a wide range of faith backgrounds, including atheists.
Most Catholics understand how that might be a different student experience than (example) CUA. |
Anonymous
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Are you in the DC area? Why don't you contact Campus Ministry and/ or have DC visit the mass most attended by the Campus Ministry student crowd to assess the vibe?
When I was at Georgetown, a long time ago, there was definitely a small but super-dedicated group of devout Catholic students, enough to support several prayer groups, a charismatic Catholic group, etc. Your DC should be able to find out a lot from the experience of those students. |
Anonymous
Thank you. Yes we are in DMV. I will suggest this to DD and let her pursue if she is inclined. I think Georgetown is a backup to ND as she really loves ND and would prefer to be further away from home. She applied to CUA but it is definitely not at the top of her list. If she doesn't get into ND, she could investigate this further. Thanks again. |
Anonymous
| The kids I met at Notre Dame who transferred in from Georgetown (or went to grad school at ND after graduating from Georgetown) all remarked on "how Catholic" ND was in comparison to Georgetown. "Diet Catholic" was what they called Gtown. |
Anonymous
The cultures of CUA and Georgetown couldn't be more different. I think the answer to your question is, yes, you will find a community of devout catholics at Georgetown, but as a PP noted, they admit students of all faiths and backgrounds. The academics are rooted in their Jesuit culture. My non-Catholic student there has truly enjoyed the experience and other students. But if you are looking for a ND/CUA type community, Georgetown may be too diverse. |
Anonymous
| If you’re looking for a strong Catholic group within a larger student population (as opposed to a Catholic environment that encompasses the entire school), you’re likely to find one at a large Midwest university. My kids both went to 2 different Big 10 universities, & both schools had thriving & unapologetic Catholic communities. |
Anonymous
Can you say which Big 10 schools? Thanks |
Anonymous
+1. At nearly any university, whether large public or mid size private, there will be a small devout group within the larger population. Get in touch with campus ministry to ask questions. Even at BC, same thing, there are students very active in several campus ministry organizations, even though they may be a minority of the whole. I have no doubt she'd find her people at Georgetown. Congrats to her! |
Anonymous
Thank you. Yes, she is looking for diversity in the student body while being able to connect with a small group of devout students. She is not interested in immersing herself into a larger population of like minded people, but rather explore her numerous interests, one of which is her faith. Sadly this thread is starting to get some ugly comments that I hope will be deleted. Please report them. |
Anonymous
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As a non-Catholic (and non-Christian) employee of Georgetown, I think what makes Georgetown special is that an explicit part of the strong Catholic and Jesuit identity is the inclusion of upholding “community in diversity” and embracing all faith traditions (and welcoming those of no faith tradition, as well). The chaplaincy includes Jesuits, an Orthodox Christian priest, Protestant ministers from every denomination, a rabbi, an imam, and leaders from Dharmic traditions.
There are residential ministers who live among the students, an extensive retreat program, and a wide range of sacred spaces. Obviously the largest portion of the student body is Catholic, and within that group you’ll find Hoyas for Choice and faithful attendees of the annual anti-abortion Bishop O’Connell conference (which Georgetown hosts). This page will give you a sense of the opportunities for Catholic students just within Mission and Ministry: https://campusministry.georgetown.edu/faith-traditions/catholic/ Your daughter might also want to look at the Spirit of Georgetown, a list of guiding values, all grounded in the Jesuit tradition: https://missionandministry.georgetown.edu/mission/spirit-of-georgetown/ Good luck to her! |