Philadelphia schools — what about Saint Joseph’s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can understand how someone who is not Catholic might hear the words "Jesuit core" and incorrectly assume they are all religion classes (if you didn't listen the words that followed describing regular core classes); or hear "daily mass is held" and assume is was expected or highly used (btw many non-religious colleges also offer daily Mass in the Catholic center; very few lay Catholics under the age of 80 attend daily Mass); or understand that Campus Ministry is a small group of people who organize the optional religious activities of a campus (and most colleges have a variety of campus ministries for different religions, or one that covers them all).

A lot of Catholics do not fully appreciate how much misinformation and disinformation is out there about Catholics generally. I also think that when a large group of people have a shared cultural experience that is not yours, it can be difficult to feel totally comfortable and fit in. It isn't usually fun to be the one who doesn't get the lingo or the inside jokes.

Well, they should do their research beforehand, then -- or pipe up during the tour itself and ask a question. "Are the Jesuit core classes all religion classes?" That's not too difficult to ask.

By the way, there aren't even six "Jesuit core" classes required at St. Joes's. There are two "Jesuit Tradition Common Core Classes" -- one philosophy class, and one theology class. That's it. The other four required classes, none of which is theology, are called "Cultural Legacy Common Core Classes" and are history, English, etc.

If you're gonna come on here and say you wrote off a college based on its core requirements, you should make sure you know what they are first.

The poster didn't say they wrote off the college due to its core requirements, but because they got the sense it was more religious than they originally thought. Last I checked, this was a free country, where everyone is entitled to their opinion. OP asked for impressions and one was given. Move on.

"We found it super religious, which my daughter was not expecting. It could have just been our tour guide, but he mainly stressed the 6 Jesuit mandatory core class requirements . . . "

The poster clearly cited the course requirements as the first part of her argument that it was "super religious."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from outside of Philly and have a beach house in NJ and my observation is that the St Joe's alumni network is really strong. When we're at the beach we're often surrounded by St Joe's friend groups and they're successful, lovely families.

Are they "super religious?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found it super religious, which my daughter was not expecting. It could have just been our tour guide, but he mainly stressed the 6 Jesuit mandatory core class requirements, the Campus Ministry and the daily and weekly mass. Community felt really close and engaged, just wasn't a good fit for my daughter (we are Jewish by the way.)

You obviously went into your visit without an open mind -- maybe because you are Jewish?

St Joe's is not "super religious" at all.

The 6 "Jesuit mandatory core class requirements" that you deride only have ONE theology class: "Faith, Justice, and the Catholic Tradition." The other core classes are philosophy, English, history, and the First Year Seminar (which has nothing to do with religion).

Get real.

I mean, she did also say that the other two things (out of three) that the guide stressed were "the Campus Ministry and the daily and weekly mass." I can certainly see how an open-minded kid could come away with the impression that a school was "super religious" after a tour like that.

Two out of three my ass. Nobody at St Joe's goes to daily mass. Cut me a break. She went into the tour with an attitude, and she completely misrepresented the core requirements consistent with that attitude.

Wow, I'm Catholic and I see no evidence to assume she went in with an "attitude". I thought her response was perfectly reasonable, but yours was not. St. Joe's is a fairly religious school. There are plenty of "St" schools that are not-- "St. Olaf's" isn't particularly nor is "St. John's" but St. Joe's is an actively religious school. Nothing wrong with it, but it's understandable that a kid taking a tour might be surprised by it. And saying she "misrepresented" -- it's someone on a tour--they're not going to fully understand what is meant by their core requirements. And that a tour guide mentions the mass schedule and campus ministry tells you it's fairly religious. My kids who are Catholic thought it was too religious for their tastes too. Your defensiveness is really off-putting.

She did zero research before coming on here. That's clearly the case. I just proved it. And, again, I have no connection to St Joe's.

So what? She gave her daughter's opinion about its religiosity and what she remembered from the tour. The fact is that someone emphasized the Jesuit core along with other things which gave her daughter that impression. She doesn't have to do any further research--just report her experience.

[Anonymous]

Solid Jesuit school on the city line. Similar reputation, and in the same conference, as La Salle, but in a better area - although that is another school you can look into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can understand how someone who is not Catholic might hear the words "Jesuit core" and incorrectly assume they are all religion classes (if you didn't listen the words that followed describing regular core classes); or hear "daily mass is held" and assume is was expected or highly used (btw many non-religious colleges also offer daily Mass in the Catholic center; very few lay Catholics under the age of 80 attend daily Mass); or understand that Campus Ministry is a small group of people who organize the optional religious activities of a campus (and most colleges have a variety of campus ministries for different religions, or one that covers them all).

A lot of Catholics do not fully appreciate how much misinformation and disinformation is out there about Catholics generally. I also think that when a large group of people have a shared cultural experience that is not yours, it can be difficult to feel totally comfortable and fit in. It isn't usually fun to be the one who doesn't get the lingo or the inside jokes.

Well, they should do their research beforehand, then -- or pipe up during the tour itself and ask a question. "Are the Jesuit core classes all religion classes?" That's not too difficult to ask.

By the way, there aren't even six "Jesuit core" classes required at St. Joes's. There are two "Jesuit Tradition Common Core Classes" -- one philosophy class, and one theology class. That's it. The other four required classes, none of which is theology, are called "Cultural Legacy Common Core Classes" and are history, English, etc.

If you're gonna come on here and say you wrote off a college based on its core requirements, you should make sure you know what they are first.

The poster didn't say they wrote off the college due to its core requirements, but because they got the sense it was more religious than they originally thought. Last I checked, this was a free country, where everyone is entitled to their opinion. OP asked for impressions and one was given. Move on.

"We found it super religious, which my daughter was not expecting. It could have just been our tour guide, but he mainly stressed the 6 Jesuit mandatory core class requirements . . . "

The poster clearly cited the course requirements as the first part of her argument that it was "super religious."

If anyone is interested in judging for themselves what the six core courses represent, here is a description:

https://sites.sju.edu/geprog/gep-requirements/signature-core-requirements

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found it super religious, which my daughter was not expecting. It could have just been our tour guide, but he mainly stressed the 6 Jesuit mandatory core class requirements, the Campus Ministry and the daily and weekly mass. Community felt really close and engaged, just wasn't a good fit for my daughter (we are Jewish by the way.)

You obviously went into your visit without an open mind -- maybe because you are Jewish?

St Joe's is not "super religious" at all.

The 6 "Jesuit mandatory core class requirements" that you deride only have ONE theology class: "Faith, Justice, and the Catholic Tradition." The other core classes are philosophy, English, history, and the First Year Seminar (which has nothing to do with religion).

Get real.

I mean, she did also say that the other two things (out of three) that the guide stressed were "the Campus Ministry and the daily and weekly mass." I can certainly see how an open-minded kid could come away with the impression that a school was "super religious" after a tour like that.

Two out of three my ass. Nobody at St Joe's goes to daily mass. Cut me a break. She went into the tour with an attitude, and she completely misrepresented the core requirements consistent with that attitude.

Wow, I'm Catholic and I see no evidence to assume she went in with an "attitude". I thought her response was perfectly reasonable, but yours was not. St. Joe's is a fairly religious school. There are plenty of "St" schools that are not-- "St. Olaf's" isn't particularly nor is "St. John's" but St. Joe's is an actively religious school. Nothing wrong with it, but it's understandable that a kid taking a tour might be surprised by it. And saying she "misrepresented" -- it's someone on a tour--they're not going to fully understand what is meant by their core requirements. And that a tour guide mentions the mass schedule and campus ministry tells you it's fairly religious. My kids who are Catholic thought it was too religious for their tastes too. Your defensiveness is really off-putting.

She did zero research before coming on here. That's clearly the case. I just proved it. And, again, I have no connection to St Joe's.

So what? She gave her daughter's opinion about its religiosity and what she remembered from the tour. The fact is that someone emphasized the Jesuit core along with other things which gave her daughter that impression. She doesn't have to do any further research--just report her experience.

+1. And "proved it"? LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can understand how someone who is not Catholic might hear the words "Jesuit core" and incorrectly assume they are all religion classes (if you didn't listen the words that followed describing regular core classes); or hear "daily mass is held" and assume is was expected or highly used (btw many non-religious colleges also offer daily Mass in the Catholic center; very few lay Catholics under the age of 80 attend daily Mass); or understand that Campus Ministry is a small group of people who organize the optional religious activities of a campus (and most colleges have a variety of campus ministries for different religions, or one that covers them all).

A lot of Catholics do not fully appreciate how much misinformation and disinformation is out there about Catholics generally. I also think that when a large group of people have a shared cultural experience that is not yours, it can be difficult to feel totally comfortable and fit in. It isn't usually fun to be the one who doesn't get the lingo or the inside jokes.

St Joe’s is very Catholic and similar to the University of Scranton in its draw of students. It’s a very fine school. As a Catholic I hope it never changes to be more ecumenical or to apologize for being Catholic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can understand how someone who is not Catholic might hear the words "Jesuit core" and incorrectly assume they are all religion classes (if you didn't listen the words that followed describing regular core classes); or hear "daily mass is held" and assume is was expected or highly used (btw many non-religious colleges also offer daily Mass in the Catholic center; very few lay Catholics under the age of 80 attend daily Mass); or understand that Campus Ministry is a small group of people who organize the optional religious activities of a campus (and most colleges have a variety of campus ministries for different religions, or one that covers them all).

A lot of Catholics do not fully appreciate how much misinformation and disinformation is out there about Catholics generally. I also think that when a large group of people have a shared cultural experience that is not yours, it can be difficult to feel totally comfortable and fit in. It isn't usually fun to be the one who doesn't get the lingo or the inside jokes.

St Joe’s is very Catholic and similar to the University of Scranton in its draw of students. It’s a very fine school. As a Catholic I hope it never changes to be more ecumenical or to apologize for being Catholic

I agree that it's similar to Scranton. I think they're both better than La Salle U.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can understand how someone who is not Catholic might hear the words "Jesuit core" and incorrectly assume they are all religion classes (if you didn't listen the words that followed describing regular core classes); or hear "daily mass is held" and assume is was expected or highly used (btw many non-religious colleges also offer daily Mass in the Catholic center; very few lay Catholics under the age of 80 attend daily Mass); or understand that Campus Ministry is a small group of people who organize the optional religious activities of a campus (and most colleges have a variety of campus ministries for different religions, or one that covers them all).

A lot of Catholics do not fully appreciate how much misinformation and disinformation is out there about Catholics generally. I also think that when a large group of people have a shared cultural experience that is not yours, it can be difficult to feel totally comfortable and fit in. It isn't usually fun to be the one who doesn't get the lingo or the inside jokes.

St Joe’s is very Catholic and similar to the University of Scranton in its draw of students. It’s a very fine school. As a Catholic I hope it never changes to be more ecumenical or to apologize for being Catholic

I'm the PP who said my Catholic kids found it "too religious." I agree no private school has to apologize for being too Catholic--or any religion-- but neither does any potential student--Catholic or otherwise-- have to apologize for it not being well-suited to them. But I will say, their website talks about the Jesuit tradition, but didn't convey how actively religious the school feels when you talk to students, go on the tour . Our guide too mentioned mass, campus ministry etc. and all the student panel members mentioned some kind of on-campus religious organization as an important part of their lives. There were people praying in the chapel mid-day when we peeked in etc. When we were at lunch, a table nearby did a formal blessing before eating. All fine--lovely even by my standards-- but it did take my kids by surprise.

[Anonymous]

I went to St. Joe's. I graudated many years ago. Unless something has changed, I found it very liberal for a Catholic university compared to the other Catholic universities in the Philadelphia area. The Jesuits always seemed to be more liberal than the other religious orders.

As far as safety goes, it is a safer section of Philadelphia compared to other colleges and universities in the city itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found it super religious, which my daughter was not expecting. It could have just been our tour guide, but he mainly stressed the 6 Jesuit mandatory core class requirements, the Campus Ministry and the daily and weekly mass. Community felt really close and engaged, just wasn't a good fit for my daughter (we are Jewish by the way.)

You obviously went into your visit without an open mind -- maybe because you are Jewish?

St Joe's is not "super religious" at all.

The 6 "Jesuit mandatory core class requirements" that you deride only have ONE theology class: "Faith, Justice, and the Catholic Tradition." The other core classes are philosophy, English, history, and the First Year Seminar (which has nothing to do with religion).

Get real.

I mean, she did also say that the other two things (out of three) that the guide stressed were "the Campus Ministry and the daily and weekly mass." I can certainly see how an open-minded kid could come away with the impression that a school was "super religious" after a tour like that.

Two out of three my ass. Nobody at St Joe's goes to daily mass. Cut me a break. She went into the tour with an attitude, and she completely misrepresented the core requirements consistent with that attitude.

Wow, I'm Catholic and I see no evidence to assume she went in with an "attitude". I thought her response was perfectly reasonable, but yours was not. St. Joe's is a fairly religious school. There are plenty of "St" schools that are not-- "St. Olaf's" isn't particularly nor is "St. John's" but St. Joe's is an actively religious school. Nothing wrong with it, but it's understandable that a kid taking a tour might be surprised by it. And saying she "misrepresented" -- it's someone on a tour--they're not going to fully understand what is meant by their core requirements. And that a tour guide mentions the mass schedule and campus ministry tells you it's fairly religious. My kids who are Catholic thought it was too religious for their tastes too. Your defensiveness is really off-putting.

She did zero research before coming on here. That's clearly the case. I just proved it. And, again, I have no connection to St Joe's.

So what? She gave her daughter's opinion about its religiosity and what she remembered from the tour. The fact is that someone emphasized the Jesuit core along with other things which gave her daughter that impression. She doesn't have to do any further research--just report her experience.

Who are you, a Trumpster? There's opinions, and there are facts. She misstated facts about the core requirements. Plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

By the standard being applied on this thread to St Joe's, any Catholic university in the United States outside of Georgetown is uber Catholic, overrun by holy rollers, and is no place where anyone could feel comfortable other than aspiring priests and nuns. I find this astounding.

[Anonymous]

We toured it this past year and didn't get an overly religious vibe. I went to Loyola and all of the things mentioned- mass, campus ministry, etc were all optional. I never went to mass or did any CM activities. The core requirements weren't trying to get students to convert. I think anyone could easily fit into most Jesuit schools no matter what your religious inclination is. It's take it or leave it. Nobody cares much either way.

[Anonymous]

Anyone have info on St. Joe's sober living community?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We toured it this past year and didn't get an overly religious vibe. I went to Loyola and all of the things mentioned- mass, campus ministry, etc were all optional. I never went to mass or did any CM activities. The core requirements weren't trying to get students to convert. I think anyone could easily fit into most Jesuit schools no matter what your religious inclination is. It's take it or leave it. Nobody cares much either way.

+1. I also went to a Jesuit school in the northeast (not St Joe's). While the large majority of the student body was Catholic, as was I, I never stepped foot in church the entire time I was there and most of my friends didn't either. The ones who did regularly attend mass on Sundays were typically hungover, and that was the full extent of their religious devotion. I also don't recall ever having a single conversation with another student or, for that matter, professor -- including the Jesuit priests -- about anything having to do with religion.

I also know many St Joe graduates, and they're no different. Sure, many are nominally Catholic, but they're largely from Philadelphia, which like New York and Boston are heavily Catholic cities. It's a cultural thing more than a religious thing. The idea that St Joe is "super religious" is just plain ridiculous.