would you attend Notre Dame as a non-Catholic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of the hundred or so schools she could pick why that one if this may even be a small issue for her?

OP here. Well, we're trying to figure out if it IS an issue. I attended Georgetown (graduate school) and it might as well have been a secular school. I know nothing about ND.

NP. ND is less secular than Georgetown. More Catholic in feeling, sure, but still, per the PP above, perhaps two-thirds of the kids do not attend mass on any sort of regular basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of the hundred or so schools she could pick why that one if this may even be a small issue for her?

OP here. Well, we're trying to figure out if it IS an issue. I attended Georgetown (graduate school) and it might as well have been a secular school. I know nothing about ND.

She will be totally fine.

The thing that kids at Notre Dame will value is the social service side of things. Not the theological particulars. If she's going to a presbyterian church and volunteering, absolutely no one at Notre Dame is going to give her a hard time.

The bigger issue is that Notre Dame is a very front facing Catholic school. They are not shy about it. Touchdown Jesus is a thing. The grotto. The masses. Notre Dame is not hiding anything. They are a Catholic school.

But everyone is welcome. And it's not like every student is going to Latin mass every morning. But Notre Dame is a pretty Catholic environment. A priest is always going to be the Chancellor. So, the bigger question is does she feel cool there. There will be a lot of crucifixes. A lot of Marys. It's part of the environment.

[Anonymous]

I can't see the appeal for your family. She might even convert so think about if you are okay with that. It draws people from all over the country, but the common thread is the religion.

[Anonymous]

The Protestant reformation is over. If she’s a devout Christian, she might have more in common with students there vs a non-religious university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't see the appeal for your family. She might even convert so think about if you are okay with that. It draws people from all over the country, but the common thread is the religion.

It's an academic institution and the common thread is it's a T20 school.

[Anonymous]

One consideration here is identity -- people in the future may assume your DD is Catholic because she went to ND. That may or may not be a problem, but people will make that association. So you might factor that in as well, and consider if it could have a social impact on her post-graduate life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Protestant reformation is over. If she’s a devout Christian, she might have more in common with students there vs a non-religious university.

Reformed protestants are pretty much catholics who want to REFORM Catholicism - not revolutionize it.

[Anonymous]

OP, I would not worry about it at all. The fact that your daughter embraces her faith is an automatic commonality she will have with many students. One of my son's classmates is not Catholic (not sure what her religion is though), but I know she is pretty conservative and religious. She loved ND and is even considering going for grad school. As for the Catholics, there are all types. Some only attend mass for the social aspect while others are very serious about their faith. My son has 5 roommates and three of them are more devout and attend mass every Sunday. My son and the other two never attend Sunday mass, but they do go during the week in their dorm.

As for the masses, all are welcome. There are many masses in various residence halls each day of the week. Your daughter will likely attend a mass in her dorm on some evening during the week. Many attend masses in other dorms that have themes...example one dorm has a "Milkshake Mass" where after mass the residents of that dorm serve milkshakes to all who attend. It is really a fun community experience.

Please don't let others on this board discourage you just because of the school's Catholic roots. Yes, it is a big part of its identity, but we Christians all worship the same Christ. Academically it is a great institution, and football weekends are an absolute blast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So...it's not a question of whether she will feel welcome. It's a question of whether she will feel comfortable as one of the very few religious non Catholics. For example, will she have other friends who are not Catholic but who are still interested in going to church with her? If not, will she be okay going to church alone or will she want to go to Catholic mass?

OP here. Do kids go to Catholic mass while in college at ND? What percentage would you guess go on a weekly basis?

I guess it comes down to how many "grew up Catholic" or are social Catholics and how many are truly actively practicing, devout Catholics as college students.

OP yes they do many of them.

This is a non starter. If your kid wants a Catholic education great otherwise why in the world are you even entertaining this?

Seriously find another school.

Yes, they go to mass. It's 82 percent catholic. The remaining are often hooked students to help with ND's abysmal diversity scores. There are chapels in the dorms for mass. It's very cold. Students are spouse hunting. Why would you do this if you are non-catholic when there are 4,000 other institutions in the US to pick from? There are many threads on this already.

[Anonymous]

Think about how many Catholic families are at your DD’s Episcopal school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Think about how many Catholic families are at your DD’s Episcopal school.

interesting. I would estimate 10% Catholic, 10% Jewish, 20% no religion and 60% Protestant of some sort (many Episcopal)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again.
some potential issues (?)

1)the Catholic kids and their families will all know each other or will be friends-of-friends (Can see this happening?)

2)The Catholic kids will be getting out of bed at 8am on Sundays to go to mass and my kid will be heading to the Presbyterian church at 10am. (Not sure how likely this is or not for any of them in college?)

3)The Catholic kids and my daughter will get into theological debates over the sacraments, Mary and church structure. (Have a hard time seeing my kid caring enough on her end ?)

These 3 will be no problem at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of students, even grad students in my experience, are Catholic and are practicing Catholics. Does that mean they live within all the tenets of the Catholic Church, no. Does that mean they go to mass most Sundays and are otherwise believers, yes. And no, all the Catholic families don't know each other but legacy is huge here and it is not unusual for several siblings from the same family to attend - and this definitely creates a certain atmosphere. I attended as a not very devout Catholic (after having attended Catholic school growing up) and there were plenty of times I wondered what I was doing there but I don't think your DD would feel out of place as long as she is a person of faith. Best to visit and spend time on the campus for your DD to get a sense of how she would feel there, especially given many of the students attended Catholic school their whole lives. I did not do that before I attended and that would have lessened the shock of how Catholic the students are.

You didn’t actually go to Notre Dame. Stick to your lane.

[Anonymous]

Yes, absolutely. ND is the only top school that will not completely woke the crap out of your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So...it's not a question of whether she will feel welcome. It's a question of whether she will feel comfortable as one of the very few religious non Catholics. For example, will she have other friends who are not Catholic but who are still interested in going to church with her? If not, will she be okay going to church alone or will she want to go to Catholic mass?

OP here. Do kids go to Catholic mass while in college at ND? What percentage would you guess go on a weekly basis?

I guess it comes down to how many "grew up Catholic" or are social Catholics and how many are truly actively practicing, devout Catholics as college students.

OP yes they do many of them.

This is a non starter. If your kid wants a Catholic education great otherwise why in the world are you even entertaining this?

Seriously find another school.

Yes, they go to mass. It's 82 percent catholic. The remaining are often hooked students to help with ND's abysmal diversity scores. There are chapels in the dorms for mass. It's very cold. Students are spouse hunting. Why would you do this if you are non-catholic when there are 4,000 other institutions in the US to pick from? There are many threads on this already.

NP. "They" go to mass, but what fraction and how often? LOL, not even half. Maybe a third, tops, attend mass.
-grad of another Catholic college