Catholic College?

High School Seniors, now is the time to choose a few colleges! Yes, I said a few. Not just one college; you never put all your eggs in one basket. That being said you can categorize your priorities based on your criteria and create a front runner. First you need to establish why you are going to college. If you believe that your vocation is to be a Register Nurse, then schools that offer an R.N. program should top your list. When making a list of priorities, be honest about your intentions when you are writing your list. If you are going to college and you are not sure what to study it is easy to find schools that will measure up. There are 24 colleges that can truly call themselves Catholic in the U.S.

Aquinas College, Augustine Institute, Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic Distance University, The Catholic University of America, Christendom College, The College of Saint Thomas More, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Institute for Psychological Sciences, John Paul the Great Catholic University, Magdalen College, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, St. Gregory’s University, Southern Catholic College, Thomas Aquinas College, The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, University of Dallas, University of Sacramento, University of St. Thomas, Walsh University, and Wyoming Catholic College

These are the Colleges where the faculty complies with the Church’s Madatum of faith. No theology class should be taken by a professor that does not make this commitment to the Catholic Church. The Church requires all Theology professors to make this oath, Cannon 833, and any school that does not comply with this is not truly Catholic. The oath is as follows:

“I hereby declare my role and responsibility as a teacher of a theological discipline within the full communion of the Church. As a teacher of a theological discipline, therefore, I am committed to teach authentic Catholic doctrine and to refrain from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church’s magisterium.” NCR

So if you are planning on studying the faith at all during college the above list is a good start for your college search. Once you have established your reason to go to college whether you are going to be a scientist or your primary goal is recycle your education into your children. The other students attending the college are going to be a factor in the college equation. In 2007 the AMU graduating class was composed of 75% of couples who met at college; another 7% went into the seminary; and several girls entered the convent. Whether these students set out to find a spouse, become a priest, or a sister; going attending college with people who share your faith is important. If I can stress one more point about choosing a college, it would be visit the school in session. Meet the professors, stay in the dorms, talk to the students and ask their opinions of the school. The admissions team are salesmen. They look out for the interests of the school. The best person to decide if a particular college is where God is calling you; is you. So pray and take care to listen to God when you look into a college. He might be calling you to the one you least expect.