Catholic studies is a discipline that has become a staple at both private and public universities across the country. This year, Boston College is also offering Catholic studies as an interdisciplinary minor, one of the last of the United States' 28 Jesuit colleges and universities to do so.
"Catholic studies," however, is a deceptive title. Though the purpose of such programs differs from school to school, BC's minor will look at Catholicism not only from a theological approach but from a myriad of perspectives.
Catholic studies will paint Catholicism as a subject that can be studied from a variety of departments. Cross-disciplinary course offerings will come from areas such as history, English, sociology, fine arts, romance languages, political science, and economics.
The purpose of the Catholic studies minor is to examine the religion as a culture, similar to BC's approach to concentrations in Women's studies and Asian studies.
The growing need for such exploration comes from a variety of sources, including both a diminishing focus on religious education and the increasing plurality of Catholicism. The first of these, the fact that religious illiteracy is becoming a growing trend in today's society, has its roots in the background of the very students who study it.
Mary Ann Hinsdale, one of two coordinators of the minor, explained this phenomenon, saying that there no longer exists an insulated Catholic culture. Generations ago, Catholics went to Catholic schools and were indoctrinated by Catholic communities since birth. In postmodern society she said, "the culture gets to people before the church does."
This religious literacy leaves today's Catholic youth with only a limited background in their faith; for many students, religious education has meant little more than attending weekly parish religion classes through elementary and middle school.
For this reason, today's college-going generation may have an increasing need for a Catholic studies minor. Such a minor can provide a wide-reaching understanding of Catholicism that is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in present-day society.
The increasing multiculturalism in the Catholic faith poses an even greater need for academic study.
"Catholicism has a rich tradition with many cultural aspects. The word 'Catholic' does after all, come from the Greek term for universal. The Catholic identity is not narrow and sectarian," said Hinsdale, referencing the large Latino and black Catholic populations.
"Notre Dame has a niche in Irish Catholicism that isn't necessarily relevant anymore, not at BC. Boston College was originally a school for Irish commuters from South Boston. Now, an Irish commuter from South Boston couldn't afford to go here."
To commemorate the commencement of the Catholic studies minor, co-director for Fordham University's center for Catholic studies, Rev. Mark Massa, S.J., was invited to speak at a lecture titled, "Culture, Conflict, and Catholic Studies." The lecture follows a 2006 panel, "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Catholicism," that presented the concept of approaching Catholicism from a variety of disciplines to BC.
Massa addressed the concept of multiculturalism within Catholicism in his speech.
"The Catholic church is depicted as a white, Irish institution," Massa said. However he said, "You can't tell the story of the American Catholic past in one narrative. Pluralism has been an intrinsic part of American Catholic history."
Massa also discussed the importance of finding a balance between secularism and sectarianism in Catholic higher education. The current trend appears to point toward increasing secularism. However, Massa said, "Catholic traditions cannot be elective at any institution of learning that calls itself Catholic."
Sectarianism, which Hinsdale says is a very dogmatic approach to Catholic education, can be equally dangerous. Hinsdale cited Ave Maria University, a Catholic university around which a planned Roman Catholic community has developed, as an example of a sectarian extreme.
The balance, Massa said, lies in facilitating conversation between faculty members.
"It is in the University's best interest to have faculty discuss religious identification at length and come to a broad agreement. There must be some calculus, which balances academic freedom with religious allegiance," Massa said.
Hinsdale said that the Catholic studies minor was never intended to bolster the institution's Catholic identity. BC has other means through which to establish itself as Catholic, some of which include Campus Ministry and Ministry and Mission.
The Catholic studies minor was never intended to fulfill BC's requirements for the Catholic label in an increasingly secular world.
"Catholic studies is not about indoctrinating but about opening up the richness of tradition from all these other disciplines," Hinsdale said.
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