Catholic colleges across the country are celebrating a year-long observance of the “Year of Faith,” according to the call of Pope Benedict XVI from the Vatican in Rome.
The year, which began October 2012 and will run through November 2013, is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 30th anniversary of the publishing of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
While this Catholic initiative is world-wide, it has a particular significance for American Catholics because of the American Church’s fight for religious liberty during the past year over the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate which would require Catholic schools and hospitals to offer free contraception and abortion services despite the fact the the Church expressly forbids the use of either.
“The concept of religious freedom is being tested,” Tom Hoopes, vice president of college relations at Benedictine College in Atchison, Ks, said to the Cardinal Newman Society. “We aim to give students the arguments and explain why Catholics should be allowed to exercise our conscience and why it’s such a crucial issue.”
This year has been full of political engagement for the Catholic Church and their Christian allies who also feel as if the right to religious liberty is under threat from the American government.
In May 2012, Catholic Colleges, Universities, and Organizations, as well as many non-Catholic supporters, sued the Obama administration for neglecting to respect religious liberty in the HHS mandate.
“We have tried negotiation with the administration and legislation with the Congress, and we’ll keep at it, but there’s still no fix,” said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in May. “Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now.”
The mandate is still hanging in the balance, despite the confirmation from Catholic religious leaders that Catholic schools, hospitals and Universities will be forced to close if these Obamacare provisions are mantained.
The Year of Faith, while it has no direct relation to the politics of the United States, is meant to be a summons to study the documents of the Catholic Church and appreciate the fact that Catholics have their sacred documents available and are able to fully understand and defend the rich tradition of their faith.
“Anything Pope Benedict says we should listen to, standing up,” said Father Robert McTeigue, S.J., director of campus ministry at Ave Maria University in Naples, Fl. “With the rising tide of religious indifference, secularism and militant Islam, Catholics need to be aware of our particular heritage and offer the gift of Christ to the world.”
Catholic colleges are not wasting any time planning symposiums, panels, conferences and other events to get students to actively participate in the academic pursuit of their Faith.
The colleges and Universities participating include, Aquinas in Nashville, Tn., The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., The College of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More in Fort Worth, Tx., DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa., The Franciscian University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Oh., John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego, Ca., Mount St. Mary’s University and Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee, Ok., Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Ca., Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, Nh., University of Dallas in Dallas, Tx., University of Mary in Bismarck, Nd., Walsh University in North Canton, Oh. and Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo.
