The Best Catholic Colleges in the U.S

[Joe_5859]

Could anyone please tell me where Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI ranks on either most/least list? I was under the impression that it’s a fairly well-grounded university with a good bunch of seminarians, but I do know that not all of its professors are Catholic.

I don’t know where Marquette falls on their list of “most Catholic” Catholic schools, but one article in First Things ranked it in the 5th/6th slot for the best place to go for a graduate degree in theology. This is what the author says about Marquette:

Alone among Jesuit doctoral programs, the theology department at Marquette has as its greatest strength the fact that it is not hobbled by the increasingly superannuated agenda of liberal Catholic theology. The faculty in historical theology and systematic theology don’t necessarily jell into a corporate personality, but professors such as Ralph Del Colle and Susan Wood are pushing forward, trying to discern the possibilities for Catholic theology in North America after the collapse of the short-lived but once ruthlessly dominant Rahnerian consensus. Some of the avatars of the declining Rahnerian approach still teach at Marquette, but the theologies of Hans Urs von Balthasar and St. Thomas are also well represented.

Marquette’s biggest liability is Marquette. It’s a fine institution, but it lacks the overall atmosphere of academic excellence that one finds at most elite universities, and this invariably holds back the theology department as well.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

If you don’t mind sharing, where did you send your son to college?

And if you do mind, that’s perfectly fine, but I will tell you that a Catholic student will have to make the decision to stay strong in the faith regardless of the school they go to. Yes, schools like Christendom (where my brother and his wife attended) do take a much more serious approach, and you are more likely to be surrounded by other students who are very strong in their faith. But my school, which always had something lacking in its Catholic identity, still provided me with the opportunities to meet other like-minded students. Granted, I did ultimately stop attending mass on campus and was fortunate enough to have the Extraordinary Form in nearby Manhattan, but I still met people who helped me stay strong and focused in my faith, and I’m sure your son will too!

My son just graduated from Boston College. I feel he got a great education and met many diverse friends. To the above posts about Marquette, We live in that part of the country and I don’t know anyone who has gone there that regrets the experience. Marquette and Loyola/Chicago are are two big draws. I get a better sense of satisfaction from Marquette

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

I cannot speak for Marquette, but my personal experience with a large Catholic school (greater than 10,000 undergrad at my campus) was that many professors are not Catholic, a few may even be anti-Catholic, and the University is willing to ‘dilute’ its Catholic identity because so many students were not Catholic, unlike a smaller school (i.e. Christendom has max capacity of 300 I believe), which makes students adhere to its strictly Catholic nature.

But don’t you think it’s important, at college age, to hear from non catholics so you know exactly where you stand on Catholic doctrine? I think it serves the function of cognitive dissonance, which helps or challenges the student to think more deeply.

 

[Patrick_Joshua]

How does somebody go about getting into an American University outside of the U.S?

 

[Bendecida]

academia.org/cino-link/

amazon.com/Choosing-Right-College-2010-11-Americas/dp/1935191608/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287789496&sr=1-1-spell

BTW I KNOW from personal experience that Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, is a CINO even though other people in this forum don’t care at all about me or those who have suffered at the hands of that institution.

 

[Incomplete]

Great thread, for me at least. My daughter is a high school senior.

Any ideas about the quality of Catholic University of America? The things I hear are quite mixed.

 

[mommyof4]

Great thread, for me at least. My daughter is a high school senior.

Any ideas about the quality of Catholic University of America? The things I hear are quite mixed.

I really think it depends on the college. Good ones and bad ones out there. I am greatful that our Bishop cleaned house at our local Catholic University a few years ago, at least as far as the theology dept went, and we now have orthodox professors there.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

Great thread, for me at least. My daughter is a high school senior.

Any ideas about the quality of Catholic University of America? The things I hear are quite mixed.

This is purely ancecdotal and subjective. When my son was applying to mostly Catholic colleges, I happened to watch a forum on C-span. I believe the topic was Catholic responsibility in government. Tim Russert was the the moderator. There were many opinions from many Catholics. When I heard what the guys from Catholic U had to say, I sincerely hoped my son would be accepted at BC. He had already been accepted at Catholic U and given quite a nice chunk of change. I; know professors at Catholic U and I am not dissing them in any way. This was my personal take, however.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

How does somebody go about getting into an American University outside of the U.S?

Many Catholic Universities like to enroll people from other countries. Explain who you are and why you want to go there. Other than that, I have no useful information. maybe someone else can better help you.

 

[Corki]

I really think it depends on the college. Good ones and bad ones out there. I am greatful that our Bishop cleaned house at our local Catholic University a few years ago, at least as far as the theology dept went, and we now have orthodox professors there.

Can you share which University that is? PM would be ok if you don’t want to “go public”. Thanks.

 

[nerdwriter]

academia.org/cino-link/

amazon.com/Choosing-Right-College-2010-11-Americas/dp/1935191608/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287789496&sr=1-1-spell

BTW I KNOW from personal experience that Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, is a CINO even though other people in this forum don’t care at all about me or those who have suffered at the hands of that institution.

You go/went to MSMC in L.A.? I’m currently going there and I’m upset that I found out way too late that it’s only Catholic in name. Such a disappointing experience for me.

 

[Bendecida]

OH MY GOSH! Yes, I had the misfortune of attending that horrible, and horribly expensive college for a year many years ago. I even wrote a pages-long letter to Cardinal Mahony to tell him about what was going on there about three years ago. A few months ago I went to thier website to find out if the faculty who were indoctrinating the students were fired and guess what, they’re all still there! I’d give you the exact names of the professors I know have an agenda/are biased (including a nun!) but I might be accused of slander in this site so if you want to PM that’s OK.

Please know that I really, really prayed and tried to prevent you from having that experience even though I don’t know you. I don’t want anyone to go thru what I went thru but the people in power in L.A. don’t care. At least I’m comforted in knowing Pope Benedict XVI would be on my side.

(Oh, and there’s a feature on this forum were you can see what members have written in other forums and if you’ll look at mine I give some details about the house of lies that place is.)

 

[nerdwriter]

OH MY GOSH! Yes, I had the misfortune of attending that horrible, and horribly expensive college for a year many years ago. I even wrote a pages-long letter to Cardinal Mahony to tell him about what was going on there about three years ago. A few months ago I went to thier website to find out if the faculty who were indoctrinating the students were fired and guess what, they’re all still there! I’d give you the exact names of the professors I know have an agenda/are biased (including a nun!) but I might be accused of slander in this site so if you want to PM that’s OK.

Please know that I really, really prayed and tried to prevent you from having that experience even though I don’t know you. I don’t want anyone to go thru what I went thru but the people in power in L.A. don’t care. At least I’m comforted in knowing Pope Benedict XVI would be on my side.

(Oh, and there’s a feature on this forum were you can see what members have written in other forums and if you’ll look at mine I give some details about the house of lies that place is.)

I think I know who you’re talking about… and if it is, I’m currently taking her and hating every minute of it. I transferred as a junior (I just started my junior year) and I really regret it. I’m looking into either transferring elsewhere or just starting over and applying to a college that only takes freshman and no transfer (i.e. Thomas Aquinas College). The only thing is that a) I can’t exactly afford college but I’d happily get loans if I go elsewhere and b) I’m 25 and have been trying to finish my degree for years so having to start over would be hard for me.

I’ll definitely DM you though.

 

[Mumbles140]

But don’t you think it’s important, at college age, to hear from non catholics so you know exactly where you stand on Catholic doctrine? I think it serves the function of cognitive dissonance, which helps or challenges the student to think more deeply.

Well you have to remember that these people don’t cloister themselves at schools like Christendom. And with several liberal (and non-practicing Catholic) friends and family members, my brother had his fair share of discussion on why old Aunt Such-and-Such disagrees with that teaching of the Church and how their view of things would be ‘better for everyone.’

Obviously, having to defend/explain one’s faith is a great way to determine ‘where you stand’ as well as grow stronger in it. But one can find those means outside of college. Also, I feel that someone attending such a strict Catholic school such as Christendom will have a pretty good idea of where they stand. This type of school is clearly not for everyone.

Also, one must be cautious about surrounding themselves with too many dissenting opinions. Not saying these should be blocked out, but if your group of friends thinks ‘religion’ is unpopular, it can be a struggle at a critical point in a young person’s life. That is the time when someone stops going to Church ‘with the family’ and has to make the choice to go on their own, and that is the all too often the time when religion is embraced or abandoned, at least for the near future.

 

[Bendecida]

Once again I must retreat to sourcing Dennis Prager: townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2004/03/23/whos_brainwashed_in_america
I don’t expect you all to agree with him but he does offer a good counter-example to the whole argument discussed above by Mumbles.

"Most people assume that any person who is exposed to only one way of looking at the world for all of his or her life can hardly be regarded as open-minded.

Now ask those same individuals how they would describe a person who attended only secular schools from preschool through graduate school."

 

[Mumbles140]

Now ask those same individuals how they would describe a person who attended only secular schools from preschool through graduate school."

For the record, my siblings and myself attended public school from pre-12, so we did have that balance of secular and religious in our studies.

I also think that, at some point in their early lives (normally around the time of confirmation through the end of college), every serious Catholic will take a serious look at their faith and determine if that is truly what they believe. It could just be a unique phenomenon experienced by myself and a few close friends, but it seems that our staying strong and active in our faith requires. I don’t think it necessarily forces one to be ‘immersed’ in secular or dissenting opinions, but as I noted above, it can be helpful for one’s own spiritual growth to have to explain/defend the faith and the reasons why one believes what they do. I think we’ve all seen enough discussions on CAF that show ‘because the Church says so’ is not likely to be accepted in any sort of religious debate with non-Catholics. And once a person can determine why they believe what they do, then they have solidified their beliefs regardless of the environment they are in.

I apologize to the OP and all of those interested in the article about the Best Catholic Colleges. My intent was never to lead us on a tangent, and I hope this hasn’t taken away too much from the original topic.

 

[Bendecida]

Oh, don’t worry about it Mumbles. I’m sure it would have come up eventually anyways.

 

[Jerok]

Wednesday, 20 October 2010 17:13

The First Things list of “Most Catholic Schools” in the U.S.:

1. Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, FL
2. Christendom College, Front Royal, VA
3. Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, OH
4. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA
   5. Benedictine College, Atchison, KS
5. Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC
6. Thomas More College, Merrimack, NH
7. University of Dallas, Irving, TX
8. Providence College, Providence, RI
9. Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, MD
10. College of St. Thomas More, Fort Worth, TX
11. University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX

aveherald.com/news/712-amu-ranked-as-qmost-catholic-catholic-schoolq-in-america.html

I go to Benedictine College! Great place.

 

[Joe_5859]

Great thread, for me at least. My daughter is a high school senior.

Any ideas about the quality of Catholic University of America? The things I hear are quite mixed.

That doesn’t surprise me. There are some great places within the CUA conglomerate like the JPII Institute, the Dominican House of Studies, etc… But then, it was also once home to Charles Curran.

From what I’ve heard, it is really much better than it was years ago. I know lots of good people who have gotten doctorates from there.

 

[Corki]

But don’t you think it’s important, at college age, to hear from non catholics so you know exactly where you stand on Catholic doctrine? I think it serves the function of cognitive dissonance, which helps or challenges the student to think more deeply.

It’s not the non-Catholics that worry me. I just don’t want to pay tens of thousands of dollars for Catholic faculty to try to undermine my kids’ faith.

My son just graduated from Boston College. I feel he got a great education and met many diverse friends. To the above posts about Marquette, We live in that part of the country and I don’t know anyone who has gone there that regrets the experience. Marquette and Loyola/Chicago are are two big draws. I get a better sense of satisfaction from Marquette

So how was BC in catholicity? I just went to their home page and there’s no mention of Catholicism there and it looks like they don’t have Mass on campus. Is there more there than the eye can see?