The freshman “Catholic Identity”

By: Rebecca Nasca
Posted In: News

Like many Catholic universities in the 21st century, Salve Regina University seeks to define what it means to be a “Catholic” university. But this “Catholic Identity” is understood differently by different members of the Salve Regina community, especially students.

The basis of this “Catholic Identity” comes from the mission statement of the school, which explains, “As a community that welcomes people of all beliefs, Salve Regina University, a Catholic institution founded by the Sisters of Mercy, seeks wisdom and promotes universal justice.” The mission statement goes on to enumerate the ways in which these values will be integrated.

Sister Leona Misto, vice president for mission integration and planning, says the goal is to integrate the mission into every aspect of life at the university. Sister Misto points out that all members of Salve Regina’s community begin their time here with an orientation. In these orientations, Sister Misto is the first to speak to them about “living the mission” through academics and service.

But students don’t necessarily connect the mission with a strong “Catholic Identity.” An anonymous survey taken of one freshman New Student Seminar class reveals a small cross section of the students’ perception of Salve Regina’s “Catholic Identity.” Students were asked questions such as, “Did you feel that Salve Regina University had a strong Catholic Identity when you applied?” and “After your first semester at Salve do you feel the school has a strong Catholic Identity?” Most responded after their first semester at Salve Regina, they felt the campus did not have a strong Catholic identity.

The factors of the student’s disconnect seem to be with the “Catholic” part of Salve Regina’s identity. The same freshman class gives a few hints in their survey responses. The majority indicated that they considered themselves to be Catholic or at least Christian. But, only half of the students knew where the chapel on campus was. Even fewer knew where the Campus Ministry center was. Only a very small number had ever attended Mass on campus.

Philip Fiadino, a campus minister and liturgist at Salve Regina, has concerns about the presence of the Catholic religion on campus. Fiadino feels Campus Ministry, the leader of Salve Regina’s religious life, should be more visible to members of the community. For example, during a recent open house, meetings and check-ins were scheduled at the same time morning mass was held in the chapel. No mention was made to the guests of the mass.

“I think there is a correlation between going to church and Catholic Identity,” says Fiadino. From his past nearly 30 years of experience in campus ministry at Cornell, Purdue and now Salve Regina, Fiadino finds the numbers of students attending mass at Salve Regina to be discouraging. He has observed weekly head counts while attending years of student Masses at these universities. Fiadino observed around 4,000 students at Sunday Mass at Purdue, a school of about 38,000. At Cornell, nearly 800 of the 18,000 students came. Salve Regina, with 2,500 students, has about 50 students come to Mass on Sundays.

Sister Mitso’s interpretation of what it means to be a “Catholic” university is different. She says Salve Regina’s “Catholic Identity” is to live the virtue of mercy, the virtue her religious order is constructed around, not to evangelize. Her hope is Salve Regina will convey “A broader concept about what it means to be Catholic.” She hopes the school will instill a moral responsibility in its students and teach enduring values.

Students connect better with this broader view of a “Catholic Identity.” Monika Raczkowski, a Salve Regina sophomore, likes that the “Catholic Identity” is not forced, but is present. She says that because Catholicism is not forced, it makes the school open to those of other faiths, such as herself. When asked what the Salve Regina’s “Catholic Identity” was, Raczkowski answered “the first thing we learn is “Catholic” is the mission statement which the faculty is aware of and trying to incorporate into the curriculum. It is not as apparent among the students, though.”

Fiadino agrees that a broader view of a “Catholic Identity,” one which is integrated, is how Salve Regina presents itself. Fiadino notes that themes such as immigration, rights to clean water, nonviolence, and women’s rights are all themes on which Catholic Bishops have teachings. These are all objectively Catholic and are integrated into the student’s experience. However, Fiadino is concerned that the theological component is not translated into the student’s imaginations.

Programs and requirements, such as the freshman’s mandatory hours of community service, are based in the Catholic teaching to serve. Fiadino feels that such opportunities could be further enhanced by a theological component at the end of the requirement. Such a discussion might reinforce the “Catholic” part of Salve Regina’s identity.

Salve Regina’s affiliation with Catholicism raises a number of challenges which secular universities do not have to face. For example, traditionally Catholic universities relied on the members of religious groups such as the Sisters of Mercy to staff the faculty of schools. Today, these universities are faced with the decreasing numbers in religious life. Therefore, Catholic universities must turn to lay persons to teach in their universities. Salve Regina’s staff of Sisters, which 30 years ago numbered around 45, has dropped dramatically. For this reason, Sister Misto says Salve Regina invites the faculty to understand the mission and mercy so as to carry these forward. Sister Misto says the hope is to teach Catholic ideals in every area of study, not just religious studies. For example, in science classes, teachers discuss ethics and non-discrimination.

Though the common perception of a Catholic university may be a school that has a strong base in theology, this is not the nature of Salve Regina’s “Catholic Identity.” According to Sister Misto, a strong “Catholic Identity” is when you live the gospel which one can only do in “a way saturated with mercy.” This, she hopes, is the meaning Salve Regina will impart on its students. In the 21st century, integrating Catholic values seems to be how a catholic university will preserve its’ “Catholic Identity.”