Campus Ministry brings Theology on Tap to Notre Dame

 

Notre Dame’s Campus Ministry hosted the second of its four-part Theology on Tap series, a new initiative on campus this semester, on Wednesday, November 5.

Though new to Notre Dame’s campus, Theology on Tap began in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1981.  Two priests, Father John Cusick and Father Jack Wall, sought to provide an opportunity for young adults to engage their faith and share in Christian community in a relaxed, comfortable environment—often a restaurant, coffeehouse, or bar.

Since its initiation, Theology on Tap has spread from the Chicago area all over the country, and these events are now common nationwide.  Theology on Tap usually features a keynote speaker presenting on a specific theological concept, time for small group discussion and faith sharing, community building, and time for the speaker to take questions from the group.

Campus Ministry has adopted this popular model for the Notre Dame student community with a four-part series that meets at Legends each week.  The series is titled “Justice: You’re Doing it Wrong, Moving from Politics to the Human Heart” and covers a variety of subjects.  With discussions on homosexuality, immigration, poverty, and incarceration, the series focuses on a different marginalized group each week and seeks to explore ways that students can understand and approach each of these communities with wisdom and love.

Senior Joe Fredrickson, one of the main organizers of Theology on Tap at Notre Dame, told the Rovermore about Campus Ministry’s decision to host Theology on Tap on campus:

“The genesis of Theology on Tap at Notre Dame dates back to spring semester last year, but the idea of Theology on Tap itself was started back in the 1980s in Chicago.  It came about as a way to bring together young adults in the community and to spark discussions about faith.  This was why Campus Ministry decided to bring the program here, as well.  A lot of ministry is just about meeting people where they are, and it’s a pleasant reality that a good number of students at Notre Dame are at the bar.

“Far from condemning the party or bar scene, Theology on Tap enters into the spaces where students are and lifts up the conversations and communities being formed there.  Everything is done with the intention of genuinely and unabashedly asking students to consider how God is calling them to act in their lives.”

Fredrickson, along with seniors Marco Cerritelli, Annie Crider, and Geoff Burdell, led the charge in working with Campus Ministry to bring Theology on Tap to Notre Dame.  The group wanted a theme that would interest students and celebrate the dignity of all people.

“Very early on in the process, we latched on to the idea of pairing controversial political debates with church teaching,” Fredrickson said.  “The idea of justice as a Christian virtue has been lost among similar but incomplete claims on ‘retribution’ and ‘punishment.’  We say that ‘justice has been served’ when we send a man behind bars for 20 years but never stop to ask if this is serving the victim’s needs or whether the offender’s dignity as a person is being supported by the current criminal justice system.”

The group invited a range of speakers to present at Theology on Tap, including Notre Dame alumni and Holy Cross priests, to offer a variety of perspectives for their conversations.  Their hope is that students who attend Theology on Tap not only enjoy their experience, but are also challenged to grow.

“We all have a responsibility, both in our current vocations as students at the University of Notre Dame and as a people who learn constantly through every interaction with creation around us, to question things that we are unsure of and humbly pursue the ways in which God is calling us to action,” Fredrickson said.

“Theology on Tap serves the need of Notre Dame’s community to engage in discussion that matters. The four-week series also challenges us to consider how we can minister to those who experience [in]tolerance, exclusion, stigma, and judgment, and instead show them love, welcome, solidarity, and compassion,” he continued.

The last session for this series will be on November 19 on the topic of incarceration.  Though this is only the first series of Theology on Tap at Notre Dame, Fredrickson expressed great excitement about the benefit and value of Theology on Tap for students:

“Coming to Theology on Tap is an adventurous encounter with the unknown, one which may leave you with more questions than answers, but that’s a good thing.  We have a chance every day to grow into the people that God calls us to be by celebrating the virtues of God’s love.  Theology on Tap is exciting because it accepts this call and provides a setting in which everyone can play a role.  Plus, the food and beer are pretty good, too.”

 

Michael Infantine is a junior PLS major who likes his salsa like he likes his South Bend winters: mild.  You can contact him at minfanti@nd.edu.