Discovering the connection between faith and culture throughout the generations of Catholics

 

The presence of a Catholic culture on campus is undeniable at Notre Dame, with the university’s many chapels, celebrated Masses, theology courses, and faith-oriented campus events.  In spite of this rich tradition, how often do we actually ask ourselves, “Is my Catholic experience comparable to that of those around me?”  It is a fruitful exercise to consider the ways in which different generations of Catholics experience and participate in the faith.

Jacob Lindle, a sophomore studying theology at Notre Dame, shared his thoughts on faith and culture with the Rover.  “There is a tension between faith and culture in this generation.  Insofar as any true culture will persist, there faith will surely follow,” Lindle said.  “However, there are reasons to be optimistic and reasons to be pessimistic, and in this lies our task.  No good will be accomplished bewailing or glorifying in a future that is only known to the eyes of God.  Truth always wins … What I [aim] to say is that the fate of the culture is inextricably bound up with the fate of the faith—the fullness of which is found in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.”

The Rover spoke to Ed Mack, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1948.  Mack served as the rector of O’Neill Hall from 2002 until he retired from that post in 2013.  Soon after, he joined Campus Ministry to work on pastoral care and outreach.

Mack said it was hard to separate his cultural age group from the Catholic faith.  “I was brought up in a very Catholic home and the strictness of Church and home and school were all intermingled, along with a healthy respect for law and the government,” Mack noted.  “It was clear and made sense … when President John Kennedy was shot, it seemed like the beginning of a huge cultural and political shift in this country.  With the Vietnam War protests and government problems came the post-Vatican II uncertainty in what the Church was.”

Reflecting on this confusion, especially for many of the Catholic youth, Mack stated, “I think what grounded me personally was that the only thing I ever wanted to be, since I was little, was a teacher of high school English in a Catholic school.  In that sense, the job formed me.

“My hope for the future and for the Church—that our young people of Notre Dame will become the seed for a national (and world-wide) renewal of love for God and His Son and that the Spirit will breathe new life into His Church.  My conversations on a daily basis with the young people who come to my office give me renewed hope for the future of our Church,” Mack continued.

Kate Barrett, Assistant Director for Student Liturgies on campus, shared with the Rover her own experience of being Catholic in her generation and what she thinks the relationship between faith and culture might be like for the next: “I was born, quite literally, in the middle of the Second Vatican Council.  So when I was growing up, the Church was in the midst of trying to figure out how to implement the changes brought about by the Council.

“By the grace of God I came to Notre Dame as an undergraduate (and later, for graduate school) and learned much more about my faith then,” Barrett continued.  “I appreciated the opportunities I explored at the Center for Social Concerns as an undergraduate, and through them I also learned about the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and spent two years serving as a member of [the Jesuit Volunteer Corp] in Brooklyn, NY after I graduated from Notre Dame.”

Barrett spoke to what she believed faith and culture will be like for the next generation of Catholics.  “I think it’s a challenging time to be a practicing person of faith, as so much of the world seems polarized and at odds with one another,” she suggested.  “Jesus always sought to bring people together, to form community in holiness … I hope the next generation—for which I have a special place in my heart as it includes my own children—can be steadfast, welcoming, challenging, loving, humble, and strong.”

Monsignor Michael Heintz, a priest with the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, rector of St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend, and Director of the Master of Divinity Program in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame, also expressed his thoughts to the Rover:

“As a Catholic approaching middle age, I can say much of my experience of Catholic life has been shaped—directly and indirectly—by the pontificate of John Paul II, who was elected when I was eleven years old,” Msgr. Heintz noted.

“The effects of his papacy on my generation—and perhaps more on the generation below mine—are quite significant,” he continued.  “While he will be remembered perhaps most for his role in the demise of the Soviet grip on Eastern Europe and his theological anthropology more popularly known as the ‘theology of the body,’ perhaps one his greatest gifts to the Church was the reform of seminary education, which has had over time, an impact on the life of every Catholic who has been ministered to by a priest trained after Pastores Dabo Vobis.”

Adrian Reimers, Professor of Philosophy at both Holy Cross College and Notre Dame, also related his experience of Catholicism to the Rover.  Born in 1945 to a Protestant father and an Irish Catholic mother from the west side of Chicago, Reimers attended Catholic grade school and served as an altar boy in the days when Mass was celebrated in Latin and “nuns wore big, old habits with starched wimples.”

Reimers came to Notre Dame as a student during the middle of the Second Vatican Council, the rise of serious civil rights issues, the approval of contraceptives by the FDA, and the era of the Vietnam War.  “[I]n some ways Notre Dame helped me in Theology courses—and if anybody is listening, we should keep the Theology courses requirement,” Reimers said.  “I had to take four Theology courses, and I am not sorry.”

As for the future Catholic generation, Reimers shared the following advice: “Don’t be afraid of truth and don’t be afraid to love.”

Crystal Avila is a sophomore studying communications and film.  She just received a new vinyl record from her friends and cannot stop listening to it.  If you have any records lying around let her know at cavila01@saintmarys.edu.