Newman's University in Today's American Culture

by Father John McCloskey

The topic of my talk today is "Newman's University in Today's American Culture." I will start by saying that Newman' University does not exist. One, Newman's Idea of a University is also clearly an "Ideal." Newman himself had a certain platonic tint in his philosophic thought and his "Ideal" would be difficult to live up to in any present day culture. Moreover, the model of virtually All-American universities is a continental one, drawn from the German experience rather than the British with a heavy emphasis on graduate studies and professional schools rather than on the liberal arts. Nevertheless, we could say happily that there are an increasing number of liberal arts colleges gradually returning to their foundations, where Newman, if he were alive to day, would recognize his influence. Some of these may with time develop into universities that will approximate the Newmanian idea and ideal. The very fact that there is a Cardinal Newman Society and that the Church has spoken in "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" is great reason for hope.

To start with, Newman would demand that the university must recognize the existence of objective Truth and that we, with our will and intellect, are bound to submit to it. Without this affirmation and belief that our Faith has a truth-claim that is universal in its ambit, there simply cannot be any mission. The Holy Father made this point in Veritatis Splendor:

The greatest challenge to Catholic education in the United States today, and the great contribution that authentically Catholic education can make to American culture is to restore to that culture the conviction that human beings can grasp the truth of things, and in grasping that truth can know their duties to God, to themselves, and their neighbors... The contemporary world urgently needs the service of educational institutions that uphold and teach that truth is "that fundamental value without which freedom, justice, and human dignity are extinguished". (Veratits Splendor, no. 4)

Truth is the fundamental value and it can be known by the use of our reason. Newman would insist on the required teaching of Catholic philosophy in a Catholic university, building on the Thomistic foundation of moderate realism. How can a student, or a professor for that matter, engage our neo pagan, post-modern culture without a firm grounding in metaphysics, epistemology, and nature? It simply is not possible. Philosophy alone certainly is not enough but it is indispensable as a preparation for what must follow. Newman also saw theology as indispensable for university education.. As he put it: University Teaching without Theology is simply unphilosophical....Theology is surely a branch of knowledge: how then is it possible for it to profess all branches of knowledge of knowledge and yet to exclude from the subjects of its teaching one which, to say the least, is as important and as large as any of them?" Is it too much to ask that our universities acknowledge that there is such a thing as objective truth that can be grasped by the natural reason and that prepares us for the truths of supernatural revelation?

This is not simply a question of mandatums and forced oaths, but a love of the authority of the Church that is not simply Ex Corde Ecclesiae but rather ex Corde Universitatis itself. Ex Corde Ecclesiae tells us that: "If Catholic universities are to become leaders in the renewal of higher education, they must first have a strong sense of their own Catholic identity. This identity is not established once and for all by the institutions origins, but comes from within the Church today and always, speaking from the heart of the Church (Ex Corde Ecclesiae). The Catholic identity of a university should be evident in its curriculum, in its faculty, in student activities, and in the quality of its community life. This is no infringement upon the University's nature as a true center of learning, where the truth of the created order is fully respected but also ultimately illuminated by the light of the new creation in Christ. Catholic universities understand that there is not a contradiction between the free and vigorous pursuit of the truth and a "recognition of and adherence to the teaching authority of the Church, in matters of faith and morals."

As Cardinal Newman put it:

"If the Catholic Faith is true, A University cannot exist externally to the Catholic pale, for it cannot teach universal knowledge if it does not teach Catholic Theology. This is certain; but still, thought it had ever so many theological chairs, that would not suffice it to make a Catholic University; for theology would be included in its teaching only as a branch of knowledge, only one out of many constituent portions, however important a one, of what I have called philosophy. Hence a direct and active jurisdiction of the Church over it and it is necessary, lest it should become the rival of the Church with the community at large in those theological matters which to the Church are exclusively committed–acting as the representative of the intellect, as the church is the representative of the religious principle. And in like manner, it is not sufficient security for the Catholicity of a University, even that the whole of Catholic theology should be professed in it, unless the Church breathes her own pure and unearthly spirit into it, and fashions and moulds its organization, and watches over its teaching, and knits together its pupils, and superintends its action."

Newman's University in Dublin had a faculty made up almost exclusively of Catholics. It seems to me that for a university today to be truly Catholic, the same would have to be true. The great majority of the faculty should be convinced practicing Catholics and those that are not should be carefully vetted to make sure that they respect Catholicism and in no way damage it through their example or manner of teaching. Truth in advertising would mean that a Catholic university is not Catholic simply because its theology faculty follows the teaching authority of the Church but rather that the whole institution corporately has the "sentire cum Ecclesia" which assures its authenticity and effectiveness in engaging and evangelizing the culture. I agree with the Pope when he says that "Your Catholic colleges and universities can be leaders in the renewal of American higher education. Now indeed is the Catholic moment in our country as the Church is virtually the only institution standing that represents millennial old tradition complete with a coherent living proven theory and practice of faith. At a time when the relationship between freedom and moral truth is being debated on a host of issues at every level of society and government, Catholic scholars have the resources to contribute to an intellectual and moral renewal of American culture."

Newman was a man of profound intellect who also, even with his retiring manner, was a man of action. If he were with us today think he would carefully study the situation and make some judgments and pointed suggestions on how a Catholic college or university in the twenty-first century should not simply engage the culture but rather evangelize it. After all, was not a large part of the problem of the decline of the Catholic universities in the last thirty five years of the last century due to an eagerness to fit in, to be assimilated, to be accepted at the cost of throwing away their heritage, tradition and truth claims? Newman was prophetic in many ways, and indeed, as it was liberalism that he defined above all as "religious indifference" that drove him partly out of Anglicanism, he would not be shocked to see how the same had infiltrated itself with such devastating results into dozens of Catholic universities in this country.

Newman was above all, a man of the Church. Even though he had strong opinions, always well founded and explained, he always looked to the Church for guidance and was docile and obedient to the indications he received both from, Rome and from the local ordinary in whose diocese he served. As such, he would have paid special attention to the concrete indications given to the American hierarchy over the course of the many decades that have passed since the Second Vatican Council. a Council that he so deeply influenced as the "invisible peritus". These strong and clear messages have been delivered in various documents of the Roman Curia particularly from the Congregation for Catholic Education and also in pointed remarks to American Bishop in the quinquennial ad Limina addresses. The Pope is a keen admirer of Newman as is evidenced by a recent statement on the Cardinal's 200th anniversary that we are celebrating and also by other statements throughout his pontificate, including quotations of Newman in papal documents and most notably in the Catholic Catechism. John Paul II arguably also is the Pope in history who could be best described as university man from his student days through his many years as professor and also as a Bishop responsible for a Catholic university in his own Archdiocese. I do not know if the Holy Father has read "The Idea of an University," but he is certainly familiar with Newman's thought on education. In fact, one of the documents issued in his reign represents insistent and clear pleading to engage the culture on Newman's idea: As we approach the Third Millennium, the Second Vatican Council's call for generous dedication to the whole enterprise of Catholic Education remains to be more fully implemented. Few areas of Catholic life in the United States need the leadership of the Bishops for their re-affirmation and renewal as much as this one does. Any such renewal requires a clear vision of the Church's educational mission, which in turn cannot be separated from the Lord's mandate to preach the Gospel to all nations "

Effects have causes and if Catholic universities are to begin to engage the culture as part of the new evangelization that need to take place whether as a result of episcopal action, or by the board of directors and adminstrators of the universities themselves, or by the particular religious congregations that may still have a say in the governance of these institutions. All of this doable if there is the will, but it will require men of imagination, vision, and above all courage to carry out this reform following the correct interpretation and implementation of the Council as it has been so patiently laid out for us by John Paul II in the last 23 years. The Pope 's vision extends into the future for the next 100 years. All of us here, regardless of age, will spend the rest of our lives coming to grips with the meaning of his thought both in our personal lives and to our society, culture and civilization.

In the same Ad Limina address we are told that this renewal is in a special way the duty of the Bishops which they must not shirk. The quotation is as follows:

"The mission of the Catholic school is the integral formation of students, so that they may be true to their condition as Christ's disciples and as such work effectively for the evangelization of culture and for the common good of society." The key word here is integral; the formation of the whole human person, or as the Pope might put it, the Acting Person. Newman might have spoken of the need of the university man, teacher or student, to make a "real" assent and not simply a "notional" assent to the truths of Revelation that affect their whole personality in all its aspects. Formation, of course, covers lots of ground. However, it is clear that university education cannot simply be a matter of transmitting knowledge, an idea, which, of course, is primary in the Newmanian ideal of university education. It also means that ways must be found, respecting the human freedom of the student, to help him in his physical and supernatural development, to help him to be man of character, a man capable of exercising what Newman referred to as "personal influence" on those around him. Catholic education aims not only to communicate facts but also to transmit a coherent, comprehensive vision of life, in the conviction that the truths contained in that vision liberate students in the most profound meaning of human freedom."

This naturally calls to mind the "in loco parentis" function of university as an "Alma Mater." The university would attempt to create an environment which would help the student to be" in the world but not of the world" following the Gospel injunction It would seek to create an campus environment which would make it easier for the student to be virtuous rather than close to impossible. Naturally this task means rules and regulations, in many areas, that perhaps today's student might find onerous. Nonetheless, those very same students presumably come from Christian homes, "domestic churches" where there were also rules and regulations handed down by mother and father that deal within matters of dress, dining, neatness, order, schedule, relationships with the opposite sex in dating, etc. Newman, who certainly, did not believe that the university should be a monastery, nonetheless would be aghast at the slovenliness of campus life on our nominally Catholic campuses. The Newman Society's recent preparation of suggested rules and regulations can be a good starting point for discussion. Newman's "Ideal of a Gentleman", while not the model for a modern Catholic student, certainly would be major improvement. Jesus Christ is the model, not a Victorian gentleman, but virtue is still virtue and "grace still perfects nature".

As the Congregation for Catholic Education put it:" In the Catholic School there is no separation between time for learning and time for formation, between acquiring notions and growing in wisdom. The various school subjects do not present only knowledge to be attained but also values to be acquired and truths to be discovered." At the heart of the University as an evangelizer of the culture must be the creation of an environment n which the student grow not simply in the knowledge of his Faith but also in the practice of it. Catholic schools must help students to deepen their personal relationship with God and to discover that all things human have their deepest meaning in the person and teaching of Jesus Christ. Practice should be defined not only as sacramental practice, although that is indeed fundamental. but also as of Christian service. This would take seriously Our Lord's declaration that "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me." There is a need for a concomitant growth in virtue as a way of studying and accepting truth. Virtue predisposes to truth.

My own experience with the work of a Catholic chaplaincy on a prestigious secular campus has convinced me that an energetic faith-driven campus ministry is a necessity to create a Catholic culture on campus that is capable of forming modern day apostles. Piety, reverence for Catholic history and tradition, beauty in the liturgy, the encouragement of personal prayer, frequent confession and communion, the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, the availability of sound experienced spiritual directors should be the part of any truly Catholic university experience. Newman was a great friend of freedom of conscience and also of the variety of spiritualities in the Church. I think, if he were alive today, he would be intrigued with the new institutions, communities and movements that have arisen in the Church and would welcome their presence working together with the local campus ministry to help students be aware of and act upon their baptismal vocation to holiness. Newman suffered himself from those who favored spiritual monopolies and would welcome the varieties of religious experience given by these new groups, faithful to and affirmed by the Church, that have arisen in the last century. "The Pope, in speaking to American bishops agrees: Bishops should take a special interest in the work of university chaplaincies." The university chapel is called to be a vital center for promoting the Christian renewal of culture, in respectful and frank dialogue, in a clear and well rounded perspective (cf. 1 Peter.3: 15), in witness which is open to questioning and capable of convincing. (Address to the European Congress of University Chaplains, May 1, 1998 no.4) Young adults need the service of committed chaplains who can help them, intellectually and spiritually, to attain their full maturity in Christ.

If Newman were alive today, he would no doubt see the importance of the Catholic University sharing its revealed truth with the increasingly important sphere of science in our culture. Scientism with no ethical bounds seems to be the predominant belief system for many educated people. Newman himself was aware of the theories of Charles Darwin and comments on them in his Letter and Diaries. Although a man of letters, like many Victorians he was fascinated with the natural sciences and the discoveries and technological advances that were being made throughout the nineteenth century. He did not find them ominous or see them as a threat. He realized the real threat was heresy, apostasy or schism. He saw the liberal arts as not only including the letters and languages but also the natural sciences and established chairs for them in his university of Ireland and indeed acknowledges their importance in the Idea. He would have agreed with this statement of the Holy Father:

"The Church's involvement in universities, which goes back almost a thousand years, quickly took root in the US. To belong to a university community...is to stand at the crossroads of the cultures that have formed the modern world. It is trustee of the wisdom of centuries, a promotor of the creativity that will transmit that wisdom to future generations. Catholic universities should be expected to uphold the objectivity and coherence of knowledge Now that the centuries old conflict between science and faith is fading, Catholic universities should be in the forefront of a new and long-overdue dialogue between the empirical sciences and the truths of faith."

We are no longer an immigrant Church. No indeed, our problem, in part, is that we have been too assimilated. Now is the time for renewal and revival after thirty years of decline and fall. Now is the time for a Second Spring in Catholic University education in the United States. This reform and renewal will have consequences far beyond our borders in the universal Church. It is our moment to evangelize and engage and apply the saving balm of the heart and mind of Christ to our society which suffers much more from internal decay than it ever will from terrorists from the outside. Our Catholic universities should and must produce the leaders in this new century to show the way. We have a few excellent small Catholic colleges. Let us produce larger Catholic universities according to the mind and heart of the Church, and of Cardinal Newman and many of us will witness at least the beginnings of the "civilization of love and truth" that Pope John Paul II is urging us to build.

Paper first given at the Newman Society Conference at the Catholic University of America, November 10, 2001.