The “Catholic Difference” of Saint Michael’s College

Dr. Jolivette Anderson-Douoning teaching a class at SMC

Over the past few weeks, I have been replying to questions posed by students who have been emailing me with comments and questions about the blogs that I posted.  This results from an assignment Dr. Jolivette Anderson-Douoning gave to students.  Students were asked to read a blog or two and to pose questions.

A number of students had questions concerning the Catholicity of Saint Michael’s College and how students who are not Catholic or religious were to relate to the Catholicity of the College.  I have made responses to the specific questions posed by students in Dr. Anderson-Douoning’s course, but the issue they raised is the “stuff” of blogging also.

Why Catholic?

One of the questions, which I addressed earlier on in blogging, concerned the Catholicity of Saint Michael’s College.  In essence, the issue raised was why Saint Michael’s is Catholic when it need not be, that is, why be distinguished in this way?  Formerly, I responded that the Catholicity of the College was established both legally in the incorporation of the College back in 1904 and canonically as a Catholic college because the Society of Saint Edmund is Catholic and transferred its Catholicity to the College in establishing Saint Michael’s.

Today, I would like to give a different response regarding why Saint Michael’s College is Catholic, “It’s who we are!”  Saint Michael’s College has always been Catholic.  In a sense it is our “family name” as well as our history.  It is also the heritage of the College and the legacy of the Society of Saint Edmund.  We are who we are, and that needs to be respected.  How we present ourselves as a Catholic College to others is the business at hand, however.

Those who choose to attend Saint Michael’s College come to a place that has a long history.  In a few years’ time, the College will be one hundred and twenty-five years old.  To deny this or put this aside would be to deny who we are and what Saint Michael’s College has always been about.  As is the case with all other colleges and universities, students come to a place which has a history and a character unique to itself.  Students do not encounter the College as an entity without a history or identify but a place that has had a life all its own before new students arrive on campus.

The Catholic Difference

There is an important “but” here, however, in understanding what it means for Saint Michael’s College to be Catholic.  What the College is, the historical identity of Saint Michael’s College as a Catholic institution of higher education, is not meant to determine who students are or what they are to believe.  What Saint Michael’s College offers to students is a “Catholic difference,” a distinctive kind of education.  As a Catholic college, Saint Michael’s offers students an opportunity to engage with a tradition of learning that is centuries old:  the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.

If you take the time to consider the sculpture of the two disciples of Jesus on the road to Emmaus, located in the courtyard between Saint Edmund’s Hall, Jeanmarie Hall, and Cherey Hall, you will find a rendering of the two disciples in conversation with each other as they travel the road to Emmaus.  As the story is told, they are discussing recent events that led to the death of Jesus and attempting to make sense of all that had happened.  The hands of the two disciples, the only parts of the sculpture that have definition (apart from the feet), reveal how the two disciples are struggling with making sense of recent events.

What is implied here is that Saint Michael’s is a place of encounter and engagement.  Students are invited to encounter each other in lively debate about the big questions of life and to engage with each other in discerning responses to these questions.  Education at Saint Michael’s is not only training for a job but more importantly learning how to live well and to do good, as we like to say at Saint Michael’s.

Engaging in a Broader Conversation

One partner in this conversation is the Catholic Intellectual Tradition as developed by the Catholic Church, that body of learning that has been accumulated over centuries and that style of discourse that seeks to engage the big questions of life “in the light of the Catholic faith” as stated in the College’s mission statement.  However, students need to note that this tradition is only part of the dialogue.  Students bring their own insights and experiences to bear in resolving the big questions of life.  Accordingly, Saint Michael’s does not seek to indoctrinate students but rather to offer students a “Catholic difference” that enriches their conversation and adds depth to their discourse.

If you have any comments or would like to ask a question, you can contact me at dtheroux@smcvt.edu.  Let’s talk.