How students can appreciate the many benefits of UD’s religious richness
This past semester The Cor Chronicle Community Section has taken the opportunity to delve into the various religious groups that are associated with the University of Dallas.
Groups like the Cistercians, Dominicans, Holy Trinity Seminarians, Sisters of St. Mary of Namur and even Deacon Ryan (and the permanent diaconate in general) have each received articles exploring their origins, apostolates and the specific effect they have on the UD community.
In a very real sense, religious groups are the foundation of our university. In 1956, the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, with the help of Bishop Gorman and the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth, realized their ambition of founding a Catholic University in the Dallas area when they established UD.
From the very beginning, religious groups have been the lifeblood of the school, with most of the original faculty being made up of the recently-emigrated Cistercian monks and industrious SSMN sisters. The tradition of religious faculty would continue with the arrival of Franciscans, Dominicans and School Sisters of Notre Dame soon after.
Over UD’s almost 70-year history, friars, monks and nuns have guided UD students both spiritually and intellectually, and contributed to the unique UD experience. By teaching, running campus ministry, administering sacraments and providing spiritual direction to UD students, the many religious groups that call UD home are an integral and indispensable part of our community.
The presence of such a diverse and plentiful number of Catholic religious provides UD students with a snapshot of the diversity and richness of the universal Church.
In addition to the selfless service that UD’s religious groups provide as part of their apostolates, our students benefit from the example that these religious provide of accepting and dedicating oneself to one’s vocation in Christ.
Even for UD’s many non-Catholic or non-religious students, the friars, monks and nuns are excellent role models regarding self-sacrifice, service and virtue.
Simply put, it is good to have young people, who are actively discerning their vocations and developing their intellect and character, in close contact with examples of intellectual and moral excellence like UD’s religious.
In society in general, but even in Catholic circles, it can be difficult for young people to develop friendships and professional relationships with those who have followed their vocation into religious life.
Young people often have many examples of good, selfless marriages and dedicated, hardworking professionals, but such a boon of good examples of religious vocation that we enjoy at UD is not the norm.
For many students, college is the prime time to discern God’s will for their lives. Questions like “who will I marry?” and “what will I do for work?” are ever-present in the minds of many university students.
However, at UD, with so many different religious groups joyfully living out their vocations right before our eyes, students have the rare opportunity to discern whether God is calling them to religious life with excellent role models just a stroll-across-the-mall away.
Of course, even students who are not called to live out their vocation in a religious order benefit greatly from the presence of UD’s many religious groups.
Friars, monks and nuns are an important part of what makes UD unique. The quaint community that we enjoy here in Irving depends in part on the religious groups that minister to us daily on campus. UD students should not take this community for granted, and should enjoy the richness of spiritual and intellectual development that their time here offers.