Parishes to Bay State Catholics: "Go to UMass!"

Here is an announcement that I was somewhat surprised to read in my home parish's weekly bulletin:

Newman Catholic Center
UMass Amherst
Attention graduating high school students!
Interested in attending a college where you can continue practicing your faith with other students? Consider the University of Massachusetts Amherst where the Newman Catholic Center is active in offering social activities, events, community outreach and the opportunity to grow spiritually. Feel free to contact us for more information at peers.newman@gmail.com or visit us online at www.newmanumass.org

Having taken a look at other parish bulletins online, I gather that this notice has been widely circulated. I'm impressed to see a Newman Center at a state university reach out to students before they apply, but I'm also struck by the cultural shift reflected by announcements like this one. For much of the 20th century, the American Catholic hierarchy and many parish priests routinely warned the faithful against attending state universities; in the eyes of some, secular institutions were a hostile environment for young Catholics seeking to practice their faith. Indeed, some priests - including a few Jesuits - initially opposed the establishment of Newman Centers on secular campuses because they feared that the programs offered there would give young Catholics added incentive to attend state universities instead of Catholic ones.

By allowing the Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst to advertise in their bulletins, Bay State parishes are acknowledging some important realities. Catholics have long flocked to state universities, with Newman Centers providing spiritual support to those who seek it; the "those who seek it" element is important, as many cradle Catholics start to drift away from religious practice after confirmation, particularly if they're away from home for the first time. Religious programming is seldom much of a consideration for Catholic high school students looking at colleges, regardless of whether they're looking at secular schools or Catholic ones (in my case, Georgetown's location was initially a more important factor than its Catholic and Jesuit identity). Thus, Newman Centers (and, for that matter, campus ministry offices at Catholic colleges and universities) need to make a positive effort to reach out to students. Giving Newman Centers an opportunity to reach out to prospective college applicants at the parish level could support their efforts to help young Catholics remain active in the Church once they get to campus.

On reflection, I wonder whether the role of Newman Centers on secular campuses may mirror to some degree the position of Catholic parishes in an increasingly secular society. For better or worse, we've moved beyond the point when most Catholics can simply be expected to show up on Sundays without any particular prompting or incentives from their parishes. With declining rates of Mass attendance and a larger dip in community involvement and civic engagement, parishes need to find effective ways to market themselves in order to survive. There is no single best way to do this - on the contrary, the really vibrant parishes that I've encountered fall into a number of different niches, suggesting that a variety of approaches may be taken. In all cases, though, outreach is critically important. The Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst is taking a proactive approach on this, and I wonder whether their example could be imitated elsewhere. AMDG.