Newman's University in Today's American Culture (2009)

by Father John McCloskey

John Henry Newman's "idea of a university" is an ideal that would be difficult to realize in the present American culture. Nevertheless, Newman's influence can be seen in various papal statements and documents issued by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, as well in the increasing number of new Catholic colleges.

Both Popes have emphasized that the greatest challenge to Catholic education, and the greatest contribution the university can make to the culture, is to restore to that culture the conviction that human beings can grasp the truth of things and consequently know their duties to God, themselves and others. As Newman insisted, philosophy and theology are essential for university education.

A strong sense of Catholic identity comes from within the Church and should permeate all aspects of campus life and contribute to the integral formation of the whole human person. If Newman were alive today, he would join the recent Popes in encouraging Catholic campuses to do more to evangelize, and not simply engage, the culture. An energetic, faith-driven campus ministry is necessary to create a Catholic culture on campus and form modern apostles capable of exercising what Newman referred to as "personal influence" on those around them.

Newman's University in Today's American Culture

My topic is "Newman's University in Today's American Culture," but I should start by saying that "Newman's University" does not exist. John Henry Newman's idea of a university is clearly an ideal. Newman himself had a certain platonic tint to 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 increasing numbers of liberal arts colleges gradually returning to their foundations, where Newman, if he were alive, 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 Ecclesiæ is great reason for hope.

In addition, more recently and perhaps as important for the practical American experience, Pope Benedict XVI has made clear that his pontificate will continue to encourage and insist that Catholic education will be truly Catholic in all its aspects—including campus environment, the choice of faculty members, its theological teaching and in its very nature as an agent of evangelization. In April 2008 at The Catholic University of America, Pope Benedict told over 400 Catholic educators:

Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in which God's active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young person discovers the joy of entering into Christ's "being for others" (cf. ibid., 28) ... Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord's disciples, the Church. [emphasis added]¹

For its very foundation, Newman would demand that the university recognize the existence of objective truth and insist 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 scope, there simply cannot be any mission. Pope John Paul II reminded the American bishops of 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" (VS, no. 4) [emphasis added].²

Pope Benedict added to this emphasis on the concept and reality of truth:

The dynamic between personal encounter, knowledge and Christian witness is integral to the diakonia of truth which the Church exercises in the midst of humanity. God's revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history…In this way, Christ's Good News is set to work, guiding both teacher and student towards the objective truth which, in transcending the particular and the subjective, points to the universal and absolute that enables us to proclaim with confidence the hope which does not disappoint. (cf. Rom 5:5) Truth is the fundamental value, and it can be known by the use of our reason.³

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 (Aristotelian physics)? 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 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?"⁴ Is it too much to ask that our universities acknowledge that there is such a thing as objective truth that can be grasped by natural reason and that prepares us for the truths of supernatural Revelation?

This is not simply a question of mandata and forced oaths, but a love of the authority of the Church that is not simply Ex corde Ecclesiæ but rather "Ex corde Universitatis" itself. Ex corde Ecclesiæ 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 institution's origins, but comes from within the Church today and always, speaking from the heart of the Church (Ex corde Ecclesiæ). 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.

Pope Benedict agrees:

This same dynamic of communal identity—to whom do I belong?—vivifies the ethos of our Catholic institutions. A university or school's Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction—do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self—intellect and will, mind and heart—to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold.⁵

Catholic identity 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."⁶

Pope Benedict says:

With regard to the educational forum, the diakonia of truth takes on a heightened significance in societies where secularist ideology drives a wedge between truth and faith. This division has led to a tendency to equate truth with knowledge and to adopt a positivistic mentality which, in rejecting metaphysics, denies the foundations of faith and rejects the need for a moral vision. Truth means more than knowledge: knowing the truth leads us to discover the good. Truth speaks to the individual in his or her entirety, inviting us to respond with our whole being. This optimistic vision is found in our Christian faith because such faith has been granted the vision of the Logos, God's creative Reason, which in the Incarnation, is revealed as Goodness Itself. Far from being just a communication of factual data—"informative"—the loving truth of the Gospel is creative and life-changing—"performative" (cf. Spe Salvi, 2). With confidence, Christian educators can liberate the young from the limits of positivism and awaken receptivity to the truth, to God and his goodness.⁷

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, though 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 in 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. [emphasis added] 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.⁸

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 Pope John Paul II when he said, "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 a millennial-old tradition complete with a coherent, living, proven theory and practice of faith. Pope John Paul II continued: "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."⁹

Without addressing the question of what proportion of the administration and faculty should be practicing Catholics, Pope Benedict clearly requires that Catholic teaching be always respected and never contradicted from within the university setting:

In regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges universities, I wish to reaffirm the great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church's munus docendi and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.

Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual.¹⁰

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, I 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 thirtyfive 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. Liberalism, which he defined above all as "religious indifference," partly drove him out of Anglicanism, and he would not be shocked to see how the same had infiltrated 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 looked to the Church for guidance and was docile and obedient to the indications he received both from Rome and from the 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 the American bishops in the quinquennial ad limina addresses.

Pope John Paul II, like his successor, was a keen admirer of Newman, as is evidenced by various statements throughout his pontificate, including quotations of Newman in papal documents and most notably in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. John Paul II and our present Holy Father arguably are also the popes in history who could be best described as university men from their student days through their many years as professors and also as bishops responsible for Catholic university faculties in their own archdioceses. I do not know if the two popes ever read The Idea of a University, but they certainly have shown familiarity with Newman's thought on education. In fact, one of the documents issued in the reign of Pope John Paul II represents insistent and clear pleading to engage the culture on Newman's idea:

As we approach the third Christian 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.¹¹

Effects have causes, and if Catholic universities are to begin to engage the culture as part of the new evangelization, that needs to take place as a result of action by the bishops, or by the board of directors and administrators 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 is doable if there is the will, but it will require men of imagination, vision, and above all courage—and perhaps a large dose of sanctity—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 throughout his pontificate and now by Benedict. The vision of both popes extends into the future for the next hundred years. All of us here, regardless of age, will spend the rest of our lives coming to grips with the meaning of their thought both for our personal lives and for our society, culture, and civilization.

In the ad limina address already cited, we are told that this renewal is in a special way the duty of the bishops, which they must not shirk: "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."¹² The key word here is "integral"—the formation of the whole human person or, as Pope John Paul II might put it, "the acting person." Newman might have spoken of the need for the university man, teacher or student, to make a "real" assent and not simply a "notional" assent to the truths of Revelation which affect one's whole personality in all its aspects.

Formation, of course, covers a good deal 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 a man of character, capable of exercising what Newman referred to as "personal influence" on those around him. As Pope John Paul II said, "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."¹³

This naturally calls to mind the "in loco parentis" function of a university as an "alma mater." The university should 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 a campus environment which would make it easier for the student to be virtuous, rather than making virtue close to impossible. Naturally, this task means rules and regulations, in many areas, that perhaps today's students 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 parents, which deal with 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 life on our nominally Catholic campuses. Separate residences for men and women on campus with parietal regulations are an absolutely necessary starting point. Newman's "Ideal of a Gentleman," while not the model for a modern Catholic student, certainly would be major improvement. Jesus Christ, not a Victorian gentleman, is the model, 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 butalso values to be acquired and truths to be discovered."¹⁴ At the heart of the university as an evangelizer of the culture must be the creation of an environment in which the student may grow not simply in the knowledge of his Faith but also in the practice of it. John Paul II reminds us: "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."¹⁵ Practice should be defined not only as sacramental practice, although that is indeed fundamental, but also as Christian service. This would take seriously our Lord's declaration: "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me." There is 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 at Princeton University, a prestigious secular campus, has convinced me that an energetic, faith-driven campus ministry is a necessity in order 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 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 that 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 to be aware of and to act upon their baptismal vocation to holiness. Newman himself suffered from those who favored spiritual monopolies and would probably welcome the varieties of religious experience given by these new groups, faithful to and affirmed by the Church, that have arisen in the twentieth century. Pope John Paul II, in speaking to American bishops, stressed the key role of chaplains:

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-grounded perspective (cf. 1 Peter 3:15), in a 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.¹⁶

If Newman were here today, he would no doubt see the importance of the Catholic university's 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 was aware of the theories of Charles Darwin and commented on them in his Letters 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 recognized that the real threat was heresy, apostasy, or schism. He saw the liberal arts as including not only the letters and languages but also the natural sciences, and he established chairs for them in his University of Ireland and indeed acknowledged their importance in Idea. He would have agreed with this statement by Pope John Paul II:

The Church's involvement in universities, which goes back almost a thousand years, quickly took root in the United States... To belong to a university community... is to stand at the crossroads of the cultures that have formed the modern world. It is to be a trustee of the wisdom of centuries, a promoter 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 centuriesold 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.¹⁷

We are no longer an immigrant Church. 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—into 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 outside terrorists.

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 and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, have urged us to build. We can count clearly on the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman who has been raised to the altars and consequently whose influence in the ambit of Catholic university life will continue to grow, most particularly in the United States of America.