Alma Mater 

This weekend I will be away from the parish, attending my college class reunion. Twenty-five years ago, I graduated from the University of Dallas (UD), a small Catholic university located in Irving, TX. It was an unlikely choice for an 18-year-old from Connecticut, but I had a cousin studying there whom I visited as a senior in high school, which helped me decide it was the right place for me. 

I arrived to UD as someone who came from a family in which the practice of religion was important. Sunday Mass was non-negotiable, confession was expected every month or so, and road trips would always involve a rosary. While my parents were serious Catholics, none of my high school friends were, and the culture at the high school was (at that time) only superficially Catholic. I think our parish had a youth group, but that was the last thing I was interested in. Despite the good example of my parents, I would say that my overall formation in the faith was poor. 

Life at the university had a huge impact on me, which is probably true for every kid who goes away to school (for good or for bad). The academics at UD were excellent, instilling in me an appreciation for the pursuit of truth and wisdom, not just knowledge. And the friends I made there were different. I quickly noticed that they went to Mass on Sundays, without their parents telling them to go. They also went to confession without their parents telling them to go – which was something I’d never imagined before. On top of that, they were totally normal people! They were guys I liked and respected, who were also fun and interesting. They weren’t self-consciously religious. They didn’t feel the need to wear it on their sleeve. Rather, it was kind of natural to them. I found this compelling, and I began to adopt the Catholic faith I had been given by my parents. None of us were perfect, of course. We were all too familiar with the complexities of life, the reality of concupiscence, the struggle with sin. But there was also a sense of God’s goodness, His mercy, and His desire that we accept the grace of His call to be better – even if we weren’t ready and didn’t want to be better just yet. 

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my college friends. I’m looking forward to catching up with those who helped me to realize that it’s the most normal thing in the world to practice one’s Catholic faith; that it’s normal to worship God, to desire to see things as He sees them, and love what He loves. They were a great gift in my life, and I don’t know what kind of Catholic I’d be today if I hadn’t experienced life with them at UD.  

For centuries it has been the tradition to refer to one’s school as alma mater, which is Latin for “nourishing mother.” In many ways, for me the University of Dallas was certainly that. 

posted 10/1/23