Frequently Asked Questions

1.  The Catholic population has gone down during the hiatus in the chaplaincy, but still holds on around 250. At anyone time, about 50 of these are at Mass on Sunday. Like a typical parish, there is a core group there every Sunday but at least half take turns coming. Gallup Poll considers someone a practicing Catholic who gets to Mass twice a month! There are slightly more men at Mass then women and science majors represent about half of the total among men and women.

2. The Mass takes place in the Memorial Chapel. This is very challenging for a number of reasons. It is Protestant singing space! The acoustics are excellent and the space invites participation. But it is large space too and we need to be aware that a “divorce court” spreading out weakens the liturgy. The congregation is invited out of the pews to the space more in the front at the Eucharistic prayer but this is, of course, optional. Singing is simple but the emphasis is on singing the Mass rather than on singing songs AT Mass.

3. The Bishop of Norwich supports the Catholic Campus Ministry at Wesleyan with a subsidy and of course the Chaplain must be in good standing in the Church. Fr. Hal also has a standing in the Ukrainian Catholic Eastern Church and serves under those Bishops who are in communion with Rome but who retain the original liturgy of the Eastern Church. Fr. Hal also belongs to the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, a national organization that receives the blessing of the Church.

4. There is at the moment no special space for the Catholic Community. If you want to do something about this, you can through the Student Organizations and through program housing in student services.
 
5. Plans are in the works for 2009 that would put special programs out that would be of interest to not only the Catholic students, but the wider community. We have a special relationship with the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford where there are excellent programs and retreats. Wes Students just have to show their Wesleyan identity and the Chaplaincy will pay for the programs attended there. Wesleyan Catholic students realize that a good education necessarily involves much of their faith in cultural, political, and social issues as well as in history…for good and for bad!

6. The Wesleyan calendar will vary from year to year as the dates of Easter and Lent move around. We will not usually be together as a Catholic community during Advent or Christmas and the long season following. We will have much of Lent together and sometimes Easter. Civil holiday observances such as Thanksgiving are observed when possible together with other religious communities.

7. The kinds of Catholic students vary. There are international students as well as Americans of all sorts. The challenge for all Catholic communities is making room for each other. We are also mindful that not all Catholics are ROMAN but that the eastern or Byzantine members are part of the Catholic Church and fully in Communion with Rome but use a different and older liturgy. We are very sensitive to the presence of the Orthodox Christians at Wesleyan and we cooperate with their Bishops in promoting their spiritual welfare.