Students, administrators review opportunities for spiritual growth
As Notre Dame students apply for study abroad programs for the spring and summer, many consider how their faith experience may differ from campus during their time overseas. Faculty members and students who have gone abroad reflected on the contrasting opportunities and resources available on campus and abroad.
Study abroad programs are popular at Notre Dame, with 77 percent of students enrolling at some point during their undergraduate studies. The university offers over 90 study abroad programs and is ranked second in the nation for study abroad participation.
In interviews with the Rover, faculty members and students who participated in study abroad programs shared insights on Notre Dame’s unique opportunities to receive the sacraments and grow in faith while abroad.
Patrick Schmitz, head of campus ministry at Notre Dame’s Dublin campus, told the Rover that the guiding philosophy for encouraging faith abroad is “invitation, but not expectation.” He explained, “Throughout the semester numerous opportunities for the students are provided to enrich their faith lives. I will invite them to Masses I am going to, to lectures, or to service events, but I will not force them to [go].”
Schmitz continued, “If students do not or cannot make a certain event, I will keep inviting them to faith experiences. One day they may be able to join. I have also found that, since semesters are so short, many students do not find the experiences that truly enrich their faith lives without a little help! Providing invitations can kickstart engagement with the faith experiences.”
According to some, a study abroad experience allows many students to grow in their lives of faith, even while being far from campus.
Reflecting on her time in Jerusalem in the summer of 2022, student Elise Wollemborg said to the Rover, “Taking a theology class at Notre Dame is a unique faith experience in itself, but doing so in the Holy Land is an opportunity like no other.”
“To study Christ in the same environment He was in is truly incredible,” she continued. Wollemborg further described Jerusalem’s unique opportunities, including “[going] to sites that Jesus lived, preached, and walked on for lectures, [and] learning about them from people who dedicated their entire lives to him.”
Molly O’Leary, Campus Ministry fellow at Notre Dame’s Dublin campus, described her work to curate an immersive faith experience in Dublin through pilgrimages and hikes that, according to her co-worker Schmitz, “allow[s] students to disengage from their busy lives and the busy campuses and streets of Dublin.”
O’Leary hosts an event on the Dublin campus each week called “Solas,” which provides a time to build community within the cohort and to check in on spiritual well-being. At Solas meetings, the students abroad can gather in person to reconnect with their community after class through faith-based activities.
O’Leary told the Rover, “The events range from doing Lectio Divina prayers, and Emmaus walks, to just checking in while doing a fun activity like decorating cupcakes! It’s great to have an hour of the week to check in with others and take a break from the busy schedule of studying abroad.”
Similar events and experiences take place on other Notre Dame study-abroad campuses. Whether this be on the Notre Dame abroad campus or in the local neighborhood, each location has unique activities, Masses, traditions, sacred spaces, or relics to venerate. O’Leary touched on the “beautiful chapel in Dublin, [where] the design [displays] elements inspired by Irish religious tradition.” She also mentioned that “students [in Dublin] can travel to Rome for a Holy Week and Easter pilgrimage. They visit sites of religious and Irish significance in Rome and Vatican City.”
However, she acknowledged that it is not simply the location that makes these trips special for spiritual development, but the company. O’Leary explained, “Oftentimes the religious experiences are times when the cohort can gather in community, and the students always love taking advantage of these times”.
Agreeing with O’Leary, Wollemborg commented that her Jerusalem trip helped her connect with people who “are some of [her] closest friends to this day.”
While highlighting the many amazing opportunities to form relationships and grow in faith, O’Leary acknowledged, “When students are abroad, their faith life looks different than what is at [the main] Notre Dame [campus].”
Some students lamented the lack of structured support in the practice of their faith while abroad.
In an interview with the Rover, senior Madeline Viz shared this sentiment about her spring 2024 semester abroad in London. “It’s not campus. It’s a different city, [and], in most cases, it’s a larger city, where you have to navigate that on your own,” said Viz.
She continued, “For me, who didn’t go into study abroad knowing a lot of people in the program or not having close friends in the program going in, I kind of had to navigate my faith life by myself.” Viz explained that the community is not the same, leaving students with the responsibility of being accountable for their spiritual journey, which she adds “is not always a bad thing.”
For the next academic year, semester study abroad applications have already closed, but summer study abroad applications remain open until November 15.
Kayley Lufrano is a freshman no longer studying chemistry, who has recently switched to psychology. She is a huge Notre Dame fan, so if you would like to talk about the NIU game … please do not contact her at klufrano@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Notre Dame Study Abroad Website
Subscribe to the Irish Rover here.
Donate to the Irish Rover here.
