I attended Georgetown University (the School of Foreign Service) for one wonderful year before accepting an appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. In those days (1962-63) Georgetown was still a Catholic university. Even on the East Campus, which included the Foreign Service School, Business School, and Language Institute, and had many non-Catholic students, I was required to take courses in theology and philosophy. Things have certainly changed.
Now it seems that the only time Georgetown makes the news is when it takes another step away from its Catholic and Jesuit roots. The latest incident relates to a decision by Georgetown University Hospital to make some interesting changes to its chapel. This "Catholic" chapel now has Muslim prayer rugs hanging on the walls and the Stations of the Cross facing Mecca were removed, all apparently in an attempt to accommodate Muslims.
Is Georgetown embarrassed by its Catholicism? Aren't the Jesuits still Catholic? Don't patients and visitors in a Catholic hospital expect the chapel to be a Catholic chapel? Is Mass still celebrated in the chapel? What about the Holy Eucharist? Is there a tabernacle in the chapel? Or has it simply become a prayer or meditation room?
Makes one wonder what Georgetown will do next.
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The occasional, often ill-considered thoughts of a Roman Catholic permanent deacon who is ever grateful to God for his existence. Despite the strangeness we encounter in this life, all the suffering we witness and endure, being is good, so good I am sometimes unable to contain my joy. Deo gratias!
Although I am an ordained deacon of the Catholic Church, the opinions expressed in this blog are my personal opinions. In offering these personal opinions I am not acting as a representative of the Church or any Church organization.
Is this TRUE? Prayer rugs for muslims and no Stations of the Cross? WTF?
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