TV Show Highlights Catholic University’s Strong Ties to the Papacy
“Keeping the Faith,” a show about The Catholic University of America produced by Salt + Light TV, aired for the first time on July 22 as part of the Canadian television network’s “Catholic Focus” program.
In the introduction to the show, host Cheridan Sanders questions why many students lose their faith during their college years while others deepen their faith. “What makes the difference?” she asks.
Her answer to that question unfolds in an in-depth exploration of student life at Catholic University and its unique Campus Ministry that helps students encounter Christ through prayer, community, and service. In interviews with students, faculty, and staff, the documentary highlights the University’s emphasis on both the intellectual and social aspects of the Catholic faith. It also brings to light the Franciscan character of CUA’s Campus Ministry, which is led by Father Jude DeAngelo, O.F.M. Conv. and his staff that includes several other Conventual Franciscan friars.
The show also explores the strong connection Catholic University has with the Pope and the other leaders of the Catholic Church.
“Right across the street from us is the headquarters of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” explains Victor Nakas, associate vice president for public affairs. “That’s significant because it fosters the ties that we have with the bishops conference and ultimately with the Vatican.”
Nakas points out that Catholic University is the only university in the United States that has been visited by two popes and soon will host a third when Pope Francis comes to the campus in September. He says that these visits and others by international Church leaders provide “unique opportunities to our students … to see the leaders of the Church, to interact with them.” He also notes that CUA faculty members serve as consultants to the bishops conference and to the Vatican. “They bring a perspective back to the students that I think richly informs the education that they’re receiving.”
Salt + Light host Sanders wraps up the show by answering the question she posed at the beginning.
“That’s the crucial difference,” she says. “CUA is all about creating opportunities for students to encounter Christ in every aspect of the university experience, be it in community, their studies, with their peers, or simply in quiet contemplation of the Eucharist. And it seems it’s a very big difference, indeed.”
