#catholic university in us

[magnoliasandarson]

now i lay me down to sleep

Catherine Todd was raised Catholic. Cathy the Catholic. It was one of the universe's great ironies how her life ended up. Jason remembered her now.

A few feet away was his biological mother. Watching as he was bludgeoned while smoking a cigarette, not a wrinkle on her botox-smoothed face. Even when Catherine was so strung out she could barely string a sentence together, she had looked at him like he was precious. Sheila, however, saw only a bug she had to squash in order to save her own hide.

He was dying. He knew it. For all of his refusal to let the Joker see him cry, he knew this was the end. He had failed, just like Bruce knew he would. This was what he got for trying to play hero. He thought of Catherine now.

She had sat him down and taught him how to pray the rosary when he was small. He must've forgotten it over the years. To be entirely fair, he'd never really believed her when she told him that the meek would inherit the earth. Not when Willis kicked the shit out of him, not when he was living in a dumpster, and especially not now, as he faced his inevitable end.

Catherine had believed in heaven and hell. Jason had wiped tears off of her face when she sobbed about how her failures in this life damned her. But when she died, Jason found himself hoping against hope that his Ma was in a nice place. Wherever that may be.

His lungs were punctured. He felt like he was drowning even as he struggled to breathe. Jason wanted to curl up into a ball- to escape for a second, but if he moved, then his shattered ribs would dig further into his organs. He closed his eyes to the demonic red smile and thought of Catherine Todd. She had prayed over him when she was sober. They would kneel on the floor next to their shared futon and she taught him to pray. Jason couldn't find it in himself to pray now.

Bruce probably thought Jason was going to hell. After all, the old man thought Jason had killed a man in cold blood. Jason had never read the bible or anything, but he was fairly certain that 'no killing' was a big one. He hadn't killed Felipe, he hadn't, but he hadn't saved Felipe either. Was that enough to damn him?

As the crowbar swung down to smash into the back of his skull, he thought of Catherine Todd. Was she waiting for him? Wherever she was? Would she smile at him and welcome him into her arms, or would she, too, be disgusted by what he had become?

When the bomb went off, and the flames and agony gave way to peaceful darkness, Jason basked in the feeling that whatever was next, he would find out.

Then he was drowning in toxic green flames and he knew.

Jason Peter Todd was damned.

[badolmen]

People love ragging on Catholics on this site (fast free and easy like river water socks) but I think it’s extra funny y’all seem to think Catholics are some sort of sex prudes. Like, if a Catholic man does not give his wife an orgasm he is failing his sworn duties as a husband. I did not endure polite insinuations that my parents fucked often and well to have as many kids as they have for you to act like any self respecting Catholic is a celibate virgin. Laypeople have sex in this denomination Kaitleign. What are we, Calvinists? Jansenism is soooo 17th century Protestant Reformation-informed heresy.

[francesderwent]

me reading or watching anything Catholic: but why would they say that? I would never have said that. I would never have thought about it that way. why is that the way they’re thinking about it?

the lightbulb going off hours later: ohhh it’s a nature and grace thing isn’t it. it’s absolutely an underlying nature and grace thing. they said that because they are wrong about nature and grace.

[myremnantarmy]

𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘖𝘙𝘈 𝘗𝘙𝘖 𝘕𝘖𝘉𝘐𝘚...

[fideidefenswhore]

If only Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon counted in Catholic eyes, does this mean Mary wouldn't theoretically consider any of his other wives 'real' stepmothers, as such? If she did, how would she rationalise defying the Pope's will, whilst upholding the papal authority to sanction the marriage of her parents?

She probably never did, based on the wording of that Act in question. Her attitude towards papal authority during her own reign was...contradictory in other ways, however.

[gratiae-mirabilia]

prayer of reparation for the sins of sacrilege and blasphemy

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, out of love for us, Your sinful creatures, You became Man and sacrificed Your life on the Cross. You deserve nothing but gratitude, honor, and praise, yet there are people who, by a misguided use of freedom, ridicule Your divine person and the person of Your Mother by desecrating Your sacred images and call their work “art”. We are profoundly shocked and ashamed, Lord Jesus, and so we kneel before Your divine majesty to beg the pardon of Your merciful and forgiving Heart for the mindless blasphemy committed against You. We are filled with indignation against the perpetrators, but You have taught us to forgive as You have forgiven us. Whether they know or know not what they were doing, we pray for them: Lord Jesus, grant them the grace of true repentance and open their minds to what is noble and beautiful, to what is edifying and respectful of other people’s beliefs. We also pray for ourselves: Lord Jesus, grant us the grace to live like real Christians, so that we may become Your unblemished images and living witnesses to Your love and forgiveness. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Amen.

[humanteethmarksonhumanbone]

an irl friends asked about my ocs.. i didnt know they knew how to do that

[simple-and-cozy-life]

I went to adoration last night for part of Holy Thursday and spent two hours praying conversing with God.

I originally was just going to stay an hour, but I really had a lot weighing on me.

I really desire marry my boyfriend but we're both in wacky places in our careers and it doesn't seem feasible to get married yet. I really yearn to be his wife and he my husband. We could have so much joy through that. I've literally dreamt of it and we're so perfect for each other. I cannot wait to support each other and welcome little ones. I want to nurture and provide for all of them and have a wonderful little family.

I am also leaving to study violin/viola performance at a university in another state 3 hours away. I really am not sure if I made the right decision but I'm committed now. It's something I very much want to do and to become better at my craft so I can teach better and get better gigs.

It weighs a lot on me because I'll be two extra hours away from my boyfriend and I really like my students at my current job. I spent a lot of time in prayer about them because some of them worry me. I also don't have all the moving details ironed out yet, which stresses me out.

Much of the conclusion I came to is the things I want will happen, just not yet. I just need to make it through these next two years and everything will be fine. It might not exactly look like what I envision, but there are lessons I need to learn at grad school beyond the coursework itself.

Grad school will be challenging. Being away will be challenging. Starting somewhere new will be challenging. Finances will be challenging.

But I'm not going into this alone, even if I'm the only one moving there.

I will need to trust that He will lead me, and I will follow.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. - 2 Corinthians 5:7-9

Dare to declare who you are. It is not far from the shores of silence to the boundaries of speech. The path is not long, but the way is deep. You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap. -St. Hildegard of Bingen

[welcometogrouchland]

Why do all the old songs they used to make us do in primary school choir and/or play at our assemblies still slap. It's such an eclectic mix too like. Oil in my lamp. Knees up mother brown. Wagon Wheel. Who approved this set list and why are they still stuck in my head

[precambrianhottopic]

i don't think i could believe in god if i tried but oh man do i think religion is cool

[aveline-shepard]

ALSO I need you all to know that my aunt heard me affectionately talking about someone and later when my cousin drove her home, was like "I didn't know she was gay!" And, like, kudos to my aunt who was 100% cool with that (though surprised) and did not make a big deal about it in the moment, but I later had to inform her that my bestie and I are unfortunately not a couple because she is tragically heterosexual. I mean, with that said though, she is right and I AM gay.

[pebblezone]

Living life yay huzzah yay

[bethrnoora]

i should try to remember how to play fe3h so i can actually like. finish the game

[xtruss]

Yale University students celebrate graduation in 1914—despite what the date scribbled on the image says. In the early 20th century, U.S. elite colleges were panicked about an influx of Jewish applicants. They devised a system to screen them out that remains mainly in place today. Photograph By George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress

Why Do Colleges Have Legacy Admissions? It Started as a Way to Keep Out Jews.

Standardized tests. Interviews. Extracurricular Activities. In the early 20th Century, Universities used these Tactics to Ensure their Students were Predominantly Protestant.

— By Erin Blakemore | July 28, 2023

Should college students gain admission based on academic merit—or who their parents are? That question has become more pertinent than ever with the U.S. Supreme Court’s invalidation of affirmative action and the Department of Education’s announcement of a civil rights investigation into Harvard University’s preferential treatment of “legacy” students with family connections.

Although it may seem like a modern problem, it’s only been about a century since U.S. colleges and universities began factoring family relationships and other criteria like extracurricular activities, interviews, and standardized test scores into their admissions decisions. These policies, it turns out, are rooted in anti-Semitic attitudes that aimed to keep Jewish students out of elite schools.

Here’s how anti-Jewish discrimination fueled modern college admissions—long before affirmative action ever existed.

Training Grounds For Society’s Elite

Before the late 19th century, a college education was largely out of reach for anyone but wealthy Protestants, who founded universities and colleges to prepare their sons for cultural and community leadership. Though these institutions extended preferential treatment to the sons of previous graduates, their entrance requirements were relatively lax. In a time before widespread public education, few who could afford to pay were turned away.

But beginning in the 1840s, the makeup of American society changed with waves of immigration that brought Catholics and Jews into the country in large numbers. As these emigrants flooded into the nation, write sociologists Deborah L. Coe and James D. Davidson, their presence threatened white Protestant groups who had previously dominated mainstream culture.

“As a result,” Coe and Davidson write, “anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic sentiments found their way into a variety of mechanisms that were created in response to the undesirable demographic changes.” This soon filtered into college admissions too.

Catholics quickly founded their own universities and encouraged members of their religion to attend them. So it was Jewish college enrollment that generated special concern at predominantly Protestant institutions.

Panic Over 'Undesirable' College Applicants

Institutions historically tolerated some Jewish students, but only those whom officials felt had the proper class standing and had appropriately “assimilated” into mainstream American culture.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, newer arrivals from majority Jewish enclaves didn’t fit that mold, so elite Protestants attempted to close ranks. University officials who bought into longstanding stereotypes of Jews as clannish, conniving, and socially undesirable worried that admitting Jews would taint the reputation of the schools. Plus, they disliked the idea of their sons being educated alongside them.

No longer was mere money sufficient for acceptance into elite social circles. As historian John Higham writes, Protestant elites of the era “grasped at social distinctions that were more than pecuniary,” including “the cult of genealogy.” Suddenly, institutions including social clubs, sports organizations, prep schools, and even neighborhoods emphasized family connections as part of the price of entry—shutting Jews out by default.

It was no different in higher education, where leaders were alarmed by rising Jewish enrollment. In response, they began to brainstorm how to limit Jewish applicants without endangering public funding or damaging their reputations.

Elite Universities’ Anti-Semitic Legacy

Yale University was one of those institutions. “There seems to be no question that the University as a whole has about all of this race that it can well handle,” wrote Robert Nelson Corwin, Yale’s admissions chairman, in 1922. Though Jewish students showed the same academic achievement as their counterparts, Corwin wrote, “members of this race…graduate from college as alien in morals and manners as they were upon admission.”

He recommended that Yale implement “non-intellectual requirements,” including letters of recommendation, in-person interviews, and psychological testing, to limit its number of Jews.

Corwin was far from alone. From Harvard to Rutgers, Columbia to Tufts, elite colleges and universities began trying anything and everything to control the makeup of their student bodies. Some implemented quotas to limit the number of Jews in new classes. Others focused recruiting in areas they knew had lower populations of Jews, and began looking more closely at extracurricular activities that indicated the social class and religion of applicants. More admissions requirements meant more reasons to turn down students—and a way to mask anti-Semitic school policies.

When Jews won more academic scholarships, schools like Harvard and Yale discontinued them in favor of financial aid. They also embraced the new field of psychological testing, offering tests that measured aptitude and not achievement, such as the Thorndike Tests for Mental Alertness.

“The primitive and biased tests effectively reduced Jewish enrollment [at Columbia] by half,” write education historians Jim Horn and Denise Wilburn, noting that many such tests were developed by eugenicists in search of “a purportedly objective way to quantify the structural racism of the day and to have it accepted as scientific.”

Another new requirement was so common it became almost ubiquitous during the period: the photograph. Historian Marianne R. Sanua writes that at Columbia, one fraternity publication satirically recommended that to get around newly tightened admissions requirements, applicants should dye their hair blonde, pretend they were taller, and have photos taken that downplayed stereotypically “Jewish” facial features.

Finally, higher education institutions also implemented internal legacy admissions policies, actively recruiting relatives of alumni and offering them a leg up on other applicants.

“All properly qualified sons of Dartmouth alumni and Dartmouth College officers will be accepted,” wrote Dartmouth College in its alumni magazine in 1922. The school also required applicants to submit multiple letters from Dartmouth alumni, promising that it would prioritize “men who plainly possess the qualities of leadership or qualities of outstanding promise” over those “qualified by high scholarship ranks but with no evidence of positive qualities otherwise.”

The Persistence of Legacy Admissions

As anti-Jewish sentiment became less mainstream in the wake of World War II and the Holocaust and with the rise of the civil rights movement, many universities phased out their more overtly anti-Semitic policies. But many of the restrictions put in place to limit Jewish applicants stuck. Standardized testing and interviews are still common requirements for college admissions, and today’s institutions of higher learning still admit more wealthy students.

One recent analysis found that children from the top 0.1 percent income bracket are more than twice as likely to gain admission to Ivy League schools compared to poorer students with the same test scores—and that 46 percent of their advantage can be attributed to admissions policies that extend preferential treatment to “legacy” students.

Despite some institutions like Amherst, Johns Hopkins, and Wesleyan announcing that they’ve abandoning the practice, the system is still common today. In a 2018 survey by Inside Higher Education, 42 percent of admissions directors at private colleges and universities said legacy status is a factor in their admissions process, compared to 6 percent at public institutions.

Among those institutions is Harvard, whose legacy admissions policy is now facing scrutiny by federal civil rights investigators. The Harvard Crimson reports that among its 2022 freshman class, more than 14 percent surveyed said they were legacy students, and self-reported legacies were likelier to be white. Over a third with one or more parents who attended Harvard reported a combined family income of $500,000 a year or more.

Will legacy admissions go the way of affirmative action? Until the results of the Department of Education’s reported investigation become clear, there’s no way of knowing. But many of the policies once implemented to keep Jews out of higher education in the U.S. are likely to persist.

[caspertheghostguy]

things i've heard around my college campus

"Maybe I have a Jesus fetish."

"Sometimes I wish I could, like, eat ceramic."

"Remy the rat is my favorite muppet."

"I would've hated Jesus because I don't fuck with a man who wears sandals."

[weezerlvr228]

Hello!!! I want to talk about weezer but im too shy! I wish i had more weezer friends

AWW ANON NO WORRIES!!! i was like that too!! best thing ive found is to just comment + interact w weezer fans on tiktok, like maladroitlover579 is super duper nice! :D people r very very nice on tiktok , but of course u could always dm me and we can talk abt weezer all you’d like !