Dilemma: Your firstborn, now in high school, is starting to look into Catholic colleges. You are aware not all Catholic colleges or universities are quite as Catholic as advertised, but how to discern which schools are as orthodox as they claim to be?

First, put those college brochures aside and subscribe to the college’s student newspaper. You’ll quickly detect what the campus culture is.

Second, check out the Cardinal Newman Society, most particularly the Newman Guide to Selecting a Catholic College. The first paragraph speaks volumes:

• When Pope John Paul II issued Ex Corde Ecclesiae in 1990, he called for Catholic colleges and universities to renew their commitments to the doctrinal teachings and intellectual traditions of the Church. The response has been slow, leaving many Catholic families bewildered as to where to find the best of Catholic education. There are in fact a number of fine Catholic institutions of higher education in America-if one knows where, and how, to look for them……

Third, listen carefully late Thursday afternoon when Pope Benedict XVI speaks to hundreds of Catholic university heads and diocesan superintendents on the importance of Catholic education.

And finally, if you have the time and a sense of humor, read the various prognostications about what the pope will say:

“Watchdog Anticipates Triumphal Visit”/The Chronicle of Higher Education

“For Catholic Educators, Eagerness and Angst Attend Pope’s Visit”/The Chronicle of Higher Education

“The Elephant in the Room: Mandate for Catholic Colleges/Rick Santorum

“Pope Readies a Challenge to Catholic Educators”/New York Sun

“Catholic College Leaders Expect Pope to Deliver Stern Message”
The Washington Post

“Pope and Catholic Educators Set for Key Session”Reuters

“Pope Reaches Out to American Catholics” U.S. News & World Report

“Pope to Meet with Catholic Colleges and Universities”U.S. News & World Report