Inspired to think about the most important questions in life

Liam Coolican wasn’t looking forward to having to study theology as part of his degree, but then he made some unexpected discoveries in a Friday afternoon class

When I arrived at university nearly three years ago, I was like most first-year students –motivated, ambitious, and, quite frankly, in over my head. There were dozens of things I was interested in and I wanted to major in three or four different subjects. I had no time to waste on classes that wouldn’t count towards some sort of requirement. Then, I was informed that I would have to take two classes in theology.

I grew up Catholic, but not in a traditional sense. My family only went to Mass a few times a year, and religion was not a topic we often discussed. I might have identified as an agnostic. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in God, but that He rarely crossed my mind.

Unlike my peers who had gone to Catholic school for more than a dozen years before arriving at Notre Dame, I went to a public school (“public” in the American sense) where I had friends from every faith and with no faith – again, religion was not something that was brought up often.

Begrudgingly, I signed up for that first theology class, pushing that economics course to the next semester.

The class, which focused on the Old Testament, eventually building up to the New, turned out to be one of my favourite at Notre Dame. I found myself looking forward to each session, even though it was at 4p.m. on Fridays.

I realized, then, and through my other experiences at Notre Dame – including my internship with The Tablet this summer – that theology didn’t take away from the other disciplines I was studying. If anything, it enhanced them.

I wouldn’t be truthful if I said that one theology course changed me into someone who goes to Mass every week; I still don’t go as often as I probably should. It didn’t necessarily cement my faith, either. But it did inspire me to spend time thinking about the most important questions in life and how I want to live. It was a good reminder of how Catholicism is relevant for all of us; religion really matters and is not something to be relegated to the background of our daily lives.
That is why I believe that Catholic education is so important – regardless of faith. I didn’t seek out these experiences, but I am certainly grateful for how they shaped me, and I believe that I’m a more thoughtful, spiritual, and self-reflective person because of it.

Liam Coolican is a student at the University of Notre Dame and a recent Tablet intern.