New age upon us

Wednesday, November 12, 1997

New age upon us

RELIGION Catholic students are discovering the freedom to make
own interpretations of teachings

By Carol McKay

Daily Bruin Staff

Individuality and personal interpretation have historically not
been associated with centuries-old religions. Catholic students at
UCLA, however, are discovering the freedom to develop their own
conscience about today’s important issues regardless of what church
laws may dictate.

According to Cindy Yoshitomi, a campus minister at the
University Catholic Center (UCC), the teachings of the church
encourage "the formation of conscience," or individual moral
development.

"People are really forming their own opinions, their own
conscience, because when given a decision to make, you will be
asked, ‘Did you follow your conscience?,’ not ‘Did you follow the
rules of the Church?’"

Because they are encouraged to form their own beliefs, the
political spectrum at the UCC is broad.

Many people in the church are "radical traditionalists," and the
terms "liberal" and "conservative" don’t really apply to an
analysis of the Catholic faith, Yoshitomi said.

"There are some (Catholic) students who are extreme right and
extreme left. But 98 percent of us are in the middle. Our lives are
way too complicated to call liberal or conservative," Yoshitomi
said. "Of course, the media doesn’t portray us that way. They focus
on one or the other. That makes a better story."

The issues that don’t matter as much within the dialogue of the
UCC, she said, are the same issues that the media centralizes.
"Take sexual issues, for example," Yoshitomi said. "Most Catholics
have made up their own minds on it. If you look at the statistics,
they show that people are following their own consciences, which is
always right."

Some students prove Yoshitomi’s point exactly. "I disagree with
my church on a lot of issues," said Patrick Blanton, a student
leader at the UCC. "And it’s frustrating sometimes. I can find
examples of where (the rules) just don’t work. That’s one thing
about Catholicism – there’s no grey area. It’s either A or B."

But many students also note a trend of understanding or
liberalization of the church in recent years.

"Catholicism has been seen as such a stoic, old-school religion
… sort of archaic, but the Catholic church is catching up with
the times," said Steve Betschart, a fifth-year physics student.
"For me, the Catholic church has been evolving a lot lately. I know
the Pope just now apologized for imprisoning Galileo, but since
Vatican II, it’s become a lot more progressive."

Vatican II, the council to which Betschart referred, was a
historic set of meetings, held from 1962 to 1965, that brought
about change in the Catholic Church. Among others, the meetings
resulted in changes in policy dealing with religious freedom,
updating the language of the Mass to translations other than
traditional Latin, and other modernizations.

"At UCLA, there’s emerged in the last couple of years – at least
since I’ve been here – a big understanding," Blanton said. "When I
first came, the gay and lesbian community was really shunned by our
church. But now, there are support groups (within the UCC), and I
sometimes go to Mass with my gay friends."

Many student leaders attribute the growing numbers of students
turning (or returning) to the Catholic faith to an increased level
of discussion within the faith.

"People are returning to spirituality for the discussion and
debate. It’s just more honest and open," Blanton said. "Especially
if people were raised Catholic. It’s a pretty strict religion, it’s
true. But they come back to it."

For Gerald Sequeira, a third-year civil-engineering student, the
transition to college was pretty unique. Moving from a comfortable
Nicaraguan church to an upscale, intimidating church in Los Angeles
took some getting used to.

"At home in Nicaragua, there was a civil war, and I saw the
Catholic church we went to as a sort of relief," he said, beginning
the story of his spiritual journey at UCLA. "When I moved here, and
started going to a church in Santa Monica, it was so affluent. I
felt disconnected, so I stopped going."

That was before Sequeira discovered the UCC and returned to the
faith that so many students have turned to. According to Yoshitomi,
student participation has tremendously increased in recent
years.

"The amount of students seeking religious life has surprised
me," Yoshitomi said. "In the ’90s, people are looking to spiritual
guidance. There is a new age upon us, and it follows a spiritual
path."

Nearly 40 students will be initiated into the church as adults
through the Sacrament of Confirmation next week, says Yoshitomi,
and the numbers amaze her.

"It’s incredible," she said. "I find the spiritual journey of
all students to be wonderful at this university."

But to many students currently making the "journey," the path
has been bumpier than others. Blanton recalls his beginnings as a
freshman at UCLA.

"Everybody deals with the transition. First quarter was really
tough for me," said the third-year pre-business-economics student.
"There’s the whole ‘I-don’t-know-anybody-here’ excuse, and I didn’t
go to church until after I got comfortable."

Blanton, who serves on UCC’s Outreach Committee, said that
students experience difficult shifts from attending church with
family, to continuing seeking the faith as an independent person at
college.

"It’s very healthy to question your faith. It deepens whatever
you’re believing in," he said.

Betschart admitted that he experienced a time when he needed to
challenge the rules of the Church. "Sometimes you have to go
against what the Church says. That’s the weird thing about American
Catholics. They believe in what they choose to believe in. And
that’s how it should be. Religion is a personal thing."

A mural at the University Catholic Center.

Photos by HANNAH SADY

A statue stands at the University Catholic Center.