Steubenville alum addresses identity of Catholic colleges

San José, Costa Rica, Feb 10, 2010 / 23:03 pm

The new rector of the Catholic University of Costa Rica, Father Fernando Munoz Mara, called on Catholic colleges to follow the teachings of the Church and to orient themselves toward the pursuit of truth.

Fr. Munoz, who has a doctoral degree in Psychology from the Ibero-American University of Mexico, recalled that the university was born from the heart of the Church, as John Paul II stressed in his apostolic exhortation, “Ex Corde Ecclesiae.”

Quoting Fr. Michael Scanlan of the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, he said, “A university must be a university, and a Catholic university must be Catholic.” Fr. Munoz explained that “by this I don’t mean any discrimination against those who think or believe differently than Catholics, but our identity as a university ought to be clearly defined,” following the Magisterium of the Church.

He also stressed that the foundational focus of the Catholic university must be on the students. “Our efforts are to be directed toward helping them as persons and as professionals to have an impact on society,” he said.

The new rector added that students and teachers must engage in research in a professional manner and make use of the technology and tools available today.

Fr. Munoz earned his master’s in Psychology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2002.