Making the choice to practice Christianity in college

I remember when I used to wake up every Sunday morning to go to church. Like any other kid, I hated getting up—I just wanted to sleep. I found my family's devout level of religious observance frustrating. Why couldn't we be like the occasional Catholics whom I saw at church only on Christmas and Easter? Like many, I saw going to church as an obligation rather than something I genuinely wanted to do.

When I arrived at college, I realized that I was free to make my own decision about how often I would go to church or even whether I would attend at all. I found that I did go, but in the beginning only out of habit. After a while, though, I started attending church because I enjoyed going every week. Church was no longer an obligation, but a choice.

Yale is a great place to be Christian because there are many congregations around, no matter what type of Christianity you practice. While I personally have attended two Catholic churches in the immediate area—St. Mary's and St. Thomas More—there are churches of almost every denomination in the vicinity of campus. New Haven has more churches per capita than any other American city.

Whether you decide to attend church once a week or once a year, Yale has many options for all types of Christians. There are great opportunities to enrich your spiritual life—the choice is yours.

Back to Unity in Diversity...