Catholic

Carroll College is meant to be a beacon to the Church in the Northwest." - Saint John Paul II

Carroll College aspires to be a place where its community members encounter the love of God that saves, heals, transforms and empowers through all dimensions of their time here: academic, spiritual, and personal. Our goal is to equip students to engage the world as it is, with its diverse perspectives, persuasions, hopes, fears, and particular needs. In this way our students will bring to the world the beauty of our Catholic heritage—intellectually, morally, aesthetically, and especially spiritually—so as to elevate and transform our culture and the world.

Carroll College acknowledges whatever is true, good, and beautiful in all things: in the ways that each academic discipline probes reality with a depth that expands the imagination, in the ways that our students commit themselves to service for justice and the common good, and in the ways that we gather as a community to pray and worship. We do these things with the confidence that all that actually is true, good, and beautiful points to the One who is Truth, Goodness, Beauty, and Justice. This sacramental perspective empowers us to engage different traditions and perspectives with hospitality, openness, and interest.

We also desire to introduce all members of the Carroll community to the depth and richness of Catholicism so that they might come to understand and appreciate its particular wisdom. They, in turn, enrich and instruct us with their own unique experiences of the truth, goodness, and beauty that, ultimately, have their sources in God.

The student body, faculty, and staff reflect the rich diversity that the Catholic faith embraces. It is comprised of Catholics, non-Catholics, religious believers, and people who do not hold to any particular tradition each contributing their unique gifts to our search for truth. In other words, the Carroll community looks like the real world. And that is precisely the place where the the Gospel offers its vision of wholeness and reconciliation through God’s self-giving love in the Word made flesh.

In this endeavor, Carroll College is always and at the same time a community of students and teachers, receivers and givers. We enrich one another and learn from each other, celebrating what unites us and engaging our differences. Carroll College is a place where tradition and innovation meet, a place where faith and reason embrace, and a place where the God who is both “ever ancient and ever new” (St. Augustine) gives us a solid foundation from which we reach out toward the world with an intrepid spirit. We are engaged in the joyful, risky, messy adventure of becoming who Christ calls us to be.

It doesn’t get much more Catholic than that.

Part of an Intellectual Tradition Spanning Two Thousand Years

As a Catholic institution of higher learning, Carroll College values an integrated, holistic, and inclusive view of the person which has been a hallmark of the Catholic intellectual tradition for two thousand years. As such it is committed to the following principles:

The cooperative and integrative search for truth

All academic disciplines seek truth according to the methods unique to each of them. The Catholic tradition welcomes their findings as aids to faith because it understands faith and reason as partners in the search for truth. Accordingly, Saint John Paul II writes that "a specific part of a Catholic University's task is to promote dialogue between faith and reason, so that it can be seen more profoundly how faith and reason bear harmonious witness to the unity of all truth."
This value is expressed in the Carroll Mission statement when it states, “Carroll College affirms its commitment to the principle of freedom of inquiry in the process of investigating, understanding, critically reflecting upon, and finally judging reality and truth in all fields of human knowledge.”

Encouraging and challenging our students to fulfill their potential

The Catholic moral tradition understands humans as a naturally social and communal beings. Thus, we reach our fullest human potential when we give ourselves in service to others selflessly after the model of Jesus who selflessly accepted death for the salvation of others. The Catholic moral tradition is directed to helping people fulfill this potential.
Carroll's mission statement expresses this principle in the following way: “As value-oriented, Carroll College is committed to and deeply involved in the further dimension of free deliberation and decision making regarding values and personal commitment.”

Recognizing social injustice and contributing to the common good of society

The Christian concern for social justice has its roots in the biblical tradition. Since 1891 the Catholic Church has developed a body of teaching that has become known as Catholic Social Teaching. This is "the Gospel in action, compassion on the pavement, [and the] deeply hallowed conviction that every person has inherent and transcendent worth, fashioned in the image and likeness of God" It is "based upon a conviction that there are no throwaway people, no castoff or disposable souls."
In a particular way, as an institution founded by the Diocese of Helena, Carroll College offers its resources to the local community so as to serve as a leaven within the city of Helena
Carroll's mission statement reflects this value when it states, "Carroll College rededicates its spiritual, academic, and social resources to the service of the citizens of Montana, its home, and to the worldwide human family through continuing efforts to guarantee to individuals, to groups, and especially to minorities the right to life, to personal and social dignity, and to equality of opportunity in all aspects of human activity.”

Student Reflections on the Sunday Mass

See the mass schedule and weekly confession.

It has 100% transformed my life. - Catholic student
"It's like a good workout for my soul and heart. - Non-Christian student
I love the community and I love the message I get from each Mass. - Catholic student
I love it here, and it's great to go to Mass with other students. - Catholic student
I believe in the love of God presented in Mass, and I connect to God here because of it. - Protestant student
It brightens up my life in all aspects, and it allows me to grow on my journey with Christ. - Catholic student
I can pray with my Carroll family. - Catholic student
It starts my week off to a good note. - Protestant student
A friend invited me, and I loved it! - Catholic student
I enjoy the community and the homilies. - Catholic student
Sunday Mass epitomizes the Carroll community. - Catholic student
Because Fr. Marc is very welcoming to all faiths. - Protestant student
I like taking time to be with my peers and fellow seekers of peace. - Protestant student
It helps bring me closer to God and His people. - Catholic student
I love spending time in the Carroll community with my friends. - Protestant student
I feel welcome here, and I love the music ministry. - Catholic student
I believe that we should communicate together despite our differences in religion. - Non-Christian student
I want to build a better relationship with God. - Protestant student
There is a special fire here. - Catholic student
I love the welcoming environment and the great energy created during Mass. - Catholic student
It gives me time to reflect. - Protestant student
I have an awesome time learning about the Catholic faith and spending time with my peers. - Non-Christian student
I love my faith, and I am discerning a vocation. - Catholic student
I am trying to keep an open mind. - Non-Christian student
It completes my faith life. - Catholic student
Because there is a strong presence of God, of life, and of the Carroll community that is unlike any other place. - Catholic student
I love the Christian community here. I feel genuine love between me and my fellow worshippers. - Protestant student
It makes me feel good. - Protestant student
It was originally convenient when I was living on campus. Now that I live off-campus, I come because of the relationships I've made since I've been here. - Catholic student
It is the source and summit of my faith where I am spiritually fed so that I can serve others. - Catholic student
Church is important to me and, although I am a Lutheran, the messages of the Gospel remain the same. - Protestant student
It is with my peers here at Carroll College. This is my faith community. - Catholic Student
I want to experience Catholicism. - Protestant student
It's a vibrant congregation of faith." - Catholic student