Running to the convent
Monday, September 28, 2009
By Megan Sweas
Comments (3)
Not many people run a half marathon and fewer still these days join a religious order. Alicia Torres, 24, is doing both.
She ran the Chicago half-marathon--that's 13.1 miles--on September 13 with the goal of making a dent in her college loans. She has to be debt free before taking a vow of poverty.
Torres' determination is an inspiring story--you can read it on Catholic News Service and her blog, TheNunRun.com, but it's also a challenge for the rest of us. She graduated from a Catholic college, Loyola University Chicago, with $94,000 in debt.
Now I greatly admire Loyola and don’t blame them, entirely. Still, it's also sad that college loans make young people delay a vocation--be it to religious life or to a low paying job serving the church or the poor. I know young couples who look at the cost of educating a child through college when considering that vocation of parenthood as well.
A check from Americorp helps for those who do a year of service (I know from personal experience), but $5,000 is nothing when you're talking about debts as high as $94,000.
See the story we wrote about this issue last year: Sticker shock. What do you think? Is there a way to fix this problem other than each student signing up for a marathon?
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I think if she were wanting
By earthenvessel (not verified) on Tuesday, September 29, 2009I think if she were wanting that poverty vow so much she should have gone to a state college like my kids had to. We get a good education in state colleges and it should be good enough for anyone who has a real desire for poverty. My kids went to work and paid there way through and she could have also. I don't feel sorry for her at all. She got elite education the likes of which most people dare not even dream about.
Agree: I Think if she were wanting...
By Carolyn (not verified) on Tuesday, September 29, 2009I agree emphatically! The toughest parenting decision we ever made was to deny our daughter the privilege of attending MIT, to which she had been admitted in 1988. At the time, the cost was like paying cash for a house over four years and, with another child two years behind, we just could not responsibly afford it. So she attended our state university, got a great education, when on to Purdue for graduate school, and now at age 40 is enjoying a successful career. Since it is our state schools that will always educate the vast majority of our youngsters, I believe it is our first responsibility to advocate for the quality of education that they deliver at every level, K - PhD. If that leaves Catholic education as the option of the wealthy elite, has it not always been so?
College Costs
By Jerry D (not verified) on Monday, September 28, 2009Thomas Sowell has written on this subject. Linked is Part III in a series. Parts I & II are easy enough to find.
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