Committee members of the Laurentian Society Personal Profile
Jake Trant speaks about a university Catholic society
The Dublin University Laurentian Society which takes its name from St Laurence O’Toole, Archbishop of Dublin, was founded in 1953 to provide a meeting place for the growing number of Catholics attending Trinity College.
It was one of several societies formed in the period alongside Trinity GAA and the Cumann Gaelach to cater to the needs this type of Trinity student. The society played a prominent role in advocating for the needs of Catholics in the college, including advocating against the Church’s ban on Catholics attending the college (which was finally lifted in 1979), the appointment of a Catholic chaplain as well as various charitable activities.
The society operated continuously until 2002 when it became dormant, but was revived in 2011 by a committed group of students and has been strongly growing ever since. It has continued growing since then and currently has over 100 members.
Currently the Laurentian Society offers a forum for the exposition and discussion of Catholic culture and beliefs to all students. In recent years the society has held talks by the likes of Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, the Papal Nuncio to Ireland and a number of leading academics on various aspects of theology. We also try to raise awareness and funds for Catholic charities such as Trócaire and the Peter McVerry Trust.
Faith
My faith has always played an important part in my life. Growing up, the strong faith held by members of my family helped to inspire the development of my own deep faith. It has developed within me since childhood and I have come to see it as a guiding light in my life.
I feel my faith helps to anchor me in life and acts as a well of support which I can draw from during difficult periods in my life through the knowledge that God has a plan for all of us even if we cannot see it ourselves.
The spirit of the teaching of Jesus and the lives of the saints help provide me with inspiration on how to live a good life, even if I cannot live up to that model. However, it at the very least gives me something to aspire to and is an example I can try to act on.
As chairperson my role involves the organisation and planning of the society’s activities and working with the rest of my brilliant and hard-working committee to ensure the smooth running of all of our events.
The society seeks to offer a wide variety of events relating to different aspects of Catholic culture which includes both social events and a wide variety of speakers on issues relating to theology and the Church in the contemporary world. In the past year we have expanding the society’s activities to include a lending library of relevant material, a redesign of the society logo and the institution of bilingualism within the Laurentians communications with our members.
Dialogue
We have also sought to increase inter-faith dialogue within Trinity and therefore have helped create events in conjunction with other faiths including the Muslim Students Association, the Christian Union and the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Although the society does face some challenges regarding gaining greater publicity within the college for the most part I am very hopeful for the society’s prospects in the coming years. I believe in the coming years the society will continue its current rate of growth and keep expanding the number and variety of events it holds to offer students a greater understanding of the Catholic faith. I would also like to see the society increase its links with similar societies in other colleges such as the Newman Society in UCD, which I think would benefit the members of both organisations.
At the Laurentians we offer students a place where they can explore and develop their faith outside the more structured framework of religion. Many students, both those who are practicing Catholics and those who are not, wish to know more about the theological basis and history behind Church teaching in this period of their lives and that is what the Laurentians seek to provide.
We try to offer a space where they have access to the materials to help answer these questions. In the society we don’t seek to push any particular interpretation of Faith but merely to provide information to students on the intellectual foundations and current activities of the Catholic Church. We also provide a social outlet where Catholics can meet people of similar views in an informal setting through our weekly meetings.
I feel this is highly beneficial especially for incoming students, and that it’s also a good for the college that a plurality of views are represented with students given the chance to explore as deeply as they wish into whichever faith they might (or might not) choose. That’s what’s needed to create a truly diverse campus.