“My greatest dream is that we can build an academic community that is uninhibited in the way it deals with issues” | Henrique and Sofia’s journey at Católica
“Católica appeared very early on in my education. At my high school in Peniche, I attended an open day at Universidade Católica and was very enthusiastic about the way they reflected on issues, the way they thought and even the way they worked,” says Henrique Filipe, now in his first year of a Master’s degree in Theology.
He is 23 years old, comes from Atouguia da Baleia, and explains that when he realised that his “path lay in Theology,” he knew that “Católica would indeed be the best place” to achieve this goal.
And the experience is proving very positive. The first days of the master's degree are spent getting to know new teachers, in a different system, with more seminars and fewer courses. ‘It is more positive, as it demands more from us,’ the student comments.
As for the biggest dream, he speaks without taboos. "My biggest dream at an academic level is that we can build an academic community that is uncomplicated in the way it deals with issues. And to deal with them effectively, not to be afraid of certain discourses that may seem more adverse to our way of thinking, but to assume that academia is a place for effective dialogue."
Next to her is Sofia Goes, 58, attending the first year of the Bachelor's Degree in Theology, but these are not her first steps at the University. ‘I am a mother, I am a grandmother, I have a degree in Biology, a PhD in Molecular Biology,’ describes the now student of the Faculty of Theology.
The desire to ‘seek to better understand the presence of God in our lives’ led her to enrol in this course, where her greatest dream is ‘to participate in and integrate a wide variety of church experiences and knowledge of God.’
In this first year, the students hopes to find a ‘connection, a closeness to other different experiences, seminarians from various congregations and diocesan seminaries with whom she can exchange ideas, learn, and grow.’