More than a Profession: The Importance of a Faith-Filled Education

At FranU, Theology is not a separate track, but a part of how students are formed in every field.

Theology professor Dr. Brian Pedraza argues there is more than one way to think about education.

“As I tell my intro to Theology students, education can be conceived as learning practical skills in order to get a job in order to make money; or it can be conceived of as discerning what it true from what is false, what is good from what is evil, what is beautiful from what is ugly.”

Pedraza believes Theology guides students to think clearly about why they do what they do and says that secular education has limits.

Every person longs to love and be loved by an infinite love," he explained. "The human person is a question that ultimately doesn't make sense apart from God."

He continued, “Secular education, by its very nature, cannot offer this kind of complete education. At best, it can examine intricately the things created in our cosmos, but it ignores the Creator and the question why the Creator made these wonderous things.”

He explained that Theology is not only academic but also personal and spiritual.

“There's nothing to be afraid of in giving yourself over to Christ," Pedraza said. "Our professions, institutions and people will become more fully themselves when they do."

One individual who experienced this shift is Trey Parker, an alumnus from the Nursing and Family Nurse Practitioner programs. As an undergraduate in the Nursing program, he began ‘Seeking the Person Within’, a blog meant “to integrate one’s faith into the intimate spaces of nursing where the most sacred encounters occur.”

"I see my initial attempts at the blog in undergrad as the sparks to a larger fire that burns for other people know how being a nurse is a sacred ministry that is dually motivated by our love for Christ and a means to encounter Him in the patients we serve,” Parker said.

Parker says Theology helps reframe nursing as more than a profession.

A theological perspective is essential to ensuring that nursing education not only teaches the science but the art of caring for the sick, grounded in the context of our identity having inherent dignity that must be protected and safeguarded at all costs,” he said.

FranU aims to form professionals who care for the whole person. Pedraza says the University is one of the few places where this integration is central.

There aren't many places that do what we do—integrating genuine Catholic faith and ethics with training in the health sciences—and, if I may say so, few do it with the intentionality and effort that we do,” Pedraza said.

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Learn more about FranU's approach to faith and education here.