University of St. Thomas School of Law Dean Daniel B. Kelly shared his insights with Our Sunday Visitor as to why Catholic law schools play a vital role in forming lawyers who view their profession as a vocation rooted in faith, moral reasoning and the pursuit of justice.
From the article:
Today, the American Bar Association, the nation’s largest voluntary association of lawyers, recognizes 29 Catholic law schools. The deans of four of them – Notre Dame Law School, Catholic Law, University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis and Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida – spoke with Our Sunday Visitor about what makes their law schools Catholic and how their faith-informed approach forms graduates.
While these Catholic institutions of higher education vary in age, size and geographic location, they pursue a common goal: Preparing students not only to serve as lawyers but also to live as saints. ...
These deans spoke about how their schools include faith in their missions, cherish human dignity, recognize law as a vocation to serve the common good, and value community and supportive faculty while providing faith-based educational opportunities and student activities. They seek to educate the whole person.
“A person’s worth does not depend on extrinsic factors like grades, jobs, promotions, power or salary,” said Daniel B. Kelly, dean at St. Thomas Law, explaining what he hopes students take away from their education. “Rather, each student, each client and each person we encounter in the world has human dignity because each person is made in the image and likeness of God. ...
