Sir, – Citing average Mass attendance at an average college chapel service is an incredibly flawed and reductive measure of the important role a chaplain has to play in a third-level institution ("As few as four students turn up for religious services in colleges", April 11th).
For one thing, many college students who are Mass-goers would often go to Mass services either elsewhere in the town or city the college is based, or else go to Mass when they are at home on the weekends. And the work of a college chaplaincy is so much more than just celebrating Mass.
There is a much larger group of students, not all necessarily religious, who appreciate the services provided by the chaplaincy in places such as NUI Galway, where the chaplains are always around to listen, and to provide advice and support for the students under their care, and not all just of a religious nature.
At a time of increased awareness of the mental strain many young people face, the idea of taking away such support is nothing short of ludicrous. – Yours, etc,
TOMÁS M CREAMER,
Ballinamore,
Co Leitrim.
Sir, – The assumption by Atheist Ireland that third-level students’ needs would be met by attending church is not borne out in reality. I have learned in over 40 years of observation that such services are only a fraction of the huge work done by chaplains in furthering student welfare.
In a survey during this academic year, the Agapé student movement has found that over 50 per cent of students identify the spiritual aspect of their lives as being important. These spiritual needs, which are going to influence their key decisions in life, must be addressed with Christian sympathy and understanding. – Yours, etc,
DAVID WILSON,
National Team Leader,
Agapé,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.