by Gabrielle Tremblay

A wise Jesuit priest, Fr. Larry Gillick, S.J., once told me that “a good education coaches a person to listen, reflect, and respond to invitations.” Only three months into my first year of law school, I have already encountered numerous invitations at the University of St. Thomas – lunchtime presentations inviting me to reflect on my future goals as an attorney, professors inviting my class and I to a moment of peace in prayer or reflection at the beginning of class, or peers inviting me to learn more about them in conversation. This reflection is about a more large-scale invitation that I received at St. Thomas – the invitation to pursue a Law and Catholic Studies Joint Degree (JD/MA).

Growing up in a small town in northwest Wisconsin, I did not have a Catholic education until my undergraduate career at Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska). I majored in philosophy and history, and pursued research on Catholic theology, feminism, and domestic violence. I fell in love with the humanities and even more with research. At the same time, these opportunities invited me to reflect on the value of justice – a value that played a large part in my decision to attend law school and still motivates me as I study law.

As an undergraduate, I also felt at home in Creighton’s community. I first accepted the offer to attend law school at St. Thomas because it was clear during my visit that its kind and welcoming community resembled the community at Creighton. It was only after deciding to attend St. Thomas law that I discovered the JD/MA program. This would be the perfect opportunity to combine both my desire to become a lawyer and my passion for the humanities and research.

The Master of Arts in Catholic Studies involves both a deep dive into all humanities’ disciplines and research. It takes a holistic approach to teaching the Catholic tradition by offering classes in Catholic literature, culture, theology, philosophy, and more. Not only will these classes fill my desire to continue studying humanities, but the required master’s thesis will also satisfy my intellectual curiosity which I explored through research in my undergraduate studies.

The Catholic Studies course offerings and independent thesis invites students to think critically about values which is essential for the next generation of lawyers. During law school orientation at St. Thomas, each first-year law student is required to take a class called Moral Reasoning for Lawyers. There we discuss the trend of law students often becoming morally indifferent through a traditional legal education. Students spend three years reading cases but never meeting the real people behind them. Discussions of values are rarely introduced in class. Students feel that the law is whatever the judge decides rather than reflecting any higher moral or ethical values. To assuage these tendencies, St. Thomas law has several offerings like the Moral Reasonings for Lawyers class. Another of these offerings is the JD/MA joint degree, and I am so grateful to supplement my legal education with a master’s degree that invites critical thinking about values.

Of course, I am frequently asked, “what are you going to do with a Master’s in Catholic Studies?” This question implies I come up with “practical” use for my joint degree. For many students, the Master’s degree in Catholic Studies opens opportunities serve their communities through ministry. Although this is likely not the case for me, this is not a concern for me because I believe education does not always require a “practical” use to be worthwhile. Too often education as merely a tool for intellectual and spiritual development is deemed “impractical” as if that were a bad thing. For me, the opportunity to continue what I began at Creighton through humanities studies and research is a good in itself.

Not only do I enjoy the critical thinking about topics in the humanities, but my reflections on values of justice, fairness, and equality, were a large part of my motivation to attend law school. The times that I lose sight of this purpose are the times that my motivation to study law tends to decrease. I think it is essential for the next generation of lawyers to critically think about values because we are entering a profession that enforces laws that ought to reflect society’s values, and in turn applies those laws in ways that affect real people’s lives and aspirations. Opportunities like the JD/MA are vital for us to learn how to “listen, reflect, and respond to invitations” that this world will present us when we enter the law profession, whether that be an invitation to mentor a younger lawyer or to take a difficult pro bono case. All in all, if you’re like me, and you want to be a lawyer while pursuing intellectual and spiritual growth through the humanities and Catholic tradition, this is my invitation to you to consider the Juris Doctor – Masters in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas.

Gabrielle Tremblay is a Murphy Scholar and 1L at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in the JD/CSMA program.

“Student Perspective” is a recurring blog series which highlights the various activities of the Murphy Scholar graduate students during their fellowship.