Losing faith: Rural, religious campuses are among the most endangered

The Catholic prayer for the faithful echoed off the limestone walls and marble floor of the high-ceilinged chapel in Davenport, Iowa.

It implored God to comfort the poor and the hungry. The sick and the suffering. The anxious and the afraid.

Then it took an unexpected turn.

“Lord, hear our prayer for St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy University,” the young voice said, “that the grace of the Holy Spirit may help us to follow God’s plan for our new partnership.”

The speaker was talking about ongoing efforts to unite St. Ambrose University, where this weeknight Mass was being held, with fellow Catholic university Mount Mercy. Small religious schools in rural states are shutting down at an accelerating rate, a fate these two

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