Mairéad Jennings

This personal style of study made my three years at St. Pats fly by.

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Leaving Cert felt like it would never end, but it did and the reward for the stress and hard work was so worth it. Studying theology at St. Pats was as a result of advice from my career guidance counsellor who, in response to my confusion about where to go or what to do after secondary school, encouraged me to focus on the subject from school that I enjoyed the most – religious education. I had always been interested in religion but was worried that theology would be very different from what was taught in secondary school, too old-fashioned maybe.

As it turned out studying theology at St. Pats was different to secondary school but in a good way. The style of teaching was dialogue-focused and not dictated. Personal theories, experiences and opinions were encouraged and taken seriously in class discussions, and students were free to ask any question, with one lecturer in particular (Dr. Séamus O’Connell) constantly reminding us that there is no such thing as a stupid question.

This personal style of study made my three years at St. Pats fly by. Throughout my time here there was no problem that the faculty would not help with, whether it be personal, educational or financial. There was an endless number of people on campus who were available for assistance, no problem was without help.

Today third level education has become essential to any person’s future prospects. I would encourage anyone with an interest in world religions, Christianity, and human behaviours and interactions to aim to study theology at St. Pats because of the well-rounded, personal and positive learning experience offered here.