I've been mulling over this Obama thing quite a bit. It has been very difficult for me to stomach. I grew up in a very small, rural Catholic community surrounded by an ocean of Protestants. My impression was that we were the only Catholics in the whole world, with two exceptions. One was the Pope. The other was Notre Dame. Naturally, I loved them both for that reason.
I was fortunate enough to be accepted to ND, despite lacking much in the way of high school accolades or even a decent resume for application. Make no mistake, my time there was a phenomenal four years (except for Bob Davie's presence). However, I had several illusions shattered along the way.
For example, while there is a strong and vibrant core of Catholic students, many don't really care. Sure, they'll sign up for a service project with Habitat for Humanity, but at the same time, they will ignore Penance and Eucharistic Adoration. You will hear much outrage over the scourge of world poverty, but then the same person will give you a lecture about the need to provide marriage rights to homosexuals. Vagina Monologues? Should be on campus. Liturgical abuses? Sure, bring them on. It can be a very odd place.
Then you get to find out about the great Fr. Ted Hesburgh's selling out at the Land O' Lakes Conference. Or Richard McBrien's presence on the theology faculty. If you're lucky like me, you can get a professor whose expressed interest was in showing why Catholic dogmas are ridiculous.
And now, we get this Obama business.
The issue is clear. Lots of folks are going to try to fuzzy this up, but the mental gymnastice required to do so are well-nigh embarassing. Notre Dame is a university whose primary obligation is to God. This has been made clear by the Holy Father. ND has been in open defiance of the Holy See for almost twenty years by not accepting the Pope's laws for governing Catholic universities. Now, we have an active proponent of abortion, who doesn't even appear to care whether he is sanctioning the deaths of millions, given a public forum and a public honor by a school bearing all these characteristics and consecrated to the Mother of God. Of course, all the while ignoring its higher responsibilities and the statement below by the USCCB.
And why? To cater to the whims of men, rather than the will of God.
As all of you probably know, Notre Dame bears the mascot of the Fighting Irish. "Fighting" denotes conflict and active confrontation. For example, when the Klan tried to establish a public forum in South Bend, Notre Dame sent them on their way. During any ND football game, you'll see commercials that talk about "Fighting Injustice," "Fighting Disease," etc. These commericials are nausea-inducing in light of this whole Obama thing. It's clear that ND will fight for a lot of stuff, just not for the unborn. You don't fight for such things by heaping praise and honor upon the instruments promoting such horrors.
Notre Dame will receive no more money from me, and my children will not attend there. Anyone reading this, please write and protest this event. Write to ND and to Bishop D'Arcy. The information is below. Personally, I am going to ask for Fr. Jenkins to be terminated. He taught me Ancient and Medieval Philosophy. I had very high hopes for him as university president. Instead, he has chosen to diminish everything ND should stand for.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us and your university.
His Excellency, Bishop John M. D’Arcy
Fort Wayne Chancery
1103 S. Calhoun Street
P.O. Box 390
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801
(260) 422-4611
The President of the University of Notre Dame:
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: 574.631.3903
Email: president@nd.edu
To contact the USCCB:
Phone: (202) 541-3000
email: catholiceducation@usccb.org
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
This Will Be Rambling and Incoherent. Sorry About That.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Thank you for your ramblings -- may I offer that perhaps a little tolerance is needed every once in a while. ND has not invited a mass murderer to speak; they have invited the leader of our country who has a lot to offer, but yes, does not agree 100% with the USCCB (but because he is not catholic this is not necessarily a surprise or unreasonable). You have every right to protest ND’s choice of speakers because we live in America where free speech is a right of everyone but don’t let this event cause the end of your relationship with ND. Do you know of a better place to send your kids??? Does all your pride in your four years there go out the window in one fell swoop???
ND is not a perfect place but no place (here on earth) is. Frankly, illusions are meant to be shattered because they are illusions and this is not a perfect world and as we grow up we (hopefully) recognize that and can still maintain our core beliefs and strive to make the whole world a better place for all of us. I hope this is what you teach your kids regardless of where they go to school.
What concord hath Christ with Belial? St. Paul asked this question, and I think the ND administration should ask themselves that same thing. What Obama might have to offer the university in the way of a commencement speech is public acclaim. It's not worth it.
If this is the ND of the future, then yes, I can think of a number of better places to send my kids. It would be incorrect to say that all my pride in the place is going out in one fell swoop. As my post should indicate, this has been building for a while. Inviting someone who actively presents himself as an enemy of life was basically the last straw.
I don't think I'm asking a whole lot here. Fidelity to the Holy See (per JPII's norms in Ex Corde Ecclesia)? Acting according to the very meager requests of the USCCB (hardly what you'd call a bastion of traditional thinking)? This is the bare minimum, and ND has decided that it's way too onerous and that there are speakers who are bigger than the school's duties to the Almighty. If you can't even do the bare minimum, why call yourself Catholic in the first place?
Bear with me one more time; I promise it will be the last:
Apparently we disagree.
Such is my plight. Disagreeing with people is probably 90% of this blog.
Post a Comment