The Most 'Catholic' University That Isn't Catholic

The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the highest-ranking American prelate ever to serve in the Roman Curia: that’s a nice coup for a young, small Catholic school.

But wait: here’s the interesting thing. Ave Maria is not a Catholic university. Not officially, at least.

The local ordinary, Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, has not yet acceded to the school’s request for formal recognition as a Catholic university. Thus Ave Maria (AMU) cannot yet claim the official “Catholic” label. The school still carefully describes itself as an institution “in the Catholic tradition.”

Last November First Things magazine produced a list of the 10 “most Catholic” Catholic schools in America. AMU sat at the top of the list, edging out such commendably orthodox Catholic institutions as Christendom College, Thomas Aquinas College, and the Franciscan University of Steubenville. One might quibble with the First Things rankings; it’s the sort of list that lends itself to arguments. Still the fundamental point comes through: By one imperfect measurement, AMU is the most Catholic university in the country. And yet for official purposes, AMU isn’t a Catholic university at all. In that same November 2010 issue, First Things also listed its editors’ choices for the 10 least Catholic Catholic colleges and universities in the country. Many of the names will be familiar to our readers:

1. DePaul University, Chicago
2. University of Detroit Mercy
3. Seattle University
4. Niagara University, Niagara Falls, New York
5. University of San Diego
6. Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois
7. Georgetown University, Washington, DC
8. D’Youville College, Buffalo, New York
9. Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York
10. Lourdes College, Sylvania, Ohio

What’s interesting about that list? All of those schools—with the possible exception of Molloy College in Rockville Center, Long Island (whose public statements refer to a “private” college, resolutely ducking the question of religious identity) can call themselves Catholic. Whereas AMU takes pride in educating students “in the Catholic tradition,” most of these schools try to camouflage their religious affiliation. There's a lot of reference to "tradition," but it isn't always a "Catholic" tradition. DePaul and Niagara refer to their “Vincentian” tradition; Seattle University the “Jesuit” tradition; Lourdes talk the "Franciscan tradition."

(The most interesting verbal gymnastics are done D’Youville College, which was named for the founder of the Grey Nuns, St. Marguerite d’Youville. If you read her biography, as presented on the university’s web site, you will not once see the word “Catholic.” Still one assumes that St. Marguerite was in fact a Catholic, and sure enough, if one reads to the very end, one is rewarded with the assurance that the college “honors its Catholic heritage and spirit of St. Marguerite d’Youville.”)

If DePaul and D’Youville can be classified as “Catholic” colleges—alogn with the dozens of other nominally Catholic institutions that welcome Planned Parenthood on campus, why can’t Ave Maria by designated a “Catholic” university? It’s no secret that AMU has hit some speed-bumps in its first few years of existence. There have been personality clashes, budget overruns, administrative gaffes. Bishop Dewane might have been waiting for some reassurance that the storms would abate and the school would move forward on an even keel. Fair enough. Now Ave Maria has a new president, promising vigorous new leadership, still resolutely anchored “in the Catholic tradition.”

What more will it take, do you suppose, before the bishop officially recognizes AMU as a “Catholic” university? If the administration can entice the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith onto the campus for commencement exercises, what more will it take?

What more will it take, do you suppose, before the bishop officially recognizes AMU as a “Catholic” university? If the administration can entice the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith onto the campus for commencement exercises, what more will it take?

Tom Monaghan leaving town?

Ave Maria...unfortunately, feeds into the old stereotype that Catholics are more comfortable with divine right hierarchy than open democracy–that you can’t be a good American and a good Catholic. Yet as the series notes, Ave Maria may be in the American tradition of land barons more than it is in the Catholic tradition–at least of the past century, and especially under John Paul II–of holding up democracy as the political ideal, as long as it is accompanied by civic virtue. Maybe Monaghan doesn’t trust his own good Catholic residents?
-- from the Commonweal blog article Ave Maria Town: Roman Catholic…and un-American?

we have a number of leftists here posing as Christians. They only post articles that make Christians look evil (distortions mostly) or that cause Christians to fight.

They may pretend to be Protestant, which is a joke as Protestants are our Christian brothers, but under this mask, this group of leftists says the following about Christians and Jews (more details on my profile page)

Hatred for Pentecostals and Methodists -- calling them
1. of a failure to grasp the Biblical teaching concerning the history of salvation.
2. saying that Methodists and Pentecostals worship the gospel of Satan -- a very serious and false allegation
3. as damnable heretics
of course we know that their group hates Pentecostals as much as Catholics,and their group believe us to be no different
Against Lutherans -- accusing them of liberalism and not following Martin Luther
Against Adventists - accusing them of being the same as Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses
Against Orthodox, trying to say they don't have charity
Against Christian martyrs in Pakistan -- Shahbaz Bhatti
against Jews - no celebrating with Jewish friends, eh?

This an entire cover-up of religion to keep their group's true agenda of fomenting discord -- just like the Westboro Baptist Club

There are articles like these below designed to make Christianity look like a laughing stock -- and we know this agenda don't we?

In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled Image of Jesus found!, :

Image of Jesus found!
Image of Jesus appears in Ponderosa
04/11/2011 2:18:27 PM PDT · by Alex Murphy · 7 replies
ConnectTriStates ^ | 3/17/2011 | Sarah Deien
HANNIBAL, MO. — This is not a story of the image of the Virgin Mother on a grilled cheese sandwich or Jesus on a tortilla. Hope you’re not disappointed, but I think this is far better. This is the story of a spiritual journey that transformed a beam into a masterpiece, and the spiritual journey of the amateur artist himself. It takes a big leap of faith to go from carving ducks to chiseling the image of the crucified Jesus. It also takes inspiration. And time. In fact, the idea first stirred in Delbert Hayes’ imagination a dozen years ago...
Image of Jesus Appears at Church [Following ceiling work at Fairmont’s First Presbyterian]
04/11/2011 2:16:02 PM PDT · by marshmallow · 8 replies
West Virginian Times ^ | 4/8/11 | J. Miles Layton
FAIRMONT — Parishioners, the faithful and even curious skeptics can look to the heavens at what appears to be an image of Jesus on the ceiling of one local church. “That’s inspirational because it makes people stop and think,” said Rev. Bill Sadler, First Presbyterian Church of Fairmont. “No matter what, you have to stop and deal with it being here.” The image was mysteriously formed in the plaster high above on the vaulted ceiling of the church’s sanctuary.
Jesus Christ appears on rocking chair
04/11/2011 1:28:52 PM PDT · by Alex Murphy · 31 replies
The Metro UK ^ | February 18, 2011 | Ted Thornhill
Of course, the Saviour’s face has been getting around a fair bit recently. We’ve already availed you of his face’s visit to an MRI scan, to some chicken feathers, Google Maps, a drainpipe, a Marmite lid and a student’s frying pan. Well now it’s the turn of a rocking chair in, appropriately, the City of Angels to host the holy visage. The chair belongs to Lou Balducci, who lives in the Mission Viejo area of Los Angeles, and he was understandably taken aback. ‘When I first saw the image, I didn’t know what to think. As I thought about it,...
Face of Jesus appears on log
04/11/2011 12:06:16 PM PDT · by Alex Murphy · 51 replies
The Metro UK ^ | April 10, 2011 | Ted Thornhill
The log’s owner, Mel Robertson, calls it the ‘holy log’ and says that she keeps it as a ‘lucky charm’. However, she admits that it ‘hasn’t brought any luck yet’, but is hopeful that one day it will. Fingers crossed, Mrs Robertson. The mum of two from Solihull told Metro.co.uk that the face first appeared back in October 2009, but got clearer and clearer as the months went by. She said: ‘We had some firewood by the fireplace – at first it looked like a skull and crossbones – but as the months wore on, it just appeared around the...
Face of Jesus appears on tea towel
04/11/2011 11:50:57 AM PDT · by Alex Murphy · 15 replies
The Metro UK ^ | April 7, 2011 | Kavi Shah
It’s well known that cleanliness is up there next to Godliness, but Roisin McCourt wasn’t expecting Jesus to pop out of her washing machine load. Dance teacher Ms McCourt was shocked when she saw the unusual brown stain, which shows what seem to be the facial features of a long-haired, bearded man. Ms McCourt, 31, has since been mobbed with requests from believers wishing to make a pilgrimage to see the holy imprint. The Coventry resident said: ‘When I took it out I could not believe it. I could see it was Jesus straightaway. I took it to my husband...
Jesus Statue Set Ablaze in Minn.
04/11/2011 11:30:54 AM PDT · by mandaladon · 36 replies
The Blaze ^ | 11 Apr 2011 | Jonathon M. Seidl
It was a clash of images on Sunday in St. Paul, MN when a local man, Tuan Pham, awoke to see his beloved, custom-made Jesus statue in flames. According to family, someone took wood from a nearby pile and used a spray can to ignite a fire at the base of Pham’s 7-foot ode to Christ. It’s statue that has been controversial from the beginning: It may have burned for awhile; Pham’s daughter took pictures of her father trying to knock down the flames. Fire investigators were going over the garden a few hours later. If they find evidence of...
Surprise as ‘face of Jesus’ appears in Bristol barbecue plot
04/11/2011 10:42:49 AM PDT · by Alex Murphy · 31 replies
This Is Bristol ^ | April 1, 2011
WHEN his next door neighbour called over the fence and told him Jesus had appeared in his back garden faithful church-goer Ron Sims first thought he was joking. But when the pensioner caught a glimpse of the concrete barbecue his friend had knocked down six years before he couldn’t believe his eyes. Mr Sims, 77, of Magpie Bottom Lane in Hanham, said: “When I saw it I just couldn’t believe the likeness. “It’s such a strong image, it’s almost eerie.” The image is formed by the remains of concrete blocks Mr Sims used to build an outdoor barbecue when he...

Mostly, we should ignore the troll, do not reply back to him or his posts. Let him continue to make a fool of himself. Give him no response and let him sink back to the mire.

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