The Magisterium of Sophomores: another High School explosion

WDTPRS ^ | 4/12/2014 | Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

[markomalley]

I little gift in time for World Youth Day.

Once again we have an example of the Magisterium of Sophomores.

Another ‘c’atholic High School blows up when they hear the truth about Catholic teaching.

Yah… I want to be part of a Church in which high school students determine our morality.

First, look at The Prout School.

From IndependentRI:

Prout principal will not resign after controversial assembly

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Kathleen Schlenz of Peace Dale knew something was wrong when her daughter, Anna, arrived home from school Friday.

The Rev. Francis “Rocky” Hoffman, a priest of Opus Dei, [I know him.] an orthodox division of the Roman Catholic Church, and executive director and radio host of Relevant Radio, a Catholic radio network that broadcasts on 33 stations in 13 states and online, had spoken to a school-wide assembly at The Prout School, where Anna is a junior. The speech was being taped to be broadcast on Relevant Radio at a later date.
“She was most upset about the divisive and offensive language regarding divorce, homosexuality and even adoption,” Kathleen Schlenz [Follow her doings all through the piece.  She's really something.] said. “None of the parents or faculty knew it was being taped to be aired. They were essentially held hostage and told to clap after this man’s responses to questions, even when they didn’t agree with them.”
Father Hoffman was on retreat and unavailable for comment before the Independent went to press Wednesday.
On April 10, parents received a letter of apology from Principal David Carradini since Friday. [sigh] In the new letter, Carradini announced he would not resign.

[...]

“Many have questioned why I did not stop Fr. Hoffman when I sensed things were going badly,” Carradini wrote. “I have offered three explanations to various audiences; the truth is I do not know why I did not stop him:. Though I sensed, and shared, the distress of your daughters and sons, and of the faculty, [and Gaia] I did not see its depth, as I was in the front of the auditorium. I desperately hoped that things might right-end themselves, [?!? Really? Who writes public letters like that?  ] and in that hope I did not stop him. ['Cause that wouldn't have added chum to the waters.] Parents who are crisis management professionals have instructed me after the fact in what I ought to have done. I am grateful for their guidance.” [He makes this sound like a school shooting.  Were psychologists called into the school to help students deal with the trauma?]

Students discussed staging protests and pickets in response to the speech. On Monday, fliers that read “Homosexuals are bullied because of apathy. [Good grief.  WHO'S being bullied?] Divorced people are bullied because of apathy. Adoptive children are bullied because of apathy. Are you apathetic?” appeared around the school.  [What the heck did my old friend Fr. Hoffman say?  Did he use... I can hardly bring myself to type this... The 'S' Word™?]
Several Prout students and alumni tweeted about the matter.
“Prout is now an unvibrant uncatholic community,” one said. [They are figuring that out?]
“All the good things built up by The Prout School today just came crashing down around us with that assembly,” read another.  [The party's over, it seems.  It all came crashing down.  Was what Fr. Hoffman said as divisive and as bullying as this?  Rom. 1:26-28, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."]
Posts to Hoffman’s Facebook page appeared briefly, but were removed.
In an email to Carradini, Kathleen Schlenz characterized Hoffman’s comments as “cruel, condemnatory, and wholly un-Christian.” [Could he have been harsher than the Bible? Lev 20:13: "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination."  I'm just saying...] Beginning Friday, a number of parents, including Schlenz, went to Carradini with questions: Why was Hoffman asked to speak? Who approved it? Was he paid? Would the speech be aired?  [Could his talk have been more challenging than Matthew 5:32 "But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."]
Carradini referred a request for comment to the Diocese of Providence. [This is Bp. Tobin's diocese, thanks be to God.]
Friday evening, parents received an email from the school.
“My intention in inviting him here was to have a priest articulate Church teaching in a manner that was pastorally appropriate, doctrinally sound, and deeply respectful of the trust the students showed in bringing these questions forward for answer. My prior knowledge of Fr. Hoffman and his program gave every reason to expect this outcome,” Carradini wrote. “My expectations, and those of the faculty and staff, were not met, and for that I am deeply sorry. Several of the answers provided were not entirely representative of the full breadth of Church teaching on a number of complex and sensitive issues. [Oh?  What did he omit?] Several members of the student body, faculty, and staff – including me – were personally offended by his manner of presentation.”  [It may be that the little darlings heard it for the first time and had a reaction.]
In the email, Carradini said he would “address these matters with the entire school and to apologize for the offenses caused.”  [What did Fr. Hoffman say that was so horrible?  Was it anything like what St. Paul said?  1 Cor 6:9-10: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts,  nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."]
That occurred Monday, in another school-wide assembly, during which school chaplain Rev. Joseph Upton, offered an address with a more welcoming message. [?]
“You can imagine how very upset I was on Friday morning as I watched and heard Fr. Rocky’s presentation unfold,” [I am still waiting for a quote... in or out of context... so that we can know what happened?] Upton said, according to an email regarding Hoffman’s address sent to parents. “We know that many young people in particular struggle with participation in the life of the Church. And now a presentation seemed to provide more of a reason to give up on the Church? I was angry and I was sad.” [Oooooo.]
Approximately 50 parents appeared at the assembly uninvited and met with Carradini after it finished. Schlenz was among them.
When she reached Carradini by phone Saturday, she asked what he was doing to ensure the speech would not be broadcast and was told he had spoken to a board member of Relevant Radio.  [So that no one can know what Father really said?  What does that sound like to you?  She doesn't want people to know the truth.]

[...]

Read the rest of this train wreck over there.

Is this it now?  Is this how it is to be?  Do we now have an inquisition made up of High School students and soccer moms?

I think I should now offer my services to be a speaker nationwide at Catholic High Schools.

[kitkat]

This is absolutely the most confusing report I’ve ever read. Did the speaker hold up the Catholic viewpoint, or not? Or did he hold it up in such a way that children of divorced parents, for example, were made ashamed, etc?

Then the speaker was wrong since the students were not to blame for their parents’ action.

Or did the principal seem to approve of the speakers’ actions if they were unCatholic?

Markomalley, I would appreciate some information about the above. I’ve read it twice and still don’t know who is to blame.

[kitkat]

This is absolutely the most confusing report I’ve ever read. Did the speaker hold up the Catholic viewpoint, or not? Or did he hold it up in such a way that children of divorced parents, for example, were made ashamed, etc?

Then the speaker was wrong since the students were not to blame for their parents’ action.

Or did the principal seem to approve of the speakers’ actions if they were unCatholic?

Markomalley, I would appreciate some information about the above. I’ve read it twice and still don’t know who is to blame.

[Talisker]

American Catholicism serves Pope Hillary.

Get that through your head, and nothing they do will surprise you anymore.

[imardmd1]

Most of us who are Bible-believers simply have not understood how deeply the forces of iniquity have embedded tolerance, acceptance, and promotion of personal depravity such that acknowledgement of The God, His Christ, and Biblical morality must be stamped out of all aspects touching public life.

Private schools cannot escape the invasion of public opinion if they refuse to teach the Biblical standards by which the conduct of the parents of their children would obviously be condemned.

[hinckley buzzard]

With a principal who is so severely limited intellectualy it is no surprise the students act like a band of ignoramuses.

[vladimir998]

“Did the speaker hold up the Catholic viewpoint, or not? Or did he hold it up in such a way that children of divorced parents, for example, were made ashamed, etc?”

Looks more like the latter, but I have a caveat to throw in here. I think what happened is that the priest spoke very bluntly and the liberal, pro-gay, pro-divorce, pro-abortion, pro-contraception, pro-fornication teenage audience and wolves-in-sheep-clothing faculty were all offended. The only alternative is if he was just a complete jacka$$ but I don’t see how he could have reached his position in life and come across that way intentionally.

[GeronL]

They should be hearing this stuff daily- if they are shocked to hear it the school is a failure

[Salvation]

What is it? Guilty until proven innocent? What is wrong with these Catholic Schools?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Almost 1,400 words in this article, and not one sentence quoted from"Fr. Rocky's" talk; not even a paraphrase of his approach to his topics.

How can one form a judgment, or even an intelligent opinion, based on zero information?

They call this journalism?

[NYer]

Belated ping!

[AnAmericanMother]

This isn't "journalism" per se. This is part of a ongoing commentary over at WDTPRS about the latest episode in the trend of high school students and their catechism-challenged moms going ballistic over a Catholic school teaching . . . gasp! . . . Catholic doctrine.

There are links at the site to this controversy and the one in Charlotte.

[verga]

What is wrong with these Catholic Schools?

They are Catholic in Name only. High School versions of Georgetown and Notre Dame.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Yes --- I'm sorry I was pretty unclear. I was referring to the long article Fr.Z was fisking, from Independent RI, the Rhode Island newspaper that had the write-up about the principal to begin with. I was not referring to Fr. Z and WDTPRS.

I've been following this and the one in Charlotte. The Charlotte incident particularly left me sucker-punched, since the President of Aquinas College dramatically failed to support Sr. Jane Dominic, who has in actual fact been suppressed.

When even Aquinas shafts their most accomplished and gifted catechist, you know something ain't right. Somthing deeply, deeply, deeply ain't right.

[AnAmericanMother]

I'm hoping that Fr. Z's alternate theory is true - that Aquinas is protecting Sr. Jane Dominic from threats. Let things die down a bit so she isn't attacked - apparently there have been what they call "credible threats".

And you know that some of these radical homosexualists are just crazy enough to try something.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Fr. Z's alternate theory may have some foundation, but it can't erase the Aquinas College president's statement, ("There are no words that are able to reverse the harm that has been caused by these comments") -- referring to Sr. Jane Dominic's comments --- still on their website.

So she's accused of practically irreparable harm --- even though the Chancellor of the Diocese said there was nothing in her talk that was opposed to Catholic faith and morals --- and they're treating the kids as if they would have to be trauma-counseled after an attack by a deranged rifleman.

And basically the Aquinas President Sr. Mary Sarah suppressed her as a speaker and teacher, and exiled her into long silence as if she were a serial buggerer like Marcial Maciel.

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh dear, that does sound very bad indeed.

Sometimes you do more harm than good rushing to make an abject apology.

Our archbishop tied himself up into knots apologizing for a perfectly good business decision, and his course of action is going to waste a whole lot more money than was spent in the first place.

Sometimes I wish our ordinaries were less like Casper Milquetoast and more like "Dagger John" Hughes. THERE was a bishop with a backbone and to spare (even if he was more than a little scary, he was highly effective.)

He would have excommunicated the whole lot of them, with a generous helping of fire and brimstone on the side.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Dagger John! My hero!

[AnAmericanMother]

He single-handedly integrated the Irish into American life. Stopped the Draft Riots, too, though he was pitifully sick (and actually dying) when he addressed the mob.

We sure could use him today - he understood anti-Catholicism and that you can't allow yourself to be bullied.

Kind of looks like the Iron Duke in this portrait.

[AnAmericanMother]

Da Duke:

A little bit uncanny.