Moral Chaos at the University of Notre Dame

TFP Student Action ^ | 10-17-05 | TFP Student Action

[concernedAmerican1]

"The sins which lead most souls to hell are sins of the flesh!" ~ Blessed Jacinta Marto

During the week of October 10-14, students at the prominent Catholic University of Notre Dame faced another assault against traditional Catholic morality on campus: "National Coming Out Day." The weeklong event included shocking pro-homosexual activities under titles such as:

* Speak Out! Sex and Gender at Notre Dame Rally

* Come Out of Your Closet!

* Library Exhibit: Famous LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trasgender] Individuals

* The Process of Coming Out: A Panel Discussion

* Gay? Fine by Me, T-shirt Day

An email alert advertising pro-homosexual activities circulated by a Notre Dame graduate student on October 7, stating: "All campus Masses [on Sunday, October 9] will be dedicated to creating a more welcoming environment for ND GLBTQ [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer] students. Homilies at Mass in residence halls and the Basilica will reflect this message, and prayer cards and rainbow ribbons will be distributed during all campus Masses."

The same email also invites students to watch a film called Ma Vie En Rose. A description of the movie talks about one of the characters: "Ludvic is a young boy who can't wait to grow up to be a woman."

Notre Dame's Graduate Student Union and Sociology Department sponsored perhaps the most revolting event. According to The Observer, a life-size orange closet draped with a rainbow curtain was placed on the quad in front of the South Dining Hall. Students on their way to lunch were given pink flyers and urged to support the homosexual agenda by literally coming out of this large closet.

More Symptoms of Moral Decay

This week's outrage comes on the heels of other troubling pro-homosexual events. On February 10, Notre Dame hosted its second annual "Queer Film Festival," where notorious dissident Catholic speakers freely voiced their scandalous opinions. At one session, pro-homosexual Sister Jeannine Grammick is reported to have told students: "I'm beginning to believe that the greatest sin for lesbian and gay people is to want to be straight." In 1999, Pope John Paul II permanently prohibited Sister Grammick from all and any pastoral work involving homosexuals. Causing grave scandal, she ignored the order from Rome and continues to contradict Church teaching.

Another featured guest speaker at the film festival was Terrence McNally, author of "Corpus Christi," a blasphemous play that portrays Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles as homosexuals, and which the American TFP protested in 1998. Unfortunately, that is not all. A few days after the "Queer Film Festival," amid widespread opposition, the lewd feminist play "V***** Monologues" was performed on campus with the support of three university departments.

Before this appalling scenario, Notre Dame's Catholic administrators are virtually silent, if not complacent. In fact, next year's "Queer Film Festival" was already approved by Notre Dame's board of directors: "Such films should be shown and discussions on them should be held on a university campus."

Faithful Catholics at Notre Dame are extremely frustrated. As student Christian Hoeffel put it: "One of the primary reasons I chose to attend Notre Dame was because of its deep Catholic roots. Seeing the university sponsor, and often promote, events like the "Queer Film Festival," "V***** Monologues," as well as a number of pro-gay speakers really shocks me, and makes me question whether or not the University of Notre Dame is in line with the Church's teachings as it claims to be."

The Ploy of Academic Freedom

The Most Reverend John M. D'Arcy, bishop of the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, opposed the deplorable "Queer Film Festival" in a statement:

This presentation is an abuse of academic freedom. Pope John Paul II makes clear the place of academic freedom when he says it must always be linked to certain values central to a Catholic university.

Freedom is always linked to truth. In this seminar, held at a Catholic university, there is no place given to the presentation of Catholic teaching on the matter of homosexuality. The rights of others are violated. What about the rights of the church to have its teachings properly presented? What about the rights of parents of those students at Notre Dame who find the content of this seminar offensive?

Launching a prayerful protest

The mission of a Catholic University includes counseling students away from sin, providing them with insights to the necessity and beauty of the virtue of chastity that some may have never known. As Blessed Jacinta warned: "The sins which lead most souls to hell are sins of the flesh!"

That is why TFP Student Action is launching a peaceful and prayerful protest, asking the recently elected president of the University of Notre Dame, Fr. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., to uphold Catholic morality. The success of this protest depends largely on your prayers. Please pray for the end of homosexual sin and for the perseverance of Catholic students.

The more letters we generate, the better. Join the e-petition.

Then forward this article to your friends. Call Fr. Jenkins to complain (always politely and respectfully). Personal letters are effective. Send them to:

Rev. Fr. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President University of Notre Dame 317 Main Building Notre Dame, IN 46556 Phone: 574-631-5000 Email: Jenkins.1@nd.edu

Dr. Thomas G. Burish, Provost University of Notre Dame 300 Main Building Notre Dame, IN 46556 Email: tburish@nd.edu or provost@nd.edu Phone: 574-631-6631, Fax: 574-631-6897

Other numbers to call:

Alumni Association Phone: 574-631-6000 Email: alumni-support-l@lists.alumni.nd.edu

Vice President for Public Affairs and Communication Ms Hilary Crnkovich Phone: 574-631-6798 Email: crnkovich.1@nd.edu

[GatorGirl]

I hope you're right!

Here are some statistics about life in the mainstream "Catholic" university system (Marquette, Loyola, Notre Dame, Georgetown, et. al.):

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA compared results of a survey administered to college freshmen in 1997 with a survey given to these same students as graduating seniors in 2001.

The results? Students attending Catholic colleges are more likely to increase in support for legalized abortion and same-sex marriages than students attending private four-year colleges. See for yourself:

* After four years at a Catholic college, student support for abortion increased from 46.3 percent to 60.1 percent, a sharper increase than among students at private colleges (51 percent to 62.2 percent).

* With regards to same-sex marriage, Catholic student support jumped from 57.3 percent to 73.5 percent (80.4 percent among women). Students at private schools saw less of an increase, from 55.7 percent to 67.3 percent.

* Catholic college students increasingly agreed with the following statement after four years at school: "If two people really like each other, it's all right for them to have sex even if they've known each other for only a very short time." Agreement rose from 32.8 percent to 54.3 percent (68.6 percent among men), compared to only 51.8 at four-year colleges (62.5 percent of men).

* The number of students professing to be Roman Catholics at a Catholic college dropped from 73.4 percent to 68.8 percent. At the same time, students professing no religion rose from 6 percent to 10.9 percent.

[John Robertson]

GG:

"The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA...."

I'm sure those UCLA'ers could come up with a study that proved a majority of Freepers favored legalization of gay marriage, and legalization of abortion up to age 40.

Seriously, the very parameters implied by the study, and the administrators of it, suggest to me that it was agenda-driven. (Pssst: The secularists want to destroy Catholicism, especially in America).

I hope I'm right, too. Thanks.

[hosepipe]

Only time before the football team mascot will be Notre Dame Edna.. ooops better not give them any ideas...

Nevermind..

[fortunecookie]

First of all, do your daughter a favor. Visit ND. See it, feel it. Our daughter is a junior there now, and most of the kids--as in 85%+--are very conservative. All this transgendered $hit is somethign that's...tolerated--not condemned, not necessarily frowned upon...and very often, just laughed at.

Happy to be wrong and to hear more positive news from Notre Dame. I do wonder why they tolerate Wiccan classes and why the permit the Vagina Monologues as a Catholic university, but at least it's not a majority buying into the tolerance.

[Mike Darancette]

I really want to believe that some of the ND (other than football) traditions are still going strong.

[John Robertson]

"I do wonder why they tolerate Wiccan classes and why the permit the Vagina Monologues as a Catholic university, but at least it's not a majority buying into the tolerance."

I wish administrators were more proactive about keeping this trash away from campuses, espec. Catholic ones, but the "entertainment" bookers at these places are pitched what's hot by managers and booking agents...and profs or groups on campus with the loudest voices (and agendas). Do you really think most young American women attend the V. Monologues and come away feeling different about their body part, their selves? If they even went, most come away thinking: jeez, how excessive and self-centered.

Thanks.

[Salvation]

BTTT! I got this in an email too.

[fortunecookie]

I wish administrators were more proactive about keeping this trash away from campuses, espec. Catholic ones, but the "entertainment" bookers at these places are pitched what's hot by managers and booking agents...and profs or groups on campus with the loudest voices (and agendas). Do you really think most young American women attend the V. Monologues and come away feeling different about their body part, their selves? If they even went, most come away thinking: jeez, how excessive and self-centered. Thanks.

You must belong to a wonderful parish/diocese. In mine, there are sadly a lot of people buying into this Am church kind of thinking. Including the 'modern enlightment' (gag) of the V. monologues. It is excessive and self-centered, you really summed it up.

and profs or groups on campus with the loudest voices (and agendas)

I wish the administrators were more proactive about keeping this trash away from campuses, too, but it seems clear that some of them are pushers of it. The kind of 'reformers' we see all too much of here. All in the name of modern and new. And it gets the attention. In my diocese and parish, there are a lot of folks who look to the radical happenings at Notre Dame as proof of positive change and things we need to try here, things that the Church must obviously want. They delude a lot of people, people who allow themselves to be led astray in some cases. That may explain my negative view of the goings on there.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Methinks God's Rotweiler needs to do a little cleansing of the religious orders, starting with the Jesuits and the Congregation of the Holy Cross!

Methinks God's Rotweiler is really a lapdog, and that he will be totally ineffectual doing anything. < ;o)

[John Robertson]

Shame. You ought to sponsor a workshop: Today's Notre Dame Student. Then bring in six of the squarest, straightest, clear-eyed, smart-thinking, logical Catholic students you can think of...and of course one freak, for "diversity."

Their 2004 mock election was something like 69% for Bush, as I recall.

[investigateworld]

And where is Tomas de Torqemada when he's really needed?

[John Robertson]

I wrote, "Shame. You ought to sponsor a workshop..."

But I meant, "It's a shame..."

Sorry.

[John O]

This kind of crap has been going on at my Alma Mater, Marquette, for some time as well

Ah yes, Marquette University. Home of the flapping turkeys, the multiple student voters, rampant perverse sexual practices , and the 'fixed' mascot elections. I graduated in '85 and really, really enjoy fund raising calls. Of course the hapless snorgs they have calling folk like me don't enjoy the experience at all. Truth can be painfully bright to those who live in an environment of darkness

[John O]

Joke stolen. Thank you, I will use it wisely

[Inwoodian]

Now I'm kinda glad USC won.

[BikerNYC]

Notre Dame's Graduate Student Union and Sociology Department sponsored perhaps the most revolting event. According to The Observer, a life-size orange closet draped with a rainbow curtain was placed on the quad in front of the South Dining Hall. Students on their way to lunch were given pink flyers and urged to support the homosexual agenda by literally coming out of this large closet.

This is "revolting"? They gotta get out more.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

I'm Marquette Engineering '93. Somehow, I managed to avoid fund raising calls from Marquette until a few weeks ago. I appreciated the opportunity to explain to the Freshman girl (living in McCormick Hall!) why I don't trust the administration to use my money wisely. The "Warriors/Gold/Golden Chickens" thing was a perfect example of an administration run amok. They do the same thing with Church teachings which is obviously more critical.

Then some alum dies and wills $28 million to them. Sickening.

[rochester_veteran]

John Robertson wrote:

First of all, do your daughter a favor. Visit ND. See it, feel it....
...they go, they pray, they visit the Grotto.

My sons and I have prayed at the Grotto too

I've taken my youngest to Notre Dame the past two summers. He went to football camp and there's no doubt that football is big at Notre Dame, but in my opinion, our Catholic faith comes first. As I was wandering about campus, I could feel the spirituality. The Grotto and the Basilica are indeed special places. I am a Catholic in good standing and would have no problem sending my son to Notre Dame. I'm actually encouraging it:

[John Robertson]

Special place, huh?

Unfortunately, it costs so much.

College costs are of course out of control. Even state schools are rising. ND is approaching $39K a year, now. A big mitigating factor for me was, when we were doing our research, we discovered hundreds of schools no one has ever heard of...that were costing $30K a year and more.

[RobbyS]

Only for intellectuals. The rest of us are made of flesh and blood.