Posted on 02/11/2002 6:35:34 PM PST by Brian Kopp DPM
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Sunday, February 10, 2002 Press Release: An Open Letter to the President of the College of the Holy Cross
The letter in the attached Adobe Reader file (HCMcFar.pdf) contains some of the vile language contained in the Vagina Monologues play scheduled for the College of the Holy Cross on Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Do not open it if you are easily offended. That this anti-Catholic garbage should appear on any Catholic campus is blaspheme. I urge you to call both Fr. McFarland and Bishop Reilly and register your protest. Sincerely in Christ, cc: Fr. McFarland , Bishop Reilly, various staff and alumni, media Michael C. McFarland, S.J.
Most Reverend Daniel P. Reilly |
What's up with this? I didn't get the memo.
email to HCC in the works.
And therein lies the rub. NOW represents women, also. But a very narrowly cast group of women. It doesn't represent all women or even most women.
So, does The VM represent all victims of abuse? Most? Many? Or only those who said what the author wanted to hear?
To present a point of view that is not necessarily approved of so that people can discuss it - I support that idea in any university. To present propaganda in a non-interactive forum - that's not what universities do.
Check that: not what universities should do.
Shalom.
By the way, that is a worthy goal, but isn't there a better venue? Couldn't he have displayed an art project of men's sex organs being hung out to dry?
Seriously. Why is it that the only way we can raise consciousness about domestic violence to present male-phobic lesbianism? Rev. MacFarland, can you find another valid approach?
Sure. I knew you could.
Shalom.
Here's the response I got:
thank you for your message.
I understand your concern.
Our people have looked into this issue carefully.
The production is part of a program to raise consciousness about violence and abuse directed against women. It is raising funds for a shelter for battered women that we work with. While the play is provocative and parts certainly are crude, its intent is to represent women's experience, and it has some validity that way. It does not go down easily, but we felt that the play has some value and is advocating for women's rights, not for any activity (e.g., abortion) that is in direct violation of our principles, so we do not have a basis for banning it, which would be an extreme measure in an institution of higher education, Catholic or otherwise.
Michael McFarland, SJ
Bishop Gerald M.Barbarito
Diocese of Ogdensburg
604 Washington St.,
Ogdensburg,New York 13669
Your Excellency:
It is with sadness, but determination, that I am forced to write this letter to you. In ten years of writing in defense of our Faith I have never known of an incident where a diocese has displayed such un-Christian-like conduct toward true Catholic defenders as has your diocese toward Michael and Donna ***** and two other women.
Their crime....standing up for the Holy Family and Mary Magdalene. Their adversary....Fr.Richard Sparks, who brought sinful credentials to Ogdensburg; credentials so bad that a diocese statement heard on Channel 7(para- phrased) said that "the people of your diocese can rest assured that Fr.Sparks will not be saying what has been said in other places.! What kind of assurance was that meant to be?; and why were four people(among 25 others) punished for warning you about those very words of his? Four true soldiers of Christ....abandoned by their church leaders!
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything."
These words of G.K.Chesterton were practiced by your four parishioners and, for that, your diocese punished them! I, therefore, had added my voice to others, pointing out the disgraceful messages which Fr.Sparks imparted at previous conferences, in my letter of October 11 to you. Your diocese did not even extend the courtesy of acknowledging my letter. Fr.Lucia even said that I should "not expect an answer in the forseeable future." Why not? Is the value of a soul less important in Ogdensburg,N.Y.? If so, this is not the Faith of our Fathers. What a tragedy....dioceses invite speakers who attack Church morals, doctrine and/or leaders, to conferences across the country while ignoring orthodox Catholic speakers, who are relegated to Knights of Columbus halls and the like, if they wish to be heard.
Hear the words of Fr.Sparks. Are these why he was invited? "I do not know why women's breasts excite me.: "...but I like them. I like them in all sizes and shapes." No Catholic mother would permit her daughter to go to confession(or even be near) to a priest who boasts of this fascination. Nor, for that matter, would she endanger her own purity(or his)! "But I say to you that anyone who so much as looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matt.5:28) Your diocese desired Fr.Sparks so ardently that even the carrying of approx.thirty crucifixes was not enough to have this invitation rescinded. For their efforts, the four whom you punished were told that they could no longer bring the gifts to the priest during Masses, nor bring Jesus to the homebound. What a terrible irony. They put Jesus on the tongue or in the hands of others while Fr.Sparks put Him in the back seat of a car, "making out" with Mary Magdalene,. ....and the diocese chose Fr.Sparks. This reminded me of another decision made over 2000 years ago....Barabbas over Christ!
Your Excellency, please right this wrong. Mea Culpa's are not reserved solely for the laity "For there is no respect of persons with God." (Rom.2:11) Donna ****** sad words to me "we have received a life sentence, without even a trial." cry for justice.
Our Holy Father has apologized for(and attempted to correct) past wrongs by the Church. Prayerfully, you will imitate his example.
[Hooo boy do we need reform desperately.]
Click Here For Father Malachi Martin's Book: The Jesuits : The Society of Jesus and the Betrayal of the Roman Catholic Church
These people is me, and Tim Chichester. Period. When are you going to realize that each time you deride these people you are insulting me personally?
We organized this petition, wrote it, publicized it, and we, Tim and I decided who to include and exclude.
If you do not like who we decided to include and exclude, that is fine. Don't sign the petition.
For the purposes of this petition, we are including the most notorious Catholic politicians, especially those who voted for partial birth abortion.
Your rep has a 75% voting record.
The politicians on our list generally have a 95% or greater voting record, including partial birth abortion.
Only in this way are we able to protect ourselves from someone like your rep, who would otherwise point to his 25% good record to undermine our efforts.
We know what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what will get the desired results and what will ultimately hurt our cause.
Thank you for your concern, but for now our list is set. Logistically, we simply cannot include every single politician that local pro-lifers insist we include.
Every single one must get a letter from our canon lawyers, every single one must have a letter delivered to their bishop from our canon lawyers, and every single letter costs money, in printing, postage, and canon lawyer fees.
Our list already has approximately 60 named politicians. We simply do not have the financial resources to include every single Catholic politician who has ever voted pro-abortion.
We haven't even paid off our first Divine Mercy Prayer Project for Daschle printining costs, which were $4000 for 50,000 cards.
We plan on printing at least half that many for all the other Senators.
Do the math, and you can see how quickly this all adds up.
And so far, Tim and I are shouldering the economic burden ourselves, until our group becomes better known and we receive some financial support.
And if you knew our personal finances you would be amazed that we have gotten this far already!
(If anyone would like to help support the CFAA and this two-fold effort, the Divine Mercy Prayer Project and the Excommunication Petition Project, see the donation link on our home page.)
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