Our Lady Weeps: V-Monologues Comes to Notre Dame (Catholic leader calls ND Prez a "modern Judas")

This Lent the pro-lesbian, verbally pornographic play, the V-Monologues is being staged at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. The "V" stands for a woman's genitalia, and is spelled fully out in the promotional materials. It is being staged with the full blessings of the university's administration, which has done nothing to discourage its showing. Students are acting in the play, and it is sponsored by the school's Department of Film, Television, and Theater. Proceeds from the Monologues will apparently be donated to various feminist groups, none of which share much in common with the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.

Not only have I read transcripts from the play, but I've also seen it, as distasteful as it was, so I could write about it without detractors claiming I'm condemning something based on second-hand accounts. I do not recommend anyone, Catholic or otherwise, see this blatant piece of propaganda. Perverse acts, including the pedophilic seduction of a 13 year-old-girl by an older woman, are graphically described. Lesbianism and masturbation are glorified. To give you an inkling of the crudity of this "play," think of the worst four-letter word you know that begins with "c." A couple of years ago, when this trash was staged at Saint Mary's, a Catholic woman's college across the street from Notre Dame, the "chorus" began chanting this "c" word enthusiastically. You get the idea. Art, it is not. If you're skeptical, and not sensitive to utterly foul language and perverse subject matter, you can read an article on the Saint Mary's production here:

I'm a graduate of Notre Dame, as is my wife. Sadly, we are not surprised by this propaganda being featured at Notre Dame. Those who occupy the seats of power at Notre Dame have always taken pride in being the vanguard of Catholic dissent. Before Vatican II, Notre Dame sponsored a series of clandestine seminars with the Rockefeller Foundation in the early 1960s explicitly aimed at undermining the Church's teaching on artificial birth control (as documented by E. Michael Jones, editor of Culture Wars Magazine). Notre Dame administrators have long hid their vile intentions behind a curtain of "academic freedom," while presenting to the world-- and especially to parents of students--a face of benign, feel-good Catholicism. For example, the president of Notre Dame is Father Edward "Monk" Malloy, CSC. I remember a conversation I had with Father Malloy when I was an undergrad before he became president; he told me that the Church needed to change its position on "alternative forms of orgasmic behavior." We were standing in a men's room next to a urinal, which seemed appropriate at the time. I doubt Father Malloy features his views on "alternative forms of orgasmic behavior" in Notre Dame's promotional literature. I also remember corresponding with President Malloy as he defended Notre Dame's showing of the blasphemous movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" in the late 1980s. Again, he washed his hands with the filthy water of "academic freedom," as if falsehood could be a legitimate "point of view."

Out of love, I told Father Malloy in my letters then, and I'm telling him now, that unless he and those in the administration who support him repent of their sins, they shall surely face the eternal fires of hell. It's about time somebody said this out loud. There is a hell, and there are enemies of Christ, and these enemies do go to hell when they die if they do not repent. I sadly imagine that there are special torments in hell for those who wear Roman collars and carry bishop's mitres who actively promote or superciliously permit those in their care to exposure to perversions such as the V-Monologues. For decades now, the University of Notre Dame and other Catholic institutions of "higher" learning have jeopardized the souls of students that come under their influence, and they do so by design, willfully, and with a certain patronizing smarminess that makes decent folk feel the presence of evil. I fear my words are wasted: loving warnings about reality of damnation to those who evidently don't believe in eternal justice often fall upon deaf ears.

I have kept in touch with Notre Dame students over the years. I assure you that the devout Catholic counter-revolution is underway. There are many more students who are faithful to the Church there now than when I was a student in the early 1980s, despite the agitprop of those in charge of the institution, and these students are not remaining silent about the V-Monologues coming to our beloved Alma Mater. Their protests and prayer vigils will surely be ignored and unheard by those in positions of power, but these saints will be heard in heaven by Jesus. God bless them! And there are and have always been faculty members who are faithful to the Church, some of whom have been heroic in their public and private support of these students. I stand in solidarity with these true sons and daughters of Our Lady's university.

Yes, Malloy and others like him are despicable in their hypocrisy. They call themselves Catholic while undermining the Mystical Body of Christ. Shame on them. Yes, these modern day Judases make me deeply ashamed that I am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. Yet I love Notre Dame with all my heart, which makes my sadness and anger at seeing it dragged through the mud all the more heartrending. I'm sure many of my fellow alumni share my sorrow. I especially love Notre Dame's founder, Father Sorin, whose vision for a great Catholic University is being defiled intentionally by pretenders to his legacy. But these embarrassments are nothing compared to the spiritual reality of the situation: students are being taught how to go to hell at Notre Dame and other "Catholic" colleges and universities. Surely, Our Lady weeps bitterly.

Mark my words, academic excellence does not mix with immorality, because immorality cannot bear the truth for long, and virtue in pursuit of the truth is the reason why institutions of higher learning exist. In other words, faith and reason are complimentary, and one cannot be virtuous and believe in falsehoods at the same time. It may be for now that Notre Dame is held in high regard by the world, and perhaps her graduates will be in better position to get high-paying jobs. But will they be in position to build up the Body of Christ? Will these graduates and their future spouses and children be in better position to merit heaven as a result of their "education"? Will they gain the world and lose their souls? It seems that these are questions that Father Malloy and his ilk no longer care about.

In the long run, either those who are in charge of Notre Dame will repent of their sins and reform their institution, or this once faithful university will become a footnote in salvation history. Educational institutions faithful to the magisterial teachings of the Church such as Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH), Christendom College (VA), Thomas Aquinas College (CA), Our Lady of Corpus Christi College (TX), Ave Maria College and School of Law (MI), Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy (ONTARIO, CANADA), and Saint Thomas More College (NH) are prospering and growing. They are attracting the higher quality students who in years past longed to attend Notre Dame. (All these schools can be contacted by searching under "college" at http://www.bestcatholiclinks.com.) Contrary to popular belief, the institution does not make the student; the excellence of the student makes the institution. In short, God does not need Notre Dame; Notre Dame needs God. And if it doesn't reform, Catholics won't need Notre Dame either.

I have four sons under the age of ten. They're smart as whips. They, along with tens of thousands of Catholic home-schooled children are in grammar school and high school grades. All the studies show that these students are not only being raised in virtue and truth at great sacrifice by devout parents, but that they are scoring in the top percentiles of academic excellence. Some of these children will eventually attend Notre Dame, where, as with my wife and I and the devout students of today, they will form the beating heart of Immaculate Mary in an otherwise nominally Catholic campus. Most, however, will not be called by Our Lord to attend Notre Dame. The future leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States are graduating and will graduate from Ave Maria and Christendom and Steubenville, and even secular colleges which still value truth in various disciplines, but at least do not undermine the Church from within. Pride goeth before the fall, Notre Dame, and ye have fallen, and have further to fall, for the abyss is deep and eternal. Every night, every night, I pray for thee.

I respectfully submit that it was not impossible from the start. It only became impossible when Lott agreed to turn the trial into anything but a trial (i.e.: no presentation of evidence, no witnesses, no cross-examination, etc.).

James Rogan is a man of honor and a terrible loss to the GOP, but we can thank our spineless senate leadership for acquiescing to the democrats's demands to re-focus the "trial" and ensure it's ineffectiveness.

Just look at how many dems actually viewed the boxes of evidence they demanded be brought over. Most of the real evidence was dedacted by clinton's corrupt Attorney General.

I believe the cause was just and necessary and became a sham because of a gutless Trent Lott.

You are correct- but I am beginning to think better of Martin Luther (that humorless zealot)- the Church in his time was even more corrupt than it is now. That said, I have not met a Priest who impressed me as a moral leader in at least the past 10 or 15 years. I HAVE met quite a few who looked and acted like refugees from a National Gay Day Festival. I also have deep suspicions about the Bishops who have failed to prosecute Priests who they KNEW were molesting children. What would a THOROUGH housecleaning turn up, I wonder?

I understand what you're saying. My basic problem with Martin Luther is that he was so full of pride that he assumed that the Church COULDN'T be reformed so he just walked out and went his own way. In fact, the Church was in the process of an internal reformation at that very time. I honestly believe that the Church is the Bride of Christ and that He will never abandon her.

As for your issues with priests, I can't say that I've had similar experiences. Sure, I've met the occasional one who's been a little too effeminate for comfort or a bit too disrespectful of his office, but most of the priests that I come into contact with on a regular basis are exemplars of the vocation.

Finally, I hope there IS a thorough housecleaning in the American Catholic Church. I know what they're likely to find in a lot of dioceses and it won't be pretty. But it IS necessary if future scandals are to be avoided and the Church put in the proper shape to address its primary mission: To spread the Gospel of Christ to all people.

To contact Father Malloy, e-mail him here:

Edward.A.Malloy.5@nd.edu

Also, I recently had an interesting discussion with Bud Macfarlane, the author of this article, and he had read this thread and asked me to pass along the following comments:

Message From Bud Macfarlane
I was told about your discussion of my article, "Our Lady Weeps: the V-Monologues Comes to Notre Dame," and I've truly enjoyed reading your comments. I especially admire the intelligence and charity in which you carry on your discussion. Here are a few of my own comments:
1. A couple of months ago, before I heard about the Monologues coming to ND, my wife Bai started a group for ND Alumni called the Notre Dame Society. Our mission is to help support devout students on campus who are doing positive things for the faith. The network has grown very quickly, and we've set up a core group of students to keep us informed and let us know what they need. It seems like a few of you Freepers are our kind of ND alums, and would want to get involved. If so, email Rachel Richmond (ND '00) and she'll plug you in. No money involved: it's all done through the Net. E-mail here
RachelMVR@aol.com
2. Yes, ND76 was right that the ND Law School and Architecture schools are still solid (though Ave Maria School of Law, which I've been involved with, is going to run rings around it eventually. The faculty is cream of the crop and their first students are choosing Ave Maria over ND Law and UVA Law, I hear, and have the LSATs to get into just about anywhere). But I would send my sons to ND Law or Architecture. And yes, Texas A&M is a good school with one of the best Newman Centers in the country.
3. FYI: Practicing--and I emphasize "practicing"--Catholics (25% of the U.S. population are baptized Catholics) tend to vote conservative in large percentages. Bush pulled 10% more of the Catholic vote than did Dole--the single largest demographic shift in large voting blocks from 1996 to 2000--and the margin of victory. Deal Hudson of Crisis Magazine helped Bush realize that Republicans can't win without getting the Catholic vote. Whether you like Bush or not is besides the point: pray for the Catholic counter-revolution to triumph. Unfortunatley, only 40% of baptized Catholics actually attend Mass regularly. If that can go to 60%, the whole political landscape will shift in the U.S. dramatically and permanently. The Depression Era FDR Catholic Democrat is dying off, finally, so every new devout Catholic means a conservative vote. Aslan: let's roll!
Thanks. Keep fighting the good fight.
Bud Macfarlane Jr., MI

You can visit Bud's website at www.catholicity.com

Unfortunatley, only 40% of baptized Catholics actually attend Mass regularly. If that can go to 60%, the whole political landscape will shift in the U.S. dramatically and permanently. The Depression Era FDR Catholic Democrat is dying off, finally, so every new devout Catholic means a conservative vote. Aslan: let's roll!

And have you heard about the new evangelization effort taking place in the Catholic Church with materials from Paulist National Catholic Education Association. [PNCEA} Maybe I have the words wrong, there.

It is a wonderful program and following it many Catholic communities are choosing to run a "Welcome Home, Catholics" program.

This is the reply to my email that I sent to Notre Dame yesterdat.

To the sender:

Thank you for your e-mail concerning the performances of "The Vagina Monologues" at Notre Dame. The performances were under the sponsorship of the the Gender Studies Program and the Department of Film, Television and Theatre, and proceeds from ticket sales were donated to Saint Joseph County Sex Offense Services, a local women's shelter, and a national fund to aid Afghani women.

This is one of those occasions when the discordance of contemporary culture and Catholicism becomes very publicly apparent, but the fact is that the University's faculty and students confront this discordance continually in the course of examining the modern world. It certainly is true that the language of "The Vagina Monologues" is often crude and vulgar and that its world view is at odds with Catholic teaching, but could the same not be said for any number of modern novels, plays and films our students encounter --James Joyce's "Ulysses," for example? Should it not be read or taught or discussed at Notre Dame because of its sexual content, crude language, and rude treatment of Catholicism? Should Norman Mailer's novels, or John Updike's or Philip Roth's, or the plays of Edward Albee or the films of Martin Scorcese not be studied here? How much indeed of all modern literature, drama or film could stand up to a test of conformity with Catholic teaching?

Our contemporary culture certainly is not Catholic, nor even, many would argue, Christian; it is aggressively secular and routinely mocks the very notion of belief. A Catholic institution will not embrace that culture, but neither can a Catholic educational institution ignore it. "The Vagina Monologues" has become the centerpiece of a national movement to raise awareness and lessen the incidence of sexual violence against women. Along with the content that many find offensive, the Monologues include statistics and accounts of child sexual molestation, the systematic rape of Bosnian women, and female genital mutilation in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The movement that has grown up around the Monologues has attracted especially strong support on college campuses, including Notre Dame. How should a Catholic university community react to a phenomenon such as the Monologues? How should individuals react from the standpoint of their faith? Can one support the Monologues' positive aim, i.e., condemning sexual violence against women, while abhoring its moral confusion?

That is the debate taking place now in the Notre Dame community. It has filled the campus newspaper's Viewpoint pages over the past week and has been very much a "Catholic" argument, with students and others on both sides of the issue arguing from the standpoint of their faith. Whatever one may think of the content of the Monologues, is this not precisely the kind of debate that should take place at a Catholic university in a time and culture that render our beliefs so resoundingly countercultural?

Obviously, people of good will--and good faith--can argue the answer to that question.
Peace,
Dennis Moore

I got the same e-mail from Mr. Moore. I would be curious to know what you think of my response:

Mr. Moore, I have read your response. My initial reaction is, shame on you. In my day at Notre Dame, there was a nightclub on S. Michigan Street called "The Torch Club", where nude and lewd dancing took place. Yes, that type of thing goes on in the world. Should it have taken place on the ND campus, because it took place in downtown South Bend? No.

This calls to mind a couple of other recent episodes where you and other administrators did not exactly cover yourselves in glory. First is the appearance on campus of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the pro-abortion Hebraic American. If he wanted to spew his pro-abort garbage and woo voters in Indiana, he certainly could have gone to the St. Joseph County courthouse steps. No. He wanted to have his viewpoint legitimized with the famed Marian Shrine, the Golden Dome, in the background (never mind that in the Talmud, to which Lieberman ascribes, views Our Blessed Mother as a prostitute). As a pro-abort who spits on Our Blessed Mother every time he runs his mouth about "freedom of choice", he should have been categorically excluded from campus.

Further, Notre Dame is guilty of broadcasting tasteless NBC sit-coms, which at the very least are immoral, and are actually pernicious and anti-Catholic in nature. If you don't believe me on this, take a look at the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights' web site, www.catholicleague.org.

It amazes me that, in the name of "academic freedom", ND allows utter trash and filth like the "Monologues" on campus, and yet does not allow even one traditional Latin Mass in any of the churches or chapels on campus. Notre Dame Magazine a couple of years ago ran an article by a "history professor" which excoriated the traditional Latin Mass, the Mass great martyrs like St. Thomas More and St. Oliver Plunkett died for, the one my Irish ancestors were persecuted for.

There have been very few times in the past 30 years that I have been ashamed to be a Notre Dame man. The "Monologues" incident is one of them. This incident has proven correct Judge Robert Bork's notable statement in "Slouching Toward Gomorrah"--the President of Notre Dame cares more about what the presidents of Harvard and Yale think than what the Pope thinks.

Notre Dame and St. Mary's ought to be three square miles of truth and decency. To the extent you defend the "Monologues" incident, you fail in your duties as a Catholic and as a man. Shame on you. Yours in Notre Dame, ND76

As a proud alumnus of Gonzaga ('76), I am not surprised that the leaders of this institution turned them down. Last year, they turned down a request by the NOW gang to use campus facilities for a speech. The NOW supporters were apoplectic over this rejection, and cried foul due to First Amendment considerations. Fr. Bob Spitzer, President of Gonzaga, politely knocked that objection out of the ballpark, citing the precedence of Catholic doctrine and the sanctity of life over secular concerns.

Over the past few months, they have welcomed Rev. Jesse Peterson to speak on campus, and I'm sure it was well attended.

It's been a pleasure for me to see the basketball team catch up to the excellence of this great school. GO BULLDOGS!

BTW, when I attended GU, I was not Catholic. However, I am convinced that Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, patron saint of youth, played a major role in my conversion 4 years ago. It was with great joy that I attended my first Mass at Gonzaga as a practicing Catholic last June.

At that time, my wife and I were unaware that she was pregnant with our fourth child (we lost one to a miscarriage several years ago). Nathan Michael (Gonzaga class of 2024) was born last Friday, a healthy 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

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