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| |  | Campus Scribblings: A Weekly Survey of Catholic Higher Education (Oct. 25th)
Oct. 25, 2007
In
our effort to help strengthen Catholic higher education, we sometimes
feel the most apt description of the landscape is "the good, the bad
and the ugly."
Just when it seems that colleges are falling into the abyss,
something really exciting happens. And when optimism starts to bloom, a
seemingly diabolical event surfaces that makes us realize the
challenges ahead.
For those of us engaged in renewing Catholic education, we
meet this dichotomy through faith and perseverance. A good case in
point relates to the climax of the
Holy Cross scandal this week.
We were among the leaders in protesting the decision of the Jesuit president of the College of the Holy Cross to allow Planned Parenthood and a NARAL group to appear at a teenage pregnancy workshop on campus.
The Henry M. Hogan Campus Center, the site of the ill-conceived
event, was transformed into a Trojan horse for the foot soldiers of
abortion. A "leadership award" was presented to pro-abortion
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. This falls into the "ugly" category.
Our broad coalition of Catholic and pro-life groups could not
persuade the president to cancel the workshop. But he unwittingly gave
us an opportunity to
present a Catholic perspective on teenage pregnancy at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Dawn Eden, director of the Cardinal Newman Society's
Love and Responsibility program, spoke to a large gathering about chastity and other issues that should be promoted at nearby Holy Cross.
In
addition to reaching a cross-section of people at our event and through
the media, we established a rapport with the Worcester Diocese's
Respect Life office, which cosponsored Dawn's talk.
We also celebrate the strong support for life and against
Planned Parenthood that Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester took. In
addressing Holy Cross's administration, the bishop showed the
conviction of a true shepherd. He sent a shot across the bow that will
continue to be heard around the country.
In the midst of this controversy, there was more good news
from Worcester, and we continue to digest and disseminate it. Only ten
minutes away from Holy Cross is Assumption College. It is a Catholic college founded at the beginning of the 20th
century, and it appears to be poised to make a solid contribution to
21st-century Catholic education.
At his Oct. 10 presidential inauguration, Dr. Francesco Cesareo spoke of the need to followEx corde Ecclesiae and to have
"the courage to speak uncomfortable truths which do not please public
opinion, but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of
society."
On the same podium was Avery Cardinal Dulles. In a
notable speech,
he said that "a Catholic college is professedly committed to promoting
and defending a Catholic outlook on the world, and if it failed to do
so it could be convicted of false advertising." This was spoken five
miles from Holy Cross.
Meanwhile, 3,000 miles away in northern California, we found scandal in another form at another Catholic institution. The Santa Clara University School of Law
honored lesbian activist Elizabeth Birch at a Celebration of Diversity Gala on Oct. 25.
A
statement by the law school identified Birch as "one of the most
recognized lesbian leaders in the country. The dean said, "Ms. Birch
serves as a role model for our students." This "role model" said in
2005 television interview, "I, for one, thank God every day that the
pope cannot intervene and dictate the affairs of the United States."
And so it goes. Some days here we are heartened, some days we
are disappointed. But we are never discouraged. We know we are all
called to be faithful, vigilant and diligent. Bolstered by
a solid base of committed Catholic colleges and universities, we are committed to helping transform Catholic higher education and, if necessary, to do it one college at a time.
In support of
Ex corde Ecclesiae,
Joseph Esposito
Director of Research
Written By: CNSwebDate Posted: 10/25/2007Number of Views: 1594
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| Copyright 2007 by The Cardinal Newman Society |
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