Clergy

 

Fr. Corapi on Notre Dame Scandal (video)

 

Fr. Tom Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

We at Human Life International stand in solidarity with ND Affirm Life. We share your grave concern that honoring the most anti-life president in this nation's history is a mistake from which this once great university may not recover. And as an alumnus of Notre Dame, I share both your sadness over this serious offense to the Church and to Life itself, and your hope that from this travesty more people will continue to wake up and demand that our universities live up to their Catholic identity. Let your prayerful witness demonstrate that the Church is alive; indeed, that she is full of life! Let all with eyes see what honor truly is--not some cheap award or opportunity given to one whose short resume betrays an extremist's dedication to undermining everything our beloved Church stands for--but a recognition of goodness, truth and courage in how one lives his life. You honor the Church by standing up for life today. On behalf of Human Life International's affiliates in 87 countries in the world, I thank you for your efforts and I pray that with the intercession of our Blessed Mother, your witness will have the greatest possible effect in accordance with the will of our Lord."

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer

Shake Down the Thunder on Notre Dame

"Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame! Wake up the echoes cheering her name. Send a volley cheer on high; shake down the thunder from the sky. What though the odds be great or small, old Notre Dame will win over all, while her loyal sons go marching onward to victory."
(Notre Dame Fight Song)

I used to sing these words with tremendous zeal while a student at Notre Dame (ND) in the '80s and especially as a member of the ND Glee Club for a year. How proud we were to belt out this most famous of college fight songs and rally the troops for battle on the gridiron - and elsewhere! ND alumni do not need to be reminded how deeply embedded in our hearts this tune and these words are; we only need to be assured that they still mean what they indicate: namely, that Notre Dame's loyal sons are still "marching onward to victory" (of Catholic orthodoxy, that is.)

The decision of Notre Dame President, Fr. John Jenkins, to invite our nation's abortion-promoter-in-chief to speak at the May 17th commencement is such an egregious violation of our loyalty to our alma mater that it's hard to see how these words actually to Notre Dame apply any more. Who wants to "wake up the echoes cheering her name" now? Fr. Jenkins has just shaken down a sort of spiritual thunder on what used to be the country's premier Catholic university, and woe to him and the rest of the ND leadership for their decision to put Notre Dame definitively outside the scope of Catholic orthodoxy. It's worse than that, of course, because Fr. Jenkins and his team have reaffirmed time and again, in the face of massive protests, their commitment to having President Obama speak at graduation and to receiving an honorary doctorate. It just doesn't get more tragic than that.

Let's be honest: all the hand wringing and justification for Fr. Jenkins' decision is just fluff. Despite the unprecedented tour de force of close to fifty US bishops objecting to this travesty, Fr. Jenkins's claim that his decision is "consistent" with the bishops' 2004 directive on speakers at Catholic colleges - simply because Barack Obama is not a Catholic - is, well, absurd on its face. No person in his right mind buys it.

And that's the point - Notre Dame leadership is not "in its right mind" any more. The ones who made or endorsed this decision are not thinking with the mind of the Church let alone the Mind of Christ. This doesn't just apply to Fr. Jenkins either. It also applies to his superior, Fr. Hugh Cleary, who has an obligation to demand Jenkins' immediate resignation from his post to end this scandal but who chose instead to make a sappy, glowing, politically-correct statement which dares call this hurtful fiasco a "teachable moment."

No, Father Cleary - a "teachable moment" would be your removing Fr. Jenkins from office to show the world that the Church really means what she says in calling abortion an "abominable crime." (Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 51)

As far as I am concerned, a thunder of judgment has just been shaken down on Notre Dame, its Board of Directors and any faculty, students or alumni who endorse the decision to bring Barack Obama to Notre Dame's campus to sully Our Lady's good name and our deepest loyalties.

Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

 

Letter From the Bishop of Lincoln

April 3, 2009
The Reverend John Jenkins, C.S.C.
President, University of Notre Dame
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556

Reverend and dear Father Jenkins,

Permit me to add my name as well to the long list of Bishops of the Catholic Church who are utterly appalled at your dedication to immorality and wrong-doing represented by your support for the obscenity called “The Vagina Monologues” and your absolute indifference to the murderous abortion program and beliefs of this President of the United States. The fact that you have some sort of past connection with the State of Nebraska makes it all the more painful that the Catholic people here have to see your betrayal of the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.

I can assure you of my prayers for your conversion, and for the conversion of your formerly Catholic University. I am

Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus,
The Most Reverend Fabian W.Bruskewitz
Bishop of Lincoln

 

Letter to the President of Notre Dame

The Reverend John Jenkins, C.S.C
President, University of Notre Dame
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556

April 7

Dear Fr. Jenkins,

My name is Fr. John J. Raphael, SSJ. I am a member of ND's graduating class of 1989. I am currently the principal of St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, LA and a member of Notre Dame's Admissions Advisory Board.

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and grave disapproval of the decision to invite President Obama to give the commencement address and to receive an honorary degree from Notre Dame at this year's graduation.

I have spent eighteen years working with blacks and whites, Protestants and Catholics, to bring more African Americans into the pro-life movement. During the last two months the Obama administration has already begun to aggressively roll back the gains made in defense of life over the course of the last fifteen years.

I have written two articles which attempt to show how the historical significance of the first African American president is emptied of its meaning if this same president refuses to embrace the rights of the unborn. I share them with you if you are interested in considering the devastating impact of these pro-abortion policies on the African American community in light of this historic election:

http://www.nbccongress.org/features/bridge-01.asp

http://clarionherald.org/pdfs/2009/02_07_09/page15.pdf

As an African American and a priest, as a principal of a Catholic high school and a member of the Admissions Advisory Board of the university, I cannot adequately express in words how deeply this action offends those who are committed to carrying out the task of Catholic education and witnessing to the Gospel of Life in the context of a Catholic school. Even if the university chooses to cooperate with certain policies of the president that are not contrary to the teaching of the faith, the conferral of this type of public honor is wholly gratuitous and incongruous with the mission of any Catholic institution.

On this Laetare Sunday, I was happy to note that this year's recipient of the Laetare Medal, Mary Ann Glendon, has eloquently and courageously served the nation and more importantly, the Church. How strange it is that at the same time the University chooses to publicly honor an administration with which the American Catholic bishops have already had to address major concerns about the lack of protection of the rights of the unborn in just two months.

Today's first reading from the book of Chronicles speaks as much to us today as it did to Israel during the Babylonian exile:

In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity,practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD's temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,send his messengers to them,for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.But they mocked the messengers of God,despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy (2Chr 36:14ff).

The voice of Notre Dame needs to be raised in defense of the unborn. The African American community in particular is being decimated by abortion on demand as currently supported by the Obama administration. Our Holy Father, mocked and despised by many in popular culture, has called upon all faithful Christians to courageously bear witness to life.

By conferring this 'honor' upon President Obama at this time, the University of Notre Dame muddies the waters of life and darkens the light in which we are called to walk.

Sincerely in Notre Dame, the Mother of Life,
Rev. John J. Raphael, SSJ, '89
Principal St. Augustine High School
New Orleans, LA 70119

Ten Holy Cross Priests Object

Open Letter to the Editor of the Notre Dame Observer

Posted: 4/8/09

We write as priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross and as proud graduates of the University of Notre Dame to voice our objection to the University's decision to honor President Barack Obama by inviting him to deliver this year's Commencement address and by conferring on him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

We wish to associate ourselves with and encourage those courageous students and treasured alumni who, while deeply loving Notre Dame, vigorously oppose this sad and regrettable decision of the University administration.

It is our deep conviction that Notre Dame should lead by word and deed in upholding the Church's fundamental teaching that human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception. In so doing the University must take seriously the 2004 instruction of the U.S. Catholic Bishops that "Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

We especially regret the fissure that the invitation to President Obama has opened between Notre Dame and its local ordinary and many of his fellow bishops. We express our deep gratitude to Bishop John D'Arcy for his leadership and moral clarity. We ask that the University give renewed consideration to Bishop D'Arcy's thoughtful counsel which always has Notre Dame's best interests at heart.

The University pursues a dangerous course when it allows itself to decide for and by itself what part of being a Catholic institution it will choose to embrace. Although undoubtedly unintended, the University administration's decision portends a distancing of Notre Dame from the Church which is its lifeblood and the source of its identity and real strength. Such a distancing puts at risk the true soul of Notre Dame.

We regret that our position on this issue puts us at odds with our brother priest in Holy Cross, Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C. Yet, in this instance, for the good of Notre Dame and the Congregation of Holy Cross, we cannot remain silent. Notre Dame's decision has caused moral confusion and given many reason to believe that the University's stance against the terrible evil of abortion is weak and easily trumped by other considerations.

We prayerfully request that Fr. Jenkins and the Fellows of the University, who are entrusted with responsibility for maintaining its essential character as a Catholic institution of higher learning, revisit this matter immediately. Failure to do so will damage the integrity of the institution and detract from all the good work that occurs at Notre Dame and from the impressive labors of its many faithful students and professors.

We offer these views as we enter Holy Week, recalling the triumph of Christ's holy cross. As "men with hope to bring" we are confident that Notre Dame may yet give true honor to its patroness, and witness to Her Son, through its commitment to the sanctity of life.

Wilson D. Miscamble, C.S.C.
Stephen M. Koeth, C.S.C.
Gregory P. Haake, C.S.C.
Daniel J. Parrish, C.S.C.
Michael B. Wurtz, C.S.C.
Mark R. Ghyselink, C.S.C.
Terrence P. Ehrman, C.S.C.
John A. Herman, C.S.C.
Ronald J. Wasowski, C.S.C.
Vincent A. Kuna, C.S.C.
Holy Cross Priests

 

Letter to Fr. H. Cleary

April 7, 2009

Very Rev. Hugh W. Cleary, C.S.C.
Superior General
Congregation of Holy Cross
Via Framura, 85
00168 Rome, Italy

Dear Fr. Cleary,

I am a 1989 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a Josephite priest who has been quite active in the African American pro-life apostolate for eighteen years.  As the principal of an all male, African-American Catholic high school, I have had to shepherd my students through the monumental events of the last several months which include the election of the first African American president of the United States of America, a moment of euphoric joy for many in my community.  I have also had to lead my school community in a prayerful reflection on the tragic irony that this milestone is marred by the aggressive pro-abortion policies that have been embraced by our new president.

You have written a very well reasoned, intellectually honest, and insightful letter to President Obama in light of the controversy surrounding his May visit to the University of Notre Dame and the conferral of an honorary degree on him at the commencement ceremony.  At the same time, your letter is an excellent articulation of Catholic teaching regarding the inherent dignity of human life from conception to natural death and the proper role of a faithful Catholic in the political and social life of our country.  I applaud your attempt to give expression to the angst and scandal this invitation has caused, as well as to draw lessons for all sides of the debate.

The question I would like to raise concerns your address to Fr. Jenkins and the University community. You write:

Because of the University's legal civil alienation from the Congregation, I have no authority over its decision making - those responsibilities are now directed by a Board of Fellows and a Board of Trustees.  Nevertheless I do hold personal authority over all of the Holy Cross priests and brothers of the Congregation who serve at the University of Notre Dame including its president who is always a Holy Cross priest. 

As Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross it falls within your competence to address directly the actions of Fr. Jenkins.  If indeed, as others suggest, it is impossible to disinvite the President of the United States, it is not impossible to appropriately admonish a solemnly professed clerical member of a religious congregation. Your letter delineates the difficulties this invitation causes, but does not address the fact that it never needed to be extended.  Should not Fr. Jenkins be held accountable for this initial error?

You have begun the process of healing the wounds caused by this invitation in your letter to the external party to this controversy.  I ask you to complete the process by addressing in justice the issues and persons within the Church, particularly within the Holy Cross community, over which you have been placed as spiritual leader.

President Obama does not share our Catholic faith; Fr. Jenkins does.  As practicing Catholics, we are held to a higher standard of accountability for the faith and for each other.  If you dare to be “impertinent” with President Obama in asking him to reconsider his positions, I dare to be bold in asking you to address Fr. Jenkins for being the cause of so much pain and shame among his sister and brother Catholics.  There is no doubt that because of this action, many will be confused, many will be disheartened and weakened, and some may fall or be led into dangerous error.  Your response as a religious superior will make it unambiguously clear that you do not approve of his decision.  This would be consistent with your articulated concerns and Notre Dame’s mission as a Catholic university to bear witness to the Gospel of Life.

In sharing some of your fears about this controversy, you state:

There are some religious people who now hate Notre Dame for inviting you to speak at the 2009 graduation and receive an honorary degree. I fear their hate will beget further hate.  Will their hatred ultimately destroy their souls in the guise of self-righteousness, just as powerfully as abortion destroys the physical life of a newly conceived child?

Be assured, Fr. Cleary, that many, if not most, have responded to this event not out of hate, but out of love.  Many have acted out of love for God, Country, Notre Dame, the unborn, Fr. Jenkins, and President Obama.  This love urges us on.  Not everyone who disagrees with Fr. Jenkins’ decision is self-righteous or hateful.  Many of us, like the tax collector in the Temple, are begging the Lord to have mercy on us poor sinners as we struggle to live out the demands of our faith.

It is this recognition of the demands of a Christian vocation that moves me to write to you now.  I pray you will bring to completion the good work you began when you addressed President Obama.  May Our Lord and Notre Dame guide you in your deliberations and your decisions.  Be assured of my prayers and I ask for yours.

Sincerely,

Rev. John J. Raphael, SSJ
Principal
St. Augustine High School