Did I understand correctly that Notre Dame University has invited Pres. Obama to the school to receive an honorary degree?
Did I understand that correctly?
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It’s on the Notre Dame website:
http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/11293
Perhaps it will be on behalf of those students who will never be given the chance to attend Notre Dame due to his policies. Doubt it.
Perhaps one-third of the chairs should be left empty in honor of all of the graduates that could not make it due to their mothers’ exercise of their choice.
Dreadful.
If true, should this surprise anybody?
They are not as bad as Georgetown, where I am a student. Georgetown FUNDS, that is gives $ to, NOW, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, etc.
Well, perhaps this will serve a purpose — if and when Notre Dame disinvites the President and rescinds the honorary degree, complete with a statement as to the reasons. One can only hope. Even Notre Dame isn’t too big for a trip to the woodshed.
As an alumnus, I am deeply saddened by this, but in response to my esteemed colleague, Fr. Totten, no, I am not surprised.
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Obama is Bono without the charitiable works. He’s a cult figure. Sure, one with way too much power, but you get the point.
They may as well give an honorary degree to Madonna. At least she hasn’t poked fun at people with special needs on national television.
Saddening but not shocking. Commonweal approves.
Per American Papist, Pres. Obama will also offer the commencement address. AP has links for those who wish to contact ND to dissent.
From an ND student in my combox:
No I don’t find it distasteful. I am utterly shocked and dismayed that there are people who are so closed-minded that they want to shelter this ACADEMIC Catholic institution from any opposing views even when they come from THE PRESIDENT.
They are probably thinking that he is the President of the United States and whether or not you agree with all his positions (I notice you didnt mention his commitment to social justice and service, things we appreciate at ND) he is pretty much the most important person in the world right now.
Get a life. You don’t go here. It isnt your graduation. Its mine and we’re all pumped as hell
http://richleonardi.blogspot.com/2009/03/obama-to-deliver-notre-dame.html
You may contact Bishop D’Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese at the following address:
His Excellency, Bishop John M. D’Arcy
Fort Wayne Chancery
1103 S. Calhoun Street
P.O. Box 390
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801
(260) 422-4611
The President of the University of Notre Dame:
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: 574.631.3903
Email: president@nd.edu
Just absolutely amazing. Even TOTUS (Barack Obama’s teleprompter) can’t get over the fact Obama will be giving the address! Can we convince TOTUS to alter the text and have Obama reject the Culture of Death?
As opposed to being closed-minded (boogey-man word-of-day), being open minded and ACADEMIC means allowing even the devil to give a commencement speech and get an honorary degree? I guess so long as it’s all about my special day. Talk about bridezilla in the form of gradzilla. Plastics!!!
I just went to the website for the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend, hoping to find an email address for Bishop D’Arcy. There was an address and phone number posted but no email. There was also a very long, parsed out reflection on Ex Corde Ecclesiae. It looked like he knew the issue would be dicussed often, given that Notre Dame was located in his Diocese. I would ask everyone to pray that he will take this opportunity to be a Teacher, not only to his Diocese, but to the whole nation. (BTW, thanks for the “anti-spam word”.
I’m just a graduate of a state University, but shouldn’t Notre Dame’s primary concern be people’s souls?
People its time to stand up and be counted. Please make your voices heard.
Embrace Dissent!!…er I mean DIVERSITY!!
Be not afraid…be very not afraid.
;)
This kind of thing makes it so much easier for others to be anti-Catholic and makes those of us who are pro-life to appear to be a fringe group. I pray the graduates in this years class reject having this speaker at the commencement.
Apparently there is already an effort launched to stop the scandal at ND:
http://www.NotreDameScandal.com
He is speaking as the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, not as a politician. GOD BLESS OUR PRESIDENT and may God guide America.
I don’t see what the big deal is.
Rich Leonardi,
I am a Notre Dame alum. Judging from the simpleton comments of the ND student in your combox, obviously a Notre Dame degree is no longer a badge of honor it once was. The student is merely parroting the nonsense he’s heard over the years that somehow “social justice and service” can camoflage the most heinous acts with a mantle of decency. American run by Obama is descending into fascism, make no mistake about that.
Notre Dame will never see another cent from me.
Tom
D,
Not speaking, but receiving an honorary degree, which is sort of an endorsement.
How can a Catholic university endorse, and grant a title honoris causa, to an Anti-Life person, even if that person happens to be the President?
D, that’s a pretty disordered statement you just made. As President of the United States he has already used his office to harm the most vulnerable in this Country, the unborn. And you don’t have a problem with that. Have you no shame, have you no decency? Tom
Thank God someone is actually organizing out there. Newt rock on please
http://www.usnews.com/mobile/articles_mobile/newt-gingrich-steps-up-efforts-to-mobilize-religious-conservatives/index.html
Maybe the brazilian president is going to get his degree after leaving the office.
Perhaps Bishop D’Arcy might follow the example that His Excellency, Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton has taken with Misericordia University. They might have better luck ending it before it begins.
Who teaches there? Rev. Richard Peter McBrien, who is the Crowley-O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. Why am I not surprised?
Via @Roseblue on Twitter:
RT @CNSCampusNotes: @RoseBlue please spread the word: http://NotreDameScandal.com – hot off the press
The link goes to a petition that individuals may sign, and that will be going to the Notre Dame president. The petition is well-worded, I thought. Ought to get some attention, hope it gets the right kind of action.
I signed it.
You did, Father. So sad. Let us hope and pray that there is a bishop there as courageous as the Bishop of Scranton, +Morlino. God help this Church.
They can forget me ever thinking about applying again.
Georgetown, too.
Where is there a decent place to study these days?
Excuse my spelling, Bishop Martino.
As an alumnus of Notre Dame, I am ashamed. I have written an E-mail to Father Jenkins, and I encourage all Catholic alumni of the University to write and state that they will never give to any alumni fundraiser again if this indeed occurs. I would like to see the real Catholic students demonstrate on campus against this terrible scandal.
Rob F et al: you might try the editor of the diocesan newspaper for emails:
editor@fw.diocesefwsb.org
It looks like “Notre Dame” has become “Notre Shame”
Not only was he invited; he accepted and will be given an honorary doctor in law degree as well. To continue referring to the school as ‘Our Lady’ is blasphemy. I addressed this on my blog and have even taken the liberty of changing the Notre Dame fight song. I think the University should change the name to Notre Obama. Rah, rah, rah!
How evil is this, that this had to have been in the works for a while don’t you think? and it was announced later in the day on a Friday, while many are leaving to go on Spring Break -all around the country. Hmmm!? And where is Kmiec et al now?
And he’s going to get an honorary degree on top of all of this scandal!!! HELP US LORD!
“Background: Presidential Commencement addresses at Notre Dame Barack Obama will be the ninth U.S. president to be awarded an honorary degree by the University of Notre Dame and the sixth to be the Commencement speaker.”
http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/11293-president-obama-to-deliver-notre-dames-commencement-address
Eph 6:12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Diego,
Assuming your question wasn’t rhetorical, I recommend St. Thomas Aquinas College. Christendom College and Ave Maria College also seem pretty good. Check them out.
Do not forget Thomas More College in New Hampshire………….
This should surprise no one. For the liberal there are only two mortal sins: Cigarette smoking and racism.
Just a little footnote on the spiritual effects of this story.
Personally, I find it infuriating…and because of that a little warning bell has gone off in my mind. There are too many infuriating stories, many of them originating in the Obama administration or related to it: AGI, Geitner, Sebelius, the elimination of the conscience clause, the reversal of the Mexico City policy, etc. etc. But also infuriating is the secular press’s treatment of the Pope over Williamson, condoms, etc. And the frequent pontifications of Fr Reese and McBrien, etc- and much, much else
This is not just a lot of bad, depressing news. It is infuriating news.
Look at this from the viewpoint of Wormwood. If you wanted to neutralize the spiritual force of Christians, what better way than to infuriate them? Granted that there is such a thing as righteous anger, but if it does not issue in an act and evaporate but rather lingers as a mood, then it is fatal to our prayers. It undermines our relationship with God, who is Love. It is a threat to our mental health. And to our relationships.
In fact, my guess is that this temptation to sustained, cold fury under the guise of righteous anger is a greater threat *by far* to the Church than anything else that is happening.
Obviously we need to defeat all these infuriating satanic initatives, but at the same time we have to be very careful to preserve our equanimity, our faith, hope, and- above all- charity. In this Benedict XVI is a terrific model.
It is a lie of the devil to think we can defeat him using his own methods, to think that our malevolence must rise to a higher level than his in order to counter his designs.
In other words, pouring scorn on Obama, Notre Dame, McBrien, Reese, Sebelius not only has no possibility of altering the course of events, but actually plays into the hands of our ancient enemy. He wants us angry. In fact, he wants us mad as hell.
Disgraceful.
Bishops are instructing Catholics who are pro-abortion and asking that they not present themselves for Holy Communion. What scandal to Catholics and non-Catholics alike when a Catholic University now honors a pro-abortion person.
Hey Lee
I’m mad…its okay to be mad…I will also defend myself and the church. Thats okay too
Your outthinking yourself. Stop it
“…’but I do know that if the enemy cannot trap us into error he an achieve another kind of victory by making us lose our peace. If he can provoke us to rage, he has drawn us into his schemes…Pray for the Holy Father. Forgive our enemies, speak the truth sincerely and calmly whenever an opportunity arises. But guard the gates of your heart’…” Father Elijah
I had just finished this paragraph when I decided to look at the web for a bit. I was actually planning on going to Basilica of the Sacred Heart to pray tomorrow, now I have another thing to pray for.
Jesus was angry enough to thrown over tables of money and insult the money-changers. If righteous anger ever needed a reason for expression, it is now in the face of blatant disobedience to the Holy Spirit as we see at Notre Dame. However, I feel more grieved than angry.
I have an article in Newsweek explaining why this is actually a good thing.
My wife has legacy privleges to Baylor University here in Texas (a Southern Baptist school for those who don’t know). Their code of conduct is so strict that all attempts by Playboy to have female coeds pose for that rag have failed. Heck, coed dancing was only approved in the mid 90’s. For some reason they value academics over a “healthy social life”.
With stories like this one in mind, it’s a safe bet we’ll avail ourselves of those legacy privleges.
This should not come as a surprise. Why do we still think that Catholic universities are bastions of orthodoxy?
For what little good it will do I e-mailed Fr. John Jenkins the President of Notre Dame registering my dismay at their decision to award the merchant of death an honorary degree. I suggested also that in the interests of honest advertising they drop any mention of Catholic when referring to Notre Dame University. Whereas at one time it was very Catholic like most so-called Catholic universities (and hospitals too for that matter) it no longer is. I honestly think you could count on the fingers of both hands the number of institutions of higher education claiming to be Catholic that actually adhere to and support true Catholic teaching. Most use the name for financial benefit only and could care less about conformity to Catholic doctrine. I’m sure the merchant of death will be quick to brag of another “Catholic” institution which supports him. For true Catholics it is nothing but a shame and an embarassment.
Re-reading some posts it seems that some true Catholic Colleges are being identified. Don’t forget Wyoming Cathilic. Great young school
A smaller Church. Benedict has predicted it. It can’t come too soon. The crypto-episcopalians can have Jefferts-Schori. We’ll keep the Sistine.
Quelle infamie!
Stand by and don’t give up. Something very big is being organized.
Pray and be ready to act.
“Big” would be the bishops or Rome taking away the name of Catholic from colleges and universities who defy Catholic teaching……
As an ND law student, I could at least take some comfort in the fact that 1) I’m not graduating this year and 2) we (the law school) don’t pick the commencement speaker. But giving him an honorary version of my degree? That’s rough.
That BO has been invited is something I am not at all proud of. However, it may help to know that ND ALWAYS invites whoever is president, regardless of party, to speak at graduation and receive an honorary degree.
I was there the day President Bush gave his speech, and it was thrilling.
That’s about enough.
This “event to come” definitely has an “ick factor” of ten. I feel for you, Paul, as one who loved ND and all she stood for at her best. (Sorry about the typo above, especially as the verb referred to Our Lord’s action in the Temple precincts…)