Monday, March 18, AD 2024 9:07pm

Notre Shame

 

 

Parents thinking of coughing up big money to get their offspring a Catholic higher education at Notre Dame might wish to save their money.  Matt Archbold at Creative Minority Report tells us why:

 

Earlier this month, the great Sycamore Trust created a website called NDCatholic.com which would assist Notre Dame students in finding those professors and courses on campus that could be counted on to deliver an “authentic Catholic education.”

Great idea, right?

On top of that, they had the great Fr. Wilson D. Miscamble, C.S.C., making his very well informed recommendations to students on the website.

Great idea, right? In fact, so many students thought it was a great idea that the website reportedly crashed on the first day.

Well, it seems to me the university’s administration didn’t like the idea.

The Sycamore Trust sadly sent out an email yesterday saying that Fr. Miscamble “is no longer associated with the website NDCatholic.com.”

“I regret that I can say only that I am required to end my involvement with the NDCatholic site and am not at liberty to say why,” Fr. Miscamble told The Sycamore Trust.

Now, to be clear, he doesn’t say the administration got to him but it would appear that’s what occurred. (I could be wrong but who else would be against such a website?)

The Sycamore Trust reports:

On November 9, 2015, we unveiled the NDCatholic.com website, which is designed to assist students seeking a Catholic education at Notre Dame. They need this sort of help because of the alarming reduction over recent decades in Catholic representation on the faculty. The faculty no longer comes close to meeting the University’s own Mission Statement test of Catholic identity: a majority of committed Catholics on the faculty. Perhaps 25% to 30% of the faculty fit this description, as we will show again in a coming bulletin using the most recent data available.

The consequences of this steep decline in Catholic faculty have been described in concrete terms by Professor Emeritus Walter Nicgorski, who retired recently after more than forty years as one of Notre Dame’s most highly regarded teachers and scholars:

It is increasingly the case today that a young person going through the critical and formative years of a Catholic education at Notre Dame might not encounter a practicing Catholic informed and engaged by the Catholic intellectual tradition.

The Trust will continue the work of the website and vows to build on their success.

So much for free speech on campus, right?

Go here to read the comments.  Father Miscamble is an orthodox priest and a first rate scholar.  That Notre Dame won’t allow him to speak his mind is beyond ludicrous.

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Philip
Philip
Monday, November 23, AD 2015 2:10pm

If 25 to 30 percent of ND’s tuition’s were diverted to other Catholic Universities that honored a orthodox or at the very least traditional Catholic faculty authenticity, maybe then ND would pay attention. After all at ND one can easily assume that their only concern is the fat dollar! Church doctrine? Tradition on Catholic Truth? Alien notions @ ND!

Boycott.
Worth repeating!
Boycott that pool of iniquity.

Philip
Philip
Monday, November 23, AD 2015 2:45pm

Just listened to the homily by Fr. Miscamble.
Superb.
The suffering he speaks of is amplified as the Holy Cross Father’s and other genuinely devoted souls confront the enemy that is the liberal henchmen controlling ND’s identity.
Father’s homily mentions the “preaching of the gospel as to be fully immersed in living out the gospel in our own lives.” Using St.Paul as an example.

Catholic identity in Catholic Universities is a suffering that no less is the thorns that surround the Sacred Heart.

An Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for Notre Dame.

Clinton
Clinton
Monday, November 23, AD 2015 6:10pm

“I regret that I can say only that I am required to end my involvement with
the NDCatholic site and am not at liberty to say why”.

.
I can only assume that whoever ordered Fr. Miscamble’s silence decided that
their reasons don’t reflect well on Notre Dame. At any rate, it’s not a ringing
endorsement of the Catholic dimension of the education at ND that
.
. #1. A website must be founded to help students separate solid, Catholic
. courses from the dross.
. #2. Said website is hugely popular– which means that the students it
. targets want to find solid, Catholic courses and have no other way
. to do so. (Evidently ND itself is no help there).
. #3. And the administration of ND views all of this as a threat that must be
. shut down, not a a call to re-assess how the university is serving its
. Catholic students.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Monday, November 23, AD 2015 7:35pm

Pray for the conversion of sinners and ND.

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Monday, November 23, AD 2015 11:08pm

Notre Dame does not want to be a Catholic university. Notre Dame wants to be a first tier research university.

Father of seven
Father of seven
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 5:52am

I guess Father has a dilemma then. Does his vow of obedience trump the immorality of what he’s being asked to do? Think of it. The admin at Notre Shame doesn’t want its students to find the still Catholic professors at the school.

bill bannon
bill bannon
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 7:16am

Father of Seven,
I don’t see the priest as obligated further. There may be legal/ economic issues in this. The priest in my opinion was probably told that the website will over crowd the orthodox professor classrooms and thin out the classes of secularists. He was then told it could lead to the laying off of secularists with young families.
I suspect the priest in that light sees that point. Further they could face lawsuits from any secularist laid off due to one of their own priests funneling students away from them in effect. Legally it might be Nortre Dame ( the priest ) undermining their Nortre Dame employment. The real tragedy is that sufficient Catholic personnel are not around to fill those spots or were around and were not chosen in times past. I imagine those secularist profs with tenure would have to be paid til retirement even if their classes became virtually empty.

Missy
Missy
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 7:32am

Here’s a link to the Newman Guide http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/TheNewmanGuide/RecommendedColleges.aspx . I tell everyone I know about it. My son is a sophomore in high school (homeschooled) and so far we have visited Christendom, Franciscan University, and St. Gregory’s University (my first choice). In the Spring, we will visit Belmont Abbey. I also tell everyone I know (when the subject of colleges comes up) that I will not be spending $200,000 for someone to steal my children’s faith. One of the reasons I homeschool — he was being bullied in 2nd grade in a Catholic school. The Holy Spirit made me realize I was paying $3000 a year to have him abused. The first priority of parents is to raise and educate their children. Many (most?) bishops & priests forget what the catechism says in regards to a parent’s duties (and many of them forbid them to be homeschooled for Religious Ed. I’m blessed because my parish is fine with it). Anyway, most people won’t argue with me when I tell them that I’m not paying to have other people scandalize my children. I’m sure they think I’m weird. They can easily be scandalized for free, so there’s no sense in paying for it. I’d rather my kid become a plumber than to risk his soul for hell with a degree from a popular “Catholic” college.

Philip
Philip
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 8:37am

@Missy.

Your a fantastic Mom!
May Our Lady bless you with her Son’s most fragrant of blessings.
Rose’s are perfect.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 9:05am

If 25 to 30 percent of ND’s tuition’s were diverted to other Catholic Universities that honored a orthodox or at the very least traditional Catholic faculty authenticity,

There are none. The corporate architecture of Catholic University renders it salvageable. The surviving Catholic institutions are all colleges. The closest thing to a research university is the University of Dallas (which Charles Grahmann tried to ruin during his tenure as bishop).

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 9:16am

Oops. The troublesome university president was appointed not by the Bishop of Dallas but by a board of trustees which includes the local bishops but is predominantly lay (alumni and local business). If I’m to take the Cardinal Newman Society at face value, Msgr Joseph failed to ruin the place. Please note, the University of Dallas is not run by one of the religious orders.

Ken
Ken
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 10:02am

The real head scratcher is that I know so many faithful Catholic families who still just gush over ND, yet if you asked them about Georgetown or DePaul they would rip them for their heterodoxy.

Guest
Guest
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 6:30pm

Mr. McClarey, can you please have someone correct the Big Pulpit headline (which links to Creative Minority Report, where I have also left a comment to please change it ASAP, and they have not) re Fr. Miscamble?

It is horribly misleading (almost have me heart attack!) and makes it sound as though Fr. was dismissed from his beloved ND, when it was from his involvement with the website–and that is terrible, scandalous, sensationalism.

I hope you can get this done! Thank you.

Guest
Guest
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 6:49pm

There remains many, many devoted, fully Catholic, staff and faculty at ND. I’m sure it is not easy for them as they swim against the tide.
Think you people that flippantly write off Notre Dame as not “Catholic” could squeeze out a prayer for them?

Philip
Philip
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 7:03pm

Yup.
For YEARS I’ve been praying for ND.
Even when the beautiful priest was arrested on campus for praying the Rosary while America ushered in the biggest Pro-abort President in History. BTW, ND asked for him to give his commencement speech to that graduate class… 2008 I believe.
Yeah. We’re praying. You?

Ken
Ken
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 7:33pm

No “Guest” it is ND that is scandalous. Please define flippantly-I take NDs shrugging off Catholicism as a heinous crime, not something to be taken lightly.

Guest
Guest
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 7:48pm

Philip: Me? I was trying to bail Fr. Weslin, a hero of mine (may he rest in peace) out of jail after the corrupt town in concert with the administration changed the law in the middle of the night prior to the arrests.
So yeah, and you?

Philip
Philip
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 8:00pm

So guest…let’s stop the heat. We are not enemies. I loved him too. He spent his last weeks here in TC. A great man.
I’d love his likeness to be bronzed and part of the Grotto at ND. A reminder of the Spirit of ND, prior to the ungrateful Imbecile’s that have lost the identity of a once great school of Catholic learning.
Peace guest.

Guest
Guest
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 8:12pm

Philip: And BTW, Fr. Weslin was singing Ave Maria as he was arrested.
I’m sure he’d be pleased if you, and others, could pray for those at ND that are enduring the Catholic backlash. Many of them could make substantially more elsewhere, in a much nicer location and climate, but thank God they are remaining strong.

As for those fully Catholic that cannot go elsewhere, there are literally thousands of staff in kitchens, cleaning dorms, cleaning buildings, tending to the graveyard, and even those having to work directly for progressive, anti-Catholic faculty. You’d be surprised how many students they witness to.

What’s interesting, as an outsider (parent) looking in, is that if the only people left donating vast sums are progressive or solely “social Justice ‘Catholics’, then of course ND will keep going in its present direction. After all, money talks, and if that segment is the only one giving voice, well, those withholding gifts directed to the truly Catholic programs at ND are starving the voice of those programs.

Philip
Philip
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 8:17pm

Guest.
You have my prayers.
Good night.

Guest
Guest
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 8:26pm

Peace to you as well, thank you. I just wish people understood how disheartening it is (for staff in particular, and I imagine for the faithful faculty) when ND is summarily dismissed as non-Catholic. They cling to the hope that one of the many of the brilliant, younger, amazing and genuinly faithful Priests make it up through the ranks and turn the tide. That is what I pray for!

I love the statue idea. Grotto, or even with the statue of Our Lady praying for the unborn that is along the Basilica exterior.

(But I gotta say part of me would want Fr. Weslin’s statue to be of him in that still painful to call to mind position, as he was being laid down and plastic handcuffs put on him. Let it be a piece of history, and have a tribute to the “88” somewhere with it. And it should have inscribed his words as they were doing this–“you are arresting a priest for trying to save a baby?”) Still makes me cry.

Anyhow, peace be with you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Philip
Philip
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 8:37pm

….along the Basilica exterior. Yes!
It was one of the most surreal times in ND history. One that brought many tears to many eyes.

You have a Blessed Thanksgiving too.

We are in the midst of a battle that has been prophesized for some time. Our Lady via Fr. Gobbi and the Marian Movt. of Priest, is one I recall that fits perfectly into the mayhem we find ourselves in.

Well. Tighten up the sheets, reef the main and put up the storm jib. The storm is on us.

Guest
Guest
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 9:35pm

Mayhem, good way to describe it.

I just came back to post the info for those so inclined to donate to help NDstudents attend the March for Life.

It is humbling and heartening to see how many students go. Most important, they know they are not alone! The press always underrepresents the attendance, last year was approaching a hundred thousand, yet it was reported as “thousands.” Further, what a great way for faithful like-minded students to get to know each other!

The Sycamore Trust website had this info to donate directly to the ND March for Life:
Oops, ipad not letting me copy and paste, website w/info is
sycamore trust.org.

Thank you.

Hmmm, Philip, maybe we should start a fund in each diocese in honor of Fr. Weslin and send the proceeds directly to the March for Life transportation account (most charter buses) of Catholic High Schools and colleges in that diocese! I could write a short history/brochure of his amazing and honorable life (this wasn’t his first stint in jail for the cause!) and make more people aware of him, his service to his country, his family, his church, and the most vulnerable children. This could truly honor him by helping form new pro lifers!

I’ll check back here tomorrow. Good night, and oremus pro invicem.

Ken
Ken
Tuesday, November 24, AD 2015 10:36pm

So are you suggesting spending $40,000+ a year to meet devout maintenance staff? Seems like a waste! Not what I would call a Catholic education.

Philip
Philip
Wednesday, November 25, AD 2015 6:31am

Guest.

Yes, let us pray for each other.
The brochure idea in honor of Fr. Weslin directed to defray transportation cost within each diocese is a great idea.
Please do pursue this.

Philip Nachazel
6300 S. Good Harbor Trail
Cedar Michigan 49621

I will run with this in our diocese of Gaylord Michigan.

God be with you.

Philip
Philip
Wednesday, November 25, AD 2015 8:41am

Guest.
When your rough draft is ready, please send it.
I’ll try to drum up benefactors that will put your work in print.
Okay(?)

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Wednesday, November 25, AD 2015 4:35pm

Another reason for Thanksgiving, the life of the late Fr. Norman Weslin: thank you all for reminding me.

Best line “ever”? As many of you know, when the police arrested him at the 2009 Notre Dame protest, he asked, “Why would you arrest a Catholic priest at a Catholic university for trying to stop the killing of a baby?” Why, indeed.

[Except that obviously the Church is headed to end as it began, persecution, imprisonment, and inevitably, martyrdom. We all know its coming. Get ready.]

But for today and tomorrow, Thank you, Fr. Norman Weslin, thank you, Philip, thank you, Guest, and all others.

Philip
Philip
Wednesday, November 25, AD 2015 5:27pm

Steve.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com. is reporting another grotesque act of Lucifer via an “artist,” living in Spain. He allegedly stole over 200 consecrated hosts in order to make his art.

Jesus is not just weeping. He is brokenhearted at the complete lack of faith.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 8:08am

Well-observe, Philip, and a crushing reality (the deliberate desecration of the Eucharist by yet another “artist” expressing the artistic vision within). At least Hieronymous Bosch told the truth the war he experienced inside him, and its eventual certain outcome.

I also didn’t realize that Fr. Weslin was a Lt. Col. (ret), and his promotions were service-promotions (with all respect to reserve personnel, but as many know, active service-promotions are tough grades to achieve, “eliminators” at each rank advancement). It make the 2009 farce even worse. (No wonder that Janet Napolitano and Obama via DHS report announced that “military veterans” were possible source of “terror” incidents back in 2009.
….
Being held accountable to their conscience is indeed a terror event for such as these.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 8:29am

[Leaving behind the serious and the real level for a momentary escape, now…]

On a more absurdly comic level, I attended the Notre Dame-Stanford game with friends last night in Palo Alto–sold out, and the typically over-imbibed Notre-Dame fans in raucous and lurching attendance (literally: Stanford’s venue is a dry stadium, but there are this thing innocently called “tail-gating” — they cant exactly give everyone a blood-alcohol test at the entrance). I know ND fans “are not ND”—but the difference between ND fans and, say, Stanford fans, is, well—you have to see it for yourself.

This happens every two years when they (ND) come to Stanford, I can attest. The only worse [requisitely drunken] “fans” are the Michigan State fans—and I pray God that Philip or others on this blog, is/are not a Spartan-fan(s) as I say that—or probably were he so, he is one of the Green fans that wish the others would show some moral-self-control. (We encountered them at the Rose Bowl 2 years ago, but that is a story for another day). I muse that it is kind of like the Catholic Church today, at times: One is embarrassed to watch people who should know better how to behave.

ND’s supporters were quite bellicose this night, because this win would guarantee them a bowl-championship-berth; and when they appeared to be ascendant in the 3rd quarter, I thought for the sake of Mrs. Phoenix and my autistic-brother Joe (who looks totally normal, so that itself is an invitation to a fight: plus he insisted on wearing his Stanford Cardinal Footbal sweatshirt), I negotiated their reluctant consent to leave early and finish watching the game at home on TV (We’ve been through this before, and it is not a pretty picture: winning gracefully is not an option for ND fans.)

So we escaped from the burning city and didn’t look back: and lo and behold, Stanford won, after ND was whooping it up, certain of their victory, Stanford struck with a long pass and hit a FG with no time left. It was sweet. And no parking lot incidents. For us at least.
Sorry, ND fans, you better hit the beads.

God bless, First Sunday of Advent today,

Philip
Philip
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 8:38am

@Steve Phoenix

Fascist, Socialist and Communist… take your pick, for they are the face of an ever growing disease trumping the once God fearing citizen.

Good is bad and black is white, as the children look to leaders that teach government as the sovereign King to guide and protect.
The Obama administration is a classic example. Affordable Care Act?
Watch this traitor take our guns away by presidential edict… or at the very least try.
This is a sick hot mess when a rogue Muslim is voted into the oval office.
Worse of all, the minions who support him are buying the lie to their own demise.
Unbelievable.
Bernie Sanders will continue to poison the land with pro-Socialist agendas and John Q public will lap it up like a dog eating it’s own vomit. If Sanders get the chance that is.
We are in a world of hurt.
Red White and Blue turning into a big fat red star if Americans don’t wake up.

Philip
Philip
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 8:51am

Steve.

Funny post.
Michigan State fan’s are rowdy?
Hummm. OK. I’ll give ya that one.

Have a great Advent season.
Way to Go Stanford!

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 9:06am

I had been a “subway” ND fan for nearly 50 years. Not so much since Obama 2009.
.
However, for “hooliganism”, ND fans have nothing on my once-Catholic alma mater’s (which I will not identify). For example, when I was there, Brother President felt compelled to write a memo decrying students’ characterizations of our arch-rival’s mascot’s “occult dietary habits.”

Philip
Philip
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 9:20am

@T.Shaw

“Occult dietary habits.”

It’s Sunday. Your being very respectful.
A gentlemen, I’m certain.
Occult dietary habits…

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 1:07pm

Philip,

Thank you. However, the quote was precisely Brother President’s phrase.

And, you will hear a diversity of opinion regarding whether or not I am a “gentleman.”

Philip
Philip
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 1:22pm

🙂

Interesting phrase from brother President.

Thanks for the correction. The phrase was conjuring up some different images. Of course knowing the mascot’s idenity would help.

As for the compliment.
I’ll stay with it. I’ve read your comments for over three years. I believe gentlemen is fitting.
After all. Praying for the conversion of sinners and ND, is a noble request.

Kmbold
Kmbold
Sunday, November 29, AD 2015 2:11pm

Why spend a small fortune to send your beloved offspring to Notre Dame to lose their souls when they can do it for less at a state university?
Has no one heard of the inestimable Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California? That should have been at the top of that list and the others designated as “Catholic?”.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Monday, November 30, AD 2015 10:04am

Do they have a football team(St Thomas Aquinas College)?

(Just kidding, KMBold: as you know the Jesuits dropped major level football at most of their uni’s years ago as a supposed “definition of their character”: it was I guess an effort to make them like what S. Ignatius wanted. In the end that didn’t matter, noble ideals, lofty thoughts, mens sana in corpore sana: Because, as my Jesuit and very excellent priest & chemistry professor used to pointedly say (and he wasn’t talking about chemistry), as he stared us in the eye, “Everything naturally seeks its lowest energy state.”

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