All Smiles

Abortionist Sue Dunlap

An alumni group committed to protecting the Catholic identity of Loyola Marymount University is calling on President David Burcham to rescind an invitation to the president of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles to speak on the Jesuit campus, according to RenewLMU’s website.

Sue Dunlap, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, is scheduled to speak about “Education’s New Role in Women’s Health” as part of the TEDxLoyolaMarymountU conference taking place on campus later this month.

LMU’s School of Education is, according to RenewLMU, listed as the sponsor of the conference.  The dean of the School of Education is Professor Shane Martin, who chaired the search committee for a new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and recently selected Robbin Crabtree, who previously worked with a Planned Parenthood-sponsored clinic.
Link (here)

"Mission Critical" At Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University is currently interviewing two ‘finalist’ candidates for the position of Dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. However, it is amazing that both of these candidates have worked for Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States. And one of the candidates has also endorsed legal efforts to redefine marriage. To see why these candidates are unsuitable for this ‘mission critical‘ position go to these pages:
Robbin Crabtree    Ramón A. Gutiérrez

The Dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts should have a solid record of support for the mission and identity of a Catholic university.

Link (here) to RenewLMU

My Jesuit Professor

As an undergraduate at Loyola University in Los Angeles (now Loyola-Marymount) in the 1950s, I took a course in classical Greek. I'll never forget one day when my Jesuit professor waxed eloquently about Socrates, comparing him to great Christian mystics like St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. There are good grounds for this view. In Plato's Symposium, we hear about Socrates' frequent "trances," in which he would stand, sometimes for twenty-four hours, rapt in contemplation, and then, when all was finished, return to normal life as if nothing had happened. Friends and acquaintances learned not to interrupt him during these events; he would simply not respond. Socrates also had a "voice" by his side from his earliest years. In Plato's Apology, the history of Socrates' trial for "corrupting the youth of Athens," Socrates revealed that he had always followed a voice he heard from childhood, which always gave warnings to keep him from evil. Aside from that limitation, it left him completely free to do as he willed. Socrates said that if there was anything evil awaiting him after death, he was certain his voice would warn him. So, asked to choose his punishment, and unwilling to leave his countrymen for exile, he chose execution. 

Link (here) to the Catholic Education Resource Center to read the full article by Marquette University Professor Howard Kainz

3 Dimensional Jesuit

Fr. Patrick Connolly, S.J.

Father Pat Connolly S.J., associate professor of film and television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, said in a recent interview with the Jesuit Communications Center that films (or what he calls “animated stained glass windows”) should be used during Mass. He spoke in the interview about his plans for short religious-themed films that could be used during the liturgy. “The moving image should be used during Church,” he said. “I would create film that would be in fact evocative of the higher understanding and appreciate of water, light, what a leper’s like and what a blind person is like and I would deliberately craft them for that purpose.” 

He mentioned that he’d already done so at a Catholic school Mass for students. He labeled any objections to films being shown during Mass as antithetical to church and worship services as “nonsense” and “silly.” 

He said many Protestant churches are doing this already and he’s confident that the Catholic Church will soon follow suit.

You can listen to the interview here.

Link (here) to The California Catholic Daily

Abortion Supporter To Speak At Loyola Marymount University’s Law School

Loyola Marymount University’s Law School in Los Angeles has invited Judge Mary Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to speak at its commencement ceremony on May 20. Her nomination by President Bill Clinton was, according to The Seattle Times, strongly opposed by conservatives because of her support of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. According to the Times, “McKeown also expressed her pro-choice views on abortion by signing a resolution urging the American Bar Association to support Roe v. Wade.”

Link (here) to read the full report at The Cardinal Newman Society

Rausch To The Rescue

Fr. Thomas Rausch, S.J.

In "Occupy the Catholic Church!", while responding to a monumentally silly piece on the blog of the Jesuit weekly America, I wrote that "The Jesuits used to understand that 'practice-based theologies' is redundant; any true theology implies practice." (The author of the post Thomas Beaudoin is an associate professor of theology at Fordham University who lists "practice-based theologies" as his academic field.) I'm glad to say that there are some Jesuits who still do understand that true theology implies practice--and, just as importantly, what kind of practice true theology implies--and one of them is Thomas Rausch, S.J., the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Happily, his discussion of this fact can be found on America's website as well. In response to an article entitled "Beyond Catechesis" by Michael G. Lawler and Todd A. Salzman, Father Rausch laments that fact that Lawler and Salzman have no sense

Link (here) to read  the full blog post by Scott P. Richert at Theology and Practice

Some Jesuit Universities "Expanding The Circle"

From March 3 through 6, an Expanding the Circle conference was held at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Expanding the Circle is an initiative of the California Institute of Integral Studies, and its stated purpose is “Creating an inclusive environment in higher education for LGBT/Q students and studies.” Catholic universities were well represented.

Fr. Donal Godfrey, S.J.

Titles of some of the workshops at the conference indicated the bias common to post-modern social science, that reality is a human construction: “Reimagining S@xual Desire and Spiritual Longing in Sacred Texts”; “Does G-d Really Hate Me: Reconstructing and Reinterpreting Challenging Religious Texts”; “(Re)vamping the Que@riculum: Issues in the Teaching of Language and S@xuality”; “Imagining Qu@er Selves: LGBTQ Literature, Libraries, and the Coming Out Process”; and the near-parodic “Fostering Multivariate Inclusion: Multiple Marginalized Identities and the Interplay of Sexuality.” Others, while more crudely titled, were quite clear: “That’s SO G@y: Queering the Curriculum in High Schools through Community Collaboration”; “Ripe for the Picking: Queer-Themed FIGs (First-Year Interest Groups)”, and “Building a Successful LGBTQ Program at Catholic Institutions.” The following Catholic schools participated: College of the Holy Cross, DePaul University, Dominican University, Georgetown University, Loyola Marymount University, Marian University, Marquette University, Santa Clara University, St. Anselm College, St. Edward’s University, St. Joseph’s University, St. Louis University, and the University of San Francisco. 

Link (here) to read the full article at California Catholic Daily

My Brother The General

Fr. Frank M. Haig, S.J. at the burial service of his brother

Loyola University Maryland has received a $1 million gift from the estate of former Secretary of State Gen. Alexander M. Haig, who died in February 2010. Jesuit Father Frank R. Haig, professor emeritus of physics at Loyola and Gen. Haig’s younger brother, has directed the gift, which will create the Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Endowment Fund for Science, Faith, and Culture.  

“Al saw a special value in the influence of his Catholic faith on the formation of American culture and the transmission of that richness to young people,” said Father Haig. 

The fund will result in additional celebrants and music for campus Masses and enhancements to the university’s modern languages and theater programs. Father Haig has been a member of the Loyola faculty since 1973. While officially retired, he still teaches one course in astronomy each semester in the Loyola’s physics department. 

Link (here) to the full article

Jersey Shore Jesuit

Now I know it is not fair to deny priests their right to be as hip and happening as their hearts desire, but I can’t help but cringe when I think a priest is just going too far with what he has to say. I thought that as someone who was unsure about the merits of Church in the first place, I would favor priests who used lots of outside humor and references to TV and movies to assist in making points about religion.

This really hasn’t been the case. Although sometimes amusing,

I think the humor and levity often goes too far. Take the other night. After reading the Beatitudes, one visiting priest embarked on an exposition of what Beatitudes Jesus might have for today’s society. In explaining that we should all be vehicles of the spirit of God, this priest used Sammi Sweetheart’s actions on last week’s episode of “Jersey Shore” as an example. 

He described the way she planned on leaving the shore house due to her jealousy over Jen and Ronnie’s relationship – but after packing her bags, took a step back and realized what she was doing was crazy. She listened to her cue from God and realized that she is supposed to stay in the house. The priest then discussed Ronnie’s predicament, as he did not know whom to trust since The Situation, DJ Pauly D and Jen all advised him in different ways. The priest’s point with this was that when given conflicting opinions from different sources, stop and listen to only one source – God.

Link (here) to the full article at the Los Angeles Loyolan

Follow The Money That Supports Abortion

Three laymen recently named presidents of Jesuit universities have contributed to candidates who favor legalized abortion, according to federal election records. David W. Burcham, the new president of Loyola Marymount University, donated $500 to the presidential campaign of John Edwards in 2003 and $250 to the campaign of Rep. Maxine Waters in 2009. John Hurley, the new president of Canisius College, has donated $4,500 to the campaign of Rep. Brian Higgins since 2004. Thayne McCulloh, the new president of Gonzaga University, donated $1,500 to Obama for America and the Obama Victory Fund in 2008. 

Link (here) to the original story at Catholic Culture.

Loyola Marymount University, "Marriage Is Between A Man And A Woman"

Fr. Robert Caro, S.J.

Jesuit Fr. Robert Caro, vice president for Mission and Ministry and a professor of English at LMU, offered some clarification to the role of the new LGB/T center on campus. “It is well known that we live in a world where hom@phobia is not uncommon,” 

Caro told the Loyolan, “and even at LMU, we have had instances of derogatory comments directed at gay students.

Such cruel behavior does not belong on a Catholic – or any – campus. So I welcome LGB/T Student Services as a safe place for dialogue, inclusiveness and education for all our students. No one at LMU should be discriminated against. Just as the new office can help to undercut the myths that lie behind hom@phobia, it can also provide an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the principles of Catholic social and moral teaching.”

To his credit, Fr. Caro then made quite clear what the Church teaches regarding hom@sexual behavior, telling the student newspaper: “The Catholic position is that all of us have the innate dignity that comes to us as children of God. Being g@y or l@sbian is not a sin, anymore than being straight could be considered a sin. At the same time, it is important to say that according to Catholic moral teaching, sexual activity is reserved for marriage – marriage between a man and a woman. Thus, in this University setting, we urge a life of celibacy for all students who are not married.”

Link (here) to read the full article at California Catholic Daily 

The Cardinal Newman Society, Jesuit Institutions And Pro-Life Yahoo's

The Cardinal Newman Society compiled the following list of Catholic colleges and universities whose commencement speakers have publicly opposed or acted contrary to Catholic values on fundamental teachings. Link (here) to the full press release and list.
These are Jesuit institutions on that list.

Boston College (Mass.)

Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric (GE), will be the commencement speaker and honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree recipient at Boston College’s commencement ceremony on May 24.  GE has an official company policy permitting experimenting on embryonic stem cells and last year launched a partnership with Geron Corp. to sell products derived from embryonic stem cells. 

Boston College Law School has invited U.S. Senator Scott Brown to address its May 28 commencement ceremony.  While running for office in 2002 in Massachusetts, Brown made public his position in support of legalized abortion with some restrictions.

College of the Holy Cross (Mass.)

Mark Shriver will be the commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree at the College of the Holy Cross on May 28.  Shriver is currently Vice President and managing director of Save the Children.  While a 2002 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland, Shriver stated in a Washington Post interview, “Women's issues are critically important and I will continue to fight for a women's right to choose; family planning funds; maternal and child health funding and education for girls both here and abroad.”

Georgetown University (D.C.)

Baroness Brenda Hale will be the commencement speaker at Georgetown University Law Center on May 23.  In 2004, Hale became the first woman to serve in the British House of Lords as a “Lord of Appeal in Ordinary,” the equivalent of a U.K. supreme court justice.  Hale has “argued for gay civil partnerships and no-fault divorces” (The Guardian) and supports gay adoption as well as better rights for “cohabitees”.  The Independent reported in 2003 that Hale stated: “My present view is that there is a strong case for introducing a legal commitment between people who are unable to marry, principally gay and lesbian partners.”

Loyola Marymount University (Calif.)

The Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, was the commencement speaker at Loyola Marymount University on May 8.  Prior to serving as governor, Patrick was assistant attorney general for the civil rights division during Bill Clinton’s presidency.  Patrick’s campaign website boasts that that he "helped lead the fight to keep discrimination out of the Massachusetts constitution and preserved the right of same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts."

Marlene Canter was the graduate commencement speaker for Loyola Marymount University on May 9.  She is a former member of the L.A. Unified School District board.  According to LifeSiteNews, Canter has called the legalization of same-sex marriage an "issue of simple fairness and basic human rights."  The same article reports that Canter has opposed a parental notification abortion law.

Loyola University Chicago (Ill.)

Clarence Page will be the commencement speaker for the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago on May 14.  Page is a syndicated columnist and a senior member of The Chicago Tribune editorial board.  He has written that people who want to ban abortion are “yahoos”.  As a guest on the MSNBC program Hardball last year, Page described proposed pro-life language to the healthcare bill as “worse… because this is declaring that even a woman can’t use her own money to pay for an insurance plan that also covers abortion.”  He has stated, “I stand firmly on the pro-Roe side of the abortion debate.”  Page also supports same-sex “marriage” as evidenced by his editorial “In defense of same-sex marriage”.

University of San Francisco (Calif.)

On May 22, the University of San Francisco will host as commencement speaker Dale Minami, who will also receive an honorary degree.  A supporter of same-sex “marriage,” Minami is lead partner at Minami Tamaki LLP, which in December 2007 sponsored a fundraiser and donated funds to Asian Pacific Islander Equality, a group that advocates for same-sex “marriage.”

Attendees Wear Decorative Masks

Loyola Marymount University’s LGB.T student group played host on Friday, April 23, to the fourth annual G@yLA end-of-year bash, the campus newspaper at the Jesuit school reports. “The Waterfront Room of the Marina Del Rey Hotel will be transformed into a queen’s masquerade on Friday, April 23 at 7 p.m. for the fourth annual G@yLA, hosted by LMU’s Lesbi@n G@y Bis@xual and Tr@nsgender  students,” reported the Los Angeles Loyolan, the student newspaper. “G@yLA is a semiformal event in which all attendees wear decorative masks, and will feature live entertainment, dinner and dancing to celebrate and honor the achievements of LMU’s LGB.T community,” said the newspaper...... The event featured an awards ceremony, “a performance by Trenyce, a finalist in the second season of ‘American Idol,’ and a drag show,” said the newspaper. Dinner was followed by dancing to a live DJ, according to the paper.

Link (here) to the full article in the California Catholic Daily

Suspended Fresno Priest Fr. Geoffrey Farrow On Loyola Marymount University

Fr. Geoffrey Farrow (pictured) states, “LMU is a Jesuit institution and so it enjoys some autonomy from the Archbishop of LA. 

However, the Jesuits still have to live and work with the Archbishop and this new Archbishop will be decidedly conservative on social issues. 

On L/G/B/T/Q issues he will probably be very strict and encourage organizations like Courage.” 

Link (here) to the full article at the California Catholic Daily

Astounding Artistic Calloboration: The Passion Of The Christ

Fr. William Fulco, S.J. and Mel Gibson collaborated on a masterpiece.

A thousand years from now the movie entitled, The Passion of the Christ will be watched and replayed over and over again. In the deluxe edition of the movie which came out a few years ago Fr. William J. Fulco, S.J. a professor of Archeology and Ancient Languages at Loyola Marymount University is a key figure in some the back story of the movie. What I did not realize until I watched the short documentary, that Fr. Fulco was so instrumental in giving the artistic life to the three day narrative of Jesus' Passion, the movie might never have been made or been made in the unique way in which it was presented with out Fathers help. I do not want to give to much away, because I urge you to watch it for yourself. You will be astounded at the process of breathing life into the native tongue of Jesus, Aramaic and the choices of words and the dramatic use of Latin.

Father Generals Speech At LMU In Los Angeles

The keynote address by the Very Rev. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, opened Loyola Marymount University’s Mission Day on Monday, February 2. Mission Day is an annual daylong event at LMU that gathers the campus community to reflect and discuss aspects of the university’s spiritual goals and priorities. This year’s theme was Companions in Mission. Nicolás told students, faculty and staff at LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel that “collaboration is at the heart of the mission” of all those who seek a just world.

Listen and watch Father General's address (here)

Photo (here)

LMU And Generous Fincial Aid Packages

My counselor had suggested applying to private schools because he knew that two alums from my high school

who were undocumented had gotten generous financial aid packages

from Loyola Marymount University. I added LMU to my list.

Link (here) to the full post at a website entitled LA Youth