Gender Ideology Embraced at Villanova, Push for ‘Sanctuary Campuses’

SOURCE

God created them man and woman. Villanova thought otherwise
Villanova University has decided to “make the University more inclusive to non-gender binary and transgender students,” according to the Villanovan.
The Title IX Coordinator reportedly said, “Because we are committed to providing bathroom facilities that are inclusive and honor the privacy needed in a bathroom, we would like our students, faculty and staff of all genders and gender identities, the option of using a bathroom where they and those around them can feel most comfortable.”
Pope Benedict XVI wrote in 2012 that “The [duality of male and female] is an essential aspect of what being human is all about, as ordained by God.”


Catholic colleges consider becoming ‘sanctuary campuses’ for undocumented immigrants
The group Undocumented Students and Allies Association at Santa Clara University staged a walkout to show support to those who say they feel targeted by President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric. The group called on school administrators to designate the institution a “sanctuary campus” where federal immigration officials would be barred from entering.
They’re not alone.
Gonzaga University Vice President of Student Involvement Judi Biggs-Garbuio recently said that sanctuary spaces for undocumented immigrant students was a major topic of discussion during a recent meeting on campus: “We are looking at that, even as we speak … It’s definitely on my radar.”
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., also confirmed that they are discussing that topic.
Administrators at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Portland have also been petitioned by faculty and students to declare themselves “sanctuary campuses.”
I just can’t help but wish that more Catholic universities had been stronger “allies” of the unborn and stood up against the federal government’s overreaching HHS Mandate.

Amid calls for unity, one Boston College professor calls for ‘fight’ after election
At a post-election rally in which Boston College students, faculty and administrators chanted for “Muslim rights, human rights; gay rights, human rights,” Sociology Professor Shawn McGuffey, who has previously disclosed his involvement in a same-sex relationship, added some volatility.
“This is just the beginning of a very, very long fight,” he said, according to the student newspaper. “And that’s what this is going to be — a fight. It’s going to be a battle.”
He reportedly said he has heard many conversations about coming together and about unity. This is not unity, though, this is oppression, he said.
“We have to name it as it is,” McGuffey said. “I refuse to have my humanity debated.”
So much for calling for peace, dialogue and unity, huh? Is this really the Christian witness Boston College expects of its faculty?

UST-St. Paul’s troubling suggestions for post-election counseling services  
Six days after the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in history lost her bid for the White House, the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., initiated emergency measures to assist students and faculty in trying to manage depression, anger and sadness over Hillary Clinton’s defeat.
This support included a “Note of Support from Counseling and Psychological Services” that referred students to organizations such as the Rainbow Health Initiative, an organization that encourages same-sex relationships and activity and promotes gender ideology.

Professor Anthony Esolen’s message to Catholic colleges: You either have to be Catholic or not
Providence College Professor Anthony Esolen, who has been under fire recently for standing up for the faith, was interviewed in Providence College’s student newspaper.
He said:

The question is how does a Catholic school reconcile what seems to be a celebration of certain activities that are opposed to Catholic teaching? How do those two things fit together? And I don’t know that they can fit together. It would be like a Catholic school holding celebrations of divorce. Well, you can’t do that as a Catholic school. In order to celebrate divorce, you have to cease to be Catholic while you’re doing that and there’s a conflict there. And I don’t think that conflict can be resolved. You either have to be Catholic or not.

It reminds me of one of my favorite passages from Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman: “You either accept Christianity, or you do not: if you do, do not garble and patch it; if you do not, suffer others to submit to it ungarbled.”

Bishop Rhoades blesses new high school chapel erected to improve spiritual welfare of students 
Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., recently completed construction on a new chapel in loving memory of Bishop John M. D’Arcy. Bishop Kevin Rhoades offered a blessing at the dedication ceremony.

From a practical standpoint, the amount of seating has quadrupled — from 45 to 180. What’s more, its move from a small, former classroom to the front of the school makes a loud and clear statement that the school’s Catholic identity is at its forefront.

“If we look at our mission and vision, we want to help all students practice their faith and see that it’s at the center of what they do,” the school’s principal said. Great to see such focus on the spiritual welfare of students.

Senator discusses importance of religious liberty at Georgetown event
Recognizing religious liberty as a centerpiece of the American political experiment and upholding its value domestically is imperative to the country’s long-term promotion of religious freedom abroad, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said recently at Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom and the Common Good symposium.
“The U.S. government is not nearly the clarion voice on the issue of international religious freedom that it has been in moments past and that we need to become again in the future,” Sasse said.
Let’s hope Georgetown administrators (and the federal government) were listening.