Wednesday, November 16, 2005

FTs - On the Square

November 16, 2005
Richard John Neuhaus writes:

When I was a Lutheran, I quite regularly received honorary degrees from Catholic colleges. Giving me an honorary degree was thought to be a very ecumenical thing to do. After I became a Catholic, it was a very controversial thing to do. I’m not complaining, mind you. Honorary degrees are of limited utility, although I am still thinking that something nice could be done with all those wonderfully colored hoods. A very large quilt?

A long time ago I spoke at the commencement and received an honorary degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, about an hour from Kansas City. I had rather lost track of what was happening there, but after Mass last Sunday the new president, Stephen Minnis, came by with several faculty members for brunch. It seems a great deal has been happening with Benedictine.

Enrollment, now at about 1200, has almost doubled in the last few years, and a big draw is Benedictine’s palpable seriousness about being a throughly Catholic school in line with John Paul the Great’s exhortation Ex corde ecclesiae (from the heart of the Church). Of course President Minnis and his colleagues were making a pitch. That’s their job. And it is a very impressive pitch indeed. In any event, when students and parents ask about seriously Catholic colleges, as they regularly do, I’ll be suggesting a careful look at Benedictine in Atchison, Kansas.

5 comments:

Fred said...

whoa!

Fr. D.L. Jones said...

This is the work of the Holy Spirit and Our Lady!

Unknown said...

Doesn't Neuhaus' endorsement trouble you, David? After all, he is among the leaders of the neo-con cabal. ;-)

Fr. D.L. Jones said...

I know President Minnis would like to get to know some of donors that Neuhaus, Novak & Weigel are so friendly with...

Fred said...

It is unfortunate that so many are fans or foes of Fr. Neuhas, but that few offer a useful criticism that could show both the good work that he does and his limitations.