Ave Maria U uses Notre Dame flap for financial gain

As I understand it, this new University has opted out of federal funding - you probably remember federal funding - its the reason why formerly authentic Catholic schools such as Notre Dame and Georgetown are so out of line with the Magisterium. Catholic money should go to authentic Catholic Education. As for the billion dollar schools like Georgetown and Notre Dame, I wish them well. But the limited Catholic money should go to authentic Catholic institutions of highr education.

Odd isn't it that the president of a national organization of Catholic colleges and universities would call Ave Maria University "crude" about a fundraiser but doesn't have anything to say about the 46 bishops who refuted Fr. Jenkins on his Obama invite.

While the NCCB document may be flawed, Jenkins had a duty and a responsibility to dialogue with his bishop before the invite was even made, but of course the president of Catholic colleges and universities could care less about the bishops - he is just worried that Ave Maria Unviersity might raise some money.

How pathetic!

“Urgent! This Scandal Must be Stopped!” I totally agree: this super-catholic university should stop its scandalous attempt at fundraising "on the back of another institution’s controversy....”. And then to refer to President Obama as a “a prominent pro-abortion U.S. politician" adds to the scandal by this self-proclaimed catholic university. But then, the "catholic Taliban" won't stop for anything in its fanatical zeal to proclaim what they call "the true catholic teaching," especially when it has to do with raising money.

Seriously, WWJD? Although I feel drawn to a particular devotion to Mary, I do not recognize this Ave Maria and all the wedge group activity as having anything to do with what Christ set in motion.

Ah, the right wing.....taking their politics and wrapping it in religion. Then isn't any Catholic who calls them on it somehow LESS Catholic than they are? So Ave Maria is really the Oral Roberts University of the Catholic Church? Or is it the Bob Jones U? I can't keep them all straight as they wrap Jesus in an American flag. And remember, folks, some of these "Universities" have about 500 students....How big is Ave Maria, anyhow?

I didn't think even Monahan could stoop to this level. Are you sure this letter came out with his approval?

3rd string, backwater school engaging in bottom of the barrel tactics. I wouldn't trade my ND diploma (M.A. '80) for one from Ave Maria for all the pizza in America. And what do they need the money for? To build MORE high-priced condos for rich, retired Catholics? They're certainly not doing much to improve the plight of migrant workers in the area. Just ask the women religious who have been minstering there for decades before the Pizza King created this tax shelter.

If you want to see the hypocrisy of Ave Maria, spend some time at

http://www.avewatch.com

This is an organization that is not regionally accredited, has multiple law suits filed against it by former employees, is not formally recognized as "Catholic" by its local conservative bishop, was caught illegally distributing federal student aid (paid over $250,000 back to the Department of Education), and had an employee in possession of a local priest's computer hard drive that the state's crime lab found full of simulated child pornography.

Make Ave Maria your "new alma mater"? It would be funny if the hubris wasn't so rich. I say this as an orthodox Catholic who finds Obama's invitation repugnant, but still sees Notre Dame as a far better Catholic institution than Ave Maria's folly.

When he celebrated the Passover for the last time with his disciples, offered us the example of humility from the Son of God to the sons of man, instituted the Sacrament of sacraments to nourish, strengthen and guide us, and then fulfilled the will of God our Father by his Resurrection, Jesus reminded us that "It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples". Jn 13:35 Some of the comments from persons with differing and sometimes conflicting views and opinions seem to forget the most important attribute of our God who is Love and the basic characteristic of his Son and all of his disciples who by their Baptism are beloved children of God, cherished sisters and brothers of Jesus our Savior and Lord and living temples of the Holy Spirit Lord and Giver of life: LOVE. Loving humility should temper rightous anger. Pax et Bonum.

Ave Maria University?
Yet another academically-third-rate Catholic college trying to camouflage its trashyness by invoking "fidelity to the Magisterium".

The entire Notre Dame flap is a giant right wing fund raiser. Hanging around with their fundamentalist friends at republican events they have learned about the wonderful monetary rewards of screaming fire. There will be more and more Society of Cardinal Newman

The whole Notre Dame flap is a fundraiser! Hanging around with fellow fundamentalist at republican events rightwing Catholics have learned the secret of making money by screaming fire. Look forward to a lot more Society of (fill in the blank ) being formed. These groups will raise heaps of cash to save the world from liberals. Without their work God will be destroyed. Having been raised a Catholic in the South I suggest rightwing Catholics look to the wildly sucesssful " the Pope is coming the Pope is coming" fund raisers their newfound friends used for for years as a blueprint of the genre.

Ahh - the "catholic" branch of Liberty U strikes again. Not quite a university - more of a republican think-tank with a student lounge.

Ave Maria University --- what a joke!

The Cardinal Newman Society --- thank God the good churchman's body is decomposed, for he'd turn over in his grave at the thought of his name being appropriated by a group of pied piper's children!

If this is Catholic education, may God help us all!

To a great extent, an important point has been neglected in the dispute over President Obsma speaking at Notre Dame University. Notre Dame is not a juridcal person recognized as such by the Catholic Church. That is, since 1967 it has not been directly subject to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, as are schools under the jurisdiction of a diocese or religious community. Rather, Notre Dame, and many other Catholic Universities, sre governed by a "self perpetuating board of Trustees," which have all power and authority granted by the state of Indiana. (Consult the Statutes of the University) One prominent Catholic university describes itself as "Catholic in its philosophy and commitmens" but"it is not Church related, nor is it under the jurisdictional control of a Church body." For practical purposes being "Catholic" does not imply submission to the hierarchy.

This university is supposed to be maintaining traditional Catholicism. However, when you look at the design of the church itself, how can anyone who is ga-ga over the place criticize either of the new cathedrals in Los Angeles and Oakland, CA?

But, when you sell a lot of bad pizzas and pay for the place yourself, who can get you to change your mind? I guess Monaghan (like Msgr. M. Gibson) is a power unto himself and good Catholics know better than to incur their ire and wrath.

Actually, the whole affair kind of makes me want to order a Domino's pizza with extra toppings. Plus, I think that they deliver at no extra charge.

The ND flap will be the biggest rightwing flop since Gov. Palin's VP bid...
I love to watch the flops..bring on more..

Ave Maria is a tiny college in financial trouble. Notre Dame is a large University in moral trouble. Neither are worth a donation. If the Holy Cross Fathers could gather the moral courage to toss out Jenkins and put in someone with character then Notre Dame might gradually turn around. But that is no more likely than the Jesuits discovering the meaning of Catholicism, which they traded under Arrupefor the pottage of liberalism.

All of this shows the incredible collapse of the Church in the US since the 1960's. Traditionalists blame it all on Vatican II. The reality is the larger, formerly Protestant culture, dramatically turned from its roots in that period of relative peace and prosperity, to a pseudo-scientism. The Pill was one result - a huge change in behavior, disconnecting sexuality from morality. Catholics followed suit quickly, so that Paul VI was obliged to issue Humanae Vitae to reassert the Church's moral stance against this. But the US culture was too far gone. Priests rejected the magisterium and preached the superiority of even an uninformed conscience over Papal teaching. Most Catholics went the way of their former Protestant brethern. Homosexuality, pedophilia and all sorts of perversions followed in inevitable and predictable course. Religion collapsed, minor evangelical and tradtional revivals nothwithstanding.

SO this Notre Dame scandal and the Ave Maria U. money-grubbing (itself also not approved by the local bishop) are merely more symptoms of the collapse of the Catholic Church in the US. Presidents Jenkins and Healy both should be fired, but it isn't going to happen. Catholics are too weakened, too disorganized, too paganized to influence the greater culture significantly, nor even to clean their own houses in the US.

Sadly, we must look abroad for signs of hope. In the US Catholics will have to struggle to preserve their religion in this sea of liberalism and post-modernism (the defect)and sede vacantism and jansenism (the excess, to find the golden mean. It iwll be increasingly hard to due as the Protestants have collapsed even further, so the general culutre is fast drifting towards self-destruction (two wars, abortions by the millions, increasing crime, suicide, drug use, etc.). Only those strong in the faith will be able to endure it - but they will.

I think the academic reputation of Ave Maria is about as spotty as the packaging design for a Domino's pizza or might be described as Bob Jones University on Holy Water. The tactic may also give a whole new meaning to the term Hail Mary pass.

Why does this not surprise me? I'm embarrassed how the Mother of God is used in bad taste. Yet again.

I am shocked at the anti-catholic comments as well as the negativity in the article. I thought that this was a Catholic website and all I am seeing is liberal, non-catholic rhetoric. And shame on Katie Doyle comparing the Iraqi war to abortion, WWJD, even a 5 year old's logic would note the absurd disparity between the two. Please read Charles Chaput's Render Unto Ceasar, the dual life will kill you...