'We're Coming for your Children'...at St. Ignatius Church

 

Screenshot from SF Gay Men's Chorus webpage

On July 1, 2021 the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus released a video which revolted, and hopefully raised the consciousness of, people across the country. The video proclaimed overtly something that has been present albeit denied throughout the history of the “Gay Rights” movement:

You say we all lead lives you don’t respect. But you’re just frightened. You think that we’ll corrupt your kids if our agenda goes unchecked. Funny, just this once, you’re correct.

We’ll convert your children – happens bit by bit, quietly and subtly and you will barely notice it…

Just like you’re worried, they’ll change their group of friends, you won’t approve of where they go at night. And you’ll be disgusted when they start learning things online that you kept far from their sight…

We’ll convert your children – Yes we will! – reaching one and all, there’s really no escaping it, cause even grandma likes RuPaul…

The world’s getting kinder, Gen Z’s gayer than Grindr…We’re coming for them. We’re coming for your children…The gay agenda is coming home. The gay agenda is here.

On July 24, 2021 the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) is scheduled to appear at San Francisco’s notorious Jesuit parish, St. Ignatius.  From the webpage of the SFGMC “The Whiffenpoofs and HomoPhonics: Joint Concert in San Francisco, Saturday, July 24, 2021, 08:00 PM - 09:30 PM,St. Ignatius Church, St. Ignatius Church, 650 Parker Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA…The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University & HomoPhonics of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus are joining together for ONE NIGHT ONLY for a concert at the beautiful St. Ignatius Parish in San Francisco!”

SF Gay Men's Chorus performing at St. Ignatius in 2018

This will not be the first the SFGMC has performed at St. Ignatius. As California Catholic Daily reported in 2018 (‘Nobody has Run it By the Archbishop’) the SFGMC performed at St. Ignatius on October 26, 2018 The concert was part of a three-day event marking the chorus’ 40th Anniversary, which included a drag show. At that time, St. Ignatius’s pastor, Fr. Greg Bonfiglio, told the San Francisco Chronicle that no one had asked San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone for permission to host the SFGMC.

Nor is their appearance out of character for the parish. In 2015, as California Catholic Daily reported (‘Strange Sex Advisor for Your Kids’) the parish hosted Dr. Tim Lewis for an Adult Faith Formation program titled ‘How to Talk to Your Teenage Children About Sex’. Lewis’ profile on the Psyris.com website describes his areas of expertise as: “LGBT and Questioning Individuals.

To contact the office of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone:  415-614-5500.

USF Vice-Provost for Students also Board Chair of Abortion Providers

California Catholic Daily has an edited version of this story.

USF’s New Vice-Provost of Student Life Also serves as Board Chair for Abortion Providers
On July, 28, 2016 the Jesuit University of San Francisco announced the appointment of a new vice-provost of student life. From the press release announcing the appointment:

“The University of San Francisco (USF) has named Julie Orio vice provost of student life. Orio has served as interim vice provost of student life at USF since August 2015, where she has led a team of approximately 140 full-time professionals and 25 graduate students to enliven the university’s Jesuit mission through its co-curricular offices and activities that support the development and success of all students. She will begin her permanent role immediately.”

The release continued:

“Beyond her responsibilities at USF, since 2006 she has been actively involved in the Women’s Community Clinic in San Francisco, serving as board member and chair.”

“Enlivening the university’s Jesuit mission” apparently includes “serving as board member and chair” of an organization that provides birth control, ‘emergency contraception,’ and ‘Medication Abortion.’ The ‘Women’s Health Services’ page on the Women’s Community Clinic’s website page describes ‘Medication Abortion’: “ Medication abortion is a way to terminate an early pregnancy by using medications. It’s often called the ‘abortion pill’, and it’s an option for women during their first ten weeks of pregnancy. Medication abortion works through a combination of two drugs: Mifeprex and Misoprostol. Mifeprex blocks the hormone progesterone, which will stop the growth of the pregnancy; Misoprostol will then cause the uterus to contract and help your body expel the pregnancy.”

The mission statement for USF’s Office of Student Life includes the following: “While each office within Student Life holds a specialized mission, our work is in service to and collaboration with the University's mission to offer ‘the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as persons and professionals, and the values and sensitivity necessary to be men and women for others.’” How this vision of “the values and sensitivity necessary to be men and women for others” can be furthered by a person serving as board chair of an organization which describes abortion, the taking of an innocent human life, as “expelling the pregnancy” is perhaps something that only a corrupt Jesuit can understand.

It is not the first time USF and the Women’s Community Clinic have partnered. On Mar8, 2010, in the article ‘Abortionfest at USF’, CalCatholic reported that one of the featured speakers at USF’s 2010 Global Women’s Rights Forum was Dr. Eve Zaritsky, the then-medical Director of the Women’s Community Clinic. From the article “The Women’s Community Clinic ‘Services’ page offers ‘Emergency Contraception,’ which, depending on the timing, can be an abortion. The Women’s Community Clinic does not offer non-emergency contraception abortions, but will refer women to organizations that do.” That lack has obviously since been addressed. The aricle continued “The forum is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, the Sociology Colloquium, the School of Nursing, the Politics Department, the Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, and curiously, the Theology and Religious Studies Department….”

Ms. Orio is far from the only rotten apple at USF. USF Faculty includes the Reverend Vincent Pizzuto. In addition to his work as Professor of New Testament Studies, with “LGBT Hermeneutics and Theology” listed as one of his areas of expertise, Pizzuto is also the Director of USF’s Catholic Studies and Social Thought Minor and the Coordinator of the Ignatian Faculty Forum. His biographical page on the USF website lists another of his areas of expertise: “same-gender marriage.” It does not mention that Pizzuto, born Catholic, and currently a minister of the Episcopal Church, has presided at such counterfeit “marriages.”

The anti-Catholicism at USF goes right to the top. As CalCatholic reported on April 23, 2016 , USF’s president, Fr. Paul Fitzgerald, SJ, attended San Francisco’s the Gay Pride parade, in 2015. The parade is a celebration of the sin of sodomy.

Why San Francisco’s Catholic clergy and hierarchy choose to remain silent is unknown. While USF is objectively no more evil than the University of California or Stanford, its masquerade as an institution in any way connected to the Catholic Church presents a much greater spiritual danger.

USF Basketball Fans Invited to March in Gay Pride Parade

Celebration of Sin at USF/Pepperdine Game

On Saturday, January 4 the men’s basketball team of the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco faced off against the Pepperdine Waves at USF’s War Memorial gym. The game was also billed as an “LGBTQ Community Celebration.” The “Upcoming Events” page on the USF Dons website read “Featuring Performances by the SF Gay Men’s Chorus and Cheer SF. LGBTQ community leaders will be recognized. For $10 tickets use promo code EQUALITY at checkout.” Since the “LGBTQ Community” defines itself by fornication with persons of the same-sex, an “LGBTQ Community Celebration” is by definition a celebration of sin.

Memorial gym was at about 50% of capacity. According to the announcer, the Gay Men’s Chorus sang the National Anthem, but that must have happened well before tip-off. About 11 minutes into the game, during a time-out, the announcer asked for a round of applause for the two co-chairs of the Jesuit school’s “LGBTQ Caucus.” As the two went to center court, the announcer briefly described the mission of the LGBTQ Caucus, and said it had its roots in the Jesuit tradition. He went on to say that last year 75 members (students and faculty) of USF had marched in San Francisco’s “Gay Pride” parade. He then encouraged the crowd “to join the USF contingent in this year’s parade on June 29, 2014.”

It is fortuitous that the first ever LGBTQ celebration coincided with a game against Pepperdine. Both USF and Pepperdine are religiously founded and affiliated schools: USF with the Society of Jesus, and Pepperdine with the Churches of Christ. But there is a stark difference between the two schools’ teaching on sexuality, and to the sin of homosexuality in particular. While USF has an LGBTQ Caucus (not to mention a cadre of openly homosexualist professors and priests) Pepperdine allows no such group. Indeed, Pepperdine’s refusal to allow a “Gay-Straight Alliance” on campus has led to demands, including a petition on change.org, that the school recognize such a group. So far Pepperdine has held firm. It does have an “LGBT Legal Society” “…for the limited purposes of discussing LGBT-related legal issues and networking for legal employment or professional development” and, in 2013, Pepperdine created a needs-based scholarship available to those who “advocate and promote the health (mental or physical) and wellness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community.” But it still does not allow the Gay-Straight Alliance.

Respective statements from the school’s handbooks on sexual relations on campus are equally divergent. Pepperdine: “In keeping with Pepperdine University’s Christian mission and its heritage in Churches of Christ, all members of the University community are encouraged to consider and respect the teachings of Jesus and historic, biblical Christianity. Pepperdine University affirms that sexual relationships are designed by God to be expressed solely within a marriage between husband and wife. This view of sexuality and marriage is rooted in the Genesis account of creation and is maintained consistently throughout Scripture. Sexual relations of any kind outside of marriage are inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture, as understood by Christian churches throughout history, including Churches of Christ. Therefore, as a matter of moral and faith witness, all members of the University are expected to avoid such conduct themselves and to respect this understanding of sexual relationships.”

By contrast, Jesuit USF’s Overview of Sexual Misconduct Policy Expectations mentions neither marriage nor Christianity nor Jesus. The only “misconduct” the Jesuit school mentions is “consent,” or lack thereof (to what is not specified): “The expectations of our community regarding sexual misconduct can be summarized as follows: In order for individuals to engage in sexual activity of any type with each other, there must be clear, knowing and voluntary consent prior to and during sexual activity.” While for Pepperdine, then, sexuality is to be a positive “matter of moral and faith witness,” the USF Jesuits’ view of sexuality is negative: no good is envisioned, all that is mentioned is an evil (lack of consent) to be avoided.

The players were unconcerned with the extraneous activities. Behind a strong defense, Pepperdine held USF to 19 points in the first half, and led 27-19 at the break. But with less than a minute remaining in the half, the Waves lost one of their best players, Malcolm Brooks, and he was out for the rest of the game. USF’s coach, Rex Walters, made adjustments at halftime, and in the second half, behind excellent three-point shooting by forward Mark Tollefson (16 points) and guard Tim Derksen (15 points) the Dons overcame the deficit and pulled away to win 77-66. USF’s athletic and energetic forward Kruize Pinkins led all players with 19 points, along with 11 rebounds. Pinkins made one extraordinary play, a leaping save of a ball going out of bounds under the Pepperdine basket. His save started a fast break with the Dons having a 3-to-2 advantage, but the Dons, like the USF Jesuits, were unable to convert.

USF’s Privett Compares “Vagina Monologues” to “Grammar School Christmas Pageant”

Departing President Gives Farewell Interview

The winter 2013 issue of USF Magazine, the magazine of the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco, profiled the school’s departing President, Fr. Stephen A. Privett. The interview began:

“USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J., believes the time has come for new leadership at the university. Now in his 14th year as president—one of the longest tenures in USF history—he has formally announced that he will not renew his contract. This decision is not a surprise. When he renewed his contract in 2009, the USF Board of Trustees reluctantly agreed that his third five-year term would also be his last. The board has launched a search for Fr. Privett’s successor. Fr. Privett is a man of conviction, and he says what he thinks. That was on full display in his three-hour interview with USF Magazine.”

The laudatory interview mentioned almost none of the things that readers of the Cardinal Newman Society, LifeSiteNews, or California Catholic Daily would associate with Fr. Privett’s name. An exception was a question about “The Vagina Monologues.” When asked “Why does USF stage the Vagina Monologues when other Catholic universities have banned it?” Privett began his response: “As I tell our students, the Vagina Monologues has all the appeal of the annual grammar school Christmas pageant. It’s the same old thing year after year….”

Privett’s comparison of sixth graders singing Silent Night to a play which includes an approving scene of a teenager being sexually abused by an adult can be interpreted in one of three ways.

If we take him seriously, Privett either means he finds a play which approves of teenagers being sexually abused by adults as cute as sixth graders singing Silent Night. Alternatively, it can mean that he finds sixth graders singing Silent Night as disgusting as a play which approves of teenagers being sexually abused by adults.

The third possibility is that he is speaking ironically. In that case, it’s the response of a jaded sophisticate, way too hip and morally blasé to understand why either Eve Ensler or faithful Catholics would take “The Vagina Monologues” seriously, let alone why anyone at all might take a “grammar school Christmas pageant” seriously. He is not concerned with the content of “The Vagina Monologues” nor of a grammar school Christmas pageant but only that it’s “the same old thing year after year….”

The comment crystallizes Fr. Privett’s enfeebled sense of morality. It is a fitting coda to his Presidency.

The article also included a timeline of USF events during his presidency that either the interviewer or Privett thought important. The timeline did not include the closing of the school’s graduate program in Theology; the disemboweling of the school’s St. Ignatius Institute; the appointment as Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies an open homosexual who left the Catholic Church to be ordained priest in a “Catholic” church not in communion with Rome; or the appointment of an open homosexual as Executive Director of University Ministry. It also did not list the hosting of any number of speakers, conferences, and guests, far too many to name here, who hold and promote positions in direct opposition to the Catholic faith, nor did it indicate that on at least two occasions speakers/groups were hosted in direct opposition to the wishes of then-Archbishop George Niederauer.

The search for a new President of the Jesuit University is underway. Those interested may visit: https://www.usfca.edu/presidentialsearch/ The webpage also accepts nominations for the position.

USF Update: Cardinal Newman Society catches them touting Planned Parenthood

From the CNS website:

"The University of San Francisco is scandalously suggesting to students that being a director at a Planned Parenthood clinic is a future job possibility.

The Jesuit institution’s School of Nursing and Health Professions website lists under the banner Careers in Public Health,'Director for Planned Parenthood.' The site promotes USF’s Master's in Public Health Nursing degree with suggestions of future job possibilities."

Following CNS's exposure, the Jesuit school has pulled the reference, but here is a screenshot from the cached webpage:

Fr. Reese is not telling the truth

On July 29 the National Catholic Reporter published a column by Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese. Fr. Reese begins by discussing his experience last week celebrating Mass in San Francisco. In his second paragraph he writes: "Oh, yes, did I mention that the pastor who said something nice about homosexuals last month was raked over the coals in the blogosphere and reported to the archbishop?"


There is considerably more to it than that. Since Fr. Reese was discussing the homily he preached last Sunday at San Francisco's St. Ignatius Church it is reasonable to assume that the priest he is referring to is Fr. Greg Bonfiglio, SJ, the pastor of St. Ignatius. As we reported, on Sunday, June 30 (San Francisco's "Gay Pride" Sunday) Fr. Bonfiglio chose to read a long (1,098 words) letter at Mass which was written by the pastor of Seattle's St. James Church and published in that church's parish bulletin. In the letter the pastor discussed his participation in Seattle's "Gay Pride" parade. The same bulletin also encouraged parishioners to attend the parade.

"Gay Pride" parades are celebrations of homosexuality, and of course of homosexual acts. The "Gay Pride" parade which does not celebrate homosexual acts does not exist. Encouraging parishioners to attend a celebration of homosexuality--whether in a parish bulletin or at Mass--amounts to much more than "saying something nice about homosexuals."

Elsewhere in the article, Fr. Reese treats the Holy Father's recent statement on the "gay lobby" with the same level of honesty.

Following Prop 8 Decision, St. Ignatius Jesuit Celebrates Homosexuality at Mass

An edited version of this post was published in yesterday's California Catholic Daily.

On Wednesday, June 27, the United States Supreme Court handed down two decisions—on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Amendment --that eviscerated legal marriage in the United States. The following Sunday thus offered Catholic priests a matchless opportunity to articulate the Church’s definition of what marriage is, and what it is not. Indeed, since the decisions had such civilizational import, such articulation was less an opportunity than an absolute obligation.

One priest did choose to address the issue. At San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Church, the 9:30 AM Mass on Sunday, June 30 was celebrated by the church’s pastor, Fr. Gregory R. Bonfiglio, SJ. But rather than presenting Church teaching to his audience, rather than, for instance, stating the simple truth that properly ordered sexuality leads to the creation of new life, while sodomitical relations lead, as San Franciscans know all too well, to physical death and to spiritual death, Fr. Bonfiglio chose to read a letter written by Fr. John D. Whitney, SJ, of St. Joseph’s Church in Seattle. In the letter, which is titled “Why Am I In The Parade?” and which runs to 1,098 words, Fr. Whitney justified his presence in Seattle’s “Gay Pride” parade. The letter was published in St. Joseph’s June 23, 2013 parish bulletin. Given the content of the letter (Fr. Whitney absurdly equated Church teaching on homosexuality with Old Testament dietary restrictions, and ignorantly repeats the long-debunked assertion that the word “faggot” derives from “faggots” of wood), and the timing of Fr. Bonfiglio’s homily, the Sunday immediately after the legalization of counterfeit “marriage,” the homily can be seen as nothing less than support of homosexual “marriage.”

During Fr. Bonfiglio’s reading of the letter, the Church was eerily quiet. At least one parishioner was seen leaving the church in tears. When queried she said “It’s not his church! It’s the Catholic church! I should be able to just go to Church! I want to go to a Catholic Church!”

The point is valid. All Catholics are obligated to attend Sunday Mass. Missing Mass on Sunday, without a very good reason (health, transportation issues, etc.) is a serious sin. In a sense, then, Catholics at a Sunday Mass are a captive audience. They have a right to genuine Church teaching, and at the barest minimum a right not to be subjected to the personal propaganda of an individual priest, in this case propaganda that is directly opposed to the Catholic Church. In addition to regular parishioners, the Mass was also attended by a family who had come from some distance because the intention of the Mass was for a deceased family member. In addition, a little girl was receiving her First Holy Communion at the Mass. Those families, one in the process of mourning and the second experiencing their daughter’s reception of Jesus Christ for the very first time, were thus forced to listen to Fr. Bonfiglio’s opinions.

It is unavoidable to observe that both priests involved in these event, Fr. Bonfiglio and Fr. Whitney, are members of the dying Jesuit order. St. Ignatius is San Francisco’s flagship Jesuit parish, the church of the University of San Francisco. The presence of open homosexuals among the California Jesuit priesthood, and among the faculty of California’s Jesuit Universities is well documented. The Associate Director of University Ministry at USF, Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ, is openly homosexual. The rector of the Jesuit community at Santa Clara, Fr. Michael Zampelli, SJ, is openly homosexual. The Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USF, the Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, is openly homosexual. The former pastor of St. Agnes, San Francisco’s other Jesuit parish, Fr. Cameron Ayers, SJ, is openly homosexual. At least Fr. Ayers had the integrity to leave the Catholic Church and join the Episcopal Church.

Although that list barely scratches the surface, the open homosexuality expresses a deeper problem. The St. Ignatius Jesuits have actually replaced Catholicism with something else. In 2010, in an article we wrote for California Catholic Daily, we reported that the Jesuits had replaced the confessionals at St. Ignatius with an art gallery—an art gallery actually inside the church. The action was extremely significant. Removing objects with a critical Catholic sacramental function from a Catholic Church, and replacing them with an art gallery, an environment in which objects are considered under their aesthetic aspect alone could never have been done by a genuine Catholic.

Contacts:

Archbishop Peter J. Sartain
Archdiocese of Seattle
710 9th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco CA 94109

Pope Francis’s “Stream of Corruption” Runs through USF

Jesuit Homoactivists Lead Retreat in Spain

On June 6, Pope Francis lamented the existence of what he called “the gay lobby” in the Vatican. The announcement was not really news—the existence of such a mafia had been assumed for some time. Still, Pope Francis statement, especially following other revelations on the same subject around the time of Pope Benedict’s departure, drew much needed attention. But the Holy Father need look no further than his own order of priests, the Society of Jesus, for direct confirmation of what he called the “stream of corruption.”

From June 20-27, 2013 a retreat for men will be held in Spain. The retreat will be led by two Jesuit Priests. It will be held in “…a self-catering retreat/holiday home run by the Jesuits which we will have to ourselves.” A description of the retreat may be found at spanishretreats.org.uk. It is titled “Liberation. A Retreat for Men in Calpe, Costa Blanca, Spain, June 20-27. Led by Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ.” Readers will be quite familiar with Fr. Godfrey. Until September of 2010, Godfrey served as the Executive Director of University Ministry at the Jesuit University of San Francisco. He was demoted from the position of executive director right around the time that California Catholic Daily reported on his long-time association with Patrick Mulcahey. CalCatholic revealed that Mulcahey, whom Godfrey singled out for special praise in the introduction to his book Gays and Grays: the story of the Gay Community at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church had been keeping a “slave” and was giving workshops on the Master/slave lifestyle. Godfrey still serves as an associate director of Ministry at USF.

The retreat webpage begins with a short description of Godfrey’s work:

“Donal is an Irish, Jesuit priest who has been working for the last 6 year in California, USA. He is currently working as a chaplain in the Jesuit University of San Francisco; a job which involves training the Chaplaincy Team in Ignatian Spirituality. Donal is a regular celebrant at the popular Castro Church of Most Holy Redeemer and has been heard leading a service there on Radio 4's Sunday Service. He has written a book on the parish ministry, ‘Gays and Grays." As University chaplain, Donal spends much of his time mentoring students and staff. Donal loves this aspect of his work and has reflected on the task of a effective mentor, particular in relation to work with people who are in some way marginalised such as those who are immigrant or gay.”

The webpage goes on to describes the retreat programme:

“A retreat is a safe place to open yourself to healing the wounds of the past and allow new life and freedom to flood in. Feel nurtured by an accepting retreat community; receive the healing love of God. Learn how to better use your talents for the good. Donal and David (Fr. David Birchall, SJ) will lead the group through prayer, reflections, and sharing to help us better understand and appropriate the inner liberation God desires for each of us as children of God.”

“By taking a look at the interaction between the individual conscience and the teaching authority of the Church and Scripture we shall consider how best we can live our call to exercise the freedom of the Children of God. This will focus specifically on the area of sexuality….Although both retreat leaders are Catholic priests, this retreat is open to men of any Christian denomination or of no church affiliation. We shall be dealing with issues of sexuality and spirituality and so we are open to all regardless of sexual orientation. However, a respect for difference is vital in a retreat that seeks to be a safe place for all however you might describe your faith or sexuality.”

Under the “Making Friends” section, the webpage says: 

 “These retreats in Calpe have been running for a number of years and have always been an enjoyable experience with friendly and welcoming groups of people. We have found that there has always been an openness and acceptance of others. You can be yourself in the group sharing your faith and other areas of life such as sexuality.”

There’s a lot of “sexuality” there. The retreat “Programme” also includes “bodywork,” whatever that means. 2013 will not be the first year Fr. Godfrey has led a retreat for the group in Spain. According to a December 6, 2011 post on the British Quest Gay Catholic website Fr. David Birchall (who will assist Godfrey at the retreat) relates that Fr. Godfrey led a similar retreat called Clear as your Conscience on June 13-20, 2012. In the same post, Fr. Birchall also described the retreat’s new Jesuit House location: “After a dalliance with a retreat house in Mallorca run by nuns we have now taken residence in a sea-front house which the group has to itself.” Sounds like the presence of nuns cramped the retreatants’ style.

Fr. Birchall made a bit of news in 2003 when the British Catholic Herald reported on a website he had set up, which was also called Clear as your Conscience. According to the Herald, Fr. Birchall’s website featured a picture of “two adolescent boys kissing full on the mouth.” Fr. Birchall defense of the picture: “It’s not as if they’re naked on it. They’re fully clad folk and, as far as I can gather, they’re over 18.” The website also included links to other sites which “advertised instant access to explicit gay pornography and offered information on locations for homosexual ‘cruising.’” The website’s “reflections” openly repudiated Catholic teaching on homosexuality. Most disturbingly, and directly relevant to the Holy Father's concerns, it offered advice on how best to undermine the Church: “The website encouraged sexually active gays to put themselves forward as candidates for the priesthood, arguing that ‘the place where most influence can be put on an institution is from the inside.’” Following the Herald’s coverage, Fr. David Smolira, then-provincial of the British Jesuits, ordered the site taken down.

Interestingly, the Herald apparently tried to scrub the story from its website. The story appeared on page 3 of the February 21, 2003 issue. The entire third page of the online version of that issue has been removed. But the Herald must have forgotten about the online digitized version of the physical paper, which contained the story, and which can be downloaded.

USF Theology Chair Indicates He Will Preside at Same-sex "Weddings"

I do not see any how any other interpretation can be put on this.

A shorter version of the article below appeared in today's California Catholic Daily.

As of March of 2006, in his presentation “Alienated Catholics,” given at San Francisco’s St. Agnes parish, the Reverend Vincent Pizzuto was still using the term “we” to describe same-sex attracted Catholics. While the “we” indicates Pizzuto considered himself a Catholic at that time, it is questionable how deeply that identification could have been felt: four months later, in July of 2006, Pizzuto was ordained a Priest in the Celtic Christian Church, a church not in communion with Rome. At the time the “Alienated Catholics” presentation was given, the pastor of St. Agnes parish was Fr. Cameron Ayers, SJ. Ayers, like Pizzuto, has since left the Church, and is now an “assisting priest” at San Francisco’s Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.

When he was ordained, Pizzuto was serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco, a nominally Catholic University. Since then, despite (or perhaps because of) his public alienation from the Catholic Church, Pizzuto has been promoted to Associate Professor, and he now serves as the Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USF.

The “Profile” pages of USF faculty have an option to link to the faculty member’s blog. Not all faculty take advantage of this. Pizzuto does. Pizzuto’s faculty webpage at USF links directly to the webpage of the “New Skellig Community” Church, where he is the presider. New Skellig is a “member” community of the Celtic Christian Church, the body, as noted, into which Pizzuto was ordained. There are three “Church Statements” listed on the Celtic Christian Church’s webpage: “Homosexuality and Same-Sex Relationships”; “Supporting Document on the Question of Homosexuality and Same-Sex Relationships” (written by Rev. Pizzuto himself); and “Church Statement Concerning Abortion.” From the “Homosexuality and Same-Sex Relationships” page:

“If a homosexual couple wishes to make a public commitment to each other, the Church blesses such a desire and celebrates it by means of a marriage ceremony presided over by one of its clergypersons.”

So: the Celtic Christian Church will "marry" persons of the same sex.

Pizzuto himself writes on the New Skellig Community “Weddings” page:

“Because the Celtic Christian Church is a canonically independent catholic church whose governing principles prioritize the ‘Law of Love’ above rules and regulations, we are especially sensitive to couples who have been alienated from their church of origin, or who find that their marriage is unjustly prohibited in some Christian institutions. This is often the case, for example, among couples who are: Previously divorced; Same-gendered; Inter-religious… In all cases, Fr. Vincent works personally with each couple to guide them in creating a dignified ceremony that genuinely expresses the couple’s relationship, commitment and spirituality.”

So: that certainly seems to mean that Rev. Pizzuto, in conformity with the policy of his church, will "marry" persons of the same-sex.

I ask: how in the world can a person with Fr. Pizzuto's beliefs and actions be allowed to be the Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at an ostensibly Catholic University?

Of course I am not a canon lawyer, but the Catholic Church has rules for those teaching in its institutions. Canon 833 of the Code of Canon Law specifies when and how such persons are required to make an Oath of Fidelity to the Church. Canon 833 begins: “The following are obliged personally to make a profession of faith according to the formula approved by the Apostolic See:” and then lists eight categories of persons. Category number seven includes: “teachers in any universities whatsoever who teach disciplines pertaining to faith or morals, when they begin their function.”

The Vatican also publishes the Oath of Fidelity required, which may be found online. It opens: “Formula to be used by the Christian faithful referred to in Canon 833, Nos. 5-8.” The very first of five clauses reads:

“I, N., on assuming the office __________ promise that I shall always preserve communion with the Catholic Church whether in the words I speak or in the way I act.”

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

San Diego Walk For Life Big Success!

God Bless our brothers and sisters down in San Diego!

LifeSiteNews has the story:

Throngs of youth at San Diego Walk for Life

"More than 3,000 pro-lifers gathered in Balboa Park near downtown San Diego on Saturday morning to celebrate the gift of life at San Diego’s first annual Walk for Life event.

The event marked 40 years since the infamous Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions that decriminalized abortion on demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

Several nationally renowned speakers kicked off the walk during an energetic rally. Walter Hoye II, president of Issues4Life Foundation, was the master of ceremonies.

'Life is for everybody. Everybody deserves life,” Hoye told LifeSiteNews.com, explaining the theme of the event. “And we’re here to celebrate life in all of its meaning.'

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, encouraged the crowd to look beyond Barack Obama's re-election to an avalanche of successes at the state level.

'There is a real rising tide of pro-life legislators who are taking back the life issue from the ground up, and that’s where the real activity is,' Dr. Yoest told LifeSiteNews.'People should be really encouraged by this.'”

USF Jesuits Send Out a "Holiday" E-Card

I guess they don't want to offend anybody. Except Christians.



Academic Enemies of the Church

Via Fr. Z, we post this excerpt from a post by The Motley Monk. The Monk's post was entitled "A seamless garment: "The Vatican, the LCWR, and U.S. Catholic higher education…" He nails the academic camoflauge with which we are all too familiar:

The Motley Monk would note, there’s a vast gulf demarcating “belief seeking understanding” (“I believe in the virgin birth and am questioning what I believe in order to understand better what it really means in the modern world”) from “understanding seeking belief” (“I question the virgin birth and will not believe in it until I have sufficient proof using my standard for determining the truth of the matter”). The former reveals a sincere questioner—a person of faith—while the latter reveals a petulant ideologue—a closed-minded bigot.

Or, more pointedly, about the issues of concern to the LCWR:

• “I believe that God has ordained complementary roles for women and men, with the priesthood reserved to men and I am questioning that tenet in order to understand better what that means in the modern world” vs. “I question the Church teaching about an all-male priesthood and will not change my mind until I judge that teaching’s validity using my standard of judgment.”
• “I believe that God has endowed nature with a law that governs all of nature and violating that law is immoral and I am questioning that tenet in order to understand better what that means about the use of artificial forms of birth control in the modern world” vs. “I question the Church’s teaching about the use of artificial forms of birth control and will not change my mind until I judge that teaching’s validity using my standard of judgment.”
• “I believe that God has ordained marriage to be a sacred union between one male and one female for the purpose of begetting families and I am questioning that tenet in order to understand better what that means about homosexuals who want to attempt marriage in the modern world” vs. “I question the Church teaching about marriage, am open to homosexual marriage, and will not change my mind until I judge that teaching’s validity using my standard of judgment.”

The approach is standard over at the (Jesuit) Uiversity of San Francisco, as we have documented over the years. The University is no longer Catholic.

William Peter Blatty Leading Canon Lawsuit Against Georgetown

The author of "The Exorcist" has had enough, apparently. From the Cardinal Newman Society: 

"Georgetown University alumni, students and others are preparing a canon law suit to be filed with the Archdiocese of Washington and the Vatican, seeking remedies “up to and including the possible removal or suspension of top-ranked Georgetown’s right to call itself Catholic or Jesuit in its fundraising and representations to applicants.”

The effort is being led by the distinguished Georgetown alumnus William Peter Blatty, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay and book The Exorcist and has been honored by Georgetown with its John Carroll Medal for alumni achievement."

h/t to Joseph at Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit, who includes the cool picture from the movie.

Holy Father Calls Out Catholic Universities at Ad Limina Visit

As USF hosts the atrocious anti-Catholics Goodwin Liu and Lynn Woolsey, as Georgetown hosts the atrocious anti-Catholic Kathleen Sebelius, the Holy Father tells Catholic Universities what they should be doing, what their mandate is:


"On the level of higher education, many of you have pointed to a growing recognition on the part of Catholic colleges and universities of the need to reaffirm their distinctive identity in fidelity to their founding ideals and the Church’s mission in service of the Gospel. Yet much remains to be done, especially in such basic areas as compliance with the mandate laid down in Canon 812 for those who teach theological disciplines. The importance of this canonical norm as a tangible expression of ecclesial communion and solidarity in the Church’s educational apostolate becomes all the more evident when we consider the confusion created by instances of apparent dissidence between some representatives of Catholic institutions and the Church’s pastoral leadership: such discord harms the Church’s witness and, as experience has shown, can easily be exploited to compromise her authority and her freedom....


During my Pastoral Visit to the United States, I spoke of the need for the Church in America to cultivate "a mindset, an intellectual culture which is genuinely Catholic" (cf. Homily at Nationals Stadium, Washington, 17 April 2008). Taking up this task certainly involves a renewal of apologetics and an emphasis on Catholic distinctiveness; ultimately however it must be aimed at proclaiming the liberating truth of Christ and stimulating greater dialogue and cooperation in building a society ever more solidly grounded in an authentic humanism inspired by the Gospel and faithful to the highest values of America’s civic and cultural heritage. At the present moment of your nation’s history, this is the challenge and opportunity awaiting the entire Catholic community, and it is one which the Church’s educational institutions should be the first to acknowledge and embrace."


USF, Georgetown, and other institutions have become the enemies of the Church, rather than her defenders.

USF Update: Jesuit School Undermines Church Teaching, Honors Enemy of Marriage

Our last post spoke of activists undermining the Church from within ostensibly Catholic institutions. Here's Monday's story from California Catholic Daily, a story to which we contributed:

See a pattern here?
USF law school honors enemy of marriage (again)

On Friday, Nov. 4, the Public Interest Law Foundation of the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco honored San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Victor Hwang with a Public Interest Excellence Award at its 8th Annual Gala Awards Ceremony. Since its inception, the student-led foundation at USF’s Law School has made a nearly annual practice of bestowing the award on supporters of the homosexual agenda -- and Hwang was no exception.

Assistant District Attorney Hwang’s list of accomplishments on USF’s Public Interest Law Foundation “2011 Honoree” webpage notes: “His work includes authoring and coordinating the filing of an amicus brief on behalf of the Asian American community in support of marriage equality (Woo v. Lockyer)…”

The story then gave a rundown on past winners of USF's Public Interest Law Foundation Excellence award:

"At the first PILF Gala in 2004, then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was honored. At the time, Newsom had been in office barely 10 months. His sole 'accomplishment' consisted in directing the County Clerk of the City and County of San Francisco to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

In 2006, USF chose to honor Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

In 2007, USF honored Elizabeth Cabraser of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein. Cabraser was the lead attorney for a series of friend-of-the-court briefs filed on behalf of 40 legal institutions with the California Supreme Court. The brief recommended the Supreme Court overturn Proposition 8. Cabraser also donated $30,000 to the “No on Proposition 8” campaign.

In 2008, USF honored Shannon Price Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and SF Chief Deputy City Attorney Therese Stewart. The USF website said they were honoring the two because '…Minter and Stewart successfully argued before the California Supreme Court this year that same-sex couples have the right to marry.'

In 2009, USF honored now-retired California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno -- the sole California justice who voted to invalidate the votes of a majority of Californians by overturning Proposition 8."

USF’s Privett to discuss “The Role of the Catholic University in the Church” at Most Holy Redeemer

On September 17, Fr. Stephen A. Privett, SJ, President of the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco, will be speaking at San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer Church. Fr. Privett’s subject will be “The Role of the Catholic University in the Church.” Exactly what qualifies Fr. Privett to speak authoritatively about a “Catholic” University is not immediately apparent. The ostensible qualification would be Privett’s presidency of USF, but Catholicness is not a defining trait of the University of San Francisco--and there is no sign that it is desired to be. Under Fr. Privett’s tenure, USF has moved to relegate Catholicism to just another among an aggregate of beliefs, theories, or values.

The very word Catholic no longer appears on the University’s homepage. Wiccan/Pagan holidays appear next to Christian holidays on the “Holy Days” calendar of the University’s Campus Ministry. The Director of the Catholic Studies Minor is the Reverend Vincent Pizzuto, who abandoned his Catholic faith and had himself ordained a priest in the Celtic Catholic Church. The attitude toward Catholicism was crystallized with the 2008 removal of confessionals from the university’s church, St. Ignatius. The confessionals were replaced with an art gallery. Fr. Privett himself removed any doubt on how USF views itself while discussing USF’s new logo and tagline on August 18: “We want the University of San Francisco to be the heart and soul of the city: to serve as a voice of reason tempered by compassion and driven by values.”

Pope Benedict himself could not ask for a clearer expression of the dictatorship of relativism. The statement is empty: whatever content it acquires will be “driven by values.” But what are “values”?

“Values” or “value judgments” as professor Eric Voegelin pointed out in 1947, “…were not part of the philosophical vocabulary before the second half of the nineteenth century. The notion of a value-judgment is meaningless in itself; it gains its meaning from a situation in which it is opposed to judgments concerning facts.” That opposition was created through the belief “..that only propositions concerning facts of the phenomenal world were ‘objective,’ while judgments concerning the right order of soul and society were ‘subjective’…incapable of critical verification and therefore devoid of objective validity.” But such a classification, according to Voegelin “…could be accepted only by thinkers who did not master the classic and Christian science of man. For neither classic nor Christian ethics and politics contain ‘value-judgments’ but elaborate, empirically and critically, the problems of order which derive from philosophical anthropology as part of a general ontology.”

If we accept Voegelin's judgement, Privett’s replacement of truth with “values” indicates either an inability, or more likely, an unwillingness to “master the classic and Christian science of man.” Not because it is difficult—Privett is surely a superbly educated man—but because that science actually gives answers, some of which may be hard to accept.

But the puzzle of why it is Fr. Privett, of all people, who should be discussing “the role of the Catholic University in the Church” is solved once one remembers where, of all places, the lecture is being held: San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer. There are of course a number of ties between the two institutions, which we have documented thoroughly on our sister website "Homosexual Activism in the Archdiocese of San Francisco."

In 2006, MHR hosted the university’s “Queer Perspectives: Is it Ethical to Be Catholic?” seminar, featuring the aforementioned Reverend Vincent Pizzuto. In 2009, MHR was scheduled to host the homosexualist propaganda play “Be Still and Know” performed by the students of Sacred Heart of Atherton. When Archbishop Niederauer was made aware of this, he caused the play to be cancelled. When MHR could not host the play, USF, against the Archbishop’s wishes, allowed the play to be performed at their Presentation Theater. Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ, author of “Gays and Grays: the Story of the Gay Community at Most Holy Redeemer Parish” served for a time as USF’s Executive Director of University Ministry until last year.

The common denominator at both USF and MHR seems to be that neither is, at bottom, oriented by Catholicism—they see the Church as one part of a larger reality, admirable in some things, useful in some things, but not an authoritative or truth-possessing institution. In fact the Church’s claim to possess truth is seen as itself a problem. Based on the actions of USF combined with the hosting of the event at MHR, we conclude that “The role of the ‘Catholic’ University in the Church ” is seen as: a) to cease being Catholic, and b) to develop theoretical arguments for the undermining of the Church.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

VOTF Fan/Obama Advisor Invited to USF

The 2011 Summer scholar-in residence at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco’s Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought will be Professor Mary Jo Bane.

Professor Bane currently serves as the Thornton Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy and Management and Academic Dean at Harvard Kennedy School. From 1993 to 1996 she served the Clinton administration, under Donna Shalala, as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 1992 to 1993, under then-Governor Mario Cuomo, she served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services, where she previously served as Executive Deputy Commissioner from 1984 to 1986 (also under Cuomo). In April, 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama named Professor Bane as one of his “Catholic Advisors.”

The theme of Professor Bane’s lecture series is “Economic Justice for All? Catholic Social Teaching and American Policy 25 Years Later.” The series consists of three lectures: “The Context: Poverty, inequality and Catholic Social Teaching in the 21st Century on July 6; Policy and Politics Then and Now, on July 13; and The Role of the Church, of Catholic Parishes and of Catholic Universities on July 20.

The first two lectures would seem to be within Professor Bane’s field of expertise, but the third should give faithful Catholics cause for concern. In 2002-2004 Professor Bane played a significant role with the Boston area “Voice of the Faithful.” Respected Boston-based Catholic blogger Domenico Bettinelli wrote at the time “Bane is a vocal leader of Voice of the Faithful” and noted that VOTF’s sister organization, the “Boston Priests Forum” turned to Professor Bane to draft their mission statement.

“Voice of the Faithful” was developed as a response to ecclesiastical mishandling of the sexual abuse crisis, but it quickly became apparent that certain members of the group were at least equally interested in radical alteration of Church structures. One of the early observers of the Boston area VOTF was Boston attorney David Zizik. On August 9, 2003, Mr. Zizik wrote in the National Catholic Reporter:

“I have felt unsettled about Voice of the Faithful since I attended its inaugural convention in Boston on July 20, 2002. Like so many, I had hoped the group would be a harbinger of unity and renewed understanding in a church badly shaken by scandal and division. I was wrong … Voice of the Faithful's Web site says: ‘VOTF does not seek any change in church doctrine.’ This is clearly not so. The group has taken an unrepentantly adversarial posture toward bishops in particular and ecclesial authority in general. It neither recognizes nor respects the authority of bishops to govern dioceses. Voice of the Faithful certainly does want to change church doctrine. In fact, the group's existence is predicated upon a view of ecclesial authority and lay-episcopal relations that rubs against the grain of Catholic doctrine and tradition. To suggest that the group is not after fundamental doctrinal changes reflects a misunderstanding of the meaning of "doctrine," a desire to spread falsehoods about the content of the Catholic faith, or both.”

USF’s Lane Center has a history as a welcoming institute for VOTF. On June 13, 2008, defying an Archdiocesan-wide ban on his presence by Archbishop George Niederauer (a ban shared by Bishop Tod Brown and Cardinal Roger Mahoney), the Lane Center hosted a VOTF-sponsored lecture by retired Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson. Bishop Robinson’s subject was on "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus."

Previous summer scholars-in-residence at USF include Jesuit Fathers Thomas Reese (who spoke at the VOTF 2009 national conference), and James F. Keenan, best known for his testimony before the Massachusetts legislature in 2003, where he opposed the Church’s position on same-sex “marriage.”

God Bless Bishop Olmsted!

His Excellency Thomas Olmsted has exercised his duty as Bishop of Phoenix, and stripped St. Joseph's Hospital of it's Catholic designation. We heartily support His Excellency. From Catholic World News:

"When I met with officials of the hospital to learn more of the details of what had occurred, it became clear that, in the decision to abort, the equal dignity of mother and her baby were not both upheld; but that the baby was directly killed…In this case, the baby was healthy and there were no problems with the pregnancy; rather, the mother had a disease that needed to be treated. But instead of treating the disease, St. Joseph’s medical staff and ethics committee decided that the healthy, 11-week-old baby should be directly killed.'

In accordance with canon law, Bishop Olmsted said, he told Sister Margaret McBride, the administrator responsible for the decision to peform the abortion, that she had incurred the penalty of excommunication. 'I did this in a confidential manner, hoping to spare her public embarrassment,' he added. Knowledge of the excommunication became public as the hospital defended its decision to perform the abortion.

Since that time, Bishop Olmsted reports, 'subsequent communications with leadership at St. Joseph’s Hospital and CHW have only eroded my confidence about their commitment to the Church’s Ethical and Religious Directives for Healthcare.' Thus he felt compelled to take action.

Bishop Olmsted makes the point that the medical institutions performed many services that the Church condemns under the terms of government contracts. 'CHW and St. Joseph’s Hospital have made more than a hundred million dollars every year from this partnership with the government,' he reports."

This is very important and welcome. In related news, California Catholic Daily reports on a recent investigation by the American Life League which shows that problems similar to that which provoked Bishop Olmsted's action permeate Catholic Heathcare West, of which St. Joseph's Hospital is a member.

In more related news, we note that Lloyd Dean, president of Catholic Healthcare West, was honored this year at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco. Dean was the Commencement speaker at the exercises for USF's School of Nursing.

Same-Sex Attractions, by Fr. Paul Scalia

The Catholic Education Resource Center is running an interesting four-part series on same sex attraction. Part two went online today. Here's an excerpt about sexual "orientation":

"Although our culture speaks about various "orientations," there is really only one: heterosexual. This is simply another way of expressing the truth that human sexuality is ordered and designed for a purpose. It is oriented toward heterosexual union for procreation and marital bonding. Anything apart from that is a dis-orientation – meaning it is not oriented to the proper purposes of sexuality.

Further, once we lose sight of the one orientation of human sexuality, we simply create confusion. We do not end up with two orientations but sexual chaos. And so now we have a seemingly endless proliferation of "orientations": gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, transgendered, transsexual, queer, questioning, etc."

I had been thinking along those lines myself, and it reminded me of that phrase, I believe by Chesterton, "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything." When one refuses to accept the reality, which is the limitation of, a thing (in this case sex) it can then be seen as anything else, limited only by one's imagination, because one no longer accepts that it simply is what it is.

An example of this is given in a radio interview given by the homoactivist priest Fr. Donal Godfrey, at World Youth Day, 2008:

"In our Christian faith, when you think about it, it's about the incarnation. It's about Jesus becoming human. It's also about being sexual. Not in the sense of having, of sex with a capital "s" but sex with a small "s." All our relationships, even for people who are celibate are sexual in some sense because it it is sexuality that draws us out of ourselves."

Until recently Fr. Godfrey was the Executive Director of University Ministry at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco.

You can listen here. The segment above is heard in the first minute.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

At USF, Pro-Lifers are "Hate Groups" but Sister Keehan is Worthy of Honor

Sounds about right.

A couple of points that were not mentioned in this morning's California Catholic Daily story about the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco's honoring of Sr. Carol Keehan:

This is the first event sponsored by USF's Department of Campus Ministry since Julia Dowd took over as Acting Director, following the departure of Father Donal Godfrey. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Dowd had served as the Associate Director at USF's Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought. The Lane Center, of course, has a long history of inviting pro-abortion speakers, including Professor Sylvia Marcos; Amnesty International's Irene Khan; the Rev. Ignacio Castuera, President of the Clergy Network of Planned Parenthood and the Rev. Lisa Sargent, Chaplain of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.

At USF, hosting pro-abortion speakers is the norm, and when they do deign to notice the Catholic position, the bias is obvious. The 2009 fall session catalog at the University’s Fromm Center for Lifelong Learning includes a class by Professor Bernice Goldmark “Hate Groups in the US.” The catalog describes such “hate groups”:

“While the course isn’t exactly “entertainment,” the stories (such as those of the white supremacy, anti-gay/lesbian, anti-abortion groups, among others — and the anti-Hate groups) tell of audacious and grim activities of villains, and courageous and creative reactions of the heroes who oppose them.”