Cardinal Newman Society

Cardinal Newman Society

The Cardinal Newman Society is an organization founded in 1993 and dedicated to the renewal of Catholic identity on the campuses of colleges and universities in the United States. The organization claims to follow John Henry Cardinal Newman's vision as expressed in his essay "The Idea of a University" and Pope John Paul II's 1990 Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae. The organization has a membership of over 16,000.

The society officially claims a three point mission: to--

*Promote discussion and understanding of the message of the Catholic Church concerning the nature and value of Catholic higher education;
*Assist college leaders, educators, students, and alumni in their efforts to preserve the religious identity of Catholic institutions of higher learning; and
*Advocate the "faithful implementation" of Ex Corde Ecclesiae by facilitating an active dialogue among members of the Catholic university community.

It should not be confused with the Oxford University Newman Society, or with Newman Centre, the name often used to designate Catholic campus ministry centers at state and other non-Catholic universities.

Founding

It was founded in 1993 by Fordham University alumnus Patrick Reilly, who first became active in supporting what he regarded as orthodoxy in response to the university's consideration of permitting gay and lesbian students to form student associations on campus -- a development he opposed in his role as editor of the campus newspaper. The society's leadership includes prominent conservative commentator L. Brent Bozell III. It was Bozzell, founder and president of the conservative media-watchdog group Media Research Center, who suggested use of direct mail marketing to invigorate the organization at a time when it existed "primarily as letterhead." [http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i43/43a00601.htm]

Activities

The society sponsors conferences and speakers as well as producing "Mission", the Society's newsletter. Its website indicates an emphasis on "researching activities both on campus and in the classroom;" the research leads to numerous press releases publicizing what the organization regards as scandals in Catholic higher education, particularly departures from orthodoxy or tolerance of ideas, activities and presentations not in keeping with the organization's idea of Roman Catholic teaching. The organization also produces "The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look For and Where to Find It" [http://www.catholichighered.org/TheNewmanGuide/AboutTheNewmanGuide/tabid/345/Default.aspx] "to show students where they can learn and grow in a genuine Catholic environment without the nonsense that has overtaken even some of the most well-known Catholic universities." They identify about 10% of the Catholic colleges and universities in the United States (and one in Canada) "where students can reasonably expect a faithful Catholic education and a campus culture that generally upholds the values taught in their homes and parishes." The organization partners with conservative groups like The Heritage Foundation to sponsor such events as their joint forum on academic freedom [http://proecclesia.blogspot.com/2008/04/academic-freedom-in-catholic-higher.html] [http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/terms.cfm] It has a large presence on the web, issuing "Catholic Higher Education Alerts" in response not only to "scandalous" programming at universities, but in opposition to the ACLU, "activist judges," and "liberal bias" more generally. [http://www.fordhamobserver.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=c6124974-a9c3-4cb9-aa7e-666905cfa2a7]

An important initiative includes monitoring speakers at Catholic universities, and providing a mechanism for online reporting of "scandalous commencement speakers and honorees" "who have taken public positions contrary to Catholic values or teaching." In February 2004, the society purchased a full-page advertisement in USA Today urging a letter-writing campaign to protest Catholic institutions which permit presentation of the play The Vagina Monologues [http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/press/media/0402041]

Controversy

The organization is often at the center of controversy, as for example when it solicited donations to "finance a major effort to expose the heretics within our Catholic colleges," an effort which was called "red-baiting in ecclesiastical garb" by the Rev. John Beal, canon law professor at Catholic University of America. Charles L. Currie, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities said that the society's "attacks can no longer go unchallenged," and characterized their work as "a long trail of distorted, inaccurate, and often untrue attacks on scholars addressing complex issues." Michael James, vice president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, said the society is "destructive and antithetical to a spirit of unity in our commitment to serve society and the church." [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/08/28/groups_church_role_questioned/]

The organization has claimed that "a Catholic bishop contacted Patrick Reilly to discuss how he could put the screws to a wayward Catholic college in his diocese, including ways of encouraging the removal of dissident theology faculty;" Reilly declined to identify the bishop, citing confidentiality. Rev. James Keenan, a priest and professor at Boston College who was targeted in a fundraising letter sent out by the society, said "Hopefully, someday our bishops will call us to end this awful conduct, which hurts not only those of us targeted, but more importantly, the unity of the church itself." [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/08/28/groups_church_role_questioned/?page=3] Another of the targets, Fr. John J. Paris, said of Reilly "I think he is a fraud, a charlatan, and a snake-oil salesman" and of the society, that its purpose is "whipping up right-wing types to open their checkbooks." [http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i43/43a00601.htm]

ee also

*John Henry Cardinal Newman
*Catholic
* [http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/ Cardinal Newman Society]


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