Courage in the Storm: Three Cheers for Wyoming Catholic College!

Since the objective of a Catholic University is to assure in an institutional manner a Christian presence in the university world confronting the great problems of society and culture, every Catholic University, as Catholic, must have the following essential characteristics: 1. a Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the university community as such; 2. a continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its own research; 3. fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church; 4. an institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which gives meaning to life. - St John Paul II

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - One of the most important tasks we face in the restoration of a Christian culture in the West is the authentically Christian education of the next generation. That is true across the Christian confessional spectrum.

I have worked for decades, in principled alliances with other Christians, engaged at the intersection of faith and culture. I have great respect for the many evangelical protestant institutions which are weathering the intolerant rising tide of a militant relativism and growing anti-Christian hostility. I am painfully aware of the falling away which is so evident in so many Christian institutions.

As a Catholic Christian, I am especially concerned with the building of authentically Catholic Academies and new and renewed Catholic Colleges and Universities. The older I get the more convinced I become of the vital need to train the next generation of Catholic men and women who learn to live their lives at the heart of the Church for the sake of the world.

At the foundation of any genuinely Catholic College or Catholic Academy is a clear and unapologetically Catholic Identity .Catholic identity at a Catholic College or a Catholic Academy requires that the academic community understand its ecclesial nature.

In an institution, just as in persons, it begins from the inside and works its way throughout like leaven or yeast in a loaf. Catholic identity must become the beating heart of a Catholic Educational institution and provide the infrastructure for its entire educational mission. When it does, the building of a Catholic culture on campus becomes a fruit.

The Catholic culture on campus helps to ensure the integration of the faith in every aspect of the Academy or College, through both word and witness. It flourishes when all who are involved in this educational mission, from the Catholic College President to the Professor in the classroom, first view themselves as disciples, lifelong learners, followers of the Teacher, Jesus Christ.

This response of fidelity to the Lord is always lived within His Body, the Church, into which they have been incorporated through Baptism. That Church is by its very nature, a teacher, and they participate in her mission. The Catholic College community is a cell of the whole Body of Christ.

Education is not something the Church adds something to, as though the process of educating were some kind of nakedly secular pursuit which the Church somehow makes "religious". Rather, education is the very heart and core of the Churches' mission.

Light your Free Virtual Prayer Candle: We will pray with you

The Catholic School is a part of the overall educating and evangelizing mission of the whole Church. In 1997, the Congregation for Catholic Education summarized the Catholic educational mission in "The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium". In it they addressed the ecclesial identity of the Catholic School and the integration of faith, culture and life:

"It is from its Catholic identity that the School derives its original characteristics and its "structure" as a genuine instrument of the Church, a place of real and specific pastoral ministry. The Catholic School participates in the evangelizing mission of the Church and is the privileged environment in which Christian education is carried out.

"In this way "Catholic Schools are at once places of evangelization, of complete formation, of inculturation, of apprenticeship in a lively dialogue between young people of different religions and social backgrounds. The ecclesial nature of the Catholic School, therefore, is written in the very heart of its identity as a teaching institution."

Saint John Paul II in "Ex Corde Ecclesia" (At the Heart of the Church)  made it clear: "Since the objective of a Catholic University is to assure in an institutional manner a Christian presence in the university world confronting the great problems of society and culture, every Catholic University, as Catholic, must have the following essential characteristics:

1. a Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the university community as such; 2. a continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its own research; 3. fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church; 4. an institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which gives meaning to life."

Though there may be some difference in the application of these principles depending upon the  the educational institution, the principles remain the same.The President and leaders of a Catholic College should both know - and implement-  Catholic teaching concerning Catholic education. They should also think with the mind of the Church in choosing faculty and staff who do likewise and articulate that teaching to the entire community under their care.

I write to affirm the recent courageous action of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander Wyoming. In particular, to commend the President of that College.  By unanimous vote, the Board of Trustees of this College recently rejected over one million dollars in federal aid, rather than compromise its Catholic identity and mission.

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

In an interview with the New York Times, the President of the College, Kevin Roberts, said of the current federal administration in Washington, DC: "It is clear that this administration does not care about Catholic teaching. By abstaining from federal funding programs, we will safeguard our mission from unwarranted federal involvement - an involvement increasingly at odds with our Catholic beliefs, the content of our curriculum, and our institutional practices."

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Andrew Emrich, further explained this action in another interview. "Our decision is a prudential one.  While respecting that some of our peer institutions have reached a different conclusion on this issue, what is different in our case is timing: at the very point we were grappling with this question, pivotal legal decisions, executive orders, and administrative interpretations were all pointing to some near-term (and perhaps long-term) challenges for institutions of faith. As sound a decision as this is, we lament the current political circumstances that preclude Wyoming Catholic College from participating in such programs."

I have written extensively of the ominous trends we face in this Nation that we love. The hostility toward faithful Christians worsens at a disturbing rate. I agree with the Chairman of the Board, I LAMENT the current political circumstances. That is why I am doing all I can, in my own work at the intersection of faith and culture, to bring about the needed changes. However, as a student of Church history, I know that in our 2000 year history as a Church, we have been in situations like this before - and even worse. We not only survived, we transformed those cultures. It takes fidelity, courage and true leadership.
I am also a realist. I do not know where this is all headed. The US Supreme Court seems to be on the precipice of acting like judicial alchemists rather than true Judges - by attempting to change the unchangeable definition of marriage - by judicial fiat.The current federal administration in Washington, DC, is on a path of complete rejection of the bedrock principles, the moral foundations of a  free society. Their continued hostility toward faithful Christians is a real threat, not only to the Church, but to a future of true freedom for all men and women.  I respect the decision made by the president of Wyoming Catholic College. It took great courage and demonstrates true and living faith. I also know that other genuinely faithful Catholic institutions have followed other paths. I respect their leadership, their faith, their discernment and their exercise of prudential judgment. We need to pray for all the new and renewed faithful catholic Colleges and Universities. The best source for finding them is the Cardinal Newman Society.I do not personally know President Kevin Roberts of Wyoming Catholic. I have never even visited Wyoming Catholic College. However, the action of the President inspires me. The College is now on my radar screen, so to speak. I will be praying for them and paying close attention to their future. I ask my readers to do the same.

15% Off Christmas Blowout Sale

I know the special importance of the leadership provided by a President in Catholic educational institutions. I had the privilege of serving alongside of truly gifted and courageous Catholic College President when I was a younger man, in several capacities. That President, Fr Michael Scanlan, has now retired. However, his work continues to flourish and bear fruit in Franciscan University of Steubenville.

I say, three Cheers for Wyoming Catholic College, for showing courage in the midst of the storm! May the Lord who calms the storm steer them forward and toward His loving plan in this new missionary age of the Church. ----

Deacon Keith A. Fournier is Founder and Chairman of Common Good Foundation and Common Good Alliance. A married Roman Catholic Deacon of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, he and his wife Laurine have five grown children and seven grandchildren. He is a human rights lawyer and public policy advocate who served as the first and founding Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice in the nineteen nineties and has long been active at the intersection of faith and culture. He serves as Special Counsel to Liberty Counsel. He is a senior contributing writer to The Stream.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'