Board of Trustees Elects Father Jenkins to Second Term

[SuscipeMeDomine]

From Notre Dame Newswire:

The University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees elected Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on Friday (Oct. 16) to a second five-year term as president of the University, effective at the conclusion of his first term June 30, 2010, Chairman Richard C. Notebaert announced on behalf of the Board of Trustees.

“The vision and leadership that Father Jenkins has demonstrated in his first four years in office have been inspiring and innovative,” Notebaert said. “Building upon the foundation set by his Holy Cross predecessors, he is making the aspirations of this University a reality. The Fellows and Trustees look forward to continuing our work with him in service to Our Lady’s University.”

 

[Califman831]

This is a joke right?

 

[Cathhsmom]

Seeing as how they are confirming his actions by renewing his contract, they have assured that my children will not be attending that institution that USED to be Catholic. I will look for one that does not just have the Catholic name but acts in accord with what Catholicism teaches and believes. Thanks for the update.

 

[JReducation]

From Notre Dame Newswire:

The University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees elected Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on Friday (Oct. 16) to a second five-year term as president of the University, effective at the conclusion of his first term June 30, 2010, Chairman Richard C. Notebaert announced on behalf of the Board of Trustees.

“The vision and leadership that Father Jenkins has demonstrated in his first four years in office have been inspiring and innovative,” Notebaert said. “Building upon the foundation set by his Holy Cross predecessors, he is making the aspirations of this University a reality. The Fellows and Trustees look forward to continuing our work with him in service to Our Lady’s University.”

I wish he had declined he election. This may cause more harm than good. Even though the Board is his boss, he is going to get the brunt of whatever happens at that university. Did anyone see the Board take the brunt for the Obama fiasco? NO. Because Boards elect Presidents and appoint deans to be their marines. Take the first bullet.

I know, I was a dean for 12 years and a Vice President for three. No thanks. I’ll stick with the Franciscan Brothers of Life now.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[canadianguy1143]

I wish he had declined he election. This may cause more harm than good. Even though the Board is his boss, he is going to get the brunt of whatever happens at that university. Did anyone see the Board take the brunt for the Obama fiasco? NO. Because Boards elect Presidents and appoint deans to be their marines. Take the first bullet.

I know, I was a dean for 12 years and a Vice President for three. No thanks. I’ll stick with the Franciscan Brothers of Life now.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Outstanding points JR. Nobody really discusses the moral abdication of the Board during the Notre Dame fiasco. There is plenty of blame to spread around.

 

[Domer1997]

This is a joke right?

He is actually a very devout man and a wonderful priest who loves the Church. There’s more to Notre Dame and certainly more to Fr. Jenkins than the Obama drama. People on this site need to look at all the good that comes out of that place. …and Jenkins is no exception. He is really a good man.

 

[tzarno1]

He is actually a very devout man and a wonderful priest who loves the Church. There’s more to Notre Dame and certainly more to Fr. Jenkins than the Obama drama. People on this site need to look at all the good that comes out of that place. …and Jenkins is no exception. He is really a good man.

Please provide all of the ‘good’ Jenkins has done that was faithful to the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church.

 

[JReducation]

I would urge caution here. We cannot judge a man, but only his actions. Fr. Jenkins made a mistake; but he did not make it alone.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Domer1997]

Please provide all of the ‘good’ Jenkins has done that was faithful to the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church.

He has increased Eucharistic Adoration on campus, which will be going perpetual soon.

He has brought back the Tridentine Mass to campus.

He is bringing a Women’s Care Center to Campus, which is a Catholic-run pro-life organization for women.

He will be attending the Right to Life March in DC this January with hundreds of ND students.

He runs a university that is financially keeping open well over 100 Catholic elementary and secondary schools across the nation through the university’s Alliance for Catholic Education.

He spent one-month in Uganda with fellow Holy Cross priests and brothers two summers ago in order to feed the poor.

He has pushed for the building of Geddes Hall (with Fr. Hesburgh) which was finished in August and now helps the university to expand the Institute for Church life and the Center for Social Concerns.

He ensures that the Sacraments are available in abundance at the university…with almost 200 Masses each week and confession three times daily except Sunday.

He is a philophy Professor for Catholic thought.

He, Fr. Malloy, and Theology Chair Cavandini have put together one of the world’s finest and most devout theology faculties…who are being praised nationally by local Bishop D’Arcy.

He has instituted an office within the university and has appointed Holy Cross Father McDonald to lead and whose mission is to soley recruit Catholic faculty members in all areas of the curriculum.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…He was hand-selected by God to be a priest and consecrates mere bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ each day of his life. I surely cannot do that!

 

[tzarno1]

He has increased Eucharistic Adoration on campus, which will be going perpetual soon.

He has brought back the Tridentine Mass to campus.

He is bringing a Women’s Care Center to Campus, which is a Catholic-run pro-life organization for women.

He will be attending the Right to Life March in DC this January with hundreds of ND students.

He runs a university that is financially keeping open well over 100 Catholic elementary and secondary schools across the nation through the university’s Alliance for Catholic Education.

He spent one-month in Uganda with fellow Holy Cross priests and brothers two summers ago in order to feed the poor.

He has pushed for the building of Geddes Hall (with Fr. Hesburgh) which was finished in August and now helps the university to expand the Institute for Church life and the Center for Social Concerns.

He ensures that the Sacraments are available in abundance at the university…with almost 200 Masses each week and confession three times daily except Sunday.

He is a philophy Professor for Catholic thought.

He, Fr. Malloy, and Theology Chair Cavandini have put together one of the world’s finest and most devout theology faculties…who are being praised nationally by local Bishop D’Arcy.

He has instituted an office within the university and has appointed Holy Cross Father McDonald to lead and whose mission is to soley recruit Catholic faculty members in all areas of the curriculum.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…He was hand-selected by God to be a priest and consecrates mere bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ each day of his life. I surely cannot do that!

For the most part, these are all functions of an administrative priest. (The ability to consecrate the Host is not dependent on a priest being ‘good’ or ‘holy’.) You have yet to tell me the ‘good’ and ‘holy’ part. He brought on, probably not just by himself but he could have stopped it, a grave scandal. There is no ‘common ground’ position on abortion in the Church. Obama is the president and also the most fierce proponent of abortion. Not even infants born alive from an abortion( a ‘nay’ vote in Illinois) is worthy of protection according to our president. Jenkins lacked even the integrity of aiding the protestors after their arrest.

Where was Jenkins when the Church desperately needed the witness of a courageous priest??? Even with the invitation in place, where was the rebuttal Jenkins could have given - yes, even with the ‘proper’ respect given to the presidency - in such a ‘teachable’ moment?

I think of St.Thomas More who was often described as a ‘good’ and ‘holy’ priest. And then I think of Jenkins as you describe him.

And I shudder.

 

[Lujack]

Seeing as how they are confirming his actions by renewing his contract, they have assured that my children will not be attending that institution that USED to be Catholic. I will look for one that does not just have the Catholic name but acts in accord with what Catholicism teaches and believes. Thanks for the update.

Why is there such a masochistic attitude among Catholics that if an institution falls short once, they are no longer Catholic? That if a priest is not St. Thomas More, he is worthless? In the litany of all the good Notre Dame does, can we really say that they used to be Catholic?

 

[JReducation]

Just for clarification. St. Thomas Moore was not a priest. He was a Secular Franciscan and a lawyer. But he was a faithful son of the Church and of St. Francis. He knew how to juggle the civil and the moral without compromising his obligation to God and King.

I don’t want to compare Thomas to Fr. Jenkins. They are different people. But what Thomas can teach us is exactly what another son of St. Francis recently wrote a few years ago, Render Unto Caesar by Charles Chaput, OFM, Cap. This is the wisdom of St. Thomas. Like his spiritual Father, St. Francis, St. Thomas knew when to support the king and when to bow out. He was always most gracious and diplomatic as he did. He avoided being offensive to the king. But his strategy was genius.

Thomas had that interesting blend of a good lawyer, a good theologian, a good Franciscan. What he did was to avoid sitting in any situation where the king could demand that he compromise his faith. He had already made his position known to Henry. He had done this privately. He was a man of great kindness and great humility. It was not his style to embarass anyone in public. Much like his Father Francis, when he spoke about moral issues, he spoke about the issue, not the king. He wrote many great works on social justice, on the place of the Church in the life of the English, on the authority of the Pontiff, on the sacredness of marriage, but he never wrote about the king by name. This was a writing style that is very similar to that of Francis of Assisi. It tells the message, without attacking the person.

One of the most wonderful works on the Kingdom of God on Earth is St. Thomas Moore’s book Utopia. To the secular mind he is describing an impossible world where everything is in order. But to the Franciscan mystic, Thomas Moore, it was his vision of the Kingdom of God made reality on Earth and continuing into eternity.

I strongly believe that this is the vision that good educators must embrace. Those of us who have the honor of being formators of any kind, must embrace the message and style of Thomas Moore. We must know what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God. And when the chips are down, as was the case at the end of Thomas’ trial, then let them fly where they will. “I die a faithful son of the Church and a loyal subject of the King.”

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF