Archbishop Gomez on racism: ‘It should not be this way in America’

The Ryken Center at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts / John Phelan|Wikipedia|CC BY-SA 3.0

Boston, Mass., Aug 18, 2023 / 13:36 pm (CNA).

Members of religious orders affiliated with two Catholic high schools in Massachusetts have told Worcester Bishop Robert McManus that they will not be implementing the diocese’s new policy concerning gender ideology and sexual confusion because, they said, policies are already in place.

Xaverian Brother Daniel Skala, representing St. John’s High School, and Sister Patty Chappell of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, representing Notre Dame Academy, wrote a joint letter to McManus Aug. 11 saying that the boards of trustees of their religious orders decided to forgo implementing the bishop’s policy, according to the Patch.

The new diocesan policy was approved in June and “sent to all Catholic schools to incorporate into school handbooks beginning this fall,” an Aug. 15 statement from the diocese said. 

“Students may not advocate, celebrate, or express same-sex attraction in such a way as to cause confusion or distraction in the context of Catholic school classes, activities, or events,” the guidance says.

The policy also addresses gender dysphoria and states that students should be treated in accordance with their biological sex.

“School practice shall consider the gender of all students as being consistent with their biological sex, including, but not limited to, the following: participation in school athletics; school-sponsored dances; dress and uniform policies; the use of changing facilities, showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms (with rare exceptions only on a limited, case-by-case basis, to be determined by the principal of the school); titles, names, and pronouns; and official school documents,” reads the memo sent by the bishop.

In their letter to McManus, the two religious said the schools would not adopt the bishop’s guidance but would instead continue to follow “established practices.”

“We feel confident that our schools are responding to the issues raised in your memo in a manner that respects the dignity of all persons, aligns to the mission and charism of our sponsoring orders, and protects and affirms our identity as Catholic schools,” the letter said.

“We support our respective boards’ recent determination to uphold their established practices, guided by the principles of our Church and religious orders, instead of incorporating the [new policies] into their handbooks,” the letter said.

CNA reached out to both orders inquiring about the policies that are already in place. 

Susan Dennin, a spokeswoman for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur U.S. East-West Province, told CNA Friday that Notre Dame Academy has “consistently followed both the legal guidance and recommendations of the National Catholic Educational Association that schools should not have a policy on transgender students.”

“NDA Worcester has approached these sensitive and complex circumstances in a pastoral manner that respects the dignity of all persons while also affirming the school’s Catholic identity,” she said. 

“While supporting students and families, NDA Worcester maintains communication with province leadership in discerning mission appropriate responses to any unique family or student inquiries,” Dennin said. 

CNA contacted the National Catholic Educational Association inquiring about any guidance it has given that schools should not have a policy on transgender students, but did not get a response by time of publication.

On the organization’s website there is a reference sheet which offers schools resources regarding Catholic social teaching and gender identity.

A spokesman for the Xaverian Brothers did not respond.

Ray Delisle, a spokesperson for the Worcester Diocese, said Friday: “First, I must make note that Bishop McManus has been away on the regional bishops’ retreat this week and I believe their letter arrived early this week.”

“That being said, policies take time to be implemented. Even though it was sent to all 21 schools in our diocese, including diocesan, parochial, and private Catholic schools, some schools may have had a policy in place,” he added.

“We will have to wait and see how it goes. Given all these factors, there is no response or comment to their letter at this time.”

The Worcester Diocese’s policy refers to Pope Francis’ frequent statements about the dangers of “gender ideology” and counsels schools to accompany those suffering from confusion related to their sexuality. 

The policy says that “Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed the importance of a proper understanding of our sexuality, warning of the challenge posed by ‘the various forms of an ideology of gender that denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman and envisages a society without sexual differences.’”

“We must not demean or deny the sincerity and struggle of those who experience same-sex attraction or who feel their true gender identity is different from their biological sex. Rather, we seek to accompany them on their journey of life, offering them the light of the Gospel as they try to find their way forward,” the policy says.

Just over a year ago, McManus revoked the Catholic status of a Jesuit-run school in Worcester for defying his order to stop flying flags supporting LGBT pride and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In March Pope Francis called gender ideology “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations.”

McManus is the latest of several other bishops to issue pastoral policies in schools in an attempt to address the issue of gender ideology, which the U.S. bishops in a 2017 ecumenical letter have called harmful to people and societies “by sowing confusion and self-doubt.”

This article has been updated.

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null / MK Feeney|Flickr|CC BY 2.0 DEED

CNA Staff, Jan 3, 2024 / 14:40 pm (CNA).
The Franciscan Friars of California announced this week that they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over dozens of sexual abuse allegations filed against the rel… […]

Denver Newsroom, Jul 28, 2020 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- A fire tore through the parish offices of a historic Catholic church in Monroe, North Carolina early Monday morning, and though the damage is extensive, the church’s pastor is thankful that the blaze did not touch the main sanctuary or the Blessed Sacrament.

Father Benjamin Roberts told CNA he arrived at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Monday morning, ready to celebrate daily Mass, to find the parish office building had burned to the ground.

Roberts was shaken, but he resolved to celebrate Mass outdoors in the outdoor grotto, as scheduled.

“I told people: I don’t have much information, and I’d appreciate it if you’d not ask me anything [yet] because I don’t have a lot of information, and my staff doesn’t have any more information than I do. But I need the consolation of the Eucharist,” he said.

In preaching the homily, Roberts said he sought to remind his parishioners that although the old church building was damaged, God is still present in the community of His people.

Roberts said investigators have told him that the cause of the July 28 fire is still “undetermined,” and though investigations strongly suspect that it was an accident, and not arson, they have not yet reached a conclusion, he said. No one was hurt.

“I was relieved to hear that there was no evidence of arson or anything else. We hadn’t had any threats, but there have been so many [arsons] throughout the country and throughout the world, so that was a grave concern for me,” Roberts told CNA, referring to attacks against Catholic churches and statues in recent weeks.

“But once I heard that, I was relieved on a certain level.”

The final picture shows the remains of these two chalices after today’s fire. As I said to my Bishop when he visited me today, “My priesthood is more than a chalice.” @CatholicNewsCLT @jdflynn pic.twitter.com/bO19btUAAA

— Fr Benjamin Roberts, DMin (@fr_benjamin) July 28, 2020

The early 90s-era building that holds the parish offices— normally used by Roberts, his secretary, and administrative assistant— were completely destroyed, and along with them many of the parish records.

Roberts is still assessing where the parish personnel will be able to work while the offices are repaired, but he said the campus has enough space to accommodate them temporarily elsewhere.

The priest said there was also some damage done to the original church, which was built in 1945 and is attached to the parish offices. The main stained glass window in the chapel above the altar was destroyed.

The original sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes was one of the oldest Catholic churches in the county.

Today— at least before the pandemic— that smaller sanctuary was used as a daily Mass chapel, with the main sanctuary located across the street. The original rectory, which dates to 1947 and is used for extra office space and storage, suffered minor damage. 

Because of coronavirus restrictions, Roberts had already been celebrating all daily and Sunday Masses outdoors, in the parish’s grotto, which did not suffer any damage.

Providentially, Roberts said, the Blessed Sacrament was not in the chapel tabernacle at the time of the fire. The priest had moved it to the main church building, which also was untouched.

“There is some considerable damage, but hopefully all of it repairable,” he said, adding that an engineer is expected to examine the building on Wednesday.

He said the parish is working with the Diocese of Charlotte’s properties office and insurance company to assess the damage. The bishop and vicar general have visited the church to lend their support, he said.

Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte was actually pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes until his appointment to lead the diocese in 2003, Roberts said, so the offices that burned had once been his. 

The fire knocked out phone and internet access at the church, Father Roberts said. Since the parish lacks a website, Roberts has been communicating with his flock via Facebook since the fire, attempting to address rumors about the fire’s cause and to reassure parishioners that the damage can be addressed.

“Lots of support, lots of promises of prayers from our parishioners, and from people all over,” he said.

“One of the first questions people were asking was: Is Father okay?” he said, adding that he does not actually live on the parish campus, so the early morning fire did not threaten his safety.

The main sanctuary had been renovated extensively in the past several years, Roberts said, so he is glad that there was no damage there.

Among the items destroyed in the fire were two ornate chalices, both with special significance for Roberts— one of them he had been given upon his ordination, and the other he had bought in Spain when he finished part of the Camino de Santiago.

Still, Roberts said when he found the ruined chalices, he felt an unusual sense of peace, as he realized that his priesthood was worth far more than these sacramental items.

“There’s been this unexplainable sense of peace today…recognizing the presence of the Lord and wanting to take the next step and the step after that. It’s a wonderfully supportive community here.”

The North Carolina fire, though likely not arson, comes after a spate of intentional fires against church properties across the country and the world.

The Catholic community at Queen of Peace Parish in Ocala, Florida is rebuilding after the church was set on fire earlier this month and a Florida man was charged with arson.

A man on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia attempted on Sunday to set fire to a crucifix outside a Catholic church, while parishioners worshiped inside the building.

A church volunteer has admitted to starting a fire at Nantes Cathedral in France on July 18, and has been charged with arson.

Another possible arson occurred in California, where a fire ravaged the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel church in Los Angeles in the predawn hours of Saturday, July 11. That fire is now being investigated for foul play.

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