The following comes from an April 30 email to Cal Catholic.
Last month you reported on Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles when a pro-abortion politician, Holly Mitchell, was found to be on their school board and even gave a class in social justice and it seems that “the hits just keep on coming” with Russell Simmons speaking to them (noticed by letting the different pictures scroll on the school’s homepage).
Mr. Simmons is a multimillionaire and a supporter of same-sex marriage, – and gay rights. Though the picture [on the school website] doesn’t say what he talked about with the students, his contributions to different organizations obviously is in direct conflict with the teaching of the Church (and could unnecessarily confuse students as to why he was even invited to speak to them) and obviously causes scandal, once again.
Once again, it seem that this Jesuit HS doesn’t take the time to check the views of people they invite to speak with the students. You would also think that, because they have a member on their board who is from the archdiocesan education department (Mr. James McClune, who is a secondary school supervisor, no less) and the bad publicity they may have received last month, that they’d be more careful. Obviously not.
From the school website:
The Advising Board of Verbum Dei
| Mr. Omer Simeon | Chair, HTMCO |
| Rev. William Muller, S.J. | President, Verbum Dei |
| Mr. Guy Candido | US Bank |
| Mr. Sam Coquillard | Pacific Global Investment |
| Rev. Allan Deck, S.J. | Loyola Marymount University |
| Mr. Larry Garcia | Wells Fargo Home Mortgage |
| Rev. Greg Goethals, S.J. | President, Loyola High School |
| Mr. Jim Hannon | Ferrazzi Greenlight |
| Mr. John Heffernan | Heffernan & Boortz |
| Ms. Heidi Johnson | Charity Matters |
| Mr. Larry Mackel | Mackel Associates |
| Ms. Michelle McGinnis | Los Angeles City Attorney |
| Mr. Dan Medina | Capital Knowledge |
| Mr. Jim Mcclune | Archdiocese of Los Angeles |
| Rev. Wayne Negrete, S.J Superior | Loyola Jesuit Community |
| Mr. Rick Simmons | LR Technologies |
| Mr. Charlie Smith | Equity |
| Mrs. Patty Smith | Bob Smith Toyota |
| Mr. Steve Synott | United Healthcare |
| Mr. Rich Vanis | Archer Norris |
| Mr. Keith Warlick | Hamburger Hamlet |
| Mr. Scott Wendelin | Credit Suisse Securities |
From the LA Archdiocesan website:
Our Team
Department Staff – High Schools
| Mr. James McClune Secondary School Supervisor (213) 637-7701 JMcClune@la-archdiocese |
“Mr. Simmons is a multimillionaire and a supporter of same-sex marriage, – and gay rights.”
Look what money can buy….but doesn’t he know that hell is free. Free and maybe that money is his reward for choosing hell. Choose wisely Mr. Simmons. Your money is not welcomed into heaven, your deception and spread of wickedness into this society is what is ailing your salvation and others now but when you are called to your death bed….what will you tell Jesus. Just because you are on board at a Catholic identified org…doesn’t mean you will gain heaven.
It is what is in your heart that you embraced. Why be so comfortable now why not shake that heart of yours to awaken and seek what truly matters. Oh how lonely it is without our Lord, how mislead and lost…shaken in you what really matters….say to your soul, awake, awake. Can you really look Jesus in His eye’s and say you used wisely your blessings here on earth? Or perhaps those riches did not come as a blessing to you but as a destruction to your salvation, the devil has rewarded you….leave what clings you to his ways.
I leave you and others in my prayers, for the conversion of all sinners I pray. But remember that whom ever you have mislead away from God with your riches, even if there is a conversion, there is still a trail of lost souls caused by your bad will. Lord have mercy on those mislead and may our Lord’s graces be upon us all.
Before commenting, go to the school’s web site and look at all the pages. Then, say that you think this is a bad place for students. It looks like a great place to go to school, particularly for that part of town. Do they have people who do not conform to all strictures of the church, yes. Let’s deal with that 2% and not condemn the whole school to the trash can. We, on this site, tend to focus on what is wrong and not on what is right. We should be more positive about our faith and not be so willing to quickly send everyone into the ash heap of excommunication.
When the Administration allows speakers for impressionable High School students who openly violate Church teaching as contained in the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” – then the Board of Trustees and the Diocese Bishop must be notified to correct the problem.
When any Administrator allows the violation of the CCC on his campus, he should be given one warning in his personnel file.
A subsequent violation should cause his firing with a no-rehire notice for Catholic Schools.
The Souls of our Youth are precious and impressionable.
Bob One, like all your posts, your judgment of this Jesuit school is based solely on the propaganda they feed you. You should play character parts for Hollywood movies when they want the archetype for shallow souls.
“And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7
Why is our church allowing those stings….we are no St. Paul…..we have a long way to go….
“But if you will not kill the inhabitants of the land: they that remain, shall be unto you as nails in your eyes, and spears in your sides, and they shall be your adversaries in the land of your habitation.” ~~Numbers 33:55
To our church leadership I ask you to please act and stop all this non-sense, do not be bought by money and allow other parts of the faith to suffer their soul and others salvation!
Why is the advisory board comprised of agents from the business world who are hostile to Catholicism? Why does there have to be this advisory board? Is this school system run by these Godless gay people? Why is this so called Catholic school system not run by Catholics? I wonder why bishops delegate their authority away … likelihood that doing so also delegates away their salvation. The floor of Hell is lined with the souls of bad bishops.
I don’t get the problem here. If a rabbinical scholar who is pro life and anti gay were to be invited to talk on campus about how Jewish history lead up to the birth of Jesus, we would all be thrilled at how people of different faiths can work together towards the truth. Clearly, as a Rabbi, he would have positions on matters of faith that would be at odds with the Church. But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t make it into the pages of Cal Catholic Daily, and it would certainly not publish the advisory board of the institution in order to castigate them.
However, if that very same Rabbi were suddenly to declare that he was in favor of same sex marriage, even if he didn’t speak of it on campus, you all would call him a “godless gay”, to quote Skai, and read him the CCC riot act.
Why do you suppose that is?
YFC – YOUR theoretical Rabbi would not be preaching those things on campus or setting an example that VIOLATES church teaching and promotes committing a Mortal Sin.
I have 3 questions for You – just answer “yes” or “no”.
1) Do you know that Mortal sins (if there is no repentance) sends people to HELL for eternity?
2) Do you know that SODOMY is a Mortal Sin?
3) Do you think that most same-sex marriages include homosexual acts regarding sex?
YFC writes, “I don’t get the problem here.” and “Why do you suppose that is?”
The simple answer….You do not accept, support or believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church. Your state of confusion stems from your misguided service to your favored religion of homosexuality.
YFC, No matter how many supposed friends, supposed loved ones or errant clergy enable you to remain in your fantasy or lost in your own confusion, on CCD you will always be redirected back to the clear teachings of the Catholic Church which you clearly reject.
Catherine, you need to tell him what the teaching is.
“Catherine, you need to tell him what the teaching is.”
You mean the teaching that he considers “*the CCC riot act*”
YFC WRITES ………. “and read him the CCC riot act.”
You can charitably or uncharitably lead a wandering horse to water but you cannot make him drink a riot act. when he is first thirsting for more sin.
YFC, Marriage is only between a man and a woman. This is something that we have received from God as an important part of His plan for mankind. The bishops of the Catholic Church have asked all Catholics to stand up for the meaning, dignity and sanctity of marriage and to stand against all attacks on marriage. The school, in your hypothetical case, could find someone knowledgeble on the Old Testament who will not scandalize the faithful. We have been asked to go without meat on Fridays and to do monthly Holy Hours and daily prayers for life, marriage and religious freedom. For a school to bring in someone like you mentioned might indicate to the students that the subject is not as important as it truly is. God bless you.
Anonymous what makes you think he doesn’t know? Her comments are just a thread of them…..they are a thread from many other articles…how many times where those teachings posted here…many times….even explained….
We must keep repeating the Truth. It does not matter how many times. It may be tedious, you may lose patience, but, often people seem more interested in insults than in the Gospel; in degrading someone than in lifting them up. The teaching that marriage is only between one man and one woman is important. The teachings on sexual ethics is important, also. They are intertwined, of course. This question is on the propriety of allowing those who have other beliefs than Catholics to speak at Catholic schools. It is a different question. If you can answer, great. Answering it with mud thrown at the person who asked the question enlightens no one. Most of what Catherine said about YFC she could not possibly know to be true. She refuses to believe that he obeys the Church’s teaching on sexual morality because he seems to support the CIVIL marriage of same-sex couples. His question was tongue-in-cheek, but it still deserves an answer. A respectful answer.
Since my invitation, I have noted posts that I though could be responded to. This was one. WFC is contrasting an effort at ecumenism (which is very controversial here on CCD) where people of different faiths come together to share what we have in common with someone who supports an immoral postition on same sex marriage. If the Rabbi came to argue against the Catholic faith, it would be different than if he came to teach scholorship of the Old Testament. If he came to ‘disprove the New Testament, it would be unwelcome. Do you see the difference?
YFC: Your sophistry is breathtaking. You can’t believe the things you posit in your defense of Verbum Dei High School. You are throwing up confetti in an attempt to distract our readers from the essential truth: Catholic schools have no business inviting people of questionable morals.
Email or mail this article to Archbishop Gomez.
He finds time to be involved in Federal politics – by supporting ILLEGAL immigration.
He needs to take care of the “Catholic” issues within his own Diocese first.
In fact, Abp. Gomez, and many Catholic clergy, do not much care about (1) the consequences of a woman’s “rignt to chose”, and (2) homosexual sex (after all, God made them that way). Catholic clergy are, essentially, now political and corporate people, not necessarily religious ones. The Mass and sacraments are expressions of “fairness” and “pastoral” responsibility, not of the Faith. Is no one bothered by the fact that all these clergy act so slowly in correcting apostacy (which the Jesuits often demonstrate). This scandal makes people hardened to other things that the Church might say (except that is consistent with Liberalist political philosophies). Look at the German and Austrin bishops — open revolt from a good number of Catholic teachings, including an outright refusal to accept the “new” missal translation. Where is the Catholic Church on this? The only way to obtain an immediate response from the USCCB, or various bishops, is to request a place for tradition, such as scheduling of TLM throughout a diocese (or even in one church), having communion on the tongue, or kneeling, or the obvious mistakes in implementing Vatican II (or in the documents of the Council) — NO, comes the reply. I alone decide what is good for my diocese/parish, etc. The Church hierarchy simply has lost vast levels of credibility, particularly as the deep levels of control exercised by homosexual clergy become more widely known. What happens at this school is no different from what happens at local Catholic churches. They are filled with clergy, staff, and voluteers that have little Catholic Faith, only an abiding belief that they have some authority to remake the Faith to suit their localized political beliefs. And, no one does anything; largely, this “Lethargy of Faith” reflects a lack of belief.
I am “in” with St Christopher on this matter, and as others also have commented, the Jesuits in California appear to be as usual suspect and evidencing their “Lethargy of Faith.” What is a pattern is that pro-abort politicians and “celebrities” who strenuously oppose Catholic teaching, now for decades, continue to be welcome on Jesuit-administered campuses. However, so much for the “freedom of discussion” argument, because men and women of faith (Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, Helen Alvare of George Mason Univ. School of Law, any number of the Catholic Priests for Life, etc) are rarely if ever welcome at Jesuit colleges and high schools. Only look at Santa Clara University which in January 2013 invited pro-abort novelist Amy Tan to a highly touted lecture event at their campus, or the recent invitation of Georgetown University to Kathleen Sebelius for a high profile address, just for two recent examples. Now, if you really want to get daring, all you SJ’s in leadership at the high schools and colleges and show your interest in intellectual debate, I dare you to invite Bp. Fellay or Bp Williamson to speak or similar trad leaders, or for that matter, recently named Bp-to-be. Michael Barber SJ of Oakland, all of whom will more than hold their own intellectually against a vapid spiritual leadership among this cadre. No, no: the Jesuit leadership types (exceptions noted) don’t want a muscular intellectual Catholicism on campus: it will be “too divisive.” Oh: by the way: Georgetown Univ. had the opportunity to sponsor “The Vagina Monologues” again on campus this spring semester (2013). As retiring lecturer James V. Schall (SJ: Georgetown) recently said, “Our courts and university faculties are no longer courageous enough to ask whether what they were deciding and teaching is true. In order to avoid responding to this basic question – “Is it true?’ – with an answer not merely an opinion, they have preferred to go on and on making distinctions and equivocations that would allow them to continue to undermine our moral and intellectual stature so that they could justify certain ways of acting and living.” (Yes, there are some Jesuits “on the fringe” who ‘get it.’ But they arent decision-makers.)
In a later post, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University and the Bishop Cummins scholarship; LMU’s Lavender Graduation earlier this month (not reported); and all the Jesuit members of the board of this high school…..anyone notice a trend?
One of the March articles stated, “Aside from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Verbum Dei’s benefactors over the 2011-12 school year included the Catholic Education Foundation, the Knights of Columbus, the California Province of the Society of Jesus, Bellarmine College Preparatory Jesuit Community, Loyola House Jesuit Community, the St. Lawrence Ministry of Caring, Colombiere House Jesuit Community, Loyola Marymount Jesuit Community, a number of people identified as Jesuit priests, and innumerable Catholic laity.”
Wonder what the KofC and the Catholic Education Foundation think about the money they donated? Notice a number of donors are (surprise) Jesuit?
Each BISHOP has full responsibility to correct all “Catholic” abuses within his Diocese. The Diocese is HIS job.
But Abp Gomez is too busy getting an award in Stubenville, OH for his work with ILLEGAL aliens through the USA.
You would think with a member of the archdiocesan education office as a board member, this wouldn’t happen. Then again, maybe the archdiocese does endorse this kind of thing.