Investigator says St. Norbert College made its own conclusions from her report

DE PERE, Wis. (WLUK) – An independent investigator says she never cleared St. Norbert College employees of wrongdoing in its handling of sexual assault reports, despite the school indicating otherwise last month.

It's been one month since St. Norbert College President Brian Bruess announced an independent investigator determined the school has solid policies for dealing with sexual violence.

Bruess has said he hired Madison lawyer Mindy Rowland last fall after hundreds of students, alumni, and faculty signed letters asking the school for an investigation into its Title IX policies and Father Jay Fostner.

continue at Fox11

Play Depicting ‘Furtive Lesbian Romance’ Performed at St. Norbert's College

At least two Catholic colleges are planning productions this academic year of the play “Stop Kiss,” which has been described as a tale of “furtive lesbian romance” that “chronicles the sexual awakening of two appealing young women as they tiptoe around mutual desire.”

St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., is sponsoring a production of the play in November. “After Callie meets Sara, the two unexpectedly fall in love,” according to the event description. “Their first kiss provokes a violent attack that transforms their lives in a way they could never anticipate. Mature audiences only; adult language and situations.”

The College of Saint Benedict and St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., is planning to perform the play in the spring. The advertisement for the production includes a disclaimer: “Adult content. Recommended for ages 14+.”

Neither college returned multiple requests for comments by the time of publication.

Father Dan Felton, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Green Bay, told the Newman Society that when the play at St. Norbert College came to the attention of the diocese he met immediately with senior administration to address the performance of the play. No further information was provided. The play is currently still scheduled to be performed.

continue at Cardinal Newman Society

I probably spend too much time complaining about Marquette considering how utterly atrocious St. Norbert's has become.

LifeSite: Gloria Steinem pushes abortion at Wisconsin Catholic college, bishop rebukes college

DE PERE, WI, April 30, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Despite pronounced disapproval from the local bishop, a Wisconsin Catholic college hosted a notorious pro-abortion feminist to talk about “social justice,” and it’s not the first time the school has given a platform to speakers who vehemently oppose Church teaching.

St. Norbert College in De Pere presented Gloria Steinem last week, along with another pro-abortion activist, bell hooks, according to a report from Fox 11, as part of a discussion on the history of the women’s movement as it may pertain to domestic violence.

Steinem became the face of the feminist movement beginning in the late 1960’s, and has been an outspoken abortion proponent throughout her career.

Green Bay Bishop Davis Ricken was not initially informed by the college of its plans to host Steinem, and he expressed displeasure at the prospect, responding in his regular column to the many people who had contacted him to see if he approved of the college’s decision to host the pro-abortion feminist.

“I want to let you know that not only did I not approve of such a decision,” Bishop Ricken said, “I did not know about it.”

The bishop told his readers that as bishop, he has the responsibility to ensure the Catholic identity of the Catholic colleges in his diocese.

continue at LifeSite

Feminist Steinem Touts Abortion, Ridicules Church at St. Norbert College

Abortion advocacy, support for euthanasia and applause for excommunicated and “ordained” women priests—such were the highlights of last week’s “dialogue” with radical feminists Gloria Steinem and Bell Hooks on the Catholic campus of St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis.

The event was held in the College’s campus theater on April 21, despite initial exposure by the Cardinal Newman Society last October, public protest by Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay in January, and assurances from the College that Steinem was invited only to headline a “discussion of the history of the women’s movement, especially as it may be understood in the context of domestic violence.”

Bishop Ricken lamented that Steinem’s “whole career and life is a grand affirmation of the pro-abortion movement.” And the Newman Society called on the College to rescind Steinem’s invitation, stating that its refusal to do so “adds insult to injury by disregarding Bishop Ricken.”

Nevertheless the College went forward, and the activists’ dialogue, titled “Talking Together: A Legacy of Solidarity,” predictably highlighted contempt for “patriarchal religions” and pushed support for abortion rights and euthanasia. A video of their dialogue indicates that Steinem and Hooks barely touched on the subject of domestic violence but focused instead on “reproductive rights” and societal ills caused by the patriarchy.

continue at Cardinal Newman Society

Fox11 also has coverage - more than 300 alumni, students and parents petitioned St Norbert's president to remove the invitation


Apparently the talk was a couple weeks ago, HT to Father Z. For comparison, St. Norbert's is in far worse shape as an institution than say Marquette. Remember, St. Norbert's is the same place that protested the invitation to Cardinal George, God rest his soul, even to the point of 3/4 of the staff wearing rainbow ribbons to show their support for the sin of sodomy!  Read that again, a Catholic college where 75% of the staff (forget contraception or no fault annulments) support Gender Theory, something Pope Francis has harshly criticized during his pontificate.  I don't see any way the school is salvageable, unlike Marquette where I hold onto a fools hope.

There ARE efforts to fix St. Norbert's. Today, the college hosts President of Feminists For Life to Speak at St. Norbert College for "Pro-Life Week." This was perhaps some kind of compromise worked out with the diocese.   "Pro-Life Week" efforts are somewhat mitigated by "Seamless Garment" and "Death Penalty" talks.  Certainly related, but if Gloria Steinem gets a platform to advocate specifically for abortion and euthanasia, it seems reasonable to have a counter without the need for a "death penalty" talk (Wisconsin has no death penalty).  Has St. Norbert's hosted a death penalty advocate?  It appears no talks will be given during Pro-Life Week on euthanasia for example, despite the college hosting Steinem's promotion of assisted suicide.

St. Norbert's College blows off Bishop Ricken’s concerns

St. Norbert College has apparently decided to go ahead with hosting prominent abortion-rights advocate Gloria Steinem, despite the recent disapproval of Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay. The College’s current trajectory is both offensive to its bishop and reflects a deeper misconception about its own Catholic identity, argued Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly in a recent interview with the National Catholic Register.

Earlier this month, Bishop Ricken strongly criticized St. Norbert’s decision to host Steinem, noting, “[h]er whole career and life is a grand affirmation of the pro-abortion movement.” Indeed, in the article that broke the news that Steinem was invited to the College, the Newman Society cited a 2013 Washington Post interview in which Steinem said that women need abortion and it “should be part of reproductive rights.”

Bishop Ricken clarified his role in relation to the College in issuing his statement. He wrote, “As bishop, I have the responsibility to ensure the Catholic identity of the Catholic colleges in our diocese.”

But St. Norbert’s response, as published by the Register, blows off Bishop Ricken’s concerns. College spokesman Mike Counter reportedly said, “Obviously, we have a somewhat different view of the question of speakers on a college campus, but we respect [Bishop Ricken’s] desire to comment on something he feels so strongly about.” Counter reportedly added that the College is proud of its “116-year record as a Catholic institution.”

continue at Newman Society

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Bishop Ricken: St. Norbert College and the Catholic vision of life

Bravo!  My empahsis.

Several months ago, I received many letters, emails, calls and complaints about St. Norbert College’s invitation to Gloria Steinem to give a presentation on their campus. The reason for inviting her, I have been told by college leadership, is to assist them in the discussion of the history of the women’s movement, especially as it may be understood in the context of domestic violence. Domestic violence is becoming a huge problem and, according to research, is almost an epidemic in the United States. I agree that domestic violence is an extremely important topic.

Many of you asked me if I knew of the invitation to Steinem or if I approved of the invitation. I want to let you know that not only did I not approve of such a decision, I did not know about it. As bishop, I have the responsibility to ensure the Catholic identity of the Catholic colleges in our diocese. Even though Gloria Steinem has appeared at St. Norbert College before my time as the bishop of this diocese, and acknowledging that she has appeared at other Catholic colleges and universities, I do not approve of the appearance of Gloria Steinem at St. Norbert College. I have conveyed my strong disapproval to the abbot, the president of the college and the chair of the Board of Trustees.

That St. Norbert College wants to look into the causes and contexts for a huge societal problem is laudable and needs consideration and attention by society and church. However, I find the invitation of Steinem to be quite mystifying. Given the historical escalation of domestic violence in the United States, and the fact that the “tried and true methods” of the past 40 years do not work, a question arises in my mind: why would St. Norbert, a Catholic college, invite someone who is such a high profile and well-known protagonist and activist of abortion rights to weigh in on the causes and contexts of a dramatic increase in domestic violence in the United States?

read it at The Compass

Yep, go read it.  This is not just a home run, but a 450 foot walk off home run.  God bless Bishop Ricken, please comment and write your support to him!

Wisconsin Norbertine's new hymn "Sound the Bell of Holy Freedom" to be featured at Pope Francis' visit

Next year's World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, where Pope Francis' planned Mass is expected to draw as many as 1.5 million people from around the world, will showcase an original hymn penned by a Wisconsin priest.

Not bad for a debut effort.

The Rev. Andrew Ciferni, who heads the Center for Norbertine Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, co-wrote the event's official hymn, "Sound the Bell of Holy Freedom," with fellow priest and friend the Rev. Normand Gouin of the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

The song debuted last Sunday at a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

And Ciferni heard it for the first time on YouTube the following morning.

"It was wonderful. I had goose bumps," said Ciferni, a Philly native who penned the text without ever hearing Gouin's music.

continue at JS

The text verses seem nice, the refrain is confusing.  Holy Freedom would be freedom from sin, the freedom to do something good and virtuous, but not "freedom" in the American sense which equates basically to "a license to act in any way I see fit."

President of St. Norbert's College responds to invite to Gloria Steinem

A reader sent the response they got from St. Norbert's College in regards to the invitation to Gloria Steinem.

Dear x,

I want to thank you for your note about Gloria Steinem and St. Norbert College. I very much appreciate your perspective and that you took time to share it, especially given your connection to SNC. As we have heard, many people share your view and your disappointment. Many others -- even some who self-identify as ardently pro-life -- feel just the opposite. They have told us they think it is good that we have speakers across the ideological spectrum on campus.

I won't go into great detail here, as it's not my purpose to change anyone's mind about convictions that are so deeply held. But I will just say this: We are indeed a Catholic college -- Catholic, yes, but also a college. Too many people, especially in situations like this one, overlook that salient second point. As a college we are literally in the business of ideas. We are not in the business of suppressing them. We trust and expect our students to listen to many perspectives and use their critical thinking to formulate their own positions; that is what it means to be an educated person. Indeed, twice before Ms. Steinem has been on the SNC campus (admittedly, some years ago), and we all seem to have survived -- and I would argue thrived.

Several years ago when the shoe was on the other foot -- when Cardinal George of Chicago made several observations about the gay community that many people (me included, frankly) found hurtful and offensive -- we did not rescind our invitation to him to be that spring's commencement speaker, despite the demands of many hundreds, or even thousands, of people that we do so. That is not how we operate.

Just one final point, for clarification. Ms. Steinem is not making a "speech" or presentation per se. She is here at the invitation of her good friend, the author and social critic bell hooks, who in turn is a good friend of St. Norbert College and who will be in residence on our campus next spring. They have conducted these public "conversations" before, and in the ones I have seen, the issue of abortion has not even arisen. The discussion essentially involves two influential people in our culture looking back over half a century of change in the roles, opportunities and achievements of American women.

Again, thank you for taking time to write, but please note that this will be the final communication from me on this topic.

Sincerely,

Thomas Kunkel
President
St. Norbert College

Before games, St. Norbert football team walks hand-in-hand to church for Mass

Look at that magnificent stache on the left!

DE PERE — The first time Norbertine Fr. Andrew Ciferni witnessed the St. Norbert College football players walking hand-in-hand across campus, he was struck with emotion.

As part of a new home pregame tradition, the players make their way to Old St. Joseph Church to celebrate Mass following position meetings and breakfast.

“When they come out of Michels Commons, they come out two-by-two,” explained Fr. Ciferni, director of the Center for Norbertine Studies, who celebrates the team Mass on home game Saturdays.

“The first time we did it was on a beautiful day in September. … They disappeared behind Main Hall and then came around four-by-four. I almost started crying seeing these young men walking together as one,” he said.

The new tradition is the initiative of first-year head coach Steve Opgenorth, a Green Bay native who formerly coached at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

continue at The Compass

Not that this should surprise us, but here's a few photos of the ravaged Old St. Joseph's.

HT Deacon's Bench

St. Norbert College to Host Radical & Notorious Pro-Abort Gloria Steinem

While dedicated pro-lifers work to save babies, St. Norbert College will be doing something oddly different: welcoming radical pro-abortionist Gloria Steinem to speak on campus. The talk is scheduled next semester on April 21, 2015, according to a news release issued by the college.

Every pro-lifer should sign this peaceful protest today

Given that St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin is a Catholic institution, the invitation is causing confusion and scandal. Pro-life students and alumni are deeply troubled by the decision which, if not canceled, will give a Catholic platform to a notorious activist who publically promotes the killing of innocent children.

Gloria Steinem and abortion: In a 2011 interview with Abortion Review, she boasted about her own abortion at age 22, saying: "...it felt positive."

“It [abortion] is supposed to make us a bad person. But I must say, I never felt that. I used to sit and try and figure out how old the child would be, trying to make myself feel guilty. But I never could! I think the person who said: ‘Honey, if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament’ was right."

continue at TFP Student Action

I think it could be said that St. Norbert's is the least Catholic out of the in state colleges.  

St Norbert College faculty & students protest Cdl. George commencement with rainbow ribbons

Many St. Norbert College faculty members and graduates wore rainbow ribbons on their gowns on Sunday, the only visible acknowledgement of lingering controversy in the school's selection of Chicago archdiocese Cardinal Francis George as its commencement speaker.

George drew national criticism in December by referencing the Ku Klux Klan in an interview with a Chicago TV station about the schedule and route of Chicago’s annual gay Pride Parade.

“You know, you don’t want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism,” George said in the interview. [Which is precisely what it is becoming]

The comment prompted a couple thousand St. Norbert students, alumni and supporters to sign an online petition recently to ask the college to drop George as the commencement speaker.

College president Thomas Kunkel declined the request, saying the college welcomes a variety of opinions to its campus.  [Academic freedom is funny when it works in reverse]

[Get this!] About three-quarters of the college’s 123 faculty members and [only] a quarter of its 469 graduates wore rainbow-striped ribbons pinned to their gowns as a sign of solidarity with gays.

continue at GB PG

Wisconsin Catholic Colleges have pro-homosexual clubs

From TFP Student Action

Why are pro-homosexual clubs allowed to promote anti-Catholic behavior on Catholic campuses?

After examining the official web sites of 244 Catholic universities and colleges in America, TFP Student Action found that 107 – or 43% – recognize student clubs that favor the homosexual agenda.  Many of these clubs promote same-sex “marriage,” open homosexuality in the military, and push for the mainstreaming of unnatural vice.

Here are a few examples:

Saint Norbert College’s Rainbow Alliance promotes anti-Catholic events such as Celebrate Bisexuality Day, National Coming Out Day, Transgender Day, and Gender Bender Dances.

The University of Notre Dame’s Core Council for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Questioning Students promotes a campus wide Day of Silence, and works to implement “educational programming on gay and lesbian issues.

The list (See all the details at TFP)

Alverno College (School Sisters of St. Francis)
Cardinal Stritch University (Franciscan Sr.s)
Edgewood College (Dominicans)
Marquette University (Jesuits)
Saint Norbert College (Norbertines)
Viterbo University

Women's Medical Forum on the Pill at St. Norbert's College

Women's Medical Forum on the Pill -- The Data. The Links. The Facts.

When: Saturday, September 24, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to noon

Where: St. Norbert College, Ft. Howard Theatre, De Pere, WI (click here for map/directions)

Speakers

• Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, breast cancer surgeon, VP/co-founder of Breast Cancer Prevention Institute

• Mercedes Arzu’ Wilson, speaker, author, president of Family of the Americas Foundation, Inc.

• Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay
Information: Click here for flyer

Contact: Christina Pallini, e-mail cpallini@gbdioc.org; phone (920) 272-8271

details at GB Diocese

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