Newman Society Publishes 2014 Guide to Faithful Catholic Colleges and Universities

The Cardinal Newman Society today published the newest editions of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College and My Future, My Faith magazine, including updated information and new online resources. These new editions make searching for and getting advice on faithful Catholic colleges and universities easy for Catholic families. Both publications are available to read online for free, and printed copies are also available to be ordered at TheNewmanGuide.com.

“Because every Catholic college is unique, families need more than simple checklists or government-collected data to make decisions,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “Whereas most other guides rely on the same data, The Newman Guide digs deeper and draws upon our 20 years of promoting and defending faithful Catholic education.”

National Catholic Register Publishes 'Catholic College Identity Guide'

The National Catholic Register has updated its annual “Catholic Identity College Guide,” which recognizes 37 “faithfully Catholic colleges and universities.”

The latest complete Guide may be seen here.

Catholic Colleges Unite to Defend Religious Liberty

Eighteen Catholic colleges and universities, all marked by their commitment to Catholic identity and fidelity to Catholic teaching, joined today with The Cardinal Newman Society in an appeal to the Obama administration to exempt all religious objectors from a mandate requiring health insurance plans to cover sterilization and contraceptives, including some that cause abortion.

Obama Administration Threatens Catholic Colleges on Birth Control, Abortion

From LifeNews
By Patrick Reilly

In its latest threat to the religious liberty and independence of Catholic colleges and universities, the Obama administration has issued new regulations that open the door to possible state intrusion into curriculum, student policies and hiring decisions.

The regulations issued Friday effectively force many states to increase oversight of postsecondary education through state chartering or licensing, which is a necessary condition for colleges to participate in federal student aid programs.

Most Catholic colleges accept low-cost federal student loans and grants. If forced to forego federal aid, these colleges would be at a disadvantage in recruiting students.

The door is opened for state politicians and bureaucrats who would impose their social agendas on private and religious colleges.

Already the Obama administration has seized direct ownership of student loans, and now a college’s eligibility for student loans is subject to the political whims of its state legislators and regulators. Many states have demonstrated callous disregard for the religious identity of Catholic colleges, from mandating contraceptive coverage in student and employee health plans to requiring employee benefits for same-sex couples.

Although the Higher Education Act has long required state authorization for a college to participate in federal aid programs, many states do not aggressively monitor colleges and their consent was assumed unless otherwise reported to the U.S. Education Department. The new regulations require state approval of colleges “by name” and a state process “to review and appropriately act on” complaints about any approved institution.

When issuing the regulations Friday, the Education Department acknowledged that it had received complaints from college leaders that “a State’s role may extend into defining, for example, curriculum, teaching methods, subject matter content, faculty qualifications, and learning outcomes.” Others feared that states might “impose homogeneity upon institutions that would compromise their unique missions.”

In response, federal officials agreed that the new regulations do “not limit a State’s oversight of institutions.”

Last year, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic institution in North Carolina, must cover birth control in its employee health insurance plan despite the college’s religious objections. An appeal to the EEOC is under review.

Catholic colleges and students may also not be protected from similar mandates for abortion and contraceptive insurance coverage under the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—i.e., President Obama’s health care overhaul.

After the EEOC ruling against Belmont Abbey College, The Cardinal Newman Society launched its project to defend the religious liberty of Catholic colleges through its division, The Center for the Advancement of Catholic Higher Education. The Center published three papers—from experts in law, health insurance and ethics—to help Catholic colleges defend against government mandates for employee health benefits that violate Catholic morality.

Later this month, the Center will release a new legal analysis prepared by a prominent legal interest organization on steps Catholic colleges must take to defend themselves against increasing threats to their Catholic identity.

Patrick Reilly is the president of the Cardinal Newman Society.

US Navy Frigate Captures 5 Pirates Near Seychelles

The USS Nicholas, a US Navy guided missile frigate, returned fire from Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean Thursday, destroying the boat and capturing five individuals.

The small gang of Somali pirates fired on an approaching ship, hoping their midnight attack would bring them millions in ransom. The ragtag bandits, though, had taken on far more than they could handle: a U.S. warship.

Read the rest of this entry >>

From Our Mail: Newman Society's Free Online Guide to Catholic Colleges

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

If the Notre Dame scandal demonstrated that too many Catholic colleges do not fully embrace their mission as Catholic institutions, the colleges recommended in The Newman Guide are faith-filled examples of how a contemporary college can provide a quality education while remaining vibrantly Catholic.

Below I have included for you breaking information on today’s release of the new, second edition of this one-of-a-kind Guide for Catholic families.

For the first time we have made the entire contents of The Newman Guide available as a free online resource in addition to a handsome printed book (for purchase).

Just as Catholic families need these Newman Guide colleges, the colleges need your support and encouragement! Please help spread the word the about these terrific Catholic colleges by forwarding this message to friends and family.

May God bless you!

Yours in Christ,

Patrick J. Reilly

President

New Guide Recommends Faithful Catholic Colleges

Entire Contents of Guide Available as a Free Online Resource for Catholic Families

Manassas, Va.—Today The Cardinal Newman Society published a new, second edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, a unique resource for parents and students seeking a faithful Catholic education.

This comprehensive Guide recommends 21 colleges and universities in the United States plus eight international, online and unique programs based on the strength of their Catholic identity. In addition, the Guide includes several essays to help families better understand the search for a strong Catholic college.

The culmination of four years of research and hundreds of interviews, this edition of The Newman Guide builds substantially on the successful first edition which was published on All Saints Day in 2007. All told more than 8,000 copies of that edition were distributed to Catholic leaders and families.

“When we published the original Newman Guide in 2007 we did not know what to expect, but we found that families were eagerly searching for help in identifying Catholic colleges that truly embrace their Catholic mission in all facets of campus life,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society and one of the editors of the second edition of the Guide.

“The mission of The Cardinal Newman Society is to help renew Catholic higher education, and we can think of no better way to do that than by offering this edition of The Newman Guide as a book but also as a free online resource. We are doing this so that as many Catholic families as possible are able to learn about the quality academics and faithful campus life available at the recommended colleges,” said Reilly.

Every college or program recommended in the Guide includes a complete profile that examines academics, governance, spiritual life, student activities, and residence life. New additions to this edition’s profiles are a letter to families from each college president as well as information on financial aid packages.

The online version of the college profiles include additional campus pictures and videos, open house and other event details, as well as a form to request admissions or financial aid information directly from the college.

The recommended Catholic colleges are:

§ Aquinas College, Nashville, Tenn.

§ Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fla.

§ Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C.

§ Benedictine College, Atchison, Kan.

§ The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

§ Christendom College, Front Royal, Va.

§ The College of Saint Thomas More, Fort Worth, Tex.

§ DeSales University, Center Valley, Pa.

§ Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, Oh.

§ Holy Apostles College & Seminary, Cromwell, Conn.

§ John Paul the Great Catholic University, San Diego, Calif.

§ Magdalen College, Warner, N.H.

§ Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Md.

§ Providence College, Providence, R.I.

§ St. Gregory’s University, Shawnee, Okla.

§ Southern Catholic College, Dawsonville, Ga.

§ Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.

§ The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack, N.H.

§ University of Dallas, Irving, Tex.

§ University of St. Thomas, Houston, Tex.

§ Wyoming Catholic College, Lander, Wyo.

A new section in this edition of The Newman Guide recommends international, online and unique Catholic colleges and programs to help provide options to families looking for non-traditional ways to obtain a faithful Catholic education.

Cardinal Arinze Presents Authentic Vision of Catholic Education in Wake of ND Scandal

From LifeSiteNews

His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, delivered the commencement speech and received an honorary doctorate at The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (TMC) in Merrimack, New Hampshire. During his address, Arinze delivered to the graduates an authentic vision for the mission of Catholic institutions of higher education.

"Cardinal Arinze's words of wisdom ring true in this age of contrasts when more and more Catholic universities are recognizing the priceless value of their Catholic identities, said Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS). CNS is a watchdog organization devoted to Catholic education.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "some Catholic universities, including Notre Dame, have chosen prestige over principle. It is good to know that Thomas More College is encouraging graduates to emulate such a defender of the Catholic faith as Cardinal Arinze. This is the kind of public witness Catholic institutions should be providing in the public square."

Cardinal Arinze emphasized the mission of Catholic universities to strive to educate students about the relationship "between faith and reason, on specialization and orientation, and on science and ethics." He noted that the marker of success for Catholic colleges and universities is having "succeeded in forming and turning out model Christians who are good citizens."

Arinze continued, "If a Catholic College or University adopts this attitude of 'courageous creativity and rigorous fidelity,' it will be able to contribute much to promote a healthy synthesis between faith and culture in society."

"A Catholic college or university educates students to appreciate that moral rules of right and wrong apply also to science, technology, politics, trade and commerce, and indeed to all human endeavors."

"In the complicated world of today, where all kinds of ideas are struggling for the right of citizenship, a university student needs a clear and viable orientation on the relationship between religion and life. The Catholic College or University is ideally positioned to help him see the light and equip himself for a significant contribution in society."

Cardinal Arinze encouraged TMC for its rigorous moral, as well intellectual formation. He asked, "But what does it profit us if a student is an intellectual giant but a moral baby… if he or she can shoot out mathematical or historical facts like a computer but is unfortunately a problem for the parents, corrosive acid among companions in the College, a drug addict and sexual pervert, a disgrace to the school, a waste-pipe in the place of work and Case number 23 for the Criminal Police? It is clear that intellectual development is not enough."

The Cardinal noted the difficulties facing new graduates in a world ruled by moral relativism. "A person who holds that certain actions, like direct abortion, are always objectively wrong, is regarded as 'judgmental', or as imposing his views on others."

Echoing Pope Benedict XVI's address to Catholic educators, he said, "The exercise of freedom in pursuit of the truth is very much a part of integral education. If a Catholic College or University does not help in this way, should we not say that it has failed in one of its important roles?"

"If a Catholic college or university answers to its vocation in the ways outlined above, then it will be educating, forming and releasing into society model citizens who will be a credit to their families, their college, the Church and the State. It will prepare for us members of Congress or the Senate who will not say 'I am a Catholic, but...' but rather those who will say 'I am a Catholic, and therefore...'"

During his speech, Cardinal Arinze praised TMC as "a young and dynamic Catholic liberal arts college…dedicated to forming students intellectually and spiritually within the Catholic intellectual tradition and with unapologetic fidelity to the Magisterium, or the Teaching Authority of the Church."

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is also lauded in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College for its significant emphasis on intellectual offerings and for its recent strengthening of "its already notable Catholic identity." (See: http://www.catholichighered.org/TheNewmanGuide/tabid/356/Default.aspx)

Pope Expected to Hold Catholic Colleges Accountable on Pro-Abortion Speakers

From LifeNews.com

By Steven Ertelt

When he visits the United States next month, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to hold Catholic colleges accountable for inviting pro-abortion speakers to campus. The pontiff has requested an audience with more than 200 top officials from Catholic universities and he is expected to make it clear they need to follow Church teachings.

The Catholic college officials will gather at Catholic University of America where some say the Pope will remind them they shouldn't be giving a platform to politicians and others who back abortions.

For pro-life advocates who have complained about the rash of recent pro-abortion speakers on campus -- such as Hillary Clinton at St. Mary's University and St. Peter’s College hosting Barack Obama -- news of a possible rebuke from Pope Benedict is welcome.

Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, a leading watchdog in monitoring Catholic colleges and the speakers they bring, told the Washington Post he's excited about the prospects for a strong admonition from Benedict.

"This is something that's been simmering for so long that it's reached a boiling point," he said.

He added that several bishops and Vatican officials have indicated the speech will "raise a lot of eyebrows."

Rev. David M. O'Connell, Catholic University's president, told the newspaper, "One thing the pope will emphasize is the importance for all [Catholic] schools to realize that they aren't independent contractors, they are part of the church."

O'Connell said the Pope could address the need to hire Catholic staff for colleges and to reinstate teachings about absolute truth, such as the inviolability of the right to life.

Some of the recent concerns about pro-abortion speakers at Catholic Colleges include:

* University of St. Thomas (TX) President Robert Ivany had to cancel a scheduled speech by pro-abortion Latino leader Dolores Huerta.

* St. Mary's University, also in Texas, came under fire from pro-life advocates for hosting a rally for pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

* St. Louis University officials came under fire for not disciplining basketball coach Rick Majerus after the pro-abortion comments he made at a rally for Clinton

* Trinity University in Washington, D.C. got heat from Reilly's group for continuing to extol two of its pro-abortion alumnae, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

* St. Peter’s College, a Jesuit Catholic institution, allowed pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to hold a rally there.