Dear President Snyder,

We are disappointed that members of the Department of Theological Studies continue to act in contradiction to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Not only do they penalize students for calling God Father, not only do they push gender theory via pronoun policing, but now they have an upcoming event on April 7th, 2022 promoting women’s ordination. 

The advertising for the event (see below) claims that Diane Smith Whalen is a “Roman Catholic Woman Priest.” In fact, Diane Smith Whalen’s claim to be a Roman Catholic priest has as much validity as the claim of David Allen Bawden who styles himself Pope Michael to be the current Roman Pontiff. He isn’t the pope, and she isn’t a priest. 

The Church does not “forbid” women’s ordination as if it were banning bingo in the parish hall during Lent. Rather, as Pope St. John Paul II pointed out, the Church teaches that she is not authorized to admit women to priestly ordination because the sacraments were instituted by Jesus himself. No pope can authorize baptism with sand, the holy Eucharist with sausage, or the ordination to priesthood with females. The advertisement for this event suggests a “priesthood redefined” away from fidelity to what Christ established. Jesus, although he regularly broke with Jewish custom, retained the distinctively Jewish male priesthood unlike the pagan religions of the time which had female priests. 

We want events that support rather than tear down the Church. We want a theology of faith rather than an ideology of secularism. We want LMU to be institutionally committed to Roman Catholicism rather than to radical feminism. 

Sincerely,

Laura Remington, LMU Alum, Class of 1996 and M.Ed. 2000

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ by emailing friends and posting on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at 310.338.2775

LMU has announced the death of another beloved Jesuit professor:

Rev. Richard Rolfs, S.J., former LMU dean of students, emeritus professor of history, and Faculty Hall of Fame member, passed away on March 7, 2022, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 98 years old. 

Father Rolfs joined Loyola University in 1968 as an instructor in political science. He became an assistant professor of European history in 1974, an associate professor in 1980, and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1997. Father Rolfs retired in 2005 and was awarded emeritus status, continuing to teach in a part-time capacity until 2012. An esteemed scholar, Father Rolfs was an expert on the history of Germany’s Third Reich, the Holocaust, and the roots of anti-Semitism. 

His legacy is reflected in the generations of students and colleagues he impacted throughout his service to LMU. Father Rolfs was dean of students from 1964-70, president of the Academic Assembly from 1978-79, and chair of the Department of History from 1978-86. He also served as a trustee from 1978-86, where he was a member of the Executive Committee, the Facilities and Long-Range Planning Committee, the Committee for Academic Affairs, and the Student Affairs Committee. 

Father Rolfs attended Loyola University from 1946-48. He earned an A.B. in philosophy, an M.A. in history, and an M.A. in philosophy from Gonzaga University, and his Ph.D. from the UC Santa Barbara. He also earned a Licentiate in Theology from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Father Rolfs began his teaching career at Loyola High School in 1955. 

Father Rolfs entered the Society of Jesus on Aug. 14, 1948, was ordained on 
July 26, 1961, and professed his final vows on March 19, 1977. 

We thank God for the gift of Fr. Rolfs, for his teaching so many generations of LMU students, and for his faithful ministry as a priest. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

LMU has announced:  

“National Endowment for the Humanities Chair of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Bill Fulco, S.J., retired after nearly 20 years at LMU. Scholar, teacher, curator, mentor, raconteur are among the roles Father Fulco has played since he joined the faculty in 1998. Among his many accomplishments, Father Fulco collected and preserved a museum-quality collection and founded the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts’ Archaeology Center, which enhances the educational experience of our students.

A popular teacher, Father Fulco’s courses covered a broad range of topics: God and the world of ancient Israel; ancient religions; music culture in ancient Palestine; ancient Near Eastern languages; Near Eastern archaeology; biblical archaeology and Old Testament studies; and classical numismatics. Father Fulco has traveled the world exploring those subjects, and more; he also made archeological travel available for our students, annually sponsoring digs all over the world through his NEH funding. In 2007, LMU recognized him with the Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teaching Presidential Award, one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty by the university.

His acclaimed wit made him a sought-after speaker for gatherings of intellectuals, parents, and friends of the university. Father Fulco was the Aramaic language adviser for the film “The Passion of the Christ.” Father Fulco was born in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, graduated from Loyola High School, and joined the Society of Jesus in 1954. He was ordained in 1966. Father Fulco earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and literatures from Yale University. BCLA welcomes Prof. Caroline Sauvage to her new roles as NEH Chair and Director of the Archaeology Center, and thanks and honors Bill for his significant and impactful contributions to our community.”

We wish Fr. Fulco a wonderful retirement, and we hope that God blesses him for all his good work with so many LMU students, faculty, and staff.

Roberto Dell’Oro, the Director of the Bioethics Institute at Loyola Marymount University, was recently quoted in the Orange County Catholic defending the use of undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress in exposing Planned Parenthood’s grotesque trafficking in human body parts.

From the OC Catholic on August 10, 2015:

Dell‘Oro said that while it is always best to be above board in seeking the truth, there are instances when “a conscientious objection to morally unacceptable practices” can be justified.

“Throughout history, we have numerous examples of those who have lied or broken the law because they conscientiously objected to, and sought to expose, a deeper moral evil,” he said, citing those who hid Jews from the Nazis during World War II. “And I don’t see why this shouldn’t be the case here.”

In a related article in Catholic News Service dated July 31, 2015, Dell’Oro suggested Catholics acquaint themselves with “Donum Vitae” (“The Gift of Life”) and “Dignitas Personae” (“The Dignity of a Person”) issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Dell’Oro was selected as Director of the Bioethics Institute in 2013 after the university first considered two abortion advocates for the position. RenewLMU launched a petition drive that forced the university to drop the existing candidates. Shortly, thereafter, LMU hired Dell’Oro, a professor in LMU’s Theological Studies department. RenewLMU commends Dr. Dell’Oro for his vocal stance in defense of human life.

On March 27, 2015, Loyola Marymount University announced the hiring of its 16th President. Dr. Timothy Law Snyder, a lay Catholic, will replace David Burcham effective June 1st. Most recently, Dr. Snyder served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Loyola University in Maryland. More information about the presidential selection can be found on the LMU website.

RenewLMU congratulates Dr. Timothy Law Snyder on his new position. And we look forward to working with him to cultivate a vibrant Catholic identity at LMU.

We are hopeful that under Dr. Snyder’s leadership, LMU will effectively address the serious decline in the number of Catholic students and faculty. And we are optimistic that, as a Catholic, he will demonstrate a commitment to promoting the Catholic intellectual tradition in guiding students in their pursuit of truth and virtue.

According to a recent article by the Cardinal Newman Society, the University of Scranton’s president announced that the Jesuit university will no longer be providing abortion coverage to its employees. President Father Kevin Quinn, S.J. cited the Church’s “unequivocal” moral teaching on abortion as the reason for the decision. The article reports that the University of Scranton had previously provided abortion in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother in compliance with state law for traditional health plans. Since the university is self-insured they are able to dictate the terms of their coverage.

LMU currently provides abortion coverage to its employees. Neither President Burcham nor the LMU Board of Trustees has publicly opposed California state regulations requiring employee health plans cover abortion. The university has given no indication it is researching a self-insurance option in order to abide by the Church’s teaching on abortion.

RenewLMU has previously noted on our website and in our direct communications with the university’s administration that LMU lacks a student pro-life organization, while secular institutions like USC and Stanford have robust student pro-life groups. We are delighted to report that the LMU Office of Campus Ministry is now promoting on its website “Seamless Garment: Pro-Life Programming.” Activities associated with this programming include student participation in the OneLife LA Walk on Saturday, January 17, 2015 in Los Angeles and attendance at the Requiem Mass for the Unborn at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral on Saturday, January 24, 2015.

We commend LMU Campus Ministry for its initiative in establishing programming that advocates for protection of the unborn as part of the Church’s teaching on social justice.

The LMU Political Science Department is promoting a student internship opportunity with the non-profit organization Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), a pro-abortion organization. The internship opportunity is posted on the Political Science Department website. Led by long-time abortion advocate Eleanor Smeal, the FMF, on its own website states, “Abortion is a necessity for millions of women worldwide, for their health, for their well-being, for their dreams of a better tomorrow.”

According to the internship posting, student interns working in the Los Angeles office of FMF will have the opportunity to work on the National Clinic Access Project, “the nation’s largest and oldest clinic defense team.” There LMU students can “research and collect data on anti-abortion violence directed at health care workers and patients; monitor anti-abortion websites and literature.”

No student internship opportunities with non-profit organizations dedicated to the protection of the unborn child could be found on the LMU Political Science Department website.

The Political Science Department Chair, John Parrish, is serving on LMU’s Presidential Search Committee at the request of Kathleen Aikenhead, Chair of the LMU Board of Trustees, to assist in the selection of LMU’s next President.

The link to LMU’s student internship posting can be found at: http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/politicalscience/studentopportunities/internshipopportunities/governmentpolitical/feministmajorityfoundation/