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Hello Saint Mary’s Community,
Inspired by the anchors adorning our class rings, Loretto Trust announces the inaugural release of its quarterly publication, The Anchor.
We admit navigating Saint Mary's with a Catholic compass is no easy task. It involves leadership confident in its Catholic mission, decisions informed by Church teaching, active participation in the sacraments, and living out Catholic values. Students go on praying, alumnae continue to hope, but a College that forgets its mission will overlook who it serves.
Our editorial staff of alumnae and friends will draw on their curiosity and affection for our beloved alma mater to offer content on the state of Saint Mary's Catholic identity.
We invite you to join the journey.
Loretto Trust Board
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Navigating Through Uncertainty
By The Anchor Editorial Staff
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“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” - Albert Einstein
Although the scandal of the Board of Trustees’ clandestine efforts to accept biological males as undergraduate students has died down, supportive sentiments within Saint Mary’s governance for this policy remain. As a result, it became apparent that something more substantial was at play than a one-off policy. After further investigation, Loretto Trust uncovered a precipitous and systematic drift away from the College’s Catholic character, which significantly contributed to the approval of the disastrous transgender admissions policy, the selection of a public critic of Church teaching as commencement speaker, and other controversial decisions.
We argue that SMC’s 2030 Strategic Plan misses the boat in its stated purpose to adapt to changing demographics and meet the needs of an evolving student population. Unveiled in 2020 during the haze and lockdown of COVID by a newly minted president from a secular institution, the plan's emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is no surprise. While DEI may have offered the correct formula to open up funding opportunities and provide structural support for justice through polices and procedures, it fell short when important issues required critical decision-making and moral reasoning. Currently, DEI's legal and regulatory landscape has shifted, forcing institutions like Saint Mary's that receive federal aid to reevaluate their DEI-related practices.
As a viable alternative to DEI, one need not look further than the Catholic Church. Predating DEI by over 100 years, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) provides a framework for the common good by emphasizing the values of relationships and fellowship, making fairness and inclusion meaningful.
To date, no revisions have been made to the DEI components of Saint Mary's strategic plan.
| | The Appeal of Authenticity | | |
Saint Mary’s is only exceptional when it adheres to its founding Catholic mission. Shakesphere’s timeless advice, “To thine own self be true,” is not just literary genius. It's a sound business approach based on centuries of proven success. Since the establishment of Medieval convent schools, the Church, in addition to teaching practical skills, provided women with an education that helped them maneuver the complexity of their lives. Today’s Catholic all-women’s colleges are direct descendants of this legacy.
A Catholic revival is occurring today, especially among Gen Z. Growing up during the pandemic and the addictive lure of social media, this generation is actively searching for meaning and community. As a result, an increased interest in Catholicism is happening on college campuses, resulting in record numbers of students entering the Catholic Church. Young people are choosing to quiet themselves through the practice of faith. In turn, they are gaining a sense of who they are in the world and finding their purpose through serving others.
Past administrations have boldly heralded the Catholic foundation of a Saint Mary's education. When asked about Saint Mary’s purpose, President Sister Madeleva Wolff famously responded, “Why do we educate our daughters? Briefly, we educate them for exactly the reason that God made them: to know, to love, to serve, to glorify Him now and forever.“ Today, it takes a little digging on Saint Mary's website to find a callout to the College's Catholic identity.
If the College strays too far from the universally accepted principles of the Catholic Church, it risks losing its legal standing. As stated in Saint Mary’s Articles of Incorporation, its purpose is “subject to the tradition, teaching, and Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church.” In short, if the College loses its Catholic identity, it ceases to be Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame.
The world is fickle; God is constant. Remaining authentically and unapologetically Catholic is both good for business and the soul.
| | Adrift in Unfulfilled Potential | |
The very term Catholic means universal. Catholic institutions welcome students of all faiths and backgrounds, encourage respectful dialogue, uphold human dignity, and emphasize service to the common good. While secular universities impart knowledge, the mission of a Catholic college purposely integrates faith and reason into its educational framework. It is designed to form the whole person (mind, body, and soul).
Critical to the success of organizations is the formation of their identity. They come into being when they find their purpose, reveal their values, and establish shared behaviors and practices. Members gain a sense of belonging, increase their self-worth from group achievements, and change their behaviors to align with group norms. Organizations lose their identity when they slip from their foundation.
Saint Mary’s, like many other Catholic colleges and universities, has seen its Catholic identity wane in the face of prevailing secular winds. Although the College publicly states its Catholic identity and values are integral to its mission, its actions communicate otherwise when it adopts policies and honors critics who are at odds with Catholic principles.
| | Why Protect Saint Mary's Catholic Identity? | |
Catholic all-women's colleges are poised to play a role in addressing the increase in Catholic converts and those seeking a supportive educational environment that aligns with their faith and values. It seems like a no-brainer for Saint Mary's to capitalize on this opportunity. But is the College willing and able to take advantage of this opportunity?
To date, the administration seems to prefer fence-sitting over pursuing a Catholic constituency. The College feigns ignorance on the percentage of students and faculty identifying as Catholic. There is no insistence on the part of Saint Mary’s president to pledge fidelity to the Catholic faith in all activities. Nor is there any articulated attempt to hold governing bodies or faculty accountable to Ex Corde Ecclesiae benchmarks for respecting Church teaching. Even Saint Mary's Center for Faith, Action, and Ministry doesn't require faith.
According to its marketing materials, the College's priority is to empower women through access. They tout access to the tri-campus environment, immersion in big world issues, and a plethora of degree programs and internships. These offerings are academically attractive, but none of them is unique to Saint Mary's. There are over 70 U.S. college consortia. Every institution of higher learning worth its salt exposes students to global concerns, and the choice of academic pursuits is nothing less than dazzling at any institution of higher learning.
A College’s Catholic identity not only speaks to the purpose of the institution; it also protects it from outside entities, regulators, and legislators using the law to pressure colleges and universities to compromise their Catholic mission. Religious organizations are exempt from these pressures under the First Amendment to the Constitution. However, legal status as a religious institution requires consistent, along with “bona fide” and “sincerely held” demonstration of their religious principles.
In closing, we, faithful supporters of Saint Mary's, ask the administration of our alma mater, what will it be? Will Saint Mary's continue to be all things to all people, or will it return to excellence and embrace its unique and Catholic identity?
Protecting Saint Mary's Catholic identity is not an option; it is vital to its survival.
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