A most Liberal and modernist bunch at best at its best.

Ah yes...just another reason I was glad you were my religion teacher...congrats Sister Shannon!!!

Perhaps that is why this 'catholic' college Theology faculty is not required to be held to the Ex exclessia corda document. Apparently the department head feels that she is also exempt.

Were you unaware that the Franciscan order is one of the more progressive ones in this country when you enrolled here? There are much more conservative colleges around, so why try to change this one to fit your ideology?

This college claims in writing to be a Roman Catholic college. Are you suggesting that the Sisters of St. Francis Sylvania are claiming schism from the teaching authority of the Catholic Church?

May I suggest that you re-read the life of St. Francis. He was more than the statues, pictures and bird bathes that he appears to be regulated to around here in the name of Fransican values. He was totally Catholic and totaly faithful to the Church.

"Were you unaware that the Franciscan order is one of the more progressive ones in this country when you enrolled here? There are much more conservative colleges around, so why try to change this one to fit your ideology?"

What is your idea of progressive? No organization that bears the name "Catholic" should be deviating from what the Church has already taught.

I have no idea what "ex exclessia corda" is, so I'm not even going to pretend :)

For being a Catholic instiution, Lourdes College is progressive in many ways. Trust me when I say that the Administration is focused on adhereing to the teachings of the Catholic Church. They rely upon this and the Fransisican values for every decision that they make.

V - Why shouldn't a Catholic college "deviate" from what the Church has already taught. Lourdes is an institution of higher learning. They should teach a variety of material and allow individuals to draw his or her own conclusions - to learn and think independantly for themselves. Isn't that the point?

The Catholic church is not a stagnant entity that has remained the same as it was in St. Francis' time. Although I'm sure you would hate to admit it, it has evolved as opinions changed over the years. The Church once defended slavery as the will of God. It engaged in and supported witch hunts, the crimes of The Inquisition, and failed to speak out against the Nazis (only recently apologizing for that one I might add). Many doctrines have been adjusted and have become more progressive compared to what they were in the past.

So my point is that "what the Church has already taught" and what "totally Catholic and totally faithful to the Church" means are not defined by stagnant unchangeable rules. The Church is a living, breathing entity that isn't defined by you or by any human being who fears change as you seem to.

Ex Corde Scclessiae as writen by Pope JP II inpart reads, :

"Every Catholic University, without ceasing to be a University, has a relationship to the Church that is essential to its institutional identity. As such, it participates most directly in the life of the local Church in which it is situated; at the same time, because it is an academic institution and therefore a part of the international community of scholarship and inquiry, each institution participates in and contributes to the life and the mission of the universal Church, assuming consequently a special bond with the Holy See by reason of the service to unity which it is called to render to the whole Church. One consequence of its essential relationship to the Church is that the institutional fidelity of the University to the Christian message includes a recognition of and adherence to the teaching authority of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Catholic members of the university community are also called to a personal fidelity to the Church with all that this implies. Non-Catholic members are required to respect the Catholic character of the University, while the University in turn respects their religious liberty(26)... and ...

..In ways appropriate to the different academic disciplines, all Catholic teachers are to be faithful to, and all other teachers are to respect, Catholic doctrine and morals in their research and teaching. In particular, Catholic theologians, aware that they fulfil a mandate received from the Church, are to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church as the authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition...


Those university teachers and administrators who belong to other Churches, ecclesial communities, or religions, [ie, non catholic denominations edit me]as well as those who profess no religious belief, and also all students, are to recognize and respect the distinctive Catholic identity of the University. In order not to endanger the Catholic identity of the University or Institute of Higher Studies, the number of non-Catholic teachers should not be allowed to constitute a majority within the Institution, which is and must remain Catholic".

Again as I said in my original post it is sad when the majority of the Theoloogy department and its department head does not have a mandatum on record with the local ordinary signifying their/her willingness to teach in accordance to this document which is specific to Catholic higher education. So, is a Lourdes student getting a Catholic education or just an instructors opinion of what he/she wsnts the Catholic Church to be.

According to several sources the number of non-Catholic teachers at Lourdes is greater than Catholic teachers. If this is true, it again places Lourdes at odds with the Church.

"Why shouldn't a Catholic college "deviate" from what the Church has already taught. Lourdes is an institution of higher learning. They should teach a variety of material and allow individuals to draw his or her own conclusions - to learn and think independantly for themselves. Isn't that the point?"

By teachings things that are not true. By teaching things that are peoples own personal opinions. I don't see how that can be help any one for higher learning. I am not speaking of anything other than Theology. So don't take these words out of context and think I am talking about all the academic programs. But nobody should be "deviating" from what the Church teaches in Theology, by giving their own false opinions on what took place during history.

While I was raised Roman Catholic, I am certainly not one to preach about what the Church says :)

Yes - Lourdes is a Catholic instiution. Some people choose Lourdes becuase it is a Catholic college. People choose Lourdes for other reasons as well. I chose Lourdes becuase both of my parents attended here. I did not want a college where my education could be distracted by other events on campus. I wanted small class, personal attention, and a quality education. I almost did not choose Lourdes because it is a Catholic college.

As an institution of higher learning, students are at Lourdes to learn. They are here to learn about everything, including theology. I think it's great that Lourdes teaches what the Church has to say. However, I think it's imperative that they also teach students about other religions. In this diverse world, do you really believe that a college graduate should be ignorant of other religions - especially when there are world religions that are so much more a part of people's every day life? There are religions that societies are built around. Why would you want to deprive yourself of that part of the educational experience? Do you really want to go out into the world without an understanding of why other people live their lives the way that they do? Don't you see how learning helps the tolerance of others who are not like you? There are ideas and beliefs on a variety of topics that I would never agree with. But I know that I will have a better chance of succeeding in life with the knowledge and understanding of what other people believe and why they believe it.

History is the version of past events that the majority people have decided to agree upon.
Napoleon Bonaparte

It has happened again...(drum roll)....Chris agrees with Sheena and the heavens have moved! Sheena, I have no problem with tolerance, I also find other religious ideas interesting, I love history, and a college experience should include all that you wrote. Actually the Catholic Church expects the same from their institutions of higher education, (IHL).

That being said, the Church also expects that the Catholic IHL, to teach in accordance with the Church. Not to push private opinions or agendas onto its students.

I do not want to get into a bunch of off topic tangents. I asked why Lourdes College a Roman Catholic College, does not require the faculty, especially the Theology faculty or at least the department chair to have a mandatum on record with the local ordinary signifying their/her willingness to teach in accordance with the Catholic Church? The ECE document is directed specificly to Catholic higher education. Sure, a 'position' in a professional organization is an honor but, what is more important, insuring quality Catholic teaching that is in line with the Church or allowing academic opinion that misrepresents the thought of the Church??

Okay Chris, you might be able to clarify this for me. Are you saying that Sr. Shannon "misrepresents the thoughts of the Church"? Are you saying that she teaches ideas and beliefs that are not true to the Church but tries to pass them off as such - I'm confused :)

I am asking, why the "Roman Catholic" Lourdes college, Theology department chair does not have, nor does not required as a Theology department its instructors to have a mandatum on record with the local ordinary signifying their/her willingness to teach in accordance with the Catholic Church? Why is it the policy that an individual instructor may "privately" have a mandatum on file with the Bishops office, yet the mandatum is not a requirement of employment?

One could argue that those that refuse to sign the mandatum already are teaching teach in accordance with the Catholic Church. I then simply ask, then why refuse to sign it or require it as part of being employed at this 'catholic College?

Ex corde Ecclesiae and Lourdes College

The bulleted points below outline specifics concerning Ex corde Ecclesiae and Lourdes College.

• Ex corde Ecclesiae (“From the heart of the Church”) is an apostolic constitution regarding Catholic higher education, issued by Pope John Paul II in 1990, after more than ten years of consultation among Catholic colleges and universities world-wide.
• The document is a rich expression of the identity and mission of Catholic institutions of higher education; it further provides general norms to help in the fulfillment of this vision.
• The apostolic constitution required the Catholic bishops in each region of the world to develop an application of the norms of Ex corde ecclesiae to their particular context. The application for the United States went into effect in 2001. As that application was developed, the Lourdes College community was involved in various consultations with the Bishop of the Diocese of Toledo who, in turn, was involved in the approval of that document.
• Among the several norms in the application for the United States, one finds the requirement that Catholics who teach theology must request a mandatum from the local bishop. This obligation belongs to the teacher, not to the particular college or university.
o Granted by the local bishop or his delegate, the mandatum primarily recognizes that the teacher is in full communion with the Catholic Church.
o The mandatum is not a delegation of teaching authority to an instructor nor is it the formal approval of the person’s teaching by the church. The foundation for the individual’s teaching is his or her baptism and professional preparation.
o The document goes on to say that “the mandatum recognizes the professor’s commitment and responsibility to teach authentic Catholic doctrine and to refrain from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church’s magisterium.”
o Neither Ex corde Ecclesiae nor the application to the United States require or provide for the publication of the names of individual instructors who have or have not received a mandatum from the local bishop.
• Periodically, the local bishops and individual college presidents are encouraged to meet to discuss how the application of Ex corde Ecclesiae is expressed in their school.
• As a Catholic college sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Francis, Lourdes College has been and continues to be committed to the vision and norms of Ex corde Ecclesiae and its application in the United States.

>>Among the several norms in the application for the United States, one finds the requirement that Catholics who teach theology must request a mandatum from the local bishop. This obligation belongs to the teacher, not to the particular college or university.<<

Chapter 4 Section E reads: "Catholics who teach the theoligical disciplines in a Catholic university are REQUIRED to have a mandatum granted by competent ecclesiatical authority"

If the teacher is required to have a mandatum granted by a competent ecclesiastical authority, it is Lourdes College through the department head of theological studies to insure that those teachers do indeed have a mandatum.

Concern about what is taught on Catholic campuses isn't just an academic matter. A recent Higher Education Research Institute study conducted by the University of California-Los Angeles showed that Catholic students' moral views were weaker, rather than stronger, after four years on a Catholic college campus.

The mandatum is a recognition from the local bishop of a theologian's stated intention to teach in accord with the Church.

The mandatum states: "I hereby declare my role and responsibility as a teacher of a theological discipline within the full communion of the Church. As a teacher of a theological discipline, therefore, I am committed to teach authentic Catholic doctrine and to refrain from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church's magisterium."

The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's 1990 instruction "The Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian" explained the reason for the mandatum. It said that one who has become a Catholic theologian has "freely and knowingly accepted to teach in the name of the Church" (No. 38). The U.S. bishops began requiring the mandatum in 2001.

Why would a 'catholic' Lourdes college theology department chair and faculty not want to publically declare that its faculty has gone on record stating that they, "as a teacher(s) of a theological discipline, therefore, I(we) am /are committed to teach authentic Catholic doctrine and to refrain from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church's magisterium"?. The resistance to this is odd and begs the question, is this an issue of some faculty not accepting Magisterial authority in teaching authentic Catholic doctrine and refraining from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to its teachings ?

"Catholic students' moral views were weaker, rather than stronger, after four years on a Catholic college campus."

And how are "moral views" defined, I wonder? You are free to believe what you wish. If you disagree with Sister, don't enroll in her classes. Or transfer to a school that's more in line with your interpretation of Catholic doctrine.

dk thanks for making my point. Moral views are objective views outside of ourselves. They are defined (atleast for me) by the Magisterium." Catholic Church. One cannot have a cafeteria style morality.

Why should a Catholic student have to not take an instructors class because of what that instructor teaches in theology class(es) is Catholic theology?

That is precisely why Catholic theology teachers are REQUIRED to have a mandatum. However,"The mandatum is not a delegation of teaching authority to an instructor nor is it the formal approval of the person’s teaching by the church. The foundation for the individual’s teaching is his or her baptism and professional preparation". Yet,“the mandatum recognizes the professor’s commitment and responsibility to teach authentic Catholic doctrine and to refrain from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church’s magisterium.”

Those with such a mandatum are not agents of the magisterium; they teach in their own name, not in the name of the bishop. Nonetheless, they are not separate from the Church's teaching mission. Responding to their baptismal call, their ecclesial task is to teach, write and research for the benefit of the Church and within its communion. The mandatum is essentially the recognition of an ecclesial relationship between the professor and the Church (See canon 229, §3).

dk and Jen, With this being said and a mandatum REQUIRED by Catholic theology instructors, I or any Catholic student should not need to "transfer to a [Catholic]school that's more in 'line' with your interpretation of Catholic doctrine". There is only one interpretation of Catholic doctrine.

We are pleased to congratulate our colleague, Sister Shannon Schrein, on her election to the office of vice president of the College Theology Society. Her election is recognition by her peers of the quality of her theological work and of her significant service to the discipline. A member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, she has been working and teaching in Catholic schools for more than 35 years. Her colleagues at Lourdes College recognized her with the coveted Faculty Excellence Award in 2000 and again in 2007. Publication of her book Quilting and Braiding: The Feminist Christologies of Sallie McFague and Elizabeth A. Johnson in Conversation and of introductory articles in The Saint Mary’s Press College Study Bible evidence her fine scholarly work. Chosen by Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair, Sister Shannon currently serves on the Diocesan Pastoral Advisory Commission.

Congratulations, Sister Shannon!

Geoffrey J. Grubb, Ph.D.
Professor of Theological Studies
Dean, The School of Arts & Sciences

Benjamin Brown, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Theological Studies

Yes congratulations, but not to blur the original question with accomplishments gained outside of the classroom: Does Sr. Shannon and the theology faculty have the required mandatum? As it is required, why not ? Or, if the faculty does have the mandatum why the secrecy? Why not just state publicaly that the Lourdes College theology department either has or does not have their REQUIRED mandatums? Assuming that they do have their mandatums, as per Ex corde Ecclesia, what policy is in place to censure those Lourdes theology professors that, "put forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church’s magisterium teach"?

I don't usually spend any time on the Lourdes blogs, but as this concerns my department, it came to my attention. Thank you all for the conversation. I want to offer a few clarifications, and then I probably won't even come back to take a look at the future postings.

First, Chris and V and others, I very much share your concern for the Catholic faith, and I know that the other members of the department do as well. Along those lines, you have every right to expect an education in the Catholic faith as part of your college education; you should not have to find a different school, as some have suggested, but it must be recognized that there can be legitimate differences in theological viewpoint. That we are all concerned to teach good, Catholic theology does not mean that the whole department agrees about everything. The fact that I've signed my name to the congratulatory comments for Sr. Shannon's election as VP of CTS and her other accomplishments does not mean that we see eye to eye on all theological issues, but it does mean that I respect and very much appreciate her work, her professional standing and her desire to serve the Church, the College and her students.

Secondly, of course individual theologians and Catholic institutions always have the obligation to uphold their Catholic identity and be true to the Catholic faith. It does not matter whether some students come to a Catholic college for its religious affiliation or not, the instution itself is Catholic and that means that it stands for certain truths and values and lives those out in concrete ways. If one does not agree, then certainly there are other schools which are options. The complaint that a Catholic institution is not really living/teaching/being Catholic is *in principle* legitimate, but there are no grounds for complaint that a Catholic institution should stop being Catholic in order to accomodate those who don't like some aspects of Catholicism. No one should have to leave a Catholic school because it is not Catholic, but at the same time we have to remember that Catholicism has room for lots of diverse viewpoints within a common faith.

Thirdly, along the same lines, it needs to be recognized that there are some things which must be held as part of the Catholic faith, and there are others about which there can be disagreement while still being under the umbrella of Catholicism. We cannot deny that Jesus was bodily raised from death to a new and glorious life, but there is a lot of room for discussion about what exactly the resurrection entailed (and entails). This does not mean that truth is relative, but our weak minds cannot grasp everything perfectly and we will at times disagree about even important matters while all being faithful to the Church. There are other matters regarding which we cannot legitimately disagree, but even with those we have to work it out in patient dialogue with each other.

Fourthly, CTS is a diverse body of theologians and one cannot deduce the positions or even the general leanings of a theologian from meambership in or leadership of CTS. I am a 6-year member of CTS, but am relatively conservative theologically and I know theologians at CTS who are more conservative than I am.

Fifthly, the mandatum question is a complicated one. As the application of Ex Corde was being worked out by the bishops of the United States, they specifically refrained from requiring institutions to require their theologians to have a mandatum and left the requirement on the personal level. Lourdes is not in violation of anything in its policy to inform teachers of theology that they are required by the US bishops to receive a mandatum (yes, this requirement is made known) without institutionally enforcing said requirement. We might argue for a stronger policy, but as it stands the policy is not in fact stronger. The bishops tried to strike a balance between assurance of Catholic identity and institutional autonomy. Whether they succeeded or not is an important question, but regardless the policy is what it is, and it does not require institutions to enforce the mandatum requirement.

Sixthly, it would be best to address particular, concete issues that one may have with a particular instructor's teaching according to the appropriate process (which includes talking to the teacher first) rather than dealing in generalities. The mandatum is not a substitute for dialogue, giving people the chance for clarification, and careful discernment. I know from my own experience that I've misspoken or given the wrong impression at times in class, and students have sometimes called me on it and I've been able to clarify, usually to their satisfaction. At the same time, I also know that there are some Catholic theologians in the US who after years of dialogue and further clarification do hold positions in opposition to the Catholic faith. It took half a decade of dialogue before the CDF told Fr. Roger Haight that he could no longer teach at a Catholic college. Surely, we owe each other the same patient discussion.

Finally, let me just suggest that everyone be especially careful to be clear about what you're talking about. There are a lot of assumptions being made or background information being left out, which leads to confusion rather than clarity.

Thanks for your conversation about important things. I hope that the above clarifies some things, raises other good questions and invites further conversation.

Dr. Brown, Thank you for your time in responding to the posts. I agree that
"we owe each other the same patient discussion". Yet when answers are not forthcoming to legitimate questions, there can be no discussion.

You wrote that: "the mandatum question is a complicated one. As the application of Ex Corde was being worked out by the bishops of the United States, they specifically refrained from requiring institutions to require their theologians to have a mandatum and left the requirement on the personal level. Lourdes is not in violation of anything in its policy to inform teachers of theology that they are required by the US bishops to receive a mandatum (yes, this requirement is made known) without institutionally enforcing said requirement".

I agree that the document "does specifically refrained from requiring institutions to require their theologians to have a mandatum" However it is illogical to state that the institution, particularly the Theological Department Chair, bears no responsibility to insure that its theological instructors have the required mandatum to teach in a Catholic institution. It is resonable to assume, that in good faith the institution as a participant in the living magisterium of the Church, would enforce the requirment of the people that it is paying to teach theology.

As a Catholic student that is paying this Catholic college to assist me in gaining a Catholic theological education, and knowing that the mandatum is required of my instructors to teach at a catholic college, I should have a resonable expectation that the institution would have reasonable transparency in disclosing that all of my teachers do have the required mandatum.

I continue to ask if all the professors of theology at Lourdes College do have a mandatum with the Bishop's office.Wwhy is it such a problem for the theology department and/or college to declare as such, in a public forum? Why the secrecy and deflections from a simple inquirery?

Chris,

It sounds like we are in agreement on many things; I knew initially that we were/are. The primary remaining question is that of the mandatum (which, btw, was not what this initial discussion was about, but it has turned to that).

I assume that your penultimate question was rhetorical: "Why is it such a problem for the theology department and/or college to declare as such, in a public forum?" I think you know the reasons why the college has taken its current policy, just as many colleges have. There is a tension that many are trying to maintain between autonomy and faithfulness, some emphasizing the former more than the latter or vice versa. Clearly, some theologians were and are unhappy about the mandatum policy, weak as it may be, because they do in fact dissent from Church teaching. But others for other reasons, some because they fear interference on matters about which there can be legitimate differences, and some because they think it's just bad policy and/or sets up too juridical a relationship between bishops and theologians. I don't personally find myself in any of those camps and would even be happy with a stronger policy, but the policy as it stands doesn't require anything on the instituional level - which brings us to your main point.

Does it make sense for the mandatum to be a personal requirement with no institutional follow-through? That's a good question. I personally think that it makes more sense for there to be follow-through, but that doesn't mean that a lack of it is illogical. For example, teachers at Lourdes are required to be free of illegal drugs, but there are no random or regular drug tests at all (I can't say for sure whether it's written down in a policy somewhere, but this is just an analogy anyway). It's a requirement that must be met by each individual, but there is no institutional follow-through. It only requires institutional attention when a problem becomes manifest. I think that that policy makes sense, and there are many others like it. Imagine the outcry if drug testing was instituted; and then what about regular criminal background checks, etc. Where would it stop? There are some things that work best when individuals are trusted to do them on their own. I do think that sound Catholic teaching is one of those. Drug testing would only wisely be implemented if it became clear that drugs were becoming a major issue among faculty and staff. Which says something about the mandatum issue: there is seen to be an issue. And you don't see it being addressed adequately at Lourdes - which leads to my third and final point, a suggestion.

I have no problem personally telling you and everyone that I do have a mandatum from bishop Blair which I obtained shortly after arriving at Lourdes. But I'm not free to speak for others. Frankly, I don't even know the status for some of our adjuncts and neither does the dept. chair, so no declaration could at present even be made. And the dept. chair has no authority to change the current policy and obtain that information; neither, I believe, does the dean of the school; you'd have to take to higher levels of administration. So, here's my suggestion: you can ask each and every theology teacher whether they have a mandatum or not, and if you do so in a non-accusatory way, explaining that you see the mandatum as a sign that the theologian is in a good relationship with the bishop, which you think is a good and imporant thing, etc., then I bet you'll get the information you're looking for. You might also contact the diocese; I'm not sure if mandatums are public record on the diocese's side, but I bet they are. I think that you'll be surprised at how many of us do have mandatums, which I'm guessing will reinforce my earlier point that the mandatum really doesn't say too much, they're given out rather freely and would genearlly be withheld or rescinded only for serious and substantiated reasons. A final suggestion: as with many things, the real issue, it seems to me, is some specific teachings of specific theolgians; take these up case by case and address them with each instructor. If you're not satisfied after careful dialogue and after explaining where you think the teacher has misunderstood/misrepresented the Catholic faith, then talk to the dept. chair. Even with a more institutional-follow-through type of mandatum policy, this would still be the only way to handle things.

What do you think? Does that make sense? Further thoughts?

Peace,
Dr. Brown

P.S. Oh, yes, I forgot to say a word earlier in response to a couple comments made by others: it does not seem to me that the purpose of a college education is to expose students to any and every viewpoint for its own sake. Rather, the point of an education is first to form minds to be able to see the truth of things clearly, and secondly to begin to impart such truth. Sympathetic exposure to diverse views on important matters is only a means to an end; because our minds are limited, in order to find the truth, we often need to see many views of an issue in order to be able to see the truth more clearly or even at all. A well-educated person knows the truth when he/she see it and holds onto that truth. So universities are not forever open-ended; there are many truths that a university stands for; there's no such thing as an uncommitted college, community or person. The only question is what do you think the truth is about the various important questions. As a Catholic institution, Lourdes stands for the truth of the Catholic faith, which grounds everything else that we do. The college finds many importnat truths, in fact, the most important ones, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who claimed to be Truth itself. That is our starting point, not open-endedness. Lourdes starts by standing on the shoulders of giants, of Jesus himself and of really insightful thinkers of the last three millenia who've done the hard work of searching and give us a starting point so that we don't have to begin empty-handed. This is why a Catholic university can be Catholic and a university at the same time; in fact, the whole university system was born out of Catholicism. If education is about searching and never getting anywhere or about diverse views plain and simple, then "Catholic education" is a contradiction, but if it is about finding the truth, then a Catholic education is the truest education there can ever be!

One quick search shows several Catholic institutions that are very public about Ex corde Ecclesia. Why not Lourdes? Why the secrecy policy?

From the Christendom College web page:

In summary, this is what makes Christendom a truly Catholic College

The main Catholic aspects to Christendom College:

Christendom is primarily an Educational Apostolate, with an emphasis on helping the students grow in their love and knowledge of God, and thereby, hopefully, helping them to attain eternal salvation. In short, we care most about the souls of our students.
All professors are Catholic and ALL of them make an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium and a Profession of Faith each year in the presence of the Diocese of Arlington's Bishop Paul Loverde.
All classes, whenever possible, are taught with a Catholic vision and worldview. When teaching history, it's from the Catholic point of view and we explain how the Catholic Church has made an impact on history. When teaching philosophy it's from the Catholic point of view and in reference to St. Thomas Aquinas' teachings. And when classes are unable to be taught with a Catholic vision, the teachers are still able to be held up as role models for the students to see.

What is this College Theoligical Society, that the Lourdes College, Theological Studies department Head is the Vice-President? The same department that will not disclose publicaly if all of its professors have the required mandatum to teach at a catholic college. CTS has published position papers against Ex corde Excelssia as well as, against the infallibility of the Pope(s):The infallibillity of the Pope concerning Faith and Morals, in particular the womens ordination to the Priesthood. It reads: "Be it resolved: That the Society, assembled at its annual Business Meeting, after a long process of study and revision, endorses the conclusion of the paper, “Tradition and the Ordination of Women,” that “There are serious doubts regarding the nature of the authority of this teaching (namely, the teaching that the Church’s lack of authority to ordain women to the priesthood is a truth that has been infallibly taught and requires the definitive assent of the faithful) and its grounds in Tradition."