Fr. Wild to retire in June 2011

[Kramerica]

Because some things are not necessarily appropriate to be discussed on public message boards.  

Just use your imagination and think about what type of health care related issues could be taught in the nursing school that don't jive with Catholic teaching.  It's not just the nursing school and its not only at MU.

Its probably things like birth control.  Oh the horror.

[NYWarrior]

I'm guessing what some of the hard core Catholic people here are upset about is the fact that some people at Marquette (There's one theology teacher who has tenure, I can't remember his name right now) doesn't stick to official Catholic teaching on things like abortion.  
Mostly, its people who think that the Jesuits are too liberal politically and allow people like Martin Sheen (who are Democrats and are OK with abortion) to come on campus and receive awards.  At least that's what I remember angry alums bitching about back when I worked at the phonathon at MU back in the early '00s

Sheen, I think, came to MU to honor Dorothy Day. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

[Kramerica]

Sheen, I think, came to MU to honor Dorothy Day. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

Yeah I guess my point is that some people seem to have their politics so identified with their Religion (in the case of most of the people who are upset about this, being a Republican and Catholic) that they see anyone who is Catholic and a Democrat as not being Catholic enough. 

I say this as both a Republican and Catholic who has no problem with people having different political views than me, but I just know some people like my parents, just can't get past the idea that you can be a Catholic and still possibly support a politician who is pro-abortion. 

[MUeagle05]

Yeah I guess my point is that some people seem to have their politics so identified with their Religion (in the case of most of the people who are upset about this, being a Republican and Catholic) that they see anyone who is Catholic and a Democrat as not being Catholic enough. 

I say this as both a Republican and Catholic who has no problem with people having different political views than me, but I just know some people like my parents, just can't get past the idea that you can be a Catholic and still possibly support a politician who is pro-abortion. 

It goes far beyond politics and is not a Republican v. Democrat thing.  What it comes down to is whether a university that calls itself Catholic and advertises its Catholic teaching should actually follow that teaching.  Other religions and viewpoints are certainly welcome, but if MU wants to be known as a Catholic school it should at least act like it.

[MUBurrow]

My hope is that Fr. Wild's retirement is coming at a point where he would still be an important part of MU for years to come. He seems like he certainly could keep working if he wanted to (more power to him if he feels he's starting to slow down).  However it would be great to see him continue to guide and influence a new Rev. Fr. Prez. Adm. Chanc. P.M. Capt. for years to come.  On that note, I certainly hope that the medical rumors aren't true.  First of course for Fr. Wild, but also for the university.

[Chili]

Yeah I guess my point is that some people seem to have their politics so identified with their Religion (in the case of most of the people who are upset about this, being a Republican and Catholic) that they see anyone who is Catholic and a Democrat as not being Catholic enough. 

I say this as both a Republican and Catholic who has no problem with people having different political views than me, but I just know some people like my parents, just can't get past the idea that you can be a Catholic and still possibly support a politician who is pro-abortion. 

There is also the other side who view social justice more than abortion. Everyone gets their point of view. If you didn't know Marquette was not a strict Catholic University going in (and it hasn't been since before the 60's) well then tough cookies.

[Warriors4ever]

My question back usually is, any and all Catholic teaching?  Or just specific ones that relate to, shall we say, people's personal lives? Because that's usually what it seems to come down to.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm not sure why party affiliation even matters.  For some people, they went to Catholic schools their entire life (myself would be one) and we were taught certain things about Catholic dogma and doctrine.  I'm not old enough for pre Vatican II stuff, but I can tell you that folks like my mother-in-law (RIP) were church going 7 days a week and really struggled with some of the things taught at some Catholic universities (one of her daughters went to St. Marys, one of her sons went to Santa Clara, several grandchildren at Loyola Marymount).

So I think it really relies on what foundation you're coming from.  Abortion was always a 100% no-no teaching in my Catholic education.  I understand that MU has to balance Catholic beliefs with that of open thought and academic pursuit.  Tough for them at times to do that balancing act.

[Kramerica]

It goes far beyond politics and is not a Republican v. Democrat thing.  What it comes down to is whether a university that calls itself Catholic and advertises its Catholic teaching should actually follow that teaching.  Other religions and viewpoints are certainly welcome, but if MU wants to be known as a Catholic school it should at least act like it.

Well the Catholic Church is pretty behind the times socially.  The Church needs to realize that it can't keep doing things the way it always has if it wants to stay relevant in today's society.  This type of attitude "You're not a Catholic if you don't do exactly what we say" is going to drive more and more people away from the Church and put in even worse shape than it is now.  And that's without priests raping little boys.  

Personally I'm glad that the Jesuits are out there providing a fairly liberal counterbalance to some of the old fire and brimstone types that are in the Vatican.  They'll be there to help drive the necessary changes to the Church that will keep it viable once they realize that there aren't any priests left and their numbers are going down.

[Chili]

It goes far beyond politics and is not a Republican v. Democrat thing.  What it comes down to is whether a university that calls itself Catholic and advertises its Catholic teaching should actually follow that teaching.  Other religions and viewpoints are certainly welcome, but if MU wants to be known as a Catholic school it should at least act like it.

Marquette does - it has a mission of social justice which it is world renowned for. One issue does not make or break it. Get over it.

[IAmMarquette]

I'd certainly trade the buildings for the Warriors name.

It's funny, I always get calls from MU asking for money from some kid and I always tell them  they won't get a cent from me until they bring back the Warriors name.  Then the kid always says that they hear that a lot, and I tell them not to  call again.  But like clockwork, the next call will come in a month or two.

BTW, for anyone wondering, I did graduate from MU.  I was on ASMU at the time of the mascot/nickname fiasco with DiUlio and worked for the University (rec center, Athletic Dept), as well.  

You, sir, are an idiot.

[MUeagle05]

Marquette does - it has a mission of social justice which it is world renowned for. One issue does not make or break it. Get over it.

Catholic teaching goes far beyond just the mission of social justice, while that certainly is an important issue.  As you said, one issue does not make or break it.  

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

It goes far beyond politics and is not a Republican v. Democrat thing.  What it comes down to is whether a university that calls itself Catholic and advertises its Catholic teaching should actually follow that teaching.  Other religions and viewpoints are certainly welcome, but if MU wants to be known as a Catholic school it should at least act like it.

It's a fair point.

Let's be honest, a lot of us out there claim to be Catholic, but sometimes chose not to follow certain parts of our faith (myself included).

Premarital sex is the norm, church certainly wasn't filled on sundays at MU (But the Annex sure was), swearing, porno, etc. etc.

To your point, I think a university needs to be held to a bit of a higher standard than the average lay person. There really shouldn't be such a thing as a "mostly Catholic" teaching.

BUT... BUT...

How do you balance progressive teaching, critical thinking, drive for knowledge etc. with "rules" and some church dogma that are out of date and out of touch? (I'm not saying the church should change because I'm a big believer in tradition, but you get the point).

MU has co-ed dorms. Kids have sex. Should MU be patrolling the halls and searching rooms with more vigilance? Should all dorms be single sex and should they be on opposite ends of campus? Should MU block all porn in the dorms? (as if they could).

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of concessions that the Catholic religion has to make in order to be a university.

If people aren't comfortable with those concessions, maybe they need to look at a "stricter" place like the seminary.

But, I guess that comes back to the larger point about being a "Catholic" university. Should their really be "stricter" versions of it? Isn't Catholic just Catholic?

Interesting topic. I think MU does a great job, but I can see your point.

[Ready2Fly]

Oh, so you're mad MU isn't brainwashing people? Got it.

[IAmMarquette]

Because some things are not necessarily appropriate to be discussed on public message boards. 

Just use your imagination and think about what type of health care related issues could be taught in the nursing school that don't jive with Catholic teaching.  It's not just the nursing school and its not only at MU.

So you're saying you'd rather our nursing students don't learn these things because it doesn't fit with what the Vatican tells us? That's not how healthcare works.

[MUfan12]

I've been thinking about this post all day, so here goes.

First of all, Fr. Wild has been a fantastic servant of MU. He's a reasonable, kind individual based on my dealings with him. And his accomplishments have been well-documented here. He certainly has had much more good than bad in his tenure. MU is certainly far better off for having him as president. He certainly deserves a standing ovation on Saturday.

That said, here would be some critiques/areas in my opinion, the next president should focus on.

The traditional/liberal Catholic debate has more to do with University bureaucracy than it does the president. He took the position, good or bad, to not get involved with the decisions of the bureaucrats. There were not many checks on them, which led to most of the issues that more traditional Catholics had a problem with.

Obviously the Gold incident was bad, and that is something that should have been kiboshed when the Indians spoke out, rather than bait people along for another 6 months. That only intensified the anger throughout the process.

I also think the plateau was coming, so to speak. There's still development going on with the Law School, Zilber, and now the engineering building. Very nice additions to campus, to be sure. But the endowment is static, if not slowly declining. It is absoutely critical to get that growing again. While again, a very nice man, Fr. Wild isn't the most dynamic speaker in the world. The checks they're getting now are from people who don't necessarily need to be moved to donate. To a degree, the next president needs to be someone who can motivate more people to pull out the checkbook.

While grateful for what Fr. Wild has done, I look at this as a huge opportunity, in a way like I saw April 2008. If the right hire is made, I think the growth of the past 15 years will be eclipsed fairly easily.

Does anyone know if MU makes the hire, or if the Provincial SJ makes the call?

[MUeagle05]

Oh, so you're mad MU isn't brainwashing people? Got it.

Brainwashing?  Really?  You have no idea what you are talking about.

[bamamarquettefan]

Those will be incredible shoes to fill for the basketball program as well as for the University.  Thanks for putting MU back on the map for those of us who live hundreds of miles away from Milwaukee!

[IAmMarquette]

Brainwashing?  Really?  You have no idea what you are talking about.

No, we have no idea what you're talking about, because you won't talk about it.

[gumbyandpokey]

Marquette does - it has a mission of social justice which it is world renowned for. One issue does not make or break it. Get over it.

If the issue is as crucial to the Catholic identity as Abortion/Right to Life, then it does break it.  

People have mentioned a bunch of the things I was referring to earlier, basically the "cafteria catholic" issue Chicos brought up.  But there are more serious things that MUeagle discussed that really call into question what is going on at MU at times.  The MU administration looks the other way quite often when things are brought to their attention that directly contradict Church teaching.

But it's not just at MU that this is going on.  Having a true Catholic like Leahy run a university like BC is becoming a rarity these days.

As far as declining numbers of priests goes, that's what happens when many seminaries have pretty much turned into bathhouses.  More traditional, conservative seminaries are doing quite well.  There is most certainly a battle for the soul of the Church going on.  You just have to find a parish that you are comfortable with.  Old St Mary's is a Conservative choice and St Pius is an option if you want a far left leaning parish to name two examples.

Someone mentioned Dorothy Day earlier.  Another controversial "honoree" from MU is Gwen Moore.

http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2008/10/rep-gwen-moore-marquettes-pet-pro.html

[MUeagle05]

So you're saying you'd rather our nursing students don't learn these things because it doesn't fit with what the Vatican tells us? That's not how healthcare works.

Learning is not the problem, its practicing.  And based on your comment I'd bet you know very little about how healthcare really works . . .  

[Ready2Fly]

Jesuits teach people to think for themselves. The Catholic viewpoint is put forth loud and clear. If students choose to digest it and decide something else, how is that MU's fault? Please be specific.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Well the Catholic Church is pretty behind the times socially.  The Church needs to realize that it can't keep doing things the way it always has if it wants to stay relevant in today's society.  This type of attitude "You're not a Catholic if you don't do exactly what we say" is going to drive more and more people away from the Church and put in even worse shape than it is now.  And that's without priests raping little boys.  

Personally I'm glad that the Jesuits are out there providing a fairly liberal counterbalance to some of the old fire and brimstone types that are in the Vatican.  They'll be there to help drive the necessary changes to the Church that will keep it viable once they realize that there aren't any priests left and their numbers are going down.

My guess is that church officials would say they don't need to be the ones that have to "keep up with the times".  Just my guess, but I'm sure that they would say they aren't going to approve everything that society does or trends to just because.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

If the issue is as crucial to the Catholic identity as Abortion/Right to Life, then it does break it.  

People have mentioned a bunch of the things I was referring to earlier, basically the "cafteria catholic" issue Chicos brought up.  But there are more serious things that MUeagle discussed that really call into question what is going on at MU at times.  The MU administration looks the other way quite often when things are brought to their attention that directly contradict Church teaching.

But it's not just at MU that this is going on.  Having a true Catholic like Leahy run a university like BC is becoming a rarity these days.

As far as declining numbers of priests goes, that's what happens when many seminaries have pretty much turned into bathhouses.  More traditional, conservative seminaries are doing quite well.  There is most certainly a battle for the soul of the Church going on.  You just have to find a parish that you are comfortable with.  Old St Mary's is a Conservative choice and St Pius is an option if you want a far left leaning parish to name two examples.

Someone mentioned Dorothy Day earlier.  Another controversial "honoree" from MU is Gwen Moore.

http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2008/10/rep-gwen-moore-marquettes-pet-pro.html

Too late, brother.

We asked you basic questions HOURS ago, and you just ran on at the mouth about "Warriors" and how Fr. Wild is an A-hole.

You can't just tack yourself onto MUeagle05's posts now. He at least brings some insight (although I may disagree).

[Warriors4ever]

I never knew Dorothy Day was controversial.  
And, for me, if someone professes to be pro-life but their positions on other issues are against what the Church's positions are, that doesn't cut it with me.  In other words, don't be pro-life but pro-death penalty, anti-workers rights, etc.
Clericalism is alive and well in seminaries these days.  It's all a power thing, really.