The Cardinal Newman Society, Working to Ensure Faithful and Orthodox Catholic Education

The Cardinal Newman Society has done extraordinary work to ensure that Catholic education, at all levels, is faithful to the Magisterium of the Church and preparing faithful and orthodox Catholic laymen and religious to carry out their calling in the salvific mission of the Church.  Please consider supporting this dynamic organization which is doing so much to promote and strengthen the Catholic identity of Catholic schools.

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.

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.

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.