The Cardinal Newman Society is an American 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization founded in 1993 whose stated purpose is to promote and defend faithful Catholic education. The organization is guided by Cardinal John Henry Newman 's The Idea of a University and Pope John Paul II 's 1990 Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae . The organization publishes The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College . However, it has been criticized for adopting views that Newman would have opposed.
31-486: The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College (also termed as The Newman Guide ) is a college evaluation tool published annually by the Cardinal Newman Society to assist students in choosing a Catholic college or university . It includes a list of Catholic institutions of higher education selected for their perceived adherence to Catholic teaching. The guide seeks to include schools which comport with
62-918: A Master of Arts in religious education from Saint Paul University , a Pontifical university federated with the University of Ottawa . She has been the Religious Education Director at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in New Orleans, the Formation Director for the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille, and has taught junior and senior high school . Her efforts began in New Orleans , Louisiana , in 1981. In 1982 an acquaintance asked her to correspond with convicted murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier , held on death row in
93-729: A "loophole" in the Church's teaching which permits capital punishment under limited circumstances. In 2011, due to complaints raised by the Cardinal Newman Society, Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania cancelled a lecture by journalist Ellen Goodman on civility in public discourse because of her views regarding abortion. In the spring of 2012, the Cardinal Newman Society listed 12 Catholic universities whose commencement speakers were considered objectionable because of their support for abortion or gay rights. Among
124-404: A counseling helpline which referred pregnant students to an abortion provider, Reilly used his position as editor of the school paper to express his opinions in defense of Catholic teaching on sexuality and abortion. Reilly launched the society with the help of other recent Catholic university graduates. The society's leadership included prominent conservative commentator L. Brent Bozell III . It
155-460: A genuine Catholic environment without the nonsense that has overtaken even some of the most well-known Catholic universities." The Newman Guide is published both in printed book form and online. The Guide's website includes all of the information for free. Cardinal Newman Society The society was founded in 1993 by Fordham University alumnus Patrick Reilly. After decisions by Fordham to recognize pro-choice and gay student clubs and create
186-541: A group of Catholic scholars issued a statement calling on political leaders to consider the common good, the Newman Society attacked it saying that they were “distorting Church teaching in favor of left-leaning politics to take political shots at vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan .” In their critique, however, the Society did not "cite a single instance where the statement strays from Catholic teaching. Instead,
217-455: A letter to the ten bishops listed as "ecclesiastical advisers" to the Cardinal Newman Society, calling the organization "often aggressive, inaccurate, or lacking in balance" and its methods "often objectionable in tone and substance." It suggested that the bishops resign from the advisory board. The board was subsequently disbanded. According to journalist Joe Feuerherd, "[A]s Cardinal Newman rolls over in his recently relocated grave, Reilly uses
248-415: Is a person who has described the male-only priesthood as a sign of ‘patriarchal resistance to women’s equality. So I think she has officially challenged church teaching in ways that are beyond the pale.'” The Cardinal Newman Society is often at the center of controversy, as for example when it solicited donations to "finance a major effort to expose the heretics within our Catholic colleges," an effort which
279-578: The Affordable Care Act requiring all institutions, including Catholic colleges, to provide birth control coverage. The Archdiocese of Washington sent a letter of rebuke to Georgetown's president on the matter. The Newman Society reports on its website that in 2011 it caused bishops to intervene in homosexual conferences at Fordham and Fairfield University. The Society has on several occasions criticized colleges for awarding Sister Elizabeth Johnson honorary degrees. Reilly said of her, "This
310-538: The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities , said the society is "destructive and antithetical to a spirit of unity in our commitment to serve society and the church." Reilly has been referred to in Catholic publications as the "self-appointed ayatollah to Catholic academia in this country." Rev. James Keenan, a priest and professor at Boston College who was targeted in a fundraising letter sent out by
341-503: The Louisiana State Penitentiary , known as Angola. Sonnier had been sentenced to death by electrocution . She visited Sonnier in prison and agreed to be his spiritual adviser in the months leading up to his execution . The experience gave Prejean greater insight into the process involved in executions, for the convict, families, and others in the prison, and she began speaking out against capital punishment . At
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#1732779701173372-703: The Supreme Court of the United States and the record of George W. Bush as Governor of Texas . In 1998, Prejean was given the Pacem in Terris Award , named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII that calls on all people of good will to secure peace among all nations. Pacem in terris is Latin for "Peace on Earth." Prejean now bases her work at the Ministry Against
403-618: The Death Penalty in New Orleans. She gives talks about the issues across the United States and around the world. She and her sister Mary Ann Antrobus have also been deeply involved at a center in Nicaragua called Friends of Batahola. In 2019 she wrote a memoir titled River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey . In it she talks about her spiritual journey leading her to engage in social justice work. Prejean has given commencement addresses to more than 50 colleges and universities around
434-523: The Society makes an ad hominem attack on one of the signatories." Helen Prejean Helen Prejean CSJ ( / p r eɪ ˈ ʒ ɑː n / pray- ZHAHN ; born April 21, 1939) is a Catholic religious sister and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty . She is known for her best-selling book, Dead Man Walking (1993), based on her experiences with two convicts on death row for whom she served as spiritual adviser before their executions. In her book, she explored
465-560: The Society, "I think he is a fraud, a charlatan, and a snake-oil salesman" and of the Society, that its purpose is "whipping up right-wing types to open their checkbooks." The Society monitors speakers at Catholic universities, and provides a mechanism for online reporting of what it believes to be scandalous commencement speakers and honorees. In 2009, the Society criticized the University of Notre Dame for inviting President Barack Obama to receive an honorary doctorate of law and deliver
496-414: The Society, said "Hopefully, someday our bishops will call us to end this awful conduct, which hurts not only those of us targeted, but more importantly, the unity of the church itself." According to Robert McClory, "If John Henry Newman, by some miracle of grace, were to rise from the dead today and be invited to speak at a prestigious Catholic institution, the most likely organization to protest and picket
527-461: The cardinal’s good name to promote the idea of university as Catholic madrassa...Reilly searches for hot button issues on Catholic campuses... – that will energize their base of donors and activists. Then they highlight these offenses on the Web and through direct mail to generate revenue." The sentiment is echoed by John J. Paris, S.J. , professor of bioethics at Boston College and one of the targets of
558-637: The commencement speech due to his pro-choice position and record in support of abortion. Nevertheless, the University of Notre Dame stood by its invitation to the President. The organization also deplored a commencement address given at Notre Dame de Namur University by Sr. Helen Prejean , a nun opposed to capital punishment and author of Dead Man Walking , claiming the Josephite nun "is out-of-line with church teaching on, of all issues, capital punishment." The organization faulted Prejean's critique of
589-595: The concerns that very many faithful Catholics had about the state of Catholic education.” In 1996 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invited the Newman Society to advise on guidelines to implement Ex corde Ecclesiae . The bishops approved final guidelines in 1999, consistent with the recommendations of the Newman Society. In 2006, the Bishops' and Presidents' Committee of the USCCB sent
620-668: The death penalty. Prejean also founded the groups SURVIVE to help families of victims of murder and related crimes. Helen Prejean was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana , the daughter of Augusta Mae ( née Bourg; 1911–1993), a nurse, and Louis Sebastian Prejean (1893–1974), a lawyer. She joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille in 1957. In 1962, she received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Education from St. Mary's Dominican College , New Orleans, Louisiana . In 1973, she earned
651-715: The effects of the death penalty on everyone involved. The book was adapted as a 1995 film of the same name , starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn . It was also adapted as an opera by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally , first produced in 2000 by the San Francisco Opera . Prejean served as the National Chairperson of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty from 1993 to 1995. She helped establish The Moratorium Campaign, seeking an end to executions and conducting education on
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#1732779701173682-518: The event would be the Cardinal Newman Society." The organization is also criticized for focusing on conservative political issues that are "only tangentially related to issues of Catholic higher education." One "review of 50 of the most recent headlines on the Society’s blog shows that 60% of them were related to abortion (9), homosexuality (10), or sexuality in general (10). That leaves only 40% for all other issues relating to Catholic education." When
713-406: The factors related to her growing opposition to the death penalty. The book was adapted for a 1995 feature film of the same name ; she was portrayed by Susan Sarandon . Her book also was adapted as an opera of the same name, first produced by the San Francisco Opera in 2000. The libretto is by Terrence McNally and the music composed by Jake Heggie . It has also been adapted as a play of
744-563: The principles of Ex Corde Ecclesiae . First published in 2007, the Guide identifies a subset of the Catholic colleges in the United States , as well as colleges and universities abroad and online where, in the Society's view, "students can reasonably expect a faithful Catholic education and a campus culture that generally upholds the values taught in their homes and parishes." The Guide claims "to show students where they can learn and grow in
775-670: The same name, which was first produced in autumn 2003. For her book, she drew from her experiences with Sonnier and with the convict Robert Lee Willie . He had been sentenced to death after being convicted of kidnapping and murder in two attacks in May 1980. Prejean also explored the effects that conducting the death penalty has on attorneys, prison guards, other prison officials, and the families of both convicted murderers and their victims. Since then Prejean has worked with other men sentenced to death. In December 2010, Prejean donated all of her archival papers to DePaul University . In 1996, she
806-450: The same time, she founded Survive , an organization devoted to counseling the families of victims of violence. Prejean has since ministered to other inmates on death row and witnessed several more executions. She served as National Chairperson of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty from 1993 to 1995. She published Dead Man Walking (1993), an account of her relationship with Sonnier and other inmates on death row, and
837-412: The speakers was Kathleen Sebelius , secretary of Health and Human Services , who was invited to speak at Georgetown University . The Society presented a 26,000-signature petition that called the choice of Sebelius "insulting to faithful Catholics and their bishops who are engaged in the fight for religious liberty and against abortion." Sebelius personally supports abortion and has upheld the mandate in
868-482: Was Bozell, founder and president of the conservative media-watchdog group Media Research Center , who suggested use of direct mail marketing to invigorate the organization at a time when it existed "primarily as letterhead." According to Reilly, “It took a while, but there was such a need, more and more, to engage students and working with alumni and working with faculty and as we went on, it became clear that they were all looking for some kind of national voice to express
899-606: Was awarded the Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame , the oldest and most prestigious award for American Catholics . In 1999, Prejean formed Moratorium 2000, a petition drive that eventually grew into a national education campaign, The Moratorium Campaign, seeking to declare a moratorium to executions. It was initially staffed by Robert Jones, Theresa Meisz, and Jené O'Keefe. The organization Witness to Innocence , composed of death row survivors who were exonerated after being convicted for crimes they did not commit,
930-589: Was called "red-baiting in ecclesiastical garb" by the Rev. John Beal, canon law professor at The Catholic University of America . It has been criticized for " McCarthyite tactics" and a "fundamentalist agenda." Charles L. Currie , president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities said that the society's "attacks can no longer go unchallenged," and characterized their work as "a long trail of distorted, inaccurate, and often untrue attacks on scholars addressing complex issues." Michael James, vice president of
961-417: Was started under The Moratorium Campaign. Prejean wrote a second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions (2004). She tells of two men, Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph O'Dell, whom she accompanied to their executions. She believes that both men were innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. The book also examines the recent history of death penalty decisions by