More Problems
for Ave Maria University
Richard Salbato
It is sad for me
to again write again in a negative way about the
Recently I wrote
about a science lab placed on the Ave Maria property that promoted abortion,
and fetus stem cell research, a very anti-catholic company. I have also gathered many emails by students
and parents regarding an immoral sexual climate on the campus. At the time, I thought this was just not
enough supervision of the boys and girls.
Now I know it was much more than that.
I also complained that an unapproved order of nuns and priests based on
the condemned apparitions of Garabandal were on campus and giving spiritual
direction to the children and offering mass, even though they are not allowed
in parts of Spain. My article can be
read here: Is Ave Maria University Catholic?
Now it turns out
that the Garabandal order has been kicked out of the University, not for my
reasons, but because of lesbian sexual contact with the students. The following is the latest article on most
Catholic news web sites. I am putting it
up so that it will stay as information for years to come.
Latest from Naples Daily News :
The
Home of the Mother religious community (a religious order based on Garabandal)
has left the campus of Ave Maria University following an allegation that a
sister who supervised religious discernment was responsible for "immoral
conduct."
The
claim involves Sr. Maria Elena, who led the school's program to help women
discerning a religious vocation. The discernment program on campus currently
has about 15 young women.
Sr.
Maria Elena's Spain-based religious community, also known as Hogar de la Madre, recalled the sister last year after
learning of an accusation that she had
an inappropriate relationship with a female student in the discernment program,
the Naples Daily News reports. The student was not a minor at the time.
The
community did not report the incident to the university. According to the
university, Home of the Mother superiors did not follow Vatican-prescribed
procedures for reporting such incidents.
In
an e-mail to students, faculty and staff, Ave Maria University president Nick
Healy said that the university was ending
its relationship with Home of the Mother immediately.
"It
was with sadness and concern that we learned that the former superior of the Hogar religious sisters on campus was responsible for
immoral conduct," he commented, saying Sr. Maria Elena was recalled to
He
reported that Bishop of Venice Frank Dewane was told
of the matter in August. The bishop met with Healy and university chancellor
Tom Monaghan last week "to inform us of what had happened, and to provide
guidance as to how to determine if there are other victims and help any student
who might have been harmed."
The
decision to end the relationship with the Home of the Mother was made in
consultation with the bishop and university trustees. According to the Naples
Daily News, Healy is sending an e-mail to all students who were on campus last
year to advise them of the procedure for reporting incidents.
The
Home of the Mother community has been on the university campus since the
2004-2005 academic year, the school's second year in
Healy
responded to CNA's inquiries in a Friday e-mail.
He
explained that the woman's discernment program was intended to give young women
a chance to test their possible vocations to the religious life by living in a
separate area of the dormitory, praying together, and receiving some spiritual
direction amid their regular studies.
"We
are making a determination as to who should run the discernment program in the
future," Healy reported.
Asked
to explain how proper reporting procedures were not followed, he said that
according to his understanding the leadership of the order "should have
informed our Bishop of the misconduct when it was first reported" in
February or March.
Healy
said he was not aware of any civil or canonical investigation into the case. He
reported that the priests and the sisters have already left the campus.
"The
order has not informed us of where they plan to go," he told CNA.
‘