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University Statement on Diversity and Inclusion
(The author offers a snippet of Matthew 11:28. One might be led to think that this is as far as it goes with Jesus. However, just prior to this in 11:20-24, Jesus pronounces judgment on certain cities. And Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus calls people to repent and stop sinning, viciously condemns the religious leaders of the day, and speaks extensively on the coming judgment.
The author, however, isolates the welcoming nature of Jesus to establish his entire case.)
Venite ad me omnes—“Come to me all of you.” That is the inscription on the base of the statue of Jesus that stands before the Golden Dome with arms extended in welcome. His heart—the Sacred Heart—is exposed, the image of a love that is disclosed, that seeks us out, embraces us and shares our burdens.
The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the heart of our campus is a daily reminder of the kind of community we strive to be at Notre Dame—one that, recognizing the dignity of every member, welcomes each one fully, treasures their gifts as a reflection of God, supports them and shares their struggles. Such a community invites us out of isolation into something richer, more whole and sustaining. The University Mission Statement recognizes that “the intellectual interchange essential to a university requires, and is enriched by, the presence and voices of diverse scholars and students.” As an academic community, we strive to explore, discuss and, when appropriate, celebrate differences as well as commonalities, thus enriching our grasp of truth and understanding.
Throughout its history, the Congregation of Holy Cross has made community—expressed in the image of a family—central to the life of the educational institutions it founded around the world, and we want all members, regardless of background, to feel included in that community. We also remember that the University was founded by a small band of immigrants in this land, who then educated succeeding generations of immigrants– in time overcoming obstacles that were found in their path. So we strive to reach out to those on the margins and work together to enable all to flourish.
In our commitment to diversity, we hope to reflect a global Church that is richly diverse ethnically and culturally, yet bound together in a family extending across the whole of the earth.
At this moment, let us recommit ourselves to ensuring that every person who lives, teaches, studies and works on our campus is embraced into such a community. In this way, we are co-creators of a Notre Dame community that seeks to embody ever more fully the love that radiates from the heart of Christ and the welcome of his open arms.
Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C.
President, University of Notre Dame
Spirit of Inclusion
(Once again we note that "inclusion" is not a blanket offer of acceptance of a person no matter a person' lifestyle or predilections. We find this in Mark 8:34: "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" Jesus held forth a standard, that one must yield one's self-interest in order to follow Him.
Yet the author, who apparently is a "father" in the Catholic church, abandons the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the church he agreed to uphold in favor of the latest feel-good nonsense of the political Left. It is "another gospel," a violation of the faith he is obligated to uphold, an impostor that enslaves people rather than sets them free.
A man like this is not fit to lead Notre Dame.)
“Strangers and sojourners no longer...” (Ephesians 2:19)
The University of Notre Dame strives for a spirit of inclusion among the members of this community for distinct reasons articulated in our Christian tradition. We prize the uniqueness of all persons as God’s creatures. We welcome all people, regardless of color, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social or economic class, and nationality, for example, precisely because of Christ’s calling to treat others as we desire to be treated. We value gay and lesbian members of this community as we value all members of this community. We condemn harassment of any kind, and University policies proscribe it. We consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish.
One of the essential tests of social justice within any Christian community is its abiding spirit of inclusion. Scriptural accounts of Jesus provide a constant witness of this inclusiveness. Jesus sought out and welcomed all people into the Kingdom of God — the gentile as well as the Jew, women as well as men, the poor as well as the wealthy, the slave as well as the free, the infirm as well as the healthy. The social teachings of the Catholic Church promote a society founded on justice and love, in which all persons possess inherent dignity as children of God. The individual and collective experiences of Christians have also provided strong warrants for the inclusion of all persons of good will in their communal living. Christians have found their life together enriched by the different qualities of their many members, and they have sought to increase this richness by welcoming others who bring additional gifts, talents and backgrounds to the community.
The spirit of inclusion at Notre Dame flows from our character as a community of scholarship, teaching, learning and service founded upon Jesus Christ. As the Word through whom all things were made, Christ is the source of the order of all creation and of the moral law which is written in our hearts. As the incarnate Word, Christ taught the law of love of God and sent the Holy Spirit that we might live lives of love and receive the gift of eternal life. For Notre Dame, Christ is the law by which all other laws are to be judged. As a Catholic institution of higher learning, in the governance of our common life we look to the teaching of Christ, which is proclaimed in Sacred Scripture and tradition, authoritatively interpreted by Church teaching, articulated in normative understandings of the human person, and continually deepened by the wisdom born of inquiry and experience. The rich heritage of the Catholic faith informs and transforms our search for truth and our understanding of contemporary challenges in higher education.
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