Letters to USD – Page 5
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Dear President Lyons,
In your statement to the USD Trustees you wrote: “In this regard, the Associated Students and the Pride student organization planned events that have been quite common at other Catholic universities, including Santa Clara, DePaul, University of Seattle and others.”
As the parents of 4 adults we heard the statement, “well my friends are doing it” on many occasions. Of course as good parents we had to help them learn that what their friends were doing may not be good for them, our family and society. They needed to learn how to become mature adults and understand the concept that “going along with others” will not help them but actually may hurt them.
The Catholic Church teaches that tolerance, kindness and acceptance always needs to be practiced for the individual. But, allowing these types of “lifestyle choices” to be tolerated and accepted in society will destroy that society. The history of societies that practiced an “anything goes” policy clearly demonstrates that destruction is inevitable. Please don’t be a part of this destruction. Cancel the “drag show” and remove any student organizations that will do the same.
Yours in Christ,
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Dear President Lyons,
I am concerned about the upcoming Drag Queen performance being hosted
at USD. We will never know how much this will harm the students
attending and for future students that will want to attend USD. I pray
that you reconsider your decision on holding this performance at USD.
Sincerely,
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As a life long Catholic I do not agree with your decision to allow a
drag queen show on your campus.
It seems to fly in the face of our Catholic values.
Do you have any boundaries on what you will allow on your campus?
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Dear Ms. Lyons and Mr. Bass;
I can’t understand how two people as intelligent as yourselves, can be so
blantantly ignorant of the facts of Catholism in a Catholic institution.
Is it your deliberate intent to embarrass the Church with this show of
disobedience and sin?
This event does not promote understanding and social justice, it does the
opposite because it celbrates debauchery and sin.
Are you two that depraved yourselves as to be excited about offending and
embarrassing God and the Catholic faith? You should both be fired!
The school has lost its Catholicity and with it, any vestige of real
education or sanity.
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“Dear Ms Lyons,
“Our crimes and our sins weigh us down; we are rotting away because of them.
How can we survive?” Ezekiel 33 (around vs. 10 area) Such is the state of
schools of higher education that hold themselves out to be “Catholic” and
are recognized for their extraordinary efforts to prove they are open to
everything including scandal, aka sin. This is not judgment as it does not
go to your soul, it is talking about actions that you have under your
control and that which you are fully able to prevent. Cancel this debauchery
of morals that goes against Church teachings, you may find the silent
majority is watching and will send their children in the future to an
institute of higher learning that has the fortitude to stand up for what is
right.
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Dear President Lyons,
My nephew is attending USD because he wanted to be in an environment which would encourage him to live his Catholic faith. I cannot tell you how shocked and disappointed I am to get an email announcement regarding a planned Drag Show on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. His parents are sacrificing greatly to send this young man to USD for all of the right reasons. In allowing this type of event, and heaven knows what else, you make a mockery out of the concept of a truly Catholic education and the orthodox surroundings they are paying dearly to provide him.
I am profoundly disappointed that my nephew is currently attending a school that identifies itself with Christ and His teachings yet promotes this kind of immorality. This proposed Drag Show should not be considered comedy entertainment, but a tragic drama! I would hope you would be placing your efforts in promoting Catholic morality and teaching Theology of the Body to clarify God’s plan, rather than be an instrument of confusion to our young people.
I personally had much higher hopes for my nephew’s education at a Catholic institution than at a secular school. Although USD has enjoyed a great academic reputation, it appears if you are going to provide this type of programming, there is little difference sending him to USD or a secular school. Actually, it is worse! You have been entrusted with safeguarding the faith of our children as a Catholic educational institution, yet you are providing this level of hypocrisy.
It appears USD has lost its moral compass. You are not called to promote a public mockery of Christian virtue at USD. The fact that you have to be lobbied to cancel this event, ought to give you pause. However, this Easter week would be a most appropriate one for USD to get its moral compass recalibrated.
I hope Mary, the Mother of God, will help you to recognize the tremendous privilege and responsibility God has given you to help form His little ones. I pray this situation serves as a catalyst to cause you to regroup regarding your calling to take the narrow high road. Allow this Easter week to be the beginning of a humble turn back toward sound, Catholic Christian moral standards on the USD campus. It may be timely to reflect on the passage from Matthew 18:6: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
May God grant you the grace and courage to be His light in the darkness.
In His Love,
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Dear President Lyons:
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!
I graduated *summa cum laude* from the University of San Diego in 2010. I write today to express how disheartened I am that your
administration would allow a drag queen performance to be held on campus. I ask that you serious reconsider your position and present
this disgrace, this insult to the Catholic identity of our university and the vision of its Founders, from taking place. USD was once a
true beacon on the hill, a witness to the Sacrifice of Christ and the promise of Salvation in Him through Holy Mother Church. Sadly,
this is no longer true.
Bishop Buddy and Mother Hill, along with the San Diego Catholics who helped them build USD, sought to form strong, educated *Catholics*
to face this dangerous and increasingly secular world in which we live. The decision to allow PRIDE and the Rainbow Educators to host
this sort of event is a disgrace to their heritage, to the mission of the university, and to the moral teachings of the Magisterium to
which you are called to be faithful.
I also write to express my concern about what might constitute a breach of privacy on the part of the University. I was recently contact
by xxx a fellow USD alumnus and former Associated Students officer. As I am sure you are aware, he is leading an alumni effort in
support of this heinous event—“A USD for Everyone”(https://sites.google.com/site/ausd4everyone/). I have been contacted numerous times
by him, and other associated with his organization, about efforts to fight the “hate” brought by loyal Catholic alums like Chuck
LiMandri. I do not know how Mr. Buttle received my personal contact information, but I can only assume that your administration, or some
employee in the Alumni Office, provided this information to him. I did not ask that this information be shared. Nor is it appropriate
for the school to provide such sensitive information to an independent group lobbying in support of the destruction of USD’s Catholic
identity. I would only add that a number of my classmates have received similar emails without having shared their personal information.
The time has not passed that you can take seriously the school’s mission to promote a Catholic identity on-campus. This increasingly
secular world needs brave Catholics who will take a stand for what is right and good and holy. I know you to be a kind and loving
person, Dr. Lyons. I can only pray that you be brave and faithful, too.
Until your administration takes seriously the purpose of a Catholic university, however, I will refrain from contributing any sort of
financial support. Furthermore, I will actively encourage my friends and family to dissuade their prospective students from applying to
USD. I look forward to any response you might provide, especially in regards to the sharing of personal information with “A USD for
Everyone.”
Best regards,
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Dear Educators,
Happy Easter !!!
I have lived in San Diego County for 37 of my 47 years. I have always been in awe of USD School and Campus and visit as often as
possible. I am a Catholic and love to attend Mass at the Immaculata Church.
I am writing you today as a concern parent of 4 teenage children.
When I heard about the “Drag Show” I was deeply saddened.
A Catholic University is no place for any kind of show which is a mockery of men or women and the God given gift of sexuality.
I think Fr John A. Hardon. S.J. put it best when he stated:
“The true purpose of education is to teach people the purpose of their lives here on earth. This purpose is to use the creatures that
enter their lives as a means of reaching their eternal destiny in the life to come. That destiny is nothing less than entering heaven and
possessing God in the perfect satisfaction of all human desires.”
It seems to me that this sort of entertainment – at a Catholic University no less – does exactly the opposite.
Please reconsider. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely in the Risen Savior
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Dear Ms. Lyons,
I am hugely disappointed to hear that USD, a faith-based, Catholic institution is having a “drag show” on campus on April 11th. The words “Happy Easter” and “drag show” used in your email sent to alumni don’t even go together! That’s like the devil and God. How in the world can you have an event like that at USD, a Catholic University?! You know what is wrong with the world and people who claim to love the lord….they waiver! They pick and choose as to what they want to follow. The only problem is….when you are a follower of Jesus Christ there is only one path, the path of righteousness. This is absolutely not a representation of God and righteousness! It contradicts everything about Christianity! My husband and I proudly talk about our children possibly attending USD when they get older, however, if this is what’s going on at the university, I absolutely would not want them to attend nor would I ever support this institution. Please search your heart and your faith and spend time in prayer asking our Heavenly Father if this is something you should support or for that matter allow.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
God Bless