Why the nuns walked out
The faithful nuns that teach at Marin Catholic High School in the San Francisco archdiocese seek to be full and credible witnesses to Christ and his church, teaching Catholic beliefs and making saints in a culture which too often misunderstands and even opposes these efforts.
They are the very sort of teachers that Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has promoted in his schools — with needless controversy — and that has put them into a high- stakes situation.
On Friday, April 17, some students at Marin Catholic, apparently unbeknown to the school administration, arranged for the school’s participation in the “Day of Silence” in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. When the sisters walked out of morning Mass, they found students wearing stickers and pledging to remain silent all day to draw attention to the bullying and nonacceptance of gays and lesbians in school.
This caught the nuns off guard. It was not the message about protecting gay and lesbian students from abuse or bullying that concerned them, it was the event’s sponsorship by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, which works to “champion LGBT issues in K- 12 education,” including redefining marriage and opposing religious- freedom protections. Not wanting to violate the school’s mission by appearing to support the network’s full agenda, the sisters returned to their convent until things could be sorted out.
This took courage, and it angered a number of students and fellow teachers who failed to recognize the nuns’ motivations. But the school administration later made a public announcement disassociating the school with any group that is contrary to the mission of the church.
In the future, Marin Catholic might consider teaching the importance of protecting gays and lesbians from abuse during the worldwide U. N. Anti- Bullying Day May 4, justly supporting the goal of preventing bullying and discrimination while upholding the Catholic understanding of human sexuality.
There is already enough confusion among some of our young Catholics regarding human sexuality. The school might consider using this moment to not only teach the good news about the God- given dignity of all people, both gay and straight, but also about God’s wonderful plan for human sexuality.
Sadly, many people in today’s culture have difficulty viewing Catholic teaching as anything but discrimination. Catholics don’t mean it that way. Our understanding of human sexuality is holistic and anchored in a Christian anthropology of man, with body and soul united. Our sexuality is, in fact, a wonderful, life- giving gift of God meant for the fruitful relationship of a husband and wife. The unity of the person, the integrity of the body and soul working in cooperation with God’s creation is all positive, healthy, good news for our youth.
It is incumbent upon those of us working in Catholic schools to share this good news and to join with our students on their journey to integrity and a full and integrated life. Our students need to hear this message loud and clear, not only from the nuns, but from all of their teachers. The most effective way to teach difficult truths in difficult times and places is with sincere conviction and loving personal witness, which is precisely what the nuns at Marin Catholic so wonderfully shared.