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Cardinal Newman Society's V-Monologue Updates 2005 

Additional information on WFF website:
"V-Monologues" on Catholic campuses: Why won't they just say NO?

Updated 2/18/2005

"Cardinal Newman Society is now inviting all Catholic women to submit their signatures. Click on the link below for the instructions for adding your signature."
A copy of this statement is below. For complete updates go to the Cardinal Newman Society's website.

Catholic Women's Statement on the Monologues
Catholic Women's Joint Statement on Monologues

We are Catholic women who have been called to serve the Church in various ways, in fidelity to Church teaching and with respect for our Pope and bishops.

We are saddened that individuals at numerous colleges and universities-including Catholic institutions-have chosen to address the terrible problem of violence against women by presenting benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues.  The play is offered as a celebration of women, but it  fails to appreciate women's true dignity and therefore has little impact on the flawed mindset that permits social, mental, physical and sexual oppression against women. 

The play's emphasis on genital anatomy and sexual activity, including lesbian encounters and masturbation, degrades women and fails to appreciate their true dignity and vocation.

"This text separates the beautiful gift of sexuality from its purpose, which includes the expression of a gift of oneself to another in a permanent union of life and love.  Indeed, the play also separates the gift of human sexuality from the woman herself, from her body and her spirit and from the bearing of children."[1]

The Monologues characters place little emphasis on love and service to others, which are primary elements of women's dignity.  This love and service are best modeled in the roles most natural to women: those of spouse, mother and virgin.  
"A woman's dignity is closely connected with the love which she receives by the very reason of her femininity; it is likewise connected with the love which she gives in return. Woman can only find herself by giving love to others. A woman is strong because of the fact that God 'entrusts the human being to her,' always and in every way, even in the situations of social discrimination in which she may find herself."[2]

To fully appreciate women's dignity, even when confronted by injustice and abuse, we turn to the Son of God and His Mother Mary.  Jesus Christ halted the stoning of the woman "caught in adultery"[3] by first making the men who accused her aware of their own sin, "thereby revealing His profound capacity to see human consciences and actions in their true light."[4]  It is through Christ that women find God's redemption, healing and guidance.  "The dignity of every human being and the vocation corresponding to that dignity find their definitive measure in union with God," and so we turn to Mary, "the most complete expression of this dignity and vocation," who submitted herself to God's will and remained free from sin.[5]

While we support the cause of combating violence against women, we urge colleges and universities to do so without hosting the play The Vagina Monologues or involving the V-Day association that sponsors the play.  In particular, we urge Catholic colleges and universities to refrain from hosting this play and to teach students about the dignity of women and the vocation that leads them to salvation.

[1] Concerning a Presentation at Notre Dame, Bishop John D'Arcy, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (February 2004)

[2] On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, Pope John Paul II (Sept. 30, 1988), 30

[3] John 8:3-11

[4] On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, Pope John Paul II (Sept. 30, 1988), 14

[5] On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, Pope John Paul II (Sept. 30, 1988), 5

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Posted February 8th

NEWS ALERT -
[This News Alert was posted February 8th - updates can be checked by going directly to the Cardinal Newman Society's website]

Contact: Media Relations
10562 Associates Court _ Manassas, VA 20109
(703) 367-0333 _ Fax (703) 396-8668
[email protected]

CNS Fights to Halt Monologues at 30 Colleges
Performances of filthy play decline in fourth year of CNS protest

For the fourth year, Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) has launched a nationwide protest of The Vagina Monologues, planned at 30 Catholic colleges and universities during February and March.

As Catholics worldwide fast and pray during Lent-the season of purification leading up to Easter-students and faculty at many Catholic colleges will be taking to the stage chanting obscenities, telling tales of lesbian activity and masturbation, and declaring the lesbian rape of a teenage girl her "salvation." Most performances are scheduled on or around Saint Valentine's Day on February 14.

"Performing this offensive play during Lent mocks the Catholic faith, as does the attempt to replace Saint Valentine's Day with 'V-Day,'" said CNS president Patrick J. Reilly in a statement to national media. "The Vagina Monologues is contrary to all that Catholics believe about the dignity of women and human sexuality."

CNS has called on its more than 16,000 members and other Catholics to convey their concerns about the campus performances to college presidents. Last year, some colleges reported receiving more than 1,000 e-mails and other communications protesting the play.

The list of planned performances announced by V-Day, the national group that has licensed campus productions at more than 700 colleges this year, includes prominent institutions like DePaul University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Saint Louis and the University of San Francisco. At St. Mary's College in Indiana, a custom script written by students will mimic the original Vagina Monologues. In addition to the 30 Catholic colleges on CNS's protest list, V-Day announced the Monologues at another five Catholic colleges where officials have assured CNS that no performances will in fact occur, and another college where students have organized an off-campus performance without their college's support or endorsement.

CNS is encouraged this year by a marked decline in planned performances of the Monologues on Catholic campuses: 36 were announced (including the customized version at St. Mary's College), six of those will not occur, and CNS expects more to be canceled. Last year, V-Day announced performances at 45 Catholic colleges, and 29 of those actually occurred. In 2003, V-Day announced plans for the Monologues at 45 Catholic colleges, but 32 performances actually occurred.
"Clearly our message is starting to get through: The Monologues have no place on a Catholic campus," Reilly told reporters. "But it's difficult to be cheerful when one of every eight Catholic colleges in the U.S. appears ready to host this filthy play. It is evidence of the continued crisis in Catholic higher education."

Last year's protest, which included a full-page ad in USA Today, had significant results. Performances announced by V-Day at 15 Catholic colleges were canceled or never got beyond early plans, often resulting from CNS's efforts. At Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus, a performance was canceled after Student Affairs officials reviewed the play and refused to support it. Loyola University of New Orleans, St. Ambrose University in Iowa, and the University of St. Francis in Illinois refused permission for student productions. John Carroll University did not cancel its performance, but University officials prevented student and faculty organizers from awarding the proceeds to a pro-abortion organization as revealed by CNS.

In 2003, the president of the University of Portland banned the Monologues, describing the play as "offensive, questionable in its portrayal of violence and not in keeping with the respect accorded the human body in this institution's religious tradition." The College of New Rochelle and Iona College in New York, Loras College in Iowa and Rivier College in New Hampshire also halted the play.
The Vagina Monologues presents women discussing their sexuality and sexual encounters, replete with vulgarity, explicit language, and graphic descriptions of lesbian activity and masturbation.

One scene describes the seduction of a sexually inexperienced 16-year-old girl by a 24-year-old lesbian, who first intoxicates the girl with vodka. Instead of presenting the incident as sexual abuse that would be prosecuted as statutory rape in many states, the play declares it the girl's "surprising, unexpected and politically correct salvation." In light of the Church's struggles with similar crimes by priests who exploited younger boys, the scene is highly objectionable.
"The Vagina Monologues is offensive to women; it is antithetical to Catholic teaching on the beautiful gift of human sexuality and also to the teachings of the Church on the human body relative to its purpose and to its status as a temple of the Holy Spirit," wrote Bishop John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, last year in a public statement. "The consistency which one looks for, and so often finds at [the University of] Notre Dame, is sorely missing in the decision to present this play."

For more information on CNS or the Monologues, see www.cardinalnewmansociety.org.

Planned "Vagina Monologues" Sites
(Source: V-Day organization as of 2/2/05)

Bellarmine University ­ Feb. 17-19
Dr. Joseph J. McGowan, President
2001 Newburg Rd., Louisville, KY 40205
Phone: (502) 452-8000; Fax: (502) 452-8033
E-mail: [email protected]

Boston College
Rev. William Leahy, S.J., President
18 Old Colony Rd., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Phone: (617) 552-8000; Fax: (617) 552-4812
E-Mail: [email protected]

Carlow University ­ Feb. 17
Sr. Grace Ann Geibel, RSM, President
3333 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: (412) 578-6123; Fax: (412) 578-6358
E-mail: [email protected]

College of Mount St. Vincent ­ Feb. 11,12,14
Charles Flynn, Jr., President
6301 Riverdale Ave., Riverdale, NY 10471
Phone: (718) 405- 3233; Fax: (718) 549-2603
E-mail: [email protected]

College of Saint Benedict ­ Feb. 11
Dr. MaryAnn Baenninger, President
37 S. College Ave., St. Joseph, MN 46374
Phone: (320) 363-5505; Fax: (320) 363-6091

College of St. Rose
Dr. R. Mark Sullivan, President
432 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12203
Phone: (518) 454-5121; Fax: (518) 454-2080

College of St. Scholastica ­ Feb. 8, 16
Dr. Larry Goodwin, President
1200 Kenwood Ave., Duluth, MN 55811
Phone: (218) 723-6035; Fax: (218) 723-6278
E-mail: [email protected]

College of the Holy Cross ­ Feb. 15-16
Rev. Michael McFarland, S.J., President
1 College St., Worcester, MA 01610
Phone: (508) 793-2011; Fax: (508) 793-2347
E-mail: [email protected]

DePaul University ­ Feb. 19-20
Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., President
55 E. Jackson Blvd., 22nd Fl., Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 362-8890; Fax: (312) 362-6822
E-mail: [email protected]

Dominican University of California
Dr. Joseph R. Fink, President
50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: (415) 485-3200; Fax: (415) 485-0483
E-mail: [email protected]

Fordham University Lincoln Center ­ Feb. 18-19
Fordham University Rose Hill Campus
Fordham University Marymount College
Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President
441 E. Fordham Rd., Bronx, NY 10458
Phone: (718) 817-3000; Fax: (718) 817-3005
E-mail (c/o executive secretary): [email protected]

Georgetown University Main Campus
Georgetown University Law Center ­ Feb. 24-25
Dr. John DeGioia, President
37th & O Sts. NW, Washington, DC 20057
Phone: (202) 687-4134
E-mail: [email protected]

John Carroll University ­ Feb. 11-13
Rev. Edward Glynn, S.J., President
20700 N. Park Blvd., University Heights, OH 44118
Phone: (216) 397-4281; Fax: (216) 397-3089
E-mail: [email protected]

Loyola University of Chicago
Rev. Michael Garanzini, S.J., President
820 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-2196
Phone: (312) 915-6700; Fax: (312) 915-6414
E-mail: [email protected]

Loyola University of New Orleans
Rev. Kevin W. Wildes, S.J., President
6363 St. Charles Ave., Campus Box 009, New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: (504) 865-3847; Fax: (504) 865-3851

Marymount Manhattan College
Dr. Judson R. Shaver, President
221 E. 71st St., New York, NY 10021
Phone: (212) 517-0560; Fax: (212) 517-0567
E-mail: [email protected]

Providence College ­ Feb. 16-17
Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P., President
549 River Ave., Providence, RI 02918
Phone: (401) 865-1000; Fax: (401) 865-1205
E-mail: [email protected]

Regis College
Dr. Mary Jane England, President
235 Wellesley St., Weston, MA 02493
Phone: (781) 768-7122; Fax: (781) 768-7016
E-mail: [email protected]

Saint John Fisher College
Dr. Donald E. Bain, Interim President
3690 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14618
Phone: (585) 385-8010; Fax: (585) 385-8289

Saint Louis University ­ Feb. 11-13
Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J., President
221 North Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO 63103
Phone: (314) 977-7777; Fax: (314) 977-7105
E-mail: [email protected]

Saint Mary's College ­ Feb. 26-27
(Presenting custom script called SMC Monologues)
Carol Ann Mooney, President
St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 284-4602; Fax: (574) 284-4800

Saint Mary's College of California ­ Feb. 11
Bro. Ronald Gallagher, F.S.C., President
P.O. Box 3005, Moraga, CA 94575
Phone: (925) 631-4203; Fax: (925) 376-2150
E-mail: [email protected]

Saint Xavier University ­ Feb. 14
Dr. Judith Dwyer, President
Warde Academic Center, Rm A225
3700 West 103rd St., Chicago, IL 60655
Phone: (773) 298-3309; Fax: (773) 779-4763
E-mail: [email protected]

Seattle University
Rev. Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J., President
900 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122
Phone: (206) 296-1891; Fax: (206) 296-6200
E-mail: [email protected]

Stonehill College ­ Feb. 23-24
Rev. Mark T. Cregan, CSC, President
320 Washington St., Easton, MA 02357
Phone: (508) 565-1000; Fax: (508) 565-1658
E-mail: [email protected]

University of Dayton ­ Feb. 11-13
Dr. Daniel J. Curran, President
300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469
Phone: (937) 229-1000; Fax: (937) 229-3396
E-mail: [email protected]

University of Detroit Mercy ­ Feb. 14
Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J., President
P.O. Box 19900, Detroit, MI 48219
Phone: (313) 993-1455; Fax: (313) 993-1534

University of Notre Dame ­ Feb. 16-18
Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., President
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (574) 631-3903; Fax: (574) 631-7428
E-mail: [email protected]

University of San Francisco
Rev. Stephen A. Privett, S.J., President
2130 Fulton St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: (415) 422-6762; Fax: (415) 422-2303
E-mail: [email protected]

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Below is a correction from St Francis University -- We sincerely apologize for the error. Women for Faith and Family 3/21/2005.

"The Vagina Monologues is not being held, nor was it ever performed on campus at St. Francis University in
Loretto, PA.

Please remove this inaccurate information from your website.

St. Francis is a catholic university that practices its religion in the humble spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Such grotesque plays are not in our
tradition.

Sincerely in Christ,

Dr. Michael Kopanic, Jr.
Dept of History/Political Science
St. Francis University
Loretto, PA 15940

Michael J. Kopanic, Jr., Ph.D.
20 Maplewood Ave.
Cresson, PA 16630-1521 USA
(814) 886-9367
e-mail: [email protected]

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