Ave Maria: Plunging into Compromise

During perilous economic and political times, it is easy to see how quickly many members of society begin to set their sights low. It seems as if a state of pragmatism overtakes them– which leads to the justification of actions, no matter how unwise these may be.

This is how society falls. Individuals begin to compromise over material issues, which is always followed by questioning and devaluing their principles. Some even justify their actions with intellectual pretentiousness.

Anyone who has the courage to criticize their pragmatic material decisions, while reminding them of their moral proclamations and the commitment these require– is suddenly branded as out-of-touch and unreasonable– and is often the subject of vicious ad hominem attacks.

In the past few months, Ave Maria has witnessed the honoring of Tom Golisano at Ave Maria University. Golisano is a billionaire / politician who has given breathtaking financial support to pro-choice institutions and to NARAL-endorsed, hard-core pro-choice politicians– including President Barack Obama.

In contrast, tremendous opposition to The Jackson Lab has been voiced from outside Ave Maria, by experts, business leaders, and by the general public.
Ave Maria was once promoted by Tom Monaghan as a town that would respect Catholic sensibilities. It is a town where the overwhelming majority of residents are Catholics. The question is– is Ave Maria a town of modern tolerance to scientific activities that are against natural law?

This is a valid question– considering that Mr. Monaghan stated in a deposition dated February 20, 2008– “Well, I thought that a disproportionate amount of the people that moved there would be Catholics, serious Catholics.”

The following is Part II of a commentary written by Randy Engel, a pro-life veteran of more than 40 years, and the founder and Director of the U.S. Coalition for Life (http://www.uscl.info), the oldest pro-life research agency in the United States. Engel is also the co-founder, with Dr. Jerome Lejeune of Paris, of the Pittsburgh-based International Foundation for Genetic Research/Michael Fund (http://www.michaelfund.org), the pro-life alternative to the March of Dimes. The Michael Fund, created in 1978, combines a pro-life philosophy with a truly therapeutic research program centering on treatments and cures for chromosomal disorders, especially Down syndrome.

On May 20, 2010, Michael Hyde, Vice-President for Advancement and External Relations for the Jackson Laboratory, was interviewed by members of the press at the Naples Harbor Yacht Club. One of the questions concerned the issue of human stem cell research. According to Hyde, nobody from Ave Maria or elsewhere had ever asked Jackson Laboratory to give its assurance that it would refrain from human embryonic stem cell research on its property. Nor, it was insinuated by Hyde, would Jackson officials and researchers likely agree to any infringement of their right to pursue whatever scientific course they desired to pursue.

All this, and yet we have heard nothing from the officials, faculty and staff of Ave Maria University including its Chancellor, Tom Monaghan, and the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District – where the Jackson Institute and its auxiliary medical facilities will be located. Nor have we heard a word of opposition from the residents of the Ave Maria Town, except for Catholic journalist and resident, Marielena Montesino de Stuart. http://romancatholicworld.wordpress.com/category/the-chronicles-of-ave-maria-%C2%A9/

Ave Maria is simply a microcosm of society.

Now, Ave Maria is witnessing the welcoming of The Jackson Lab– whose services include “workshops” and “resources” for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. No public opposition to the honoring of Golisano, nor to the welcoming of The Jackson Lab has been noted from the Catholic faculty at Ave Maria University, nor from the students at AMU, or the residents of Ave Maria. [Later in the article it states "Nor have we heard a word of opposition from the residents of the Ave Maria Town, except for Catholic journalist and resident, Marielena Montesino de Stuart.]

In contrast, tremendous opposition to The Jackson Lab has been voiced from outside Ave Maria, by experts, business leaders, and by the general public.

Ave Maria was once promoted by Tom Monaghan as a town that would respect Catholic sensibilities. It is a town where the overwhelming majority of residents are Catholics. The question is– is Ave Maria a town of modern tolerance to scientific activities that are against natural law?

This is a valid question– considering that Mr. Monaghan stated in a deposition dated February 20, 2008– “Well, I thought that a disproportionate amount of the people that moved there would be Catholics, serious Catholics.”

While the article did not need to be excerpted, I removed a lengthy portion of the embedded study titled "A U.S. Coalition for Life Commentary" to keep the article short enough to hold attention. The "SNIP" marks where Ms. Stuart's portion ends, and the remainder picks up with the summary of Randy Engel's "Coalition" essay.

Related article outside FR:
Ave Maria Town: Roman Catholic…and un-American?

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