I am completely ripping this off from Rod Dreher’s blog this morning (I even $tole the “$” in the title from Rod-). The undergraduate of my (law school) alma mater has this whopper of a job posting: JOB SUMMARY In accordance with our University of St. Thomas mission of advancing the common good and convictions of dignity and diversity, the university seeks to create and sustain a diverse, equitable and inclusive community.  Reporting directly to the President, the Associate Vice President for (AVP) for Inclusive Excellence will lead the development and implementation of a proactive diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, which will support St. Thomas’s mission and strategic priorities.   The AVP for Inclusive Excellence is a high-level management position reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet. The AVP for Inclusive Excellence will lead the development of a vision and effective strategy that champions the importance and value of a diverse and inclusive university environment. Annual university-wide goals and strategies will be developed by the AVP for Inclusive Excellence to bring together various constituencies across the university.  Tapping into a broad array of existing university resources, the AVP for Inclusive Excellence will also engage faculty,…Continue reading $t. Thoma$

My wife and I spent Saturday this past weekend at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Newly Married Retreat (0-7 years or marriage). Outside of the marriage-related takeaways, I came away with two main thoughts: We, as Catholics, should expect persecution. From Obergefell, to states expanding abortion, to the widespread disdain laid bare against Catholics (Covington Catholic), to the open persecution of Catholic beliefs as bigoted that render one unfit for public service, this ain’t stopping. It’s easy to become discouraged that the line in the sand has been drawn (the world and the left against Catholicism) and we appear to be losing. We should expect this to continue. The forces of evil will not stop. Persecution may look different now than it did in the past, but it is persecution nonetheless. And we need saints and martyrs (maybe not in the literal sense) to step up. We must speak truth to power and model beauty and truth in our lives. We are the counter-culture, and that’s okay (and maybe even good). Married millennial? Whatever floats your boat. Not using contraceptives? Oh, you’re one of those people. Oppose abortion? You hate women. Etc. Etc. As Ross Douthat put it recently: “It was…Continue reading Hold faith as a shield