Saint Mary’s College Students Respond to Peer’s LGBTQ-Negative Public Letter

In a letter to a Catholic college newspaper, a group of students have publicly refuted another student’s exclusionary rhetoric and mischaracterization of queer theology which called the school’s Catholic identity into question.

Members of student groups Sexuality and Gender Equity Club (SAGE) and Smicks for Choice at Saint Mary’s College, South Bend, Indiana, wrote this message in a letter to the editor published by The Observer student newspaper. The letter stated:

“We encourage you all to join us in a conversation about a Catholicism that is diverse, inclusionary, and loving. One that everyone will feel welcome at, one where there is no hate speech, one where we can all feel comfortable enough to be ourselves.”

Their letter responded to another penned by a Saint Mary’s College senior, which accused the leadership of betraying the college’s Catholic mission. The student criticized the school for hosting events discussing reproductive justice, celebrating a student poem which used a feminine pronoun for God, and offering a Queer Theology course.

The full, unedited version of the initial letter can be found here, and the student response letter can be read in its entirety here.

In their response, the pro-LGBTQ+ students reclaimed their college’s Catholic identity (emphasis in original):

“We will not allow your false accusations and your disturbing usage of our God– a God of love and inclusivity– to be used against us or to erase us….Ourselves, along with many other Saint Mary’s students, strongly believe we should not abandon our Catholic viewpoint. Rather, we should embrace true Catholic teachings and theological perspectives that uphold equality and diversity – not ones that exclude and cause pain for others. In embracing our Catholic Identity, we should embrace the diversity of God. We should love one another for every aspect that God placed in their innate human design, as love is at the core of our being. Love is what makes us, what provides community to us, and what sustains us. Jesus welcomed and loved all – and so will we.”

The response letter also sought to educate members of the Saint Mary’s College community about Queer Theology, a course which the original letter criticized for “degrading” St. Mary, the college’s namesake. The response letter explains:

“The nature of queer theology is not a new concept when Jesus’s being is in himself queer. This is not to say ‘Jesus was gay’, as being ‘queer’ simply means to act outside of the norms or what is expected of someone based upon their historical status. Jesus was revolutionary…Jesus welcomes all into relationship with Him – LGBTQ+ persons, people of color, women, indigenous persons, impoverished persons… the list goes on.”

The Observer reported that the original letter has gained over 190 signatures from students and alumni; the response letter has gained nearly 250.

Robert Shine, associate director of New Ways Ministry, commented:

“At their best, Catholic colleges and universities should expand students’ knowledge of the world and teach them to pursue justice in the world. Exposure to courses like queer theology and conversations about gender issues are a critical part of this education for the world today. The core of a Catholic education is, however, found in some of the Saint Mary’s students’ words: ‘Jesus welcomed and loved all – and so will we.'”

This post is part of Bondings 2.0’s series on LGBTQ+ issues in Catholic higher education. You can read other stories in this series by clicking here.

–Ariell Watson Simon (she/her), New Ways Ministry, May 1, 2023