The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, a founding institution of Benedictine College, said in a statement that Butker’s speech “fostered division.”
From MSNBC: “Harrison Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas last weekend sparked a culture war firestorm. Now, the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College, have weighed in, denouncing Butker’s remarks as unrepresentative of the ideals of the Catholic liberal arts college. The response is below:
Statement in Response to the 2024
Benedictine College
Commencement Address:
The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested.
Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division. One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman. We sisters have dedicated our lives to God and God’s people, including the many women whom we have taught and influenced during the past 160 years. These women have made a tremendous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers and through their God-given gifts in leadership, scholarship, and their careers.
Our community has taught young women and men not just how to be “homemakers” in a limited sense, but rather how to make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves. We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic. We are faithful members of the Catholic Church who embrace and promote the values of the Gospel, St. Benedict, and Vatican II and the teachings of Pope Francis.
We want to be known as an inclusive, welcoming community, embracing Benedictine values that have endured for more than 1500 years and have spread through every continent and nation. We believe those values are the core of Benedictine College. (https://www.mountosb.org)
MSNBC reports: “From the get-go, Butker’s speech to the graduating class of 2024 was littered with homophobic, sexist and anti-abortion views. Among his most widely criticized comments was his remark to the young women among the graduates that they’d been fed “diabolical lies” about career aspirations when “one of the most important titles” for them is “homemaker.” (Butker’s mother, as many pointed out, is herself an accomplished physicist.) The Benedictine nuns called out his remarks about women in particular.