“Saint Mary’s will consider undergraduate applicants whose sex assigned at birth is female or who consistently live and identify as women,” Conboy wrote in an email obtained by Fox News.
Conboy and the chair of the school’s board of trustees, Maureen Smith, followed that up with an apology email that was saint to Saint Mary’s community stating the school would go back to its previous admission policy.
“When the board approved this update, we viewed it as a reflection of our college’s commitment to live our Catholic values as a loving and just community,” the letter read.
The letter acknowledged that not all community members agreed with their stance, with some concerned the policy revision was just the beginning.
Many felt the move was “a dilution” of the school’s mission and even a threat to the school’s Catholic identity.
“As this last month unfolded, we lost people’s trust and unintentionally created division where we had hoped for unity,” the two said in the letter. “For this, we are deeply sorry.”
They concluded: “Taking all these factors into consideration, the Board has decided that we will return to our previous admission policy.”
The school’s policy change was heavily criticized by many, including Fort Wayne-South Bend Bishop Kevin Rhoades, who reportedly urged the school to reverse course because the policy went against Catholic teachings, Fox reported.
Saint Mary’s opened in 1844 by four Sisters of the Holy Cross.
