Bishop Kevin Rhoades has expressed his opposition to Saint Mary’s College considering accepting transgender women on the grounds that sexual identity is an either/or, black or white matter, determined by God as interpreted by the teaching authority of the Church, as reported in The Tribune (Dec. 1).
I am in awe of the diversity and richness of God’s design, aside from the labels we humans assign, as someone who identifies as female and Catholic.
I first became aware of the wide range of gender diversity among those who are only referred to as “women” 60 years ago while a student at a Catholic children’s institution.
Race was the hot button topic when I was a scholar. Mixing races was viewed as “unnatural” by many, and the admission of “colored” women to residential “white” institutions sparked a riot. When then-president Sister Mary Madeleva Wolff admitted the second woman of color to Saint Mary’s in the early 1940s, it had that effect. One priest spoke out in her favor, telling her to “stick to her guns.”
I’ve come to understand the harm done to God’s biological strategy when any one of us is reduced to a single aspect of our personality in the eyes of people. Our problem as compassionate people, as well as God’s children and Jesus’ followers, is to learn to appreciate and embrace the diversity and richness of our God-given world and of ourselves. Therefore, I pray that our priest will one day be able to tell President Katie Conboy and Saint Mary’s, “Stick to your guns,” as he did in another era long before. Amen.
Gail Porter Mandell, South Bend
A fourth item
Brad Chambers, the secretary of commerce for Indiana, wrote an article last week calling for a quick and urgent change to the criminal justice system in the wake of the state’s violence (Tribune, Dec. 3). In this shift, he identifies two requirements: transparency and trust. I would contend that preventative reduction, a third component, is required.
We urgently need hazard reduction as it relates to murder so that we can stop it before it happens, even though law enforcement works on the response end of crime. In light of this, I implore lawmakers to increase funding for community violence intervention programs across the board.
These initiatives collaborate with members of the local community to de-escalate issues before they pose a threat to and harm the neighborhood. Plans to prevent violence will help save lives, save taxpayer money, and lessen our law enforcement officers’ workload and risk.
I implore Hoosiers to support these initiatives as an essential component of our communities and a means of halting the rise in crime in Indiana and across the nation.
Kate Jackowski, South Bend
A beneficial effect
A number of characteristics give credit unions their innately people-first construction.
Since the Great Depression, credit unions have been a crucial part of the American economic environment. People gathered around the idea of joint community finance as the U.S. financial system collapsed. What emerged was a completely different approach to customer and business banking that runs in harmony with traditional banks.
Customer-owned: Credit unions are cooperative organizations that are owned by their members and run by a board of directors. They don’t have any outside investors; instead, they act in the best interests of the owners of their clients.
Not-for-profit: Credit unions are not-for-profit organizations that return profits to people through better service, competitive rates and fees, and investments in community programs.
Relationship-driven: Credit unions support those who are underserved by megabanks by fostering close ties with their members and their communities and providing financial education and technology initiatives. Some also help communities by donating to organizations and participating in charitable activities.
Credit unions are significant in this nation and have long had a beneficial impact on their communities. To support a growing economy and thriving communities, America needs both local banks and credit unions.
Jason M. Osterhage,
President & CEO, Everwise Credit Union
