Fr. McBrien Plagiarism?

THE BOSTON HERALD, Jan. 19 — The Cardinal Newman Society is asking the University of Notre Dame to investigate a possible case of plagiarism by one of its theology professors, Father Richard McBrien.

The group, which urges Catholic colleges to foster fidelity to the Church, argues that a syndicated column by Father McBrien mirrored The Boston Globe’s coverage of protests at a Catholic Charities dinner featuring Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

In particular there were two instances of unaccredited, similar wording between McBrien’s article and a Dec. 11 piece by Globe columnist Eileen McNamara, who criticized “ultra-conservative activists” for taking issue with Menino’s presence.

A Herald review of McBrien’s article found six other similarities between his column and Globe coverage of the Menino event.

 A spokesman said Notre Dame takes plagiarism allegations “seriously … and we have a procedure for handling [them].”

Signs of Spring

SPERO NEWS, Jan. 20 — While “the word ‘Catholic’ tends to be very loosely applied,” to many American colleges and universities that were founded as Catholic institutions, “there are signs of hope,” according to a column by Opus Dei Father C. John McCloskey.

Father McCloskey praised the establishment of new Catholic colleges since the 1960s, including at least six now in development.

He also hailed a “returning to catholicity by some of the older universities, including the University of Notre Dame, which, if pursued, could serve as a bellwether for other mainstream ‘Catholic’ universities to return to their roots.”

Another good sign: “Some bishops are now informing colleges that they can no longer refer to themselves as Catholic without earning the title by moral and doctrinal orthodoxy.”

Marymount to Close

THE JOURNAL NEWS, Jan. 11 — Marymount College in Tarrytown, N.Y., will close in June 2007, after nearly five years as an all-women’s school within New York’s Fordham University, according to the New York daily.

Most of Marymount’s 798 students were expected to finish their education at the 25-acre Tarrytown campus, which is to be permanently known as the Marymount Campus of Fordham University.

A number of Fordham programs will eventually be based at the campus.

Marymount was founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who founded the college in 1907

President and Abbott

ST. GREGORY’S UNIVERSITY, Jan. 24 — The university’s president, Benedictine Father Lawrence Stasyszen, was elected the 10th abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey in January.

Abbot Lawrence, who holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Benedictines’ St. Anselm University in Rome, will continue to serve as president, a post he has held since 2000.

The abbatial blessing is scheduled for Feb. 24.

Jewish Studies

FORWARD, Jan. 20 — In addition to Boston College, Georgetown University and the University of Scranton have announced the creation of new Jewish studies program. All three schools are run by the Jesuits.

The schools are not the first Jesuit colleges to offer minors in Jewish studies, reported the Jewish newspaper:

“The University of San Francisco started one 20 years ago, which it recently abandoned, and Fairfield University’s minor is 12 years old.”