As the Ignorant Kick the Kicker

The game of football, whether collegiate or professional, has held no interest for me whatsoever. Oh, to be sure, I did have a season ticket to New York Jets games in 1966 (the tickets cost seven dollars a piece for six games), but that was solely because I enjoyed being at William A. Shea Municipal Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, after having attended fifty-five New York Mets games there during the baseball season that year. The only game I really remember from that season was a Jets defeat of the Boston Patriots at Shea Stadium on Saturday, December 17, 1966, which was a meaningless game for both teams, and that was the last professional football I ever attended, and I did not follow too many games of any team since thereafter, and absolutely zero games in the past thirty years.

No, I do not watch the Super Bowl for a lot reasons that I have explained in the past (see, for example, No Matter the Game, No Matter the Final Score: Nothing Super About the Super Bowl), and it was only because a friend of mine from Long Island texted me a news story about Kansas City Chief’s kicker Harrison Butker serving what purports to be an offering of the modernized version of the Immemorial Mass at the parish operated by the Institute of Christ the King in Kansas City, Missouri, that I had even seen mention of this young Catholic’s name and his evident devotion to the Holy Faith.

Mr. Butker has, from what I have researched about him, taken very courageous positions in support of Catholic Faith and Morals, and his commencement address at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, was resonated with profound Catholic truths even one when one discounts his references to “Bishop” Robert Barron and to “Saint” Josemaria Escriva Balaguer y Albas, meaning that Opus Judaei has gotten their hooks into him (see part one of Mrs. Randy Engel’s Opus Dei and the Knights of Columbus: Anatomy of a Takeover; part one is one of nine months. Links to next in the sequence of the series are found in each article).

Here are a few of the “controversial” excerpts” from Mr. Butker’s commencement address:

dies and gentlemen of the Class of 2024:  I would like to start off by congratulating all of you for successfully making it to this achievement today. I'm sure your high school graduation was not what you had imagined, and most likely, neither was your first couple years of college.

By making it to this moment through all the adversity thrown your way from COVID, I hope you learned the important lessons that suffering in this life is only temporary. As a group, you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don't stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society. It is through this lens that I want to take stock of how we got to where we are, and where we want to go as citizens and, yes, as Catholics. One last thing before I begin, I want to be sure to thank President Minnis and the board for their invitation to speak.

When President Minnis first reached out a couple of months ago, I had originally said No. You see, last year I gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, and I felt that one graduation speech was more than enough, especially for someone who isn't a professional speaker. But of course, President Minnis used his gift of persuasion. [Laughter] It spoke to the many challenges you all faced throughout the COVID fiasco ,and how you missed out on so many milestones the rest of us older people have taken for granted. While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.

Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro- abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I'm sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.

He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn't cut it. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

Interjection Number One:

This was a salutary reminder to the Benedictine College Class of 2024 that there can be no compromise in the world.

The very people, such as the hypocritical, mendacious “defender of democracy,” Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., who claim make the absurd claim that they cannot “impose their morality” upon others even though morality exists in the very nature of things and is no more “imposed” upon anyone than are physical truths such as the law of gravity believe that they can impose their relativism upon everyone else, and to do so by armed force if necessary, and Anthony Fauci is as contemptuous of the Holy Faith as is Biden. Harrison Butker is to be commended for rebuking these reprobates publicly.

In this regard, Harrison Butker, even though he may not be aware of it, was fulfilling the prophetic admonition of Pope Leo XIII in Sapientiae Christianae, January 10, 1890:

But, if the laws of the State are manifestly at variance with the divine law, containing enactments hurtful to the Church, or conveying injunctions adverse to the duties imposed by religion, or if they violate in the person of the supreme Pontiff the authority of Jesus Christ, then, truly, to resist becomes a positive duty, to obey, a crime; a crime, moreover, combined with misdemeanor against the State itself, inasmuch as every offense leveled against religion is also a sin against the State. Here anew it becomes evident how unjust is the reproach of sedition; for the obedience due to rulers and legislators is not refused, but there is a deviation from their will in those precepts only which they have no power to enjoin. Commands that are issued adversely to the honor due to God, and hence are beyond the scope of justice, must be looked upon as anything rather than laws. You are fully aware, venerable brothers, that this is the very contention of the Apostle St. Paul, who, in writing to Titus, after reminding Christians that they are "to be subject to princes and powers, and to obey at a word," at once adds: "And to be ready to every good work."Thereby he openly declares that, if laws of men contain injunctions contrary to the eternal law of God, it is right not to obey them. In like manner, the Prince of the Apostles gave this courageous and sublime answer to those who would have deprived him of the liberty of preaching the Gospel: "If it be just in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae, January 10, 1890.)

But in this same matter, touching Christian faith, there are other duties whose exact and religious observance, necessary at all times in the interests of eternal salvation, become more especially so in these our days. Amid such reckless and widespread folly of opinion, it is, as We have said, the office of the Church to undertake the defense of truth and uproot errors from the mind, and this charge has to be at all times sacredly observed by her, seeing that the honor of God and the salvation of men are confided to her keeping. But, when necessity compels, not those only who are invested with power of rule are bound to safeguard the integrity of faith, but, as St. Thomas maintains: "Each one is under obligation to show forth his faith, either to instruct and encourage others of the faithful, or to repel the attacks of unbelievers.'' To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamors are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe. In both cases such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God, and both are incompatible with the salvation of mankind. This kind of conduct is profitable only to the enemies of the faith, for nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good. Moreover, want of vigor on the part of Christians is so much the more blameworthy, as not seldom little would be needed on their part to bring to naught false charges and refute erroneous opinions, and by always exerting themselves more strenuously they might reckon upon being successful. After all, no one can be prevented from putting forth that strength of soul which is the characteristic of true Christians, and very frequently by such display of courage our enemies lose heart and their designs are thwarted. Christians are, moreover, born for combat, whereof the greater the vehemence, the more assured, God aiding, the triumph: "Have confidence; I have overcome the world." Nor is there any ground for alleging that Jesus Christ, the Guardian and Champion of the Church, needs not in any manner the help of men. Power certainly is not wanting to Him, but in His loving kindness He would assign to us a share in obtaining and applying the fruits of salvation procured through His grace.

The chief elements of this duty consist in professing openly and unflinchingly the Catholic doctrine, and in propagating it to the utmost of our power. For, as is often said, with the greatest truth, there is nothing so hurtful to Christian wisdom as that it should not be known, since it possesses, when loyally received, inherent power to drive away error. (Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae, January 10, 1890.)

Pope Pius XII explained the necessity of resisting unjust laws throughout the course of his nineteen-year pontificate. Here are but two examples:

Everybody knows that the Catholic Church does not act through worldly motives, and that she accepts any and every form of civil government provided it not be inconsistent with divine and human rights. But when it does contradict these rights, Bishops and the faithful themselves are bound, by their own conscience to resist unjust laws. (Pope Pius XII, Allocution on the Cardinal Mindszenty Arrest, as found at: New York Times, February 15, 1949.)

26. We earnestly exhort “in the heart of Christ” (Phil. 1. 8) those faithful of whom We have mournfully written above to come back to the path of repentance and salvation. Let them remember that, when it is necessary, one must render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and with greater reason, one must render to God what is God’s (Cf. Luke 20. 25). When men demand things contrary to the Divine Will, then it is necessary to put into practice the maxim of St. Peter: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5. 29). Let them also remember that it is impossible to serve two masters, if these order things opposed to one another (Cf. Matt. 6. 24). Also at times it is impossible to please both Jesus Christ and men (Cf. Gal. 1. 10). But if it sometimes happens that he who wishes to remain faithful to the Divine Redeemer even unto death must suffer great harm, let him bear it with a strong and serene soul.

27. On the other hand, We wish to congratulate repeatedly those who, suffering severe difficulties, have been outstanding in their loyalty to God and to the Catholic Church, and so have been “counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5. 41). With a paternal heart We encourage them to continue brave and intrepid along the road they have taken, keeping in mind the words of Jesus Christ: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell . . . But as for you, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid . . . Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I in turn will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matt. 10. 28, 30-33). (Pope Pius XII, Ad Sinarum Gentes, October 7, 1954.)

Pope Pius XII also explained that nations not built upon the firm foundation of the Catholic Faith must wind up as places of injustice and iniquity:

4. If we weigh carefully the causes of today’s crises and those that are ahead, we shall soon find that human plans, human resources, and human endeavors are futile and will fail when Almighty God — He who enlightens, commands, and forbids; He who is the source and guarantor of justice, the fountainhead of truth, the basis of all laws — is esteemed but little, denied His proper place, or even completely disregarded. If a house is not built on a solid and sure foundation, it tumbles down; if a mind is not enlightened by the divine light, it strays more or less from the whole truth; if citizens, peoples, and nations are not animated by brotherly love, strife is born, waxes strong, and reaches full growth.

5. It is Christianity, above all others, which teaches the full truth, real justice, and that divine charity which drives away hatred, ill will, and enmity. Christianity has been given charge of these virtues by the Divine Redeemer, who is the way, the truth, and the life,[2] and she must do all in her power to put them to use. Anyone, therefore, who knowingly ignores Christianity — the Catholic Church — or tries to hinder, demean, or undo her, either weakens thereby the very bases of society, or tries to replace them with props not strong enough to support the edifice of human worth, freedom, and well-being.

6. There must, then, be a return to Christian principles if we are to establish a society that is strong, just, and equitable. It is a harmful and reckless policy to do battle with Christianity, for God guarantees, and history testifies, that she shall exist forever. Everyone should realize that a nation cannot be well organized or well ordered without religion. (Pope Pius XII, Meminisse Iuvat, July 14, 1958.)

We would never be arguing about the inarguable (the inviolability of innocent human life, the fact that there are only two genders, that the sin of Sodom and its related vices are abhorrent and can never enjoy the favor of the civil law nor be celebrated within civil society, etc.) in a country that recognizes the Sovereignty of Christ the King and that acknowledges the authority of the Catholic Church to interpose herself with the civil authorities in all that pertains to the good of souls after exhausting her Indirect Powers of teaching, preaching, exhortation, and admonition to warn such authorities of the consequences for defying the binding precepts of the Divine Positive Law and the Natural Law.

A summary of the civil state’s duty to pursue the common temporal good in light of man’s Last End—the possession of the glory of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost for all eternity in Heaven) was provided to us by Pope Saint Pius X in Vehementer Nos, February 11, 1906:

That the State must be separated from the Church is a thesis absolutely false, a most pernicious error. Based, as it is, on the principle that the State must not recognize any religious cult, it is in the first place guilty of a great injustice to God; for the Creator of man is also the Founder of human societies, and preserves their existence as He preserves our own. We owe Him, therefore, not only a private cult, but a public and social worship to honor Him. Besides, this thesis is an obvious negation of the supernatural order. It limits the action of the State to the pursuit of public prosperity during this life only, which is but the proximate object of political societies; and it occupies itself in no fashion (on the plea that this is foreign to it) with their ultimate object which is man’s eternal happiness after this short life shall have run its course. But as the present order of things is temporary and subordinated to the conquest of man’s supreme and absolute welfare, it follows that the civil power must not only place no obstacle in the way of this conquest, but must aid us in effecting it. The same thesis also upsets the order providentially established by God in the world, which demands a harmonious agreement between the two societies. Both of them, the civil and the religious society, although each exercises in its own sphere its authority over them. It follows necessarily that there are many things belonging to them in common in which both societies must have relations with one another. Remove the agreement between Church and State, and the result will be that from these common matters will spring the seeds of disputes which will become acute on both sides; it will become more difficult to see where the truth lies, and great confusion is certain to arise. Finally, this thesis inflicts great injury on society itself, for it cannot either prosper or last long when due place is not left for religion, which is the supreme rule and the sovereign mistress in all questions touching the rights and the duties of men. Hence the Roman Pontiffs have never ceased, as circumstances required, to refute and condemn the doctrine of the separation of Church and State. Our illustrious predecessor, Leo XIII, especially, has frequently and magnificently expounded Catholic teaching on the relations which should subsist between the two societies. “Between them,” he says, “there must necessarily be a suitable union, which may not improperly be compared with that existing between body and soul.” He proceeds: “Human societies cannot, without becoming criminal, act as if God did not exist or refuse to concern themselves with religion, as though it were something foreign to them, or of no purpose to them…. As for the Church, which has God Himself for its author, to exclude her from the active life of the nation, from the laws, the education of the young, the family, is to commit a great and pernicious error.  (Pope Saint Pius X, Vehementer Nos, February 11, 1905.)

These passages summarize the correct relationship between Holy Mother Church and the civil state, and they note the Holy Father’s bitterness at seeing the trust that Pope Leo XIII had placed in the French anti-clericalists shattered shortly after he, Pope Saint Pius X, had ascended to the Throne of Saint Peter. Pope Saint Pius X manfully articulated right principles while at the same time enumerating the specific ways in which the leaders of the French Third Republic were attempting to subjecting everything about the life of the Church in France to their own arbitrary

Alas, we are consigned to arguing about the inarguable and of having mere mortals send other mere mortals to jail for seeking to defend innocent human life as long as nations remain not only indifferent to the religion but, as a consequence, become hostile to those who merely seek to defend the Natural Law without even mentioning the Divine Law. Those seeking to oppose evil on merely natural grounds will forever be straitjacketed into endless confrontations with those who believe that falsehood trumps truth and that sentimentality trumps reason.

Silvio Cardinal Antoniano, quoted by Pope Pius XI in Divini Illius Magistri, December 31, 1929, explained that:

The more closely the temporal power of a nation aligns itself with the spiritual, and the more it fosters and promotes the latter, by so much the more it contributes to the conservation of the commonwealth. For it is the aim of the ecclesiastical authority by the use of spiritual means, to form good Christians in accordance with its own particular end and object; and in doing this it helps at the same time to form good citizens, and prepares them to meet their obligations as members of a civil society. This follows of necessity because in the City of God, the Holy Roman Catholic Church, a good citizen and an upright man are absolutely one and the same thing. How grave therefore is the error of those who separate things so closely united, and who think that they can produce good citizens by ways and methods other than those which make for the formation of good Christians. For, let human prudence say what it likes and reason as it pleases, it is impossible to produce true temporal peace and tranquillity by things repugnant or opposed to the peace and happiness of eternity. (Silvio Cardinal Antoniano, quoted by Pope Pius XI in Divini Illius Magistri, December 31, 1929.) 

Governments that are “religiously neutral,” however, must end up awash in a sewer of evil as men, especially today given the paucity of a superabundance of Sanctifying and Actual Grace caused by the sacramentally barren liturgical rites of the counterfeit church of conciliarism, govern themselves and their nations by means of sentimentality or raw majoritarian impulses. Such governmental systems must place jurists who might know better into making one legal argument after another, no matter how constitutionally or statutorily sound, on a purely naturalistic basis, thus placing into straitjackets from which it is impossible to extricate themselves. One cannot fight naturalism/secularism/humanism with naturalism/secularism/humanism. One can only fight naturalism/secularism/humanism with Catholicism, Nothing.

Returning now to the next part of Harrison’s Butker’s Benedictine College commencement addres:

These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up. You know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the "Church of Nice" is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.

It is safe to say that over the past few years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind. I never envisioned myself, nor wanted, to have this sort of a platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.

As members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don't be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent. There even was an award-winning film called Silence, made by a fellow Catholic, wherein one of the main characters, a Jesuit priest, abandoned the Church, and as an apostate when he died is seen grasping a crucifix, quiet and unknown to anyone but God. As a friend of Benedictine College, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron, said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity -- private, hidden away, and harmless.

Our Catholic faith has always been countercultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.

But make no mistake, before we even attempt to fix any of the issues plaguing society, we must first get our own house in order, and it starts with our leaders. The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore and just blindly proclaim that “That's what Father said.” Because sadly, many priests we are looking to for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parish directory. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

A Brief Interjection:

Harrison Butker does not understand that the “bishops” and “priests” who are misleading the flock are not bishops and priests all, but apostates who cloak themselves in the mantle of Catholicism while serving the interests of Antichrist, whose principal servant on earth at this time is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It took me until I was fifty-four and one-half years of age eighteen years ago this month to come to the very belated conclusion that the counterfeit church of conciliarism is not the Catholic Church, and that came forty and one-half years after the conclusion of the “Second” Vatican Council, at least eight of which were spent defending the indefensible in The Wanderer before a brief four year interregnum within the “resist while recognize” camp. A regular “swifty,” huh? We must pray that it will not take Harrison Butker that long to come to the same conclusion as he is rightly disposed to Catholic Church.

Omitting the star kicker’s references to “Saint” Josemaria Escriva, Returning now to the Butker commencement address at Benedictine College:

The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don't actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone, without access to the sacraments, and it's a tragedy we must never forget. As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the Church. We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate. Over the centuries, there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments.

Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too.

That goes even more so for our bishops, these men who are present-day apostles. Our bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the bishop's conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter or that, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it.

No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the chancery than they are with saying the difficult stuff out loud. It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it's time for the annual appeal, whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church, setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians but shepherds, so instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.

I say all of this not from a place of anger, as we get the leaders we deserve. But this does make me reflect on staying in my lane and focusing on my own vocation and how I can be a better father and husband and live in the world but not be of it. Focusing on my vocation while praying and fasting for these men will do more for the Church than me complaining about her leaders. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

Another Brief Interjection:

As one who said similar things in the 1980s an 1990s and keep hoping for the day that “Pope John Paul II” would decide to “get tough” with the “bishops,” I understand how Harrison Butker said things that, although true as far as they go, do not reflect the fact that the men he thinks are “bishops” are as bereft of the Catholic Faith as the Catholics who have criticized him for his remarks, including the Sisters of Saint Scholastica at Benedictine College:

An order of nuns affiliated with Benedictine College rejected Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison's Butker's comments in a commencement speech there last weekend that stirred up a culture war skirmish.

"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," the nuns wrote in a statement posted on Facebook.

In his 20-minute address, Butker denounced abortion rights, Pride Month, COVID-19 lockdowns and "the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion" at the Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kan.

He also told women in the audience to embrace the "vocation" of homemaker.

"I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross the stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you're going to get in your career?" he asked. "Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."

hat was one of the themes that the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica took issue with.

"Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division," they wrote. "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."

The Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica founded a school for girls in Atchinson in the 1860s. It merged with St. Benedict's College in 1971 to form Benedictine College.

Neither Butker nor the Chiefs have commented on the controversy. An online petition calling for the Chiefs to release the kicker had nearly 215,000 signatures as of Sunday morning.

The NFL, for its part, has distanced itself from Butker's remarks.

"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity," Jonathan Beane, the NFL's senior VP and chief diversity and inclusion officer told NPR on Thursday. "His views are not those of the NFL as an organization."

Meanwhile, Butker's No. 7 jersey is one of the league's top-sellers, rivaling those of better-known teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Butker has been open about his faith. The 28-year-old father of two told the Eternal Word Television Network in 2019 that he grew up Catholic but practiced less in high school and college before rediscovering his belief later in life.

His comments have gotten some support from football fan social media accounts and Christian and conservative media personalities.

A video of his speech posted on Benedictine College's YouTube channel has 1.5 million views. (Harrison Butker's commencement address denounced by Benedictine College nuns.)

Such ignorance of the Holy Faith is widespread within the structures of the counterfeit church of conciliarism and, even though Harrison Butker does not realize it, many of the “bishops” whom he criticized are themselves products of the corrupted, heretical view of Catholicism that has taken deep root in so many conciliar-controlled seminaries, religious communities, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools.

The rot of is such longstanding that the arrogant editors of the University of Notre Dame student newspaper, The Observer, were aghast twenty years ago this year when I, then a columnist with The Remnant, submitted a paid advertisement to ask faculty and students at my Master’s alma mater (January 10, 1974) to pray Our Lady’s Holy Rosary in reparation for the “Queer Film Festival” that was being sponsored at the University of Notre Dame du Lac. Notre Dame. Indiana:

“I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION”

“Thus spoke the Mother of God to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, just four years after Blessed Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the doctrine of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception.

“Our Lady was preserved from all stain of sin from the first moment of her conception so that she would be the singular vessel of devotion in which the Word would become Flesh by the power of the Holy Ghost to dwell amongst us and to redeem us on the Wood of the Holy Cross.

“Our Lady saw the horror of what our sins did to her Divine Son in His Sacred Humanity as he hung on the Cross on Calvary on Good Friday. Her Immaculate Heart was pierced with the sword of sorrow that had been prophesied by the aged Simeon in the Temple at the Presentation.

“Cooperating with the graces won for us on Calvary and relying upon our sinless Blessed Mother’s maternal intercession, we are called to be free from all stain of sin in this life. It is thus an evil thing to persist in sin unrepentantly, worse yet to celebrate it publicly as something noble and virtuous. It is an act of utter blasphemy to connect the Holy Name of Mary with one of the four sins that cry out to Heaven for vengeance, as is being done this very week on the campus of the University of Notre Dame du Lac in Notre Dame, Indiana.

“To make reparation for the ‘film festival’ celebrating perverse evil on Our Lady’s campus, Christ or Chaos, Inc., is calling upon all Catholics of good will to pray an extra set of Sorrowful Mysteries of Our Lady’s Most Holy Rosary each and every day since this celebration of perversity is taking place on her campus.”

This what I wrote in The Remnant at the time twenty years ago:

I concluded the advertisement with the web address for The Remnant so that readers could look at my full commentary, which was posted on this site on February 10, 2004.

Mr. Bonner e-mailed me in the early evening hours, Eastern time, to tell me that I should have a decision on the advertisement, which was meant to be run in the February 13, 2004, issue of the Notre Dame Observer, within twenty-four hours. It did not take that long. This is the response I receive shortly around 11:30 p.m., Eastern time (8:30 p.m., Pacific time), from a Maura Cenedella:

“Dr. Droleskey, After reviewing your ad, the General Board has decided that we will be unable to allow it to appear as an advertisement in The Observer. We do not accept advertisements that are political in nature, and yours was certainly politically charged. However, you can direct opinion pieces to the Viewpoint section of The Observer (viewpoint.1@nd.edu), and they may be able to run your commentary. Thank you very much and good luck, Maura Cenedella, Advertising Manager.”

My return e-mail to her, penned immediately upon receipt of her note, was very terse:

“To Maura Cenedella: To defend the honor of the Mother of God is politically charged? Saints have shed their blood for the honor of Our Lady. Be assured that an appropriate commentary will be written on this decision of yours that will be widely circulated in Catholic circles. I have written a letter to the editor of your viewpoint section. I should not be shocked by how something spiritual is termed political. However, I guess it is still a good thing that a man in his fifties can be shocked by the failure of Our Lady's children to come to her defense when the thing that caused her Divine Son to suffer on the wood of the Cross is glorified on a campus under her own patronage. May God have mercy on us all. Sincerely yours in Christ the King and Mary our Queen, Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D.”

Well, this was not the end of the matter. Oh, no. The editor-in-chief, a Mr. Andrew Soukup, sent me an e-mail which I received around 6:30 a.m., Pacific time, on Thursday, February 12, 2004.

“Thomas, I am writing to you to clarify our decision to not accept your advertisement. The Observer routinely rejects advertisements espousing a political perspective and instead offers those who wish to express their Viewpoint the opportunity to write a letter to the editor. We followed this policy with you.

“This decision is rooted in an unwillingness to accept money used to express an ideology to avoid confusion that, by accepting payment for an ideologically motivated advertisement, The Observer is implying that it supports that Viewpoint. The nature of our responsibility as journalists is to ensure that we are objective, but that we also allow individuals or groups to express their viewpoints to encourage dialogue. That is why we encourage you to submit the content you would have wanted to place as an advertisement as a letter to the editor. Please feel free to call me if you have any more questions. Sincerely, Andrew Soukup, Editor in Chief, The Observer.”

This was my response to Mr. Soukup:

“Dear Mr. Soukup: First of all, I was taught in grammar school in the 1950s that we address people, especially elders, we did not know by their formal titles. The use of informal address with people who are not our friends or relatives is but one of many examples of how the world has become de-Catholicized. The title, though it means nothing in Heaven, is a sign of respect and may only be removed upon the invitation of the one who is being addressed.

“Second, I find your explanation lacking all credibility. Does The New York Times endorse all of the paid advertisements that it accepts for publication? Did USAToday, which is militantly pro-abortion, do so when it accepted a full page advertisement from Priests for Life a few years ago? A paid advertisement is simply that: a paid advertisement. I dare say, Mr. Soukup, that I, who have been in Catholic journalism for a long time, do not need a lecture from you about journalistic practices. If anything, a Catholic journalist has the obligation to be faithful to the fullness of Truth Incarnate, not "open" to the spread of error. This is something that Popes I have addressed.

“Third, the Catholic Faith is not a matter of ideology: it is a matter of Revealed Truth, Deposited in the Mystical Bride of Christ by her Divine Bridegroom, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity made Man. The text of my advertisement was spiritual, not ideological. Only at a campus known for attacks upon the Deposit of Faith by faculty members and priests can an appeal for reparations to the dishonor given the Mother of God by the promotion of sin be considered a matter of ideology.

“Fourth, it would be interesting to know whether you have run any stories on the "Queer Film Festival" or have run any advertisements for that display of perversity. And if you doubt that this is a display of perversity, I would suggest you consult such "ideological" sources as Saint Paul's Epistle to the Romans (Chapter 1, Verses 18-32) and many commentaries of the saints, including Saint Peter Canisius and Saint Thomas Aquinas.

“Fifth, I have submitted the text of my advertisement as a letter to your paper, referencing the website where my protracted commentary can be found. My only purpose in having anything printed in the newspaper of my master's alma mater is to invite Catholics of good will to pray an extra set of mysteries of Our Lady's Most Holy Rosary to make reparation for the outrage taking place on the campus at present. Sincerely yours in Christ the King and Mary our Queen, Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D.”

As if this exchange was not enough for the folks at the Observer, I received the following e-mail from the assistant advertising manager, a Mr. Matt Lutz this morning, February 12, 2004:

“To whom it may concern: In regards to your wish to place advertising material in The Observer, the following is the exact contractual obligation each potential advertiser subscribes to when attempting to place: ‘. All advertising is subject to the approval of The Observer. The General Board reserves the right to review any advertisement deemed untrue, inflammatory, and/or controversial by either the Editor-in-Chief or the Advertising Manager’.

“This includes precluding the ad from appearing in the paper if any of the criteria above are determined to exist. Also, I note that you clearly state in your email that you would wait on the editor's decision and thank us for "considering the advertisement". This wording reestablishes that even you are unsure if it is appropriate to appear. Hopefully this clears things a little for you. Matt Lutz, Asst. Advertising Manager.”

This was my response to Mr. Lutz, which was sent to him around 3:00 p.m., Eastern time:

“To Mr. Lutz: These e-mails from you folks at The Observer just get more and more insulting. Now I am reduced to a "To whom it may concern"?

“Contrary to what you assert in your e-mail, I have never been at all unsure as to whether my advertisement was fit for publication, only unsure as to whether a paper published at the University of Notre Dame, a campus known for its promotion of theological dissent and liturgical irreverence, would accept my advertisement.

“Nice try, Mr. Lutz. However, I have never harbored any doubt as to the fitting nature of my advertisement, which was an exhortation to prayer to make reparation for the promotion of perverse sins on the campus named for the Mother of God, whose Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart was pierced by the sword of sorrow caused by each one of our sins. My awaiting the "editor's decision" meant that I would hold my rhetorical fire until I had heard back from the Observer. It did not mean anything close to what you have inferred so mistakenly‑‑or perhaps so self-servingly.

“I repeat: has the Observer given any publicity to-or accepted any advertising for-the Queer Film Festival now taking place at the University of Notre Dame? The answer to that question would be most telling.

“You folks seem to have been shifting grounds to justify your refusal. Let's face facts: you simply do not want to offend those who are steeped in acts of unrepentant perversity. You would rather that the Mother of God and her Divine Son be blasphemed by the promotion of sin than run an advertisement that is dismissed by the use of leftist sloganeering as ‘ideological’ and ‘politically charged.’ A festival celebrating perversity and abject evil is not inflammatory; an advertisement exhorting Catholics to make reparation for the promotion of the sin of Sodom on a campus named for Our Lady is considered inflammatory. How very hypocritical and duplicitous. How very diabolical.

“Please be advised that an appropriate commentary on all of this has been written. It will be posted on various Catholic websites soon as an addendum to my original commentary posted at www.remnantnewspaer.com, which has been linked to by various sites across the nation at present.

Sincerely yours in Christ the King and Mary our Queen, Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D.” (Updated as of Friday, February 13, 2004)

The text of the advertisement quoted above was run in the Viewpoints section of The Notre Dame Observer as a letter to the editor. My link to the fuller commentary on this website was deleted, however, from the text of my letter. Additionally, the following editor’s note appeared beneath the edited version of my comments:

“Editor's Note: This letter was originally submitted to The Observer as an advertisement. However, because The Observer does not allow advertisements of an ideological nature, The Observer's Editorial Board rejected the advertisement and offered the author a chance to resubmit the text to the Viewpoint section.”

As a Remnant reader wrote to Observer editor Andrew Soukup:

“I wasn't aware that paid advertisements defending the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history and questioning the politically correct ideologically based decision to allow a ‘Queer Film Festival’, which clearly dissents from Catholic moral teaching and the natural law on a ‘Catholic’ campus named after the Blessed Mother of God, met the criteria for an advertisement of a political or ideological nature. After reading the material in question on your Viewpoint section, I'm still baffled as to what political party or ideology you think Dr. Droleskey was promoting. His ad/letter is Catholic common sense, something apparently in short supply at the university.”

Yes, the folks at the Observer continue to insist that a commentary to defend the honor of the Mother of God is ideological and politically charged, which is why it is important for Catholics to continue to write to them to explain that they are not only wrong, but that they are remaining publicly indifferent as perverse sin is being promoted on a campus named for Our Lady.

One student, so angry with my articles that he had difficulty studying for an examination, wrote to me to say that I did not know the private views of the students who were simply “enforcing the rules” of the Observer newspaper’s advertising policies. I explained to him that rules and policies must be interpreted, and that no believing Catholic can refer to an effort to defend the honor of Our Lady as ideological or political. I explained to him further that the private views of the students are irrelevant. In the name of “objective” journalism they are remaining indifferent to the outrage taking place on the Notre Dame campus at present. A Catholic is called at all times to integrate the Faith in to all aspects of his personal and professional lives. Any attempt to create a dichotomy between personal beliefs and professional actions leads directly to the situation we face with Catholic politicians protesting how much they oppose abortion privately but how they support the “law of the land” publicly.

As Pope Leo XIII pointed out in Immortale Dei, November 1, 1885:

“Hence, lest concord be broken by rash charges, let this be understood by all, that the integrity of Catholic faith cannot be reconciled with opinions verging on naturalism or rationalism, the essence of which is utterly to do away with Christian institutions and to install in society the supremacy of man to the exclusion of God. Further, it is unlawful to follow one line of conduct in private life and another in public, respecting privately the authority of the Church, but publicly rejecting it; for this would amount to joining together good and evil, and to putting man in conflict with himself; whereas he ought always to be consistent, and never in the least point nor in any condition of life to swerve from Christian virtue.” (November 1, 1885.) 

The Notre Dame Observer did run a news story on the perverse film festival and a review of the films being shown therein. Andrew Soukup wrote to the Remnant reader to say that his paper would have accepted an advertisement from the event’s organizers if they had sought to place one as the event was taking place on campus. This young man, Mr. Soukup, has likely not read Pope Leo XIII to understand that an indifference to the promotion of sin in a quasi-Catholic setting reflects the very sort of lack of integrity that was denounced in very bold terms by Pope Leo XIII above.

What applied to Mr. Soukup applies as well to Mr. Nathan Hatch, the Provost of the University of Notre Dame, who has been sending out canned e-mail responses to those complaining about a certain play with an unspeakable title that will be “performed” on the Notre Dame campus on February 14, 2004. Like Mr. Soukup, Mr. Hatch appealed to the fact that the play was an official campus event sponsored by the Gender Studies Department of the university and that there has to be room in a university setting for the expression of views that the university may or may not necessarily endorse. Again, turning to Pope Leo XIII in Immortale Dei, November 1, 1885: 

“So, too, the liberty of thinking, and of publishing, whatsoever each one likes, without any hindrance, is not in itself an advantage over which society can wisely rejoice. On the contrary, it is the fountain-head and origin of many evils. Liberty is a power perfecting man, and hence should have truth and goodness for its object. But the character of goodness and truth cannot be changed at option. These remain ever one and the same, and are no less unchangeable than nature itself. If the mind assents to false opinions, and the will chooses and follows after what is wrong, neither can attain its native fullness, but both must fall from their native dignity into an abyss of corruption. Whatever, therefore, is opposed to virtue and truth may not rightly be brought temptingly before the eye of man, much less sanctioned by the favor and protection of the law. A well-spent life is the only way to heaven, whither all are bound, and on this account the State is acting against the laws and dictates of nature whenever it permits the license of opinion and of action to lead minds astray from truth and souls away from the practice of virtue.” (Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, November 1, 1885.)

Pope Leo XIII’s references to the State’s inability to put evil temptingly before the eye of man has special currency for a Catholic institution, which is betraying the Divine Redeemer just as much as Judas Iscariot if it does so, which is exactly what is happening at the University of Notre Dame du Lac in Notre Dame, Indiana, at present.

The reaction to Harrison Butker’s speech by supposed Catholics such as the Sisters of Saint Scholastica at Benedictine College is nothing new as the anti-Incarnational rot of Modernity and of Modernism has become deeply rooted in the consciousness of those who run most although not all, of the counterfeit church of conciliarism’s mal-educational institutions of ideological indoctrination. It is indeed ironic that genuine ideology is considered infallibly salvific and a defense of the Holy Faith is considered ideological. Things have only gotten worse in the past twenty years.

Butker exhorted the Benedictine College Class of 2024 to be means to correct what he called the “confusion” coming from our leaders:

Because there seems to be so much confusion coming from our leaders, there needs to be concrete examples for people to look to in places like Benedictine, a little Kansas college built high on a bluff above the Missouri River, are showing the world how an ordered, Christ-centered existence is the recipe for success. You need to look no further than the examples all around this campus, where over the past 20 years, enrollment has doubled, construction and revitalization are a constant part of life, and people, the students, the faculty and staff, are thriving. This didn't happen by chance. In a deliberate movement to embrace traditional Catholic values, Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light and a reminder to us all that when you embrace tradition, success — worldly and spiritual — will follow.

I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn't be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him. Reading that article now shared all over the world, we see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness. Right here in a little town in Kansas, we find many inspiring laypeople using their talents.

President Minnis, Dr. [Andrew] Swafford, and Dr. [Jared] Zimmerer are a few great examples right here on this very campus that will keep the light of Christ burning bright for generations to come. Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life.

It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson, a priest, or religious. Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024, you are sitting at the edge of the rest of your lives. Each of you has the potential to leave a legacy that transcends yourselves and this era of human existence. In the small ways, by living out your vocation, you will ensure that God's Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example.

For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I'm on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I'm beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.

[Applause lasting 18 seconds]

She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.

I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God's will in their life. Isabelle's dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, “Heck, No.” (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

A Third Interjection:

These are truly inspirational words that fulfill one’s obligation as a baptized and confirmed Catholic to be a countercultural witness in behalf of the Holy Faith no matter what it might cost in human terms, but it is these words about marriage and the family for which Mr. Butker has been attacked the most:

The attorney general of Missouri is demanding information about the circumstances of a post shared on the X social media platform by the official city of Kansas City account that stated Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's city of residence.

The post, since deleted, noted the Kansas City suburb where Butker lives, which has a population of more than 100,000. The city's account later posted a message saying, "We apologies (sic) for the previous post. It was shared in error."

In a press release, Missouri AG Andrew Bailey said the post appeared to be in "retaliation" for controversial remarks Butker made during a commencement speech at Benedictine College earlier this week.

Bailey also posted to X directly, stating he believed Butker had been “doxxed” for “daring to express his religious beliefs.” "Doxxing" is an internet term for sharing someone's personal information, which can include addresses and phone numbers, without their permission.

“Missourians of faith deserve to know why Kansas City officials decided to attack Mr. Butker for his deeply held religious beliefs,” Bailey said in the release. “My office will not tolerate religious discrimination from City officials."

He said the post appeared to violate the Missouri Human Rights Act, which prohibits actions taken based on someone's religious belief.

"The mayor needs to immediately turn over his office’s communications relating to this post,” he said.

A spokesperson for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Butker's remarks, which included telling female graduates to embrace their “vocation” as a “homemaker” as well as criticisms of the LGBTQ community and President Biden for his stance on abortion, drew a response by the National Football League, which told People Magazine his views did not represent the league's.

But Butker has been swiftly embraced by religious conservative figures, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who posted an undated photo to X of himself sitting down with the kicker and the caption, "Never more proud to call Harrison Butker my friend."

Conservative media outlets have also rallied around Butker, with The Federalist, National Review and The Blaze publishing articles arguing Butker was right about his views about women. (After X post about Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, Missouri AG demands documents from Kansas City mayor.)

As is always the case, those who claim to be “tolerant” are the most intolerant, narrow-minded, hateful fascistic bigots in the world today.

Harrison Butker was entirely correct about the noble vocation of motherhood, which, for a woman, is second only to a vocation to the consecrated religious life, and he himself took note of the criticism that he has received for the Benedictine College commencement address as follows:

Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker doubled down on his May 11 Benedictine College commencement speech comments during a Catholic home-schooling association’s gala in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday.

“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” Butker, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the 2019 NFL scoring leader, said during the May 24 Regina Caeli Academy’s Courage Under Fire Gala.

Butker faced some pushback on social media and from commentators and celebrities for comments about gender ideology, gender roles, homosexuality, abortion and other hot-button issues during the commencement speech.

Much of the criticism was in response to his warning to female graduates about “diabolical lies told to [them].”

“How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?” Butker said at the commencement. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

At the gala Friday evening, Butker acknowledged the backlash, saying that “many people expressed a shocking level of hate” after his speech. He said, however, that “as days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion.”

“The more I’ve talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become,” he added. “It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all. If we have truth and charity, we should trust in the Lord’s providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work.”

Butker reflected on the persecution faced by many saints and prophets, such as Daniel, who was thrown into a lion’s den. Being “disliked” and “mischaracterized by some,” Butker said, are “not so bad.”

“Our love for Jesus and thus our desire to speak out should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world,” Butker added. “Glorifying God and not ourselves should always remain our motivation, despite any pushback or even support. I lean on those closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ, who I am trying to please.”

The 28-year-old kicker, who holds the record for most career field goals in Super Bowl games, encouraged the faithful to be “unapologetic of their Catholic faith and never be afraid to speak out for truth, even when it goes against the loudest voices.”

“If heaven is our goal, we should embrace our cross, however large or small it may be, and live our life with joy to be a bold witness for Christ,” Butker said.

Although the secular response to Butker’s speech was mostly negative, the response from Catholic figures has been predominantly positive, though reactions varied.

Butker’s bishop, Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, told CNA two weeks ago that he supported the athlete’s “right to share his faith and express his opinions — including those that are critical of bishops.”

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League said in a statement that the kicker “nailed it” and praised “his courage and his commitment to Catholicism.”

Reactions from within the NFL were mixed. Jonathan Beane, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, distanced the league from Butker’s comments, saying that “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”

However, Butker received support from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and from the wife of the team’s owner, Tavia Hunt, and their daughter, Gracie Hunt, among others. (Harrison Butker Doubles Down on Commencement Speech at Catholic Gala.)

Once again, it is remarkable that Mr. Butker is able to articulate such truths clearly and without fear of the consequences, professional, social, or personal. Every Catholic is called to imitate such  fortitude, which is why we must pray every day to God the Holy Ghost to send us an increase in the three theological virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity) as well as for an increase in the four cardinal virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice) in our hearts and souls.

The next part of Butker’s address showed that he, too, is infected with a bit of the conciliarist mindset when he spoke about a “perfect time to conceive” a child:

As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audiences like this one today, I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather a place of experience. I am hopeful that these words will be seen as those from a man, not much older than you, who feels it is imperative that this class, this generation, and this time in our society must stop pretending that the things we see around us are normal.

Heterodox ideas abound even within Catholic circles. But let's be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

A fraternal correction is hereby offered to Harrison Butker: The Catholic Church is the spotless, virginal mystical spouse of her Divine Founder, Invisible Head, and Mystical Bridegroom. She can never be sullied by errors of any kind, noting that individual Catholics may be infected with errors from time to time. Nevertheless, however, the extent of the heterodoxy today is the desired result of the conciliar revolution, not an unintended consequence.

Another fraternal correctionThere is nothing Catholic about “natural family planning.” As a Catholic colleague of mine at Illinois State University noted to me nearly forty-seven years ago, “If you are ready to be married, you are ready to have children.” See, for example, Fifty Years After Humane Vitae, which is also the first entry in Life, Death, and Truth: Under Attack by Medicine and Law.

We return now to the text of Butker’s commencement address at Benedictine College:

It is only in the past few years that I have grown encouraged to speak more boldly and directly because, as I mentioned earlier, I have leaned into my vocation as a husband and father, and as a man.

To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.

Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don't necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I'd be when I received my industrial engineering degree. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

This is, of course, sound advice, although, as will be noted below, it is lacking a very important element of Catholic piety that Mr. Butker unfortunately omitted from his address.

The next part of Butker’s commencement address speaks of his love for what he calls the Traditional Latin Mass in its modernized 1962 version:

The road ahead is bright. Things are changing. Society is shifting. And people, young and old, are embracing tradition. Not only has it been my vocation that has helped me and those closest to me, but not surprising to many of you, should be my outspoken embrace of the traditional Latin Mass. I've been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience, but for most people I have come across within these communities this simply is not true. I do not attend the TLM because I think I am better than others, or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend the TLM because I believe, just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular in how he wanted to be worshipped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order, and began to pursue it in my own life. Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past, when in my parish, things such as ember days, days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests, are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.

A lot of people have complaints about the parish or the community, but we should not sacrifice the Mass for community. I prioritize the TLM even if the parish isn't beautiful, the priest isn't great, or the community isn't amazing. I still go to the TLM because I believe the holy sacrifice of the Mass is more important than anything else. I say this knowing full well that when each of you rekindle your knowledge and adherence to many of the church's greatest traditions, you will see how much more colorful and alive your life can and should be. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

All well and good.

However, Mr. Butker himself must learn that the men of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign King, who do indeed stage the 1962 version of the Immemorial Mass of Tradition with exquisite perfection (at least from what I experienced in various venues in 2003, 2004, a 2005, are not priests at all.

Moreover, Mr. Butker must come to learn what many of us learned over time, namely, that the Immemorial Mass of Tradition is not a mere “refuge” from the Protestant and Judeo-Masonic Novus Ordo liturgical abomination but the only Catholic liturgy of the Roman Rite that, when offered by a validly ordained priest, is the only place where a Roman Rite Catholic can sanctify and thus save his immortal soul. The battle we fight is for the Catholic Faith, which has been corrupted by conciliarism, whose revolutionaries had to invent a synthetic liturgy to enshrine its errors as part of the ordinary life of unsuspecting Catholics. (This is all explained in G.I.R.M. Warfare: The Conciliar Church's Unremitting Warfare Against Catholic Faith and Worship.)

Here is last part of Harrison Butker’s Benedictine College commencement address, which was delivered on Saturday, May 11, 2024:

As you move on from this place and enter into the world, know that you will face many challenges. Sadly, I'm sure many of you know of the countless stories of good and active members of this community who, after graduation and moving away from the Benedictine bubble, have ended up moving in with their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage. Some even leave the Church and abandon God. It is always heartbreaking to hear these stories, and there is a desire to know what happened and what went wrong.

What you must remember is that life is about doing the small things well, setting yourself up for success, and surrounding yourself with people who continually push you to be the best version of you. I say this all the time, that iron sharpens iron. It's a great reminder that those closest to us should be making us better. If you are dating someone who doesn't even share your faith, how do you expect that person to help you become a saint? If your friend group is filled with people who only think about what you're doing next weekend and are not willing to have those difficult conversations, how can they help sharpen you?

As you prepare to enter into the workforce, it is extremely important that you actually think about the places you are moving to. Who is the bishop? What kind of parishes are there? Do they offer the TLM and have priests who embrace their priestly vocation? Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices, for a life without God is not a life at all, and the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.

I'm excited for the future, and I pray that something I have said will resonate as you move on to the next chapter of your life.

Never be afraid to profess the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, for this is the Church that Jesus Christ established, through which we receive sanctifying grace.

I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches, but I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly about who we are and where we all want to go, which is Heaven.

I thank God for Benedictine College and for the example it provides the world. I thank God for men like President Minnis, who are doing their part for the Kingdom. Come to find out you can have an authentically Catholic college and a thriving football program. [Laughter and applause]

Make no mistake: You are entering into mission territory in a post-God world, but you were made for this. And with God by your side and a constant striving for virtue within your vocation, you too can be a saint.

Christ is King.

To the heights. (Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech)

This is all very fine, except for the fact that there are no true “bishops” in the Roman Rite of the counterfeit church of conciliarism (see the late Father Louis J. Campbell’s sermon about the invalidity of the conciliar rite of “episcopal” consecration, which is found in the Appendix below) and that Harrison Butker omitted any reference to the essential nature of true devotion to Our Lady and the necessity of praying her Most Holy Rosary every day. It would have been very efficacious, especially in his remarks about the vocation of motherhood, to have expatiated about the Mother of God, she who is the model of all genuine femininity and the exemplar of all Christian virtues and to have mentioned a few of the miracles associated with Our Lady’s Most Holy Rosary.

Moreover, there is noting more genuinely masculine than for Catholic men to have a tender devotion to Our Heavenly Mother, who stood so valiantly at the foot of her Divine Son’s Holy Cross on Good Friday as she suffered in perfect communion with her as Our Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate, and who is ever ready to stand faithfully by the foot of our own crosses, no matter whether large or small, if we simply ask her for her assistance:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help and sought thy intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, our Mother; to thee do we come; before thee  stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the World Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but hear and answer them.

Amen.

Catholics of all ages must be exhorted to love Our Lady, especially by being totally consecrated to her Divine Son, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through her own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, and to pray as many Rosaries each day as our state-in-life permits, and I am sure that Harrison Butker, who is evidently very devoted to Our Lady and her Most Holy Rosary, will come to realize that no Catholic address or commentary is truly complete without reminding Catholics that a deep and abiding devotion to the Mother of God is a sign of eternal predestination to Heaven.

Today, Thursday, May 30, 2024, is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and, in God’s Holy Providence, it is also the sixty-fifth anniversary of my own First Communion at Saint Aloysius Church, Great Neck, New York.

On this great feast, which has its own proper octave in the General Roman Calendar of 1954, may every Catholic who has access to the Blessed Sacrament spend time in prayer before Our Lord’s Real Presence to pray in thanksgiving for this great, unmerited gift of God’s ineffable mercy to us erring sinners, and may we pray also that all Catholics of good will, including those such as the courageous Harrison Butker, will come to understand that the counterfeit church of conciliarism is not the Catholic Church and that it is thus necessary to take a step beyond what the world thinks is “hateful” by choosing for the truth and being ready to be hated by very well-meaning but yet confused Catholics for doing so.

May Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament intercede for us all now, and at the hour of our death.

Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, pray for us.

Pope Saint Felix I, pray for us.

Saint Ferdinand, King of Leon and Castile, pray for us.

Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us.

Appendix

Father Louis J. Campbell's "A Kingdom Brought to Desolation

Father Louis J. Campbell did indeed preach as Our Lord Himself had commandment, and I think that his most important sermon, which was delivered first in 2005 and then revised slightly and delivered again in 2011, is the one in which he proved the invalidity of the conciliar rite of episcopal consecration in a succinct but nevertheless theologically convincing manner that only those who do not permit themselves to think clearly about what is happening can ignore with impunity:

“Let no one lead you astray with empty words,” warns St. Paul in today’s Epistle (Eph.5:6). We must keep the faith, the faith of our fathers, handed on to us from the Apostles by saints and martyrs, the fathers and doctors of the Church, and holy popes and bishops. Now it is our turn to teach the faith, handing it on to the younger generation unchanged and untainted by heresy, lest the Church become the desolate kingdom spoken of by Our Lord in the Gospel. 

Many, “with empty words,” have tried to destroy the Catholic faith – Arius, Luther, Calvin and Cranmer, to name a few. Then came the Modernists, condemned by Pope St. Pius X, whose heresies lived on to be re-hatched at Vatican II by the liberal theologians, and canonized by the conciliar popes.

If one were to set out to destroy the Catholic faith, a good place to begin would be to tamper with the Sacraments, the Sacrament of Baptism, for instance. But every well instructed Catholic knows that the essential rite of Baptism requires the pouring of water upon the head of the person (or immersing the person in the water) while saying the words: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (or Holy Spirit).  

If the priest baptizing were to say, “I pour upon you the life-giving waters of salvation, that you may share the life of the Holy Trinity,” we would know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Sacrament was invalid, and that the person would have to be re-baptized using the form that is required for validity. We would not have to wait for the theologians to debate the matter, or for the Holy See to issue a decree of nullity. Any Catholic in his right mind would know that the attempted Baptism was invalid. Any attempt by the “liturgical experts” to change the essentials of the Sacrament would not have been tolerated by the Catholic faithful.   

But consider some of the other sacraments. Most of us knew little of what was required, for instance, for the valid consecration of a bishop. In a ceremony rarely witnessed by most of the faithful, the Sacrament was administered in Latin amid mysterious and lengthy rites. Change the form of this Sacrament, and who would notice? Then what better way to destroy the Catholic Church than to render invalid the Sacrament of Holy Orders, since true bishops are absolutely necessary if the Church is to survive?    

The essential matter and form for the valid consecration of a bishop was determined by Pope Pius XII on November 30, 1947, in the Apostolic Constitution Sacramentum Ordinis (Acta Apostolicae Sedis 40, 1948, 5-7), a document which appears to have all the essential characteristics of infallibility. Even if it does not, it is certainly an authoritative document, which Pope Pius expected to be taken most seriously. With the laying on of hands, the consecrating bishop was to say the words of the Preface, “of which,” says the pope, “the following are essential and therefore necessary for validity: ‘Fill up in Thy priest the perfection of Thy ministry and sanctify him with the dew of Thy heavenly ointment, this thy servant decked out with the ornaments of all beauty’” (Comple in sacerdote tuo ministerii tui summum, et ornamentis totius glorificationis instructum coelestis unguenti rore sanctifica). 

At the end of the document Pope Pius XII states: “We teach, declare, and determine this, all persons not withstanding, no matter what special dignity they may have, and consequently we wish and order such in the Roman Pontifical... No one therefore is allowed to infringe upon this Constitution given by us, nor should anyone dare to have the audacity to contradict it...”

Pope Pius XII’s body had hardly begun “a-mouldering in the grave” when the agents of change began working in earnest to destroy the Catholic faith. Paul VI, once the confidant and trusted friend of Pope Pius XII, had that “audacity to contradict” when he published his own decree in 1968. In vain did Pope Pius XII “teach, declare, and determine” what was required for the validity of the Sacrament of Orders. Paul VI would introduce entirely new words, requiring them for validity, words which were never used for the consecration of a bishop in the Roman Rite: “So now pour out upon this chosen one that power which is from you, the governing Spirit whom you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Spirit given by him to the holy apostles, who founded the Church in every place to be your temple for the unceasing glory and praise of your name” (Pontificalis Romani, June 18, 1968).

As to why Paul VI found it necessary to discard the essential words of the traditional form of consecration and replace them with entirely different words, he says “…it was judged appropriate to take from ancient sources the consecratory prayer that is found in the document called the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome, written at the beginning of the third century.”

Judged appropriate? By whom? None other than Archbishop Annibale Bugnini and his associates of the “Consilium,” who invented the Novus Ordo Mass. And who on earth was Hippolytus of Rome? He was an anti-pope of the third century who separated from Rome because of doctrinal differences and established a schismatic church, although he later returned to the Catholic Church and died a martyr. Who knows but that his “Apostolic Tradition” was drawn up for his schismatic sect? 

And whatever became of Pope Pius XII’s Apostolic Constitution, Sacramentum Ordinis?  The name Sacramentum Ordinis was even given to another document by John Paul II, probably as a red herring to throw us off the track.  

What conclusion does one draw? The Catechism of the Council of Trent states: “In our Sacraments… the form is so definite that any, even a casual deviation from it renders the Sacrament null.” We would never tolerate a change in the form of the Sacrament of Baptism. Never! Can we blithely accept a total deviation in the form of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a change which omits the part of the traditional form declared essential for validity by Pope Pius XII? I think not! Pope Pius XII changed nothing of the traditional form, but merely designated which part of the form was essential for validity. Paul VI omitted that essential part of the form and replaced it with something entirely new. Not even popes (certainly not would-be popes) can change the form of a Sacrament. Whom do we trust, Pope Pius XII who carefully guarded the traditional sacramental form handed down from ages past, or Paul VI? Paul VI, who on the flimsiest of pretexts changed the essential form of a Sacrament, thus rendering it invalid. The result is that we are left with a whole generation of pseudo-bishops attempting to govern the Church without the grace of office. A miter and a bishop’s ring do not a bishop make. And the Kingdom is brought to desolation (Lk.11:17).  

But even among traditionalists many refuse to consider the possibility of invalid sacramental rites. It’s more convenient to think that if the pope says so it’s got to be OK. But Paul VI told us the Novus Ordo Mass was OK, and look where that has brought us. The day must come when all awaken to the fact that the Church has been brought low by an apostasy more monstrous than we have been willing to admit. Only then will the true bishops emerge, a true pope will restore the hierarchy, and the Church will rise more glorious than ever. “And all mankind shall see the salvation of God” (Lk.3:6).  (Father Louis J. Campbell, "A Kingdom Brought to Desolation (Lk.11:17)," Third Sunday of Lent, March 27, 2011, Saint Jude Shrine, Stafford, Texas.)