Community raises questions, concerns about Catholic identity
In a move sparking heated debate, Saint Mary’s College (SMC) invited Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland, to deliver the commencement address for the class of 2025. McAleese, who will also receive an honorary J.D., has become a polarizing figure, particularly among alumnae and current students who raise concerns about her stance on Catholic teachings.
On March 6, SMC President Katie Conboy announced the invited speaker in a campus-wide email: “We are honored to welcome Dr. Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland, back to Saint Mary’s. … She has been a global role model for women for almost three decades.”
Belles for Life, Saint Mary’s pro-life student group, was among the first to voice concerns. With nearly 75 members, the organization drafted a letter to the administration, urging the college to reconsider its invitation to McAleese. The group’s primary concern centers around McAleese’s well-documented advocacy for policies that conflict with Catholic teachings, particularly on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.
The letter states, “We cannot, in good conscience, remain silent about a speaker who openly admitted she had ‘no hesitation’ in voting to repeal Ireland’s eighth amendment, effectively legalizing abortion and denying the preborn the right to life. During the Synod on Synodality in Rome, McAleese spoke prominently at a ‘counter-synod’ advocating for changes in Catholic doctrine on women’s ordination, same-sex marriage, gender ideology and abortion. Inviting someone whose views contradict core Church teachings on abortion and other issues risks compromising the College’s Catholic identity.”
The national and local response to the announcement has been largely negative. The announcement attracted coverage and criticism in the National Catholic Register and CatholicVote. Loretto Trust sent a letter to President Conboy, stating that the invitation is “an unambiguous betrayal of Saint Mary’s College Catholic identity.”
Students, alumnae, and parents have also expressed mixed feelings about SMC’s invitation of McAleese.
An SMC senior who studied abroad in Ireland stated, “I am excited and proud that we will be welcoming Dr. McAleese to campus for our commencement ceremony.”
She added, “Fortunately, due to the leadership of brave individuals like Dr. McAleese, I was also able to witness the healing and bridge-building that has come through peaceful conflict resolution and dialogue in Ireland.”
She referenced McAleese’s interview with Notre Dame’s Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion last year. In the interview, McAleese discussed her presidency’s focus on building bridges between divided communities.
She noted, “Dr. McAleese led by example during her presidency by seeking out intentional conversations with her neighbors, especially those with different political or religious views than her own. I think that Dr. McAleese’s vision for a society that is grounded in good neighborliness is a Christian ideal that is worth striving for.”
In a letter in The Observer, Conboy responded publicly to Belles for Life’s letter saying that she was “proud of our students for using their voices and advocating for what matters most to them.” She noted, however, “I have to point out that both the article and the letter relied on limited research and also circulated misinformation.”
Conboy wrote, “The Church’s positions on the rights of LGBTQ+ people and on women’s ordination are matters that Dr. McAleese has spoken about since the 1980s, before she was President. I do not believe these are matters the Church forbids its membership to discuss. Indeed, Church teaching continues to evolve: while the Catholic Church clearly forbids same-sex marriages, Pope Francis has voiced his support for civil unions since 2020, and in a document released by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Dec. 18, 2023 (Fiducia supplicans), he formally approved ‘spontaneous blessings’ by priests and deacons for same-sex civil unions. The Synod on Synodality made room for discussion of a women’s diaconate, and Pope Francis created a commission to study it. It is not a closed topic.”
Conboy finished her response, “On May 17, Dr. McAleese will be welcomed to campus, and she will deliver our commencement address. As she put it, her talk will consider ‘the pursuit of peace among warring neighbours, which was and remains the mission Christ confronted me with when I was born in Belfast.’”
In response to Conboy’s letter, Belles for Life established and promoted a change.org petition. As of April 7, over 1,250 supporters have signed the petition. One signer mentioned, “There are so many successful authentically Catholic speakers to choose from. Why give this pro-abort, anti-Catholic woman a platform, much less an honorary degree from a Catholic women’s college?”
Conboy told the Rover that her letter spoke for itself, but that she was prompted to publish it because she “wanted to be sure that people understood that [McAleese’s stances] were really complex issues.”
In reference to McAleese’s vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment, Conboy said, “A pro-life vote is much more complex than a pro-abortion one.” She noted, “People seem to take it as a simple matter, when I think it was more complicated, and even the wording of the referendum was not about voting for something when it was something that kind of represented that way. So I just wanted to correct the things that I could correct in the record, and to express my gratitude to students for caring.”
The Belles for Life petition addressed this question: “Despite Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin urging those who voted ‘Yes’ on repealing Ireland’s Eighth Amendment to consider going to confession, McAleese stated that she has ‘no intention whatsoever’ of doing so, and has not gone to confession to seek forgiveness for her decision since.”
On April 7, Conboy met with leaders of Belles for Life to discuss the issue. Alessandra Besachio, Belles for Life social justice coordinator, stated, “Ultimately, while I appreciated President Conboy’s willingness to meet with the board of Belles for Life, her disinterest was clear when discussing how and why Dr. McAleese was chosen for our Commencement Speaker, despite her public statements defying Catholic teachings. The meeting felt more like a kind formality and not like an opportunity to discuss real change.”
Besachio continued, “Discussions of future change were suggested by other faculty members in the meeting. However, Conboy was not the main advocate for the idea of change, and presented herself in an unapproachable and passive aggressive way that was disheartening.”
Several students have echoed similar concerns, including a senior SMC student whose family has decided to forgo attending the commencement ceremony “due to the misaligned beliefs and morals of Dr. Mary McAleese.” She noted, “Once again, Saint Mary’s has made another decision that endangers its reputation as well as its relationship with the Catholic Church.”
SMC alumna Joan Grobowski (’83) called McAleese’s invitation a direct affront to Saint Mary’s Catholic identity. She told the Rover, “I stand for Saint Mary’s Catholic identity and its valuable place as a women’s college. I love my alma mater and feel strongly about defending its Catholic tradition, identity and heritage. I oppose former President McAleese’s participation in Commencement 2025 and urge [Conboy] to uninvite her and invite someone more inspiring, a more faithful Roman Catholic role model.”
In a statement to the Rover, alumna Sheila Ames (’65), expressed deep frustration over the administration’s decision, framing it as part of a larger erosion of Catholic values. Ames stated, “I was stunned and disgusted when I saw that Saint Mary’s had chosen McAleese.”
“I may be old, but I can still speak out about depravity,” she said. “I knew things were out of control, but I had no idea they could stoop so low as to invite a heretic to speak at graduation.”
Ames reflected on a larger concern that the college has strayed far from its Catholic roots: “Catholic doctrine does not appear to be uppermost in our beloved college at all. In my era, we had to have an automatic Theology/Philosophy minor, along with a chosen minor. I learned so much about my faith, and it was formed and solidified in those four years.”
SMC’s 178th Commencement will take place at noon on Saturday, May 17 on Le Mans Green. In addition to the address from McAleese, honorary degrees will be presented to McAleese, Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., and Sylvia Acevedo.
Lydia Poe is a junior from Shawnee, KS majoring in finance and management. When she’s not hunting down adequate South Bend barbeque, she’s trying to survive endless “Not in Kansas anymore” jokes. It could be worse, though—she could live in Missouri. She can be reached at lpoe01@saintmarys.edu.
[Editor’s note: Lydia Poe serves as the Vice President for SMC Belles for Life.]
This article has been updated since publication.
Photo Credit: The Eriugena Review
Subscribe to the Irish Rover here.
Donate to the Irish Rover here.
