CMR loves to help Catholic Universities so the CMR Band has proposed new lyrics to the Notre Dame Fight Song which we feel more accurately portrays the current state of Notre Dame considering they’ve accepted President Obama as their commencement speaker.
Jeer Jeer for old Notre Shame
Bury your past, you’re just Catholic by name
No more prayers to God on high
Praise to Obama and his pro-choice lies.
To hell with babies great or small
Old Notre Shame turns their backs on them all
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to perfidy!
HT for the idea goes toBack Pew
March 21, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Awesomeness. I love you guys.
You know what? I can’t think of any other bloggers I’d rather be in line behind on Judgement Day. I’m not really sure what that means, but I bet it’s a complement.
March 21, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Eo,
The question is which line we will be on!
March 22, 2009 at 2:42 am
I’m afraid the current regime at Notre Shame are in line with Henry VIII.
March 22, 2009 at 11:28 am
Worth the read!:)!!!!!!
March 22, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Not totally surprising considering they keep Father Richard McBrien on staff. Notre Shame, indeed.
March 22, 2009 at 6:08 pm
As a reader of CMR, I am deeply disappointed to read a post that not only grossly misunderstands the current state of affairs on ND campus, but also goes so far as to misuse the most blessed title of Notre Dame, Our Lady. While the current actions of the administration are unacceptable, this paradoy suggest that the school’s un-Catholicity runs to its core. Obviously whoever penned this diddy is ignorant of the number of professors and students who not only adhere to an authenticly orthodox Catholic culture on campus, but go on to put their faith into practice. Your post on the email interview of Mary K. Daly from the Notre Dame Right to Life club is but one example. I hope in the future CMR will show more prudence in what it posts.
March 22, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Renee said…
Not totally surprising considering they keep Father Richard McBrien on staff. Notre Shame, indeed.
Universities grant tenure to senior professors as a guarantee that they can’t be fired the first time they forward a controversial idea. As such, Notre Dame legally cannot fire McBrien for ideas he advances. It is almost impossible to fire a tenured professor barring illegal activity or serious breaches of conduct.
Regarding the original post: Come on Matthew, let’s stay classy here. To my classmate’s comment above, I would only add that ND consistently has one of the largest and most active campus Right to Life groups in the nation.
Emily, ND ’06
March 22, 2009 at 9:53 pm
As one of MANY ND alums and current students who dearly love the University, this abomination of the fight song that was written with Our Lady in mind was just a little too much.
It’s not fair to affix such a blanket label and insult, given the great amount of good that has happened – even evidenced within the last 10-15 years – at Notre Dame. Despite her shortcomings, you have to realize how Catholic Notre Dame is still perceived among the ranks of secular education – from the vantage point of BC, Georgetown, etc.
I respectfully urge you to remove this post. We can accept criticism, and it’s due. But this is truly classless.
– Brian, ND ’06
March 22, 2009 at 9:59 pm
P.S. – Fr. McBrien is almost a total non-factor on campus. Any informed student from the last 5 to ten years can tell you that. He’s become akin to a bogeyman for ND bashers.
March 22, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Yes, CMR is the problem here. Not the administration of Notre Dame.
March 22, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I just fail to see how this post is part of the solution.
March 23, 2009 at 1:45 am
Matthew you leave that post where it is! (Not that you need me to tell you.) If these ND grads can’t take a parody of their fight song, I think they take themselves and ND quite a bit too seriously. Speaking as a BC grad (85!), this may sound like a dig, but really, neither of these schools has had orthodox Catholicism as their core identity for quite some time–let’s be honest. Yes, it is easier to find observant Catholics at these schools (easier, at least than, say, at Brown), but I would not say ND is perceive as profoundly more Catholic than either Georgetown or BC.
March 23, 2009 at 2:39 am
The point is not whether ND is “perceived” as more Catholic than BC, but that it IS in reality more Catholic than BC. BC is a joke – they don’t even have crucifixes in their classrooms. ND had over 220 students at the March for Life, plus faculty – something BC has never been able to do.
Plus, the matter in question here is not merely a question of a fight song, but of refering to Our Blessed Mother in a disrespectful way.
March 23, 2009 at 3:19 am
Actually, I think I heard that BC very recently did elect to put crosses in their rooms. Nonetheless, you would be hard pressed to prove that the current Catholicity in terms of students, resources, profs, opportunities, etc. is not heavily in ND’s favor instead of BC.
Anyway, once again, we clarify that we are indeed ashamed of what Notre Dame has done. But this “parody” really is tasteless and crude. And by saying “While her loyal sons are marching Onward to perfidy!” you are in fact directly insulting all students and alumni and staff of the university, including all of those who strongly oppose this situation and are doing much to address it. That last line also implies a moral flaw in all these people. For this reason it is seriously offensive.
March 23, 2009 at 3:50 am
Brian,
You wrote “And by saying “While her loyal sons are marching Onward to perfidy!” you are in fact directly insulting all students and alumni and staff of the university”
Nope. Only those loyal to Notre Shame.
March 23, 2009 at 5:26 am
I have given up trying to post under any identity here. I don’t know what you have done, but all usual logins fail. Some criticize the Church for being exclusive. This site seems determined to prove them right.
That said, I offer the comment that is past our Holy Father set out some clear guidelines on what an institution of “higher learning” must do to advertise itself as “Catholic”. Surely Notre Dame and BC gave up any pretense to that description decades ago. It’s time the truth was made very public.
March 23, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Patrick,
The fact of the matter is that both the University fight song and the Alma Mater hold very special meaning to those who love Notre Dame. It’s something that speaks to their hearts even in the face of such trials as this — “What though the odds be great or small…” It’s not just wishful thinking or a silly diddy to block out reality — it’s about hope and a love for a place that runs deep, which means there is great pain when her shortcomings are evidenced.
For this reason, I do not exaggerate when I say that to so broadly manipulate this song that is considered so personal to thousands of students and alumni is in fact tantamount to a personal calumny against us in our eyes. That’s the simple fact. Even if you and others with nary a care for Notre Dame cannot appreciate that, you should understand the gravity with which the offense is received.
March 23, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Some Catholics out here believe that if an institution identifies itself as Catholic then it should truly follow the tenants of the Church in every respect.
Giving an honorary degree to a man who doesn’t have the slightest problem with leaving babies who survive abortions in a closet to die, much less abortion itself, is a SHAME. Period. Instead of defending ND, you should be embarrassed.
Instead of whining about CMR, perhaps you should be directing that outrage toward your own school.
March 23, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Shame on Notre Dame! The “Vortex” commentary 3-23 from Real Catholic tv says it best. Check it out.
http://realcatholictv.com
March 23, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Sorry … but there is no complaint here.
I can understand (if not necessarily agree with) someone thinking that this parody song dishonors the Blessed Mother or treats the name “Our Lady” with irreverence. But I cannot understand (no, it is impossible to understand) that same person thinking that the original Alma Mater, plus the custom of playing it at intervals in a meaningless athletic contest isn’t just as irreverent or dishonoring toward Her Name.
There is no argument that this parody is a blameworthy dishonor of the song because the song itself quite manifestly is not worthy of the religious honor due to Mary and her various names and titles.