Benedictine College is unapologetically Catholic. This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone who has spent at least 30 seconds looking at their website or Instagram. There has never been any attempt to hide or shy away from our identity. Rather, the college is proud to nurture traditional Catholic values.
As a young woman and a Benedictine student, I am proud of my college for its unashamed faith. It is a haven for young people, like me, who have not always felt accepted for what we believe and who often have to defend our views.
Knowing this about my school, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when Benedictine asked Harrison Butker, an outspoken traditional Catholic, to give the commencement speech at this year’s graduation.
What did come as a shock to me was the firestorm that followed.
Butker began his speech by addressing the hardships the graduating class has faced throughout their educational journey. What stuck out to me in his introduction, however, was the intense call to action he gave the audience.
He stated that we as Catholics must have more courage in speaking openly about our beliefs.
“We need to stop pretending that the Church of Nice is a winning proposition,” he said.
For many, including me, this is a terrifying suggestion. It is one thing to go into the upper room and pray behind closed doors, but it is something else entirely to show my faith openly to the world. My faith is what I cherish most and it scares me to think of opening it up to ridicule from others. Butker recognizes that fear, yet still lives a boldly Catholic life.
Later on in his speech, Butker addressed vocations – an appropriate topic for a Catholic college graduation speech because graduation is a time of heavy discernment for students.
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He touched on the importance of leaning into each person’s individual vocation and then singled out the women in the room. He briefly commented on how many of them will likely go on to have successful careers but then said that the majority of them will likely be wives, mothers, and homemakers.
This is the comment that probably went the most viral. It stirred up anger, debate, and a lot of hatred toward traditional values. If you’ve spent any time on social media in the last year then you’ve likely seen the great debate over homemaking and if it’s oppressive to women. This speech seems to have poured gasoline onto that already burning fire.
What people online fail to realize is that the culture at my college is not the same as that of other colleges. A statement like this is more common and welcome than it would be at other schools. While I recognize that many women desire to have a career, which can also be pleasing to God, there were still a large number of women sitting in that graduating class who dream of becoming stay-at-home moms and, yes, homemakers.
And that desire does not mean they are oppressed. It does not mean that the school has told them that is all they can be. What it does mean is that regardless of what they choose, they are supported.
I don’t believe Butker is attempting to discredit career-driven women. Rather, his point was to speak to the women who often get marginalized in today’s work-obsessed culture. The women who don’t want to be career-focused.
Much of the criticism of the speech also claims that Butker was sexist for singling out the women and that men should also be a part of homemaking. Well, a few minutes later in the speech Butker said just that.
“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.”
Harrison Butker
What is this statement if not a direct affirmation of the importance of men stepping up in the home? It takes both men and women to create a loving home. It takes courage to commit to someone and selflessly give of yourself. And yes, sometimes it takes sacrificing a dream career in order to pursue something greater than yourself.
As a young woman who desires a career but also desires to be a wife, mother, and homemaker, I appreciate hearing those desires affirmed. Choosing to forego a career-driven life doesn’t make you any less of a woman, just like choosing to have a career doesn’t make you any less of a woman.
It is by leaning into our unique vocations that we can find peace and unity with God.
LifeNews Note: Shelby Bland is a student at Benedictine College. This column originally appeared at Catholic Vote.
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