UPDATE, 11/6/09 – Read here.  AMU clarified in writing today that the campus ban issued yesterday had “no intention to exclude” the reporter from the parish and the adoration chapel.

Original AveWatch Article:

A reporter for America’s oldest Catholic newspaper, who is also a resident of Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria Town, was threatened with being arrested today for setting foot on Ave Maria University campus.  Click below for more…

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Marielena Montesino de Stuart, a writer for The Wanderer, was approached by AMU’s head of security and local sheriff deputies as she exited her car on campus this morning.  Yesterday, de Stuart received permission from Ave Maria University’s PR coordinator to cover today’s public press conference announcing a $4 million “investment” in a new gym at AMU by fiscally-conservative, socially-liberal, billionaire Tom Golisano.  He has a long track record of supporting pro-choice Democrats and access to abortion.  See “Who is Tom Golisano?”

This morning, AMU reneged on The Wanderer’s permission to cover the event.  Not only was de Stuart banned from the press conference, but also the entire Ave Maria campus indefinitely.  de Stuart’s press release on the matter is here .

It is odd enough that a Catholic newspaper reporter is being banned from an institution that constantly identifies itself as “unabashedly Catholic”.  But de Stuart is also a home owner in Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria Town.  The entire Ave Maria Town project was supposed to be an integration of the University with residential life.  What is left of the Town without the University?

This has the makings of a very high profile lawsuit.  There are important civil liberty issues embedded in the Town-University partnership that de Stuart bought into, literally.

Further, the Ave Maria Oratory is a quasi-parish of the Diocese of Venice.  It sits on property owned by Ave Maria University, as part of its campus.  Subsequently, de Stuart and her family are banned from Mass at the Oratory and adoration at the University Chapel.

This is completely unprecedented – a private organization lead by a layman has just as banned an individual, and effectively her family, from access to their assigned Catholic church. (Update – be sure to read here)

Think of it.  A Catholic is worried about being arrested for attending adoration chapel on the campus of Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria University.

This incident is proof positive of how poorly conceived the Church/Monaghan partnership is.  It also demonstrates the fear that Monaghan and Ave Maria have of seeing the political and social activities of its latest “investor”, Tom Golisano, put in front of Catholics and pro-lifers.

This story is just beginning.  More details to follow.

UPDATE:  photos, including sheriff deputies, here; AMU Donor – “… I’m pro-choice.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 3:39 pm and is filed under Golisano, Town, University, oratory-liturgical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.