The Benedictine University, a Catholic institution located in Lisle (Illinois), publicly defended the holding of an event for the so-called “International Trans Remembrance Day”, held last week by its university pastoral department. The initiative, foreign to Catholic tradition, generated a strong reaction among the faithful, alumni, and members of the board of directors themselves, who claim they were not informed.
With more than 3,000 students and a second campus in Arizona, Benedictine University now faces growing discontent among the faithful and benefactors, who see this event as another symptom of the tension between the institution’s Catholic legacy and the dominant cultural pressure in the university sphere.
In a statement sent to the LifeSiteNews outlet, the communications department stated that the event does not contradict its Catholic identity. It described it as “a solemn commemoration” based on human dignity and the Church’s social teaching, intended to remember “those who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence”; furthermore, they insisted that the event is “a prayer tradition since 2018” and stated that “every human being deserves respect, love, safety, and justice”.
The university insists that the event “does not oppose” its Catholic mission
The university described the activity as “a solemn commemoration” based on the Church’s social teaching and on “the inherent dignity” of every person. The event, proposed by the campus ministry, sought “to honor those who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence”, according to their statement.
Benedictine University—not to be confused with Benedictine College in Kansas—was founded in 1887 by Benedictine monks and presents itself as an institution “in the Benedictine tradition”. It currently depends on the Diocese of Joliet.
An underpublicized event, with ideological nods and without visible endorsement
The promotional graphic for the event showed the call for an event in Lownik Hall and included a quote from the homosexual priest Mychal Judge. There is no trace of the activity on the official Campus Ministry website or on the university’s social networks, suggesting minimal dissemination.
On social media, numerous Catholics denounced the event as another symptom of “wokeism” infiltrating Catholic education. Some alumni pointed to the hiring of non-Catholic staff and the tension between Catholic identity and progressive university structures.
A divided university: Catholic acts alongside ideological offices
Despite these controversies, the university has promoted genuinely Catholic initiatives in recent years: creation of a new chapel, distribution of rosaries to students, and an upcoming event to crown an image of Our Lady of Fatima.
But, in parallel, it maintains offices and programs aligned with contemporary identity agendas: “Office of Belonging”, a “Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center” and a “Safe Space” program to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion, which also co-organized the aforementioned “Trans Remembrance Day” event.