Catholic Revival or Conciliar Illusion? The University of St. Thomas Board Appointments
National Catholic Register portal reports that the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston has appointed several prominent Catholic figures to its board of directors, including R.R. “Rusty” Reno, editor of First Things; Adam Laxalt, former attorney general of Nevada; and Mary Eberstadt, writer and senior research fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute. The appointments are framed as part of the university’s “confident renewal of its Catholic identity,” with board members expressing enthusiasm for what they describe as an orthodox Catholic revival among American youth. The article presents these developments as a hopeful sign of Catholic renewal in higher education, quoting the new board members about their vision for the institution and the broader cultural moment.
Yet beneath this veneer of optimism lies a profound theological void that reveals the bankruptcy of the conciliar project’s approach to Catholic education and formation.