A n all-girls Catholic high school near Oakland, California , held a community festival day that included a craft table for students to make buttons showcasing their preferred pronouns , along with a presentation on gender identities.
The student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion council at Carondelet High School in Concord, California, hosted the "Community During Community" festival in January, in which students took part in several activities related to gender ideology.
The festival was first revealed by the parent activist group Parents Defending Education after the organization was contacted by several parents who expressed concerns about the event. The festival, which the school says was student-run, encouraged students to visit every table by providing them with a "passport" to collect stickers from each student club and activity table that could later be turned in for prizes.
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CORNER PRIEST FOR OPPOSING PRIDE FLAG
Among those clubs was the school's Horizon Gender and Sexualities Alliance Club, which says it was founded to create "a safe space for students to discuss topics involving LGBTQIA+ matters."
Activities at the club tables included a craft table to make pronoun buttons. And the school also hosted a presentation on gender that featured a slide describing different flags celebrating various gender identities.
Carondelet High School was founded in 1965 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, an order of Catholic nuns from Missouri. The school cites the religious order's spirituality as integral to its Catholic educational mission. The school charges over $20,000 per year for tuition.
"At the heart of this sisterhood is our Catholic tradition, rooted in the mission of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph: to create an inclusive environment that embraces all students, welcomes diversity, and values social justice, empathy, service, and gratitude," the school's website says.
In a 2019 teaching guide on "gender ideology," the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides a series of passages from Catholic documents, including a passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that says, "By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally to the one and the other. Each of them, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity."
In response to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner, a spokesperson for Carondelet High School provided a link to a brief article about the festival that said its purpose was "to represent the many different cultures on campus."
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"Clubs and affinity groups hosted tables sharing food and education representing their culture, craft opportunities, and music from around the world," the article said. "In the Jean Hofmann Center for Innovation, there were videos about various cultures and cultural interests, a student short film, an author interview, student presentations, and a trivia game focusing on Catholicism around the world."
The Catholic Diocese of Oakland, which oversees all Catholic schools within its borders, including Carondelet, did not respond to a request for comment.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the Washington Examiner reported that the school was no longer affiliated with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The school is still affiliated with the congregation. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.