WASHINGTON • The letter landed in email inboxes early in May and since then, students, parents and graduates of prestigious Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School have talked of little else. It has been the subject of spirited discussions, emotional exchanges, fervent Facebook posts.
Sister Mary Berchmans, the school's president emerita, authored the letter that has provoked so many reactions. In her carefully worded missive that emphasized following "the Gospel commandment of love," Berchmans said the 220-year-old Catholic girls academy will publish announcements of same-sex unions in its alumnae magazine.
The decision, which stands in contrast to official church teaching on gay marriage, was greeted with a mixture of responses by the school community.