Harrison Butker’s Commencement Speech Was Even More Bonkers Than You Think (Full Transcript)
As a Kansas City Chiefs fan, it is undeniable that Harrison Butker looms large in the recent success of the franchise. He may be the most clutch field goal kicker in the history of the NFL.
Fans have also long known that he is a devout Catholic. More recently, he has become politically active, including film a commercial urging a Yes vote on the Kansas Abortion Amendment that would have allowed state lawmakers to pass more restrictive abortion laws. (It failed with 59% voting No.)
Conservatives tend to be hypocritical when it comes to athletes speaking on political issues. If their views are to the left, they are frequently told no one wants to hear their opinions and they are slammed for introducing politics into sport and told to “stay in their lane.” Most famously (though only one of many examples), Fox News Faux Journalist Laura Ingraham responded to LeBron James comments on racism and politics during a long interview by labeling his remarks “barely intelligible” and “ungrammatical,” adding: “It’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball,” she said. “Keep the political comments to yourselves. … Shut up and dribble.”
In contrast, right-leaning players (or celebrities) who express their political views are praised for their courage in defying the liberal media that wants to silence and de-platform them. (Perpetual victimhood is the guiding force among the right-wing gripe culture.)
As someone who was raised Catholic and was even an altar boy, I like to think I know some things about Catholicism. There is Modern Catholicism and there is the Classic Catholicism before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 60s.
Actor and noted Anti-Semite Mel Gibson famously rejects those reforms: “I go to an all-pre-Vatican II Latin mass,” he told USA Today in 2001. “There was a lot of talk, particularly in the ’60s, of ‘Wow, we’ve got to change with the times.’ But the Creator instituted something very specific, and we can’t just go change it.”
While those reforms changed such practices and conducing masses in Latin, they also resulted in an even more fundamental shift. Before the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church did not recognize the right of other religions to exist. The idea of a pluralist society of many religions was explicitly rejected and that the only path to heaven and salvation was through the Catholic Church. Post Vatican II, the Church dropped this exclusive view of religion and recognized for the firs time that other religions also have “some elements of truth and salvation.”
Until then, the idea of Catholicism and a pluralistic US society (founded by Protestants!) seemed at odds to the Church. A Catholic’s first loyalty must be to God and the Church, not to a secular country or government. This was why, though it seems silly now, there were genuine concerns in 1960 about the election of the nation’s first Catholic president. In retrospect this was deemed anti-Catholic discrimination as people questioned where Kennedy’s loyalties might lie. He had to address this topic many times to insist his first loyalty would be the U.S. Again, Vatican II sought to reconcile the Catholic faith to the reality of a modern, pluralistic world.
If I Could Turn Back Time…
Which brings us back to Butker. I don’t see that he’s explicitly rejected Vatican II, but he has embraced the Latin Mass, which suggests a desire for a pre-1960s Catholic Church:
Butker highlighted how “the traditional Latin mass has really transformed my life, understanding the liturgy … that the Church has celebrated for so many centuries.” He said it helps him understand “the traditional sacraments,” saying it’s been “amazing for me.”
In that context, it’s not surprising that his political and social views have become increasing right-wing. While his anti-women and anti-trans remarks have generated (deservedly) a backlash, his speech at Benedictine was also highly critical of Catholic Church leadership for going to far in embracing the secular world, even ridiculing priests for taking selfies.
The place where he spoke, Benedictine College, has become emblematic of the rise of more traditional Catholicism. As a recent AP story noted:
“At Benedictine, Catholic teaching on contraception can slip into lessons on Plato, and no one is surprised if you volunteer for 3 a.m. prayers. Pornography, pre-marital sex and sunbathing in swimsuits are forbidden. If these rules seem like precepts of a bygone age, that hasn’t stopped students from flocking to Benedictine and other conservative Catholic colleges. At a time when U.S. college enrollment is shrinking, Benedictine’s expansion over the last 15 years has included four new residence halls, a new dining hall and an academic center. An immense new library is being built. The roar of construction equipment never seems to stop. Enrollment, now about 2,200, has doubled in 20 years.”
So, Butker was preaching to the converted. That he thinks a women’s place is in the home will likely make for some awkward conversations with his mother, Elizabeth Butker, a medical physicist at an Emory University cancer center who has apparently been tricked into leading an unfulfilling live of saving people’s lives by working outside the home.
But there is an important nuance here. The embrace of such traditional Catholic views is not just expressing a disagreement with modernist ideas about diversity and gender. It is a rejection of the right of these ideas to even exist. It celebrates and demands an intolerance to all dissenting views. Even if the word is not expressly spoken by Butker, the people who hold such ideals are inherently evil. Catholics must not accept a world that they must share with people who hold such ideas.
In any case, had a Chiefs player given a commencement speech on Black Lives Matter or the importance of diversity and inclusion, the right-wing media ecosystem would be hammering them. Perhaps missing entirely the concept of irony, Butker chose the “stay in your lane” notion as his theme for his speech, even as he careened wildly outside of his own.
Of course, he have every right to his beliefs and to express them. But that does not make those beliefs immune to criticism. Make no mistake: His thoughts may be cloaked in his interpretation of Catholicism, but this was a highly political speech that embraced the views of trapping of the Manosphere ideology (longing the day when Men Were Men and Women Knew Their Place).
Watch his 20-minute speech here or read the transcript below:
Harrison Butker: Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024. I would like to start off by congratulating all of you for successfully making it to this achievement today. I’m sure your high school graduation was not what you had imagined. And most likely, neither was your first couple years of college.
By making it to this moment through all the adversity thrown your way from COVID. I hope you learned the important lessons that suffering in this life is only temporary. As a group you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don’t stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society. It is through this lens that I want to take stock of how we got to where we are and where we want to go.
As citizens. And yes, as Catholics. One last thing before I begin, I want to be sure to thank President Minnis and the Board for their invitation to speak. When President Minnis first reached out a couple of months ago, I had originally said no. You see last year I gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, and I felt that one graduation speech was more than enough, especially for someone who isn’t a professional speaker. But of course, President Minnis, used his gift of persuasion, and spoke to the many challenges you all faced throughout the COVID fiasco, and how you missed out on so many milestones the rest of us older people have taken for granted.
While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues, things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder. Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people, it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro choice. He is not alone.
From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it. These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up, you know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the Church of nice is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.
It is safe to say that over the past few years, I’ve gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind. I never envisioned myself nor wanted to have this sort of a platform. But God has given it to me so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.
As members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don’t be mistaken. Even within the church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent. There even was an award winning film called Silence made by a fellow Catholic where one of the main characters, a Jesuit priest, abandons the church and was an apostate when he died to sin, grasping a crucifix, quiet and unknown to anyone but God.
As a friend of Benedictine College, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity, private, hidden away and harmless. Our Catholic faith has always been counter cultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers were all put to death for their adherence to his teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves, whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.
But make no mistake, before we even attempt to fix any of the issues plaguing society, we must first get our own house in order. And it starts with our leaders. The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore, and just blindly proclaim that that’s what father said. Because sadly, many priests we are looking to for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies, or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parrish directory. It’s easy for us laymen and women to think that in order for us to be holy, that we must be active in our parish and try to fix it. Yes, we absolutely should be involved in supporting our parishes. But we cannot be the source for our parish priests to lean on to help with their problems. Just as we look at the relationship between a father and his son, so too should we look at the relationship between a priest and his people. It would not be appropriate for me to always be looking to my son for help when it is my job as his father to lead him. St. Josemaría Escrivá states that priests are ordained to serve and should not yield to temptation to imitate laypeople, but to be priests through and through.
Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners. And in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time because as my teammates’ girlfriend says, “familiarity breeds contempt.”
St. Josemaría continues that some want to see the priests as just another man, that is not so they want to find in the priests those virtues proper to every Christian, and indeed every honorable man understanding justice, a life of work, priestly work in this instance, and good manners. It is not prudent as the laity for us to consume ourselves and become an amateur theologian so that we can decipher this or that theological teaching. Unless of course, you are a theology major. We must be intentional with our focus on our state in life and our own vocation. And for most of us that says married men and women.
Still, we have so many great resources at our fingertips, that it doesn’t take long to find traditional and timeless teachings that haven’t been ambiguously rewarded for our times. Plus, there are still many good and holy priests, and it’s up to us to seek them out. The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly in our cathedrals. Our cathedrals too, as we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don’t actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone without access to the sacraments. And it’s a tragedy we must never forget.
As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the church. We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate. Over the centuries there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, church leaders leaned into their vocations, and ensured that their people receive the sacraments. Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally, it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too.
That goes even more so for our bishops. These men who are present day apostles, or bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the Bishops Conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it. No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the Chancery than they are saying that difficult stuff out loud.
It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it’s time for the annual appeal. Whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians, but shepherds. So instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.
I say all of this not from a place of anger as we get the leaders we deserve. But this does make me reflect on staying in my lane and focusing on my own vocation, and how I can be a better father and husband and live in the world, but not be of it.
Focusing on my vocation while praying and fasting for these men will do more for the church than me complaining about our leaders. Because there seems to be so much confusion coming from our leaders. There needs to be concrete examples for people to look to and places like Benedictine, a little Kansas college built high on a bluff above the Missouri River, are showing the world how an ordered Christ-centered existence is the recipe for success. You need to look no further than the examples all around this campus, where over the past 20 years enrollment has doubled, and construction and revitalization are a constant part of life and people, the students, the faculty and staff are thriving.
This didn’t happen by chance. In a deliberate movement to embrace traditional Catholic values, Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light. And a reminder to us all that when you embrace tradition, success, broadly and spiritual will follow. I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn’t be met with anger, but instead that with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it. But the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify Him.
Reading that article now shared all over the world, we see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness. Right here in a little town in Kansas, we find many inspiring lay people using their talents. President Minnis, Dr. Swofford, and Dr. Zimmer are a few great examples right here on this very campus that will keep the light of Christ burning bright for generations to come. Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life. It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson or priests, or religious.
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024, you are sitting at the edge of the rest of your lives. Each of you has the potential to leave a legacy that transcends yourselves and this era of human existence. In the small ways by living out your vocation, you will ensure that God’s Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example. For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you, how many of you are sitting here now about to cross the stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you’re going to get in your career.
Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabel would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife. And as a mother. I’m on this stage today and able to be the man I am. Because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me. But it cannot be overstated, that all of my success is made possible because the girl I met in being class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all homemaker.
She’s a primary educator to our children. She’s the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core. And it is through our marriage that Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.
I say all of this to you because I’ve seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will in their life. Isabella’s dream of having a career might not have come true. But if you ask her today, if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation and say, heck no.
As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audience like audiences like this one today, I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather a place of experience. I am hopeful that these words will be seen as those from a man not much older than you who feels it is imperative that this class, this generation, and this time in our society must stop pretending that the things we see around us are normal. Heterodox ideas abound, even within Catholic circles. Let’s be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children, whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.
It is only in the past few years that I have grown encouraged to speak more boldly and directly, because as I mentioned earlier, I have leaned into my vocation as a husband and father and as a man. To the gentleman her today, part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture. And when that is absent disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in this absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the US. And a correlation can be made in their drastically lower violence rates as well. Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fight against the cultural emasculation of men, do hard things, never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don’t necessarily enjoy. But if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better.
I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker, and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I’d be when I received my industrial engineering degree. The road ahead is bright, things are changing, society is shifting, and people young and old, are embracing tradition. Not only has it been my vocation that has helped me and those closest to me, but not surprising to many of you should be my outspoken embrace of the traditional Latin Mass. I’ve been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience. But for most people I have come across within these communities. This simply is not true.
I do not attend the TLM because I think I’m better than others or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend TLM because I believe just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular and how he wanted to be worshiped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order and began to pursue it in my own life.
Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past. When in my parish, things such as Ember Days — days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests — are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.
A lot of people have complaints about the parish or the community, but we should not sacrifice the mass for community. I prioritize the TLM even if the parish isn’t beautiful, the priest isn’t great, or the community isn’t amazing. I still go to the TLM because I believe the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is more important than anything else. I say this knowing full well that when each of you rekindle your knowledge and adherence to many of the church’s greatest traditions, you will see how much more colorful and alive your life can and should be.
As you move on from this place and enter into the world know that you will face many challenges. Sadly, I’m sure many of you know of the countless stories of good and active members of this community who after graduation and moving away from the Benedictine Bubble have ended up moving in with their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage. Some even leave the church and abandon God. It is always heartbreaking to hear these stories, and there’s a desire to know what happened and what went wrong.
What you must remember is that life is about doing the small things well. So setting yourself up for success and surrounding yourself with people who continually push you to be the best best version of you. I say this all the time, that iron sharpens iron. It’s a great reminder that those closest to us should be making us better.
If you’re dating someone who doesn’t even share your faith. How do you expect that person to help you become a saint? If your friend group is filled with people who only think about what you’re doing next weekend, and are not willing to have those difficult conversations, how can they help sharpen you?
As you prepare to enter into the workforce, it is extremely important that you actually think about the places you are moving to. Who is the bishop? What kind of parishes are there? Do they offer the TLM and have priests who embrace their priestly vocation? Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices. For a life without God is not a life at all. And the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.
I’m excited for the future. And I pray that something I’ve said will resonate as you move on to the next chapter of your life. Never be afraid to profess the one holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. For this is the Church that Jesus Christ established, through which we receive sanctifying grace.
I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches. But I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly, about who we are and where we all want to go, which is heaven.
I thank God for Benedictine College, and for the example it provides to the world. I thank God for men like President Minnis who are doing their part for the Kingdom. Come to find out you can have an authentically Catholic College and a thriving football program.
Make no mistake, you’re entering into mission territory in a post-God world. But you were made for this and with God by your side and a constant striving for virtue within your vocation, you too can be a saint. Christ is King to the heights.
