The Boston Globe reported today that the Archdiocese of Boston,” in response to criticism it was sanctioning a celebration of Gay Pride month,” announced yesterday that it had ordered St. Cecilia in Boston to cancel a Mass scheduled for next weekend that was themed, “All are Welcome.’’
Predictably, the decision “outraged members of the lesbian and gay community.” Here are excerpts from the article:
“I think that’s horrible, just horrible, that they would cancel,’’ said Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, an organization that advocates for participation of gays in the Catholic Church. “What an abuse of authority. I wish I could be surprised, but I’m definitely appalled.’’
In its most recent bulletin, St. Cecilia Parish said that it had planned a “liturgy to commemorate Boston Pride 2011’’ for later this month.
“The Rainbow Ministry of St. Cecilia Parish invites all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month,’’ the bulletin said. “The theme of the liturgy, ‘All Are Welcome,’ honors Christ’s message of hope and salvation to all people. We will also celebrate the diverse community that finds its home at St. Cecilia.’’
But after protests from conservative church members, the archdiocese intervened.
“The wording and placement of a bulletin notice announcing that the St. Cecilia Rainbow Ministry will be joining the parish at a Mass on June 19 may have given the unintended impression that the Mass is in support of Gay Pride Week; it is not,’’ said Terrence C. Donilon, a spokesman for the archdiocese. “The pastor will clarify this issue at the Masses this coming weekend.’’
Donilon declined to answer questions about the apparent contradiction of the church’s bulletin and his statement. He said, however, that there would be a Mass in the future to welcome the community, but not specifically gays and lesbians.
Let’s pause here for a sec. The statement from Terry Donilon, representing the archdiocese doesn’t align with reality. Even the Globe pointed it out. The Bulletin says the intention was a Mass “in celebration of Gay Pride” and Terry says it gave the unintended impression it was in support of Gay Pride. Is Terry parsing words to say the listing technically gave the unintended impression the Mass was in support of Gay Pride WEEK, when in reality it was in support of Gay Pride MONTH? Why should this Mass be postponed to another date to welcome the “entire community” when that happens already every Sunday at the regular Masses? It makes no sense. The article continues:
Burke of DignityUSA called on the parish community to “resist the calls for canceling’’ and possibly move the event to a different location. “What kind of message does this send to the gays and lesbians in that parish?’’ she asked.
Susan Donnelly, a member of the parish council of St. Cecilia Parish, said the scheduled Mass had not sparked controversy at St. Cecilia’s. She said the criticism has come from outside.
“I find it hard to believe that Christians don’t believe the great variety of people as God made them is a lovely thing,’’ she said. “Nobody’s trying to celebrate people living in denial of what the church is teaching; it’s more we’re trying to celebrate the people who sit next to you in the pew. There’s no agenda other than that.’’
She added: “We have all kinds of people at our church. We have straight people and gay people, rich people and poor people, white people and people of color, old people and young people. We’re a community, a big tent.’’
As best as this blogger understands it, “Gay Pride” is the concept that people who self-identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender should be proud of their self-identified sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay Pride events celebrate people living that identity and a lifestyle that includes homosexual activity. See below for a picture from the Boston Pride website:
I told the Globe, “Celebrating a ‘Gay Pride’ Mass isn’t expressing the moral teachings of the church with clarity and fidelity or telling people their behavior is unacceptable — it’s telling them their behavior is just fine. I also said in a previous post that Cardinal O’Malley should put the pastor on leave. Better put, he should not be serving as pastor of a church anywhere. The diocesan response:
Donilon said that would not happen. “Father Unni has the full confidence and support of the Cardinal and the archdiocese,’’ Donilon wrote in an e-mail. “He is a great pastor.’’
In response to media inquiries, today this blogger issued the following statement to one reporter:
I think the plan to celebrate such a Mass targeted specifically at those who identify themselves as “GLBT” was inappropriate, and am pleased to see it was canceled.
If someone believes what the Catholic Church believes, then you believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and sex outside of that heterosexual marriage is not acceptable. That’s what we believe. (As a Catholic, I don’t go around telling orthodox Jews or Muslims what they should believe or what practices of theirs I disagree with. If I disagree with one of their beliefs or practices, I keep that to myself as they are free to practice their religion as they wish). So, why is it that people who apparently cannot accept the Catholic Church’s teachings in this area feel so entitled to weigh in and tell Catholics we are wrong? Do they do that with other faiths, or just this one?
As we all know, the Catholic Church welcomes, loves, and accepts those with same-sex attractions (or homosexual inclinations) and the Catholic church also calls them to not engage in sex outside of a heterosexual marriage, just as heterosexuals are called to the same chastity outside of marriage. Same treatment for all. A ministry, Courage, exists especially to support and offer fellowship for those struggling with same-sex attractions. They are encouraged to live a chaste life. (See www.couragerc.net). Their home page says, “By developing an interior life of chastity, which is the universal call to all Christians, one can move beyond the confines of the homosexual identity to a more complete one in Christ.” Why wouldn’t this be a part of the focus of such a Mass at St. Cecilia, rather than one celebrating “Gay Pride?”
The message from Terry Donilon is almost impossible not to call a lie. One look at the parish bulletin makes it evident St. Cecilia was promoting this as a “Gay Pride” Mass. The archdiocese needs to call it what it is and go from there. Trying to pretend that’s not what it was has only made matters worse.
To those who are objecting to this post and to the cancellation of the “Gay Pride” Mass, nobody on this blog is saying that those with homosexual attractions should not be welcomed fully by the Catholic church. But if you act on those attractions, that is against the word of God.
Before you comment further, I urge you to check out the website of Courage Ministry.
Also read Cardinal O’Malley’s 2006 pastoral letter on homosexuality found here.
If the promotion of the St. Cecilia Mass had expressed they were welcoming and supporting people with homosexual attractions to live a chaste life consistent with the word of God, (as Courage has as its purpose), there would be no objection. If those who support this Mass wish to invite Courage to sponsor such a Mass and gathering, we will be delighted to promote such an event.
In Cardinal O’Malley’s letter, at the same time he urges everyone to have compassion on homosexuals and treat everyone with dignity, he reinforces the Church’s teachings in this area.
Do you believe that sex outside of a heterosexual marriage is a sin? Do you want to live a life of virtue?
Cardinal O’Malley tells us that “If we tell people that sex outside of marriage is not a sin, we are deceiving people. If they believe this untruth, a life of virtue becomes all but impossible. Jesus teaches that discipleship implies taking up the cross each day and following Him with love and courage.”
Do you believe homosexual behavior should be accepted and encouraged by the Catholic Church, or discouraged?
Cardinal O’Malley says, “Calling people to embrace the cross of discipleship, to live the commandments and at the same time assuring them that we love them as brothers and sisters can be difficult. Sometimes we are told: “If you do not accept my behavior, you do not love me.” In reality we must communicate the exact opposite: “Because we love you, we cannot accept your behavior.”
For all those objecting to this post, would you accept and embrace a Catholic Mass sponsored by Courage that encouraged members of the “GLBT” community to live a chaste life and abandon the “gay” lifestyle? If you wish to live consistent with the word of God and the Catholic faith, why is a Mass by Courage not something you would enthusiastically embrace?
Thank God that Cardinal O’Malley had the courage to stand up and defend the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the sinfulness of homosexual behavior. Dignity and New Ways Ministry members wanted to use the Mass at St. Cecilia’s to foster their belief that the acts involved in homosexual behavior are acts that the Catholic Church should endorse. Cardinal O’Malley is to be honored for having the courage to refute that attempt.
The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is composed of sinners and indeed Christ come to call sinners. The moment we cease considering ourselves as sinners the whole concept of our Christianity diminishes, the first basic trait of a Christian. That said and done our call is a call of 1.conversion 2.conversion and 3.conversion. We are not called to appreciate ourselves as sinners. To be categorical those who appreciate themselves as sinners and stops at that point have no place for church in their life.
Our Lord ate and dinned with sinners but to the least of my knowledge I don’t remember any of these interactions where conversion never took place. “Anyone who wants to be my disciple let him take up his cross and follow me”. Our crosses are those shortcomings that we posses but straggles daily to make them align with the will of the Father. By so doing we desire to be Christ like (Christians). The problem we have in our society today is that we want to mould Christianity rather than allow it to mould us.
well stated :)
Good response anonymous – we are indeed all sinners and all of us need ‘conversion’ every step along the way; we all have faults, flaws, addictions…and we don’t pride ourselves on our flaws/failings/addictions – we try to take up the cross of that struggle which is essential in following Christ. I always think of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane – He was struggling with His fear for He sensed that His sufferings were going to be horrendous – but He stayed with the struggle and submitted to the Will of the Father: “Not My will but Your will be done!” and it cost Him everything…an honest struggle can indeed be a kind of martyrdom – and we need help and support along the way; not only the grace of God but the help of others God sends our way…I remember years ago when a large group of us – from different colleges/universities, were meeting in a small Chapel in a Benedictine Monastery – the Jesuit Priest who was celebrating the Mass looked out at us – a scraggly bunch – and said something like: “Wherever you are, however you are, whatever you have done or are doing – you’re okay.” … and you could hear a collective sigh of relief – and then Father added: “Now what!!!???” It was a challenge – but there was a sense of relief in the challenge also because we knew we could not stay just where we were, as we were…we were called to keep going in the process of learning to follow Christ in His Church…it’s just the way it is…we are all in the process of becoming who God created us to be, to reach our full potential in Him and with Him. We all fall short along the way, or veer off course – but He always welcomes us back as does the Church He founded to guide us, to love us and to forgive us when we stray…we are all members of His Body, each one of us cherished…we forget that sometimes. Let’s help each other to remember….
If the Catholic Church didn’t endorse homosexual acts then it wouldn’t have any pastors left! The Catholic Church is a two-faced institution that corrupts the words of the Bible for its own self-centered purposes.
Anonymous
You don’t know the Catholic Church. You are angry. The Bible is very clear. It is the sinners who corrupt it for their own pleasure.
I say Amen to Anonymous. What a hypocrisy! The Catholic clergy here and in the Vatican has more than a few active homosexuals among its number. I believe the planned liturgy was a beautiful gesture to welcome ALL people into the church, noy just self righteous heterosexuals. .
Your mistake and that of Anonymous is that you are confusing the CHURCH with the fragile sometimes broken people who are in it. The hypocrites are the ones who think that Priests are not supposed to be human. They are, we all are but calling something good when it is a sin is the hypocrisy.
Thank goodness this Mass was cancelled. It would give a wrong impression that the Catholic Church endorses sex outside sacramental marriage – for anyone. It would be like having a Mass for say, all the co-habitating couples. The rules are across the board for all.
Anonymous said: It would be like having a Mass for say, all the co-habitating couples.”
Except that co-habiting heterosexual couples do not have a mental disorder. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the inclination to homosexuality … “is objectively disordered.” The inclination to heterosexual co-habitation by contrast is not objectively disordered. While both behaviors are sinful, they are not “relatively” the same in terms of right and wrong. One is more wrong than the other.
The Church does not claim that homosexuality is a mental disorder. It deviates from the natural law and is a disorder of the natural law. The Church claims no special competence in mental health. It does claim competence in the natural law.
What is it about the Masses every Sunday in every other parish that are not ‘welcome to all’?
What a bunch of bullfeathers.
I could not figure out what exactly it is that St. Cecilia’s was intending to celebrate: homosexual behavior, or homosexual attractions.
Homosexual behavior is a mortal sin. And homosexual attractions, while not sinful unless acted upon, are certainly not normal but disordered.
Persons who are affected with a homosexual orientation have the potential to achieve a high degree of sanctity in this life if they live chastely and pick up their cross and follow Christ.
David
Absolutely. But celebrating same sex attractions would be like celebrating a man or woman who was tempted to commit adultery but resisted. Whether it’s same sex attraction or attraction out of marriage it is the ACTING on it that is the sin. Although, dwelling on the attraction might be too.
Sometimes we are told: “If you do not accept my behavior, you do not love me.” In reality we must communicate the exact opposite: “Because we love you, we cannot accept your behavior.” – Cardinal O’Malley
These are the words of the abuser to the one he abuses. These are the words of the colonialist to the colonized. These are the words of the jailer to the jailed.
You are on the wrong side. I wouldn’t care so much if I had not been subject to rigorous Catholic schooling and church in my childhood. At a young age I was conditioned by Catholics to believe that there was something wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with me or with my sexual identity nor my sexual activity. More importantly, I would not care so much if people like you seek to separate me as a matter of legality (and for many years as a matter of the criminal law – which you only lost decisively in the Supreme Court). This business with St. Cecilia’s is just an effort of the more catholic than thou people attempting to enforce the kind of orthodoxy that led the church to play a leading monetary role to undermine California’s Prop 8.
I could care less what you say in your church but your baneful affect on my life and the life of my gay brothers and sisters is immense. St. Cecilia’s was right to try to lead you from your own sin – undermining the dignity and the humanity of GLBT people and treating us as objects upon which to be acted.
Don’t tell us black is white, up is down or that you love us. That is a lie and one made all the worse for you attempting to dress it up in kindness. I happily rejected the Catholic Church and I urge all LGBT people to do so.
Caphilldc
Why is it soooo important to you that the Catholic Church accepts your acts?(YOU will always be welcome) The Episcapal church accepts your behavior. Some Lutheran sects will. Why is it so important that the Catholic Church does? Maybe because you know it’s wrong and the Church is right. If they would recant and say it’s right then you would be at peace. They won’t. God Bless you.
Decisively … what kind of standard is that. Read Bowers v. Hardwick. Your side lost decisively in 1989. Then several years later Our side lost, as you say, decisively, then give it a few years and your side will lose again, quite decisively … so much for decisively. The Supreme Court is a joke. Judicial review is a joke. If you think any kind of judicial review is a decisive victory you are a fool.
“These are the words of the abuser to the one he abuses. These are the words of the colonialist to the colonized. These are the words of the jailer to the jailed.”
These are the words of regurgitated proto-Marxist rhetoric and poorly-digested high school level psychology classes. Come back when you have a substantive argument to make.
tonylayne: Far from a marxist I am a former air force officer and capitalist lawyer. I work as best I can on behalf of the sick and poor in a non-profit (see some of the Catholicism stuck). Amusingly the Jesus you worship would likely be a lot more of a Marxist than I am judging by the communal nature of the early church and the beatitudes. The fact of the matter is that your so-called love for gays is merely another way of giving us the third degree. I’m just telling you to your face that I and many more like me don’t appreciate it. Your uneducated, condescending attitude is a perfect example of why the Catholic Church is losing people.
Hazel: As to why I care about the Catholic Church, it is because I was raised in it. My niece and nephew are still being raised in it. It is an institution that has done enormous damage to humanity and specifically to gay and lesbian people. I’m entirely disinterested in those other churches. In fact I’m entirely disinterested in religion except to end the enormous damage that it does (and not just christianity but also Islam and Hinduism – buddhism seems relatively benign). St. Cecilia’s could lead the Catholic Church out of its dark homophobia and bigotry but quite obviously the leadership is not willing to deal with reality. I frankly doubt that the Catholic Church is waiting with love for me, Hazel. There is certainly nothing there that attracts me and I do not intend to return to it or any other church. And although I recognize I sound angry here (because of the topic which I am indeed quite annoyed by being treated with contempt by the Catholic Church), I have a great life and am quite happy and have never missed the church even a little bit. I am relieved to be gone from the church – I just wish the church would grow and up and stop spreading hatred. P.S. the more catholic than thou church is on the verge of causing my 60 something Mother – raised in an Italian family in 40s/50s Detroit to consider quitting so I think the Church has a lot bigger worries than me.
Michael: Unless Justice Kennedy has a heart attack, you’re going to be quite surprised when the Supreme Court overturns Title III of DOMA which will require the federal government to recognize gay marriage. Maybe I’ll come back in a few years with an I told you so. Otherwise I’m sure the good people here have had quite enough of me.
CaphilDC, And I am the Queen of Sheeba, and I believe everything you said. The difference between me, the Queen and you a forrmer Air Force officer is that I do have some degree of integrity and when given a choice I refused to become a lawyer. Frankly it is ppl like you who do your best to give us Catholics a bad name. You don’t like what this institution asks from you, go away and be quiet. Stop pretending to have left because you know better than thousands of years of learning and tradition. The Church doesn’t bend to your likes or dislikes, neither to the pressure from groups like the GLBT. I am, and for this I ask My Lord forgiveness, one who is not going to apologize to you or ask you to come back, I sincerely believe that the further ppl like you stay away from the Church, the better it will be.
All are welcome is a great theme. It SHOULD be ALL are welcome. All sinners come together. Celebrating Gay Pride would be like celebrating Adulterous pride.
Celebrating Gay Pride is a celebration of all sorts of families and people. I just attended the Washington gay pride parade with thousands of white, black, Latino, Asian, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, white collar, blue collar, poor, rich, men, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and lots of straight allies, I assure you ALL ARE WELCOME at Gay Pride.
OK, I’m going to stop coming by the website and I’ve said my piece. I encourage all you good Catholics to really think if your rich, anti-gay, colonialist, anti-democratic church is what Jesus could possibly have intended. My personal answer is that the Church is a lot more lost than LGBT people are.
Most teenagers are confused about their identity. That is why they are targeted by older individuals who are predators of one form or another. The gay Mass would only “codify” a confused group of individuals and introduce a cancer into the “Mystical Body”. That is how Satan will destroy the Church which is based on the family.
we are assured that Satan will never destroy the church; he will however lead many individual souls to their second death :(
Correction: same sex attraction is disordered, but it is not a mental disorder. That term refers to maladies that result from chemical imbalances in the brain. Nothing physiological like that occurs in the case of disordered attraction to persons of the same sex. It’s disordered in the sense that it is not rightly ordered towards the Good, which is a pretty useful definition of ALL sin. Let’s be careful to speak sensitively about people who may or may not comprehend fully that their attractions are not rightly-ordered. Missteps of this kind, such as telling homosexuals that they have a mental disorder, are quite inexcusable and won’t be very conducive to evangelization.
Some of the comments here exhibit incredible ignorance and intolerance. If gravely wrong actions are so decisive in pushing a Catholic out of communion maybe we need to examine more closely what goes on behind closed doors in Catholic households. We ought to have full investigations of these behaviors, cameras in every bedroom and bathroom. We cannot tolerate aberrant sexual behavior let it pollute the purity of virtue in our truly Catholic households. We must excommunicate anyone who may piously kneel at the pew on Sundays but who secretly practice unholy and disordered behaviors such as:
1. Married couples who engage in anything but vaginal intercourse;
2. Married couples who masturbate each other;
3. Married couples who enage in anal intercourse;
4. Married men who orally stimulate their wives;
5. Married women who orally stimulate their husbands;
6. Married men who masturbate;
7. Married women who masturbate;
8. Married people who fool around sexually with their pets;
9. Priests who masturbate (how else do you think most priests tolerate celibacy?)
10. Catholic men and women who enage in incest (another unseen, but rampant problem);
11. Bishops who masturbate;
12. Married people who look at pornography to masturbate;
13. Married people who use pornography to maintain sexual interest in marriage;
14. Married people who use sex toys such as dildoes, vibrators, etc.
Shall I go on? Do you find this list disgusting to read? Mainstream Catholics would find many familiar turns of phrase here. I’m sure we can add many more behaviors to this list that ought to exclude lots and lots of Catholics from attending Mass and going to communion.
Pride in being gay is simply a countermovement to the shame and degrading behavior shown to many GLBT people throughout their lives. Pride has nothing to do with approval or disapproval of sexual practices and behaviors. It has to do with acceptance of self as broken beings loved by God and on the way to sainthood, like the rest of us struggling along in this vale of tears.
Let’s tone done the rhetoric and judgment. Unless we are prepared to testify as eyewitnesses to the private behavior of all Catholics, we need to check and see if we are the ones casting the first stone (thank you, Jesus, for your example).
To Hmmmm?
Do not be deceived. If guilty of ANY of the above one should NOT approach the alter.
“Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers: Nor the effeminate nor liers with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor railers nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God…” [1Co:6:9-10]
“But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord: and the Lord for the body…” [1Co:6:13]
“Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid! Or know you not that he who is joined to a harlot is made one body?” [1Co:6:15-16]
“Fly fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body: but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. Or know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God: and you are not your own? For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.” [1Co:6:18-20]
I THINK THE LIST OF SINFUL ACTS YOU MENTIONED THAT MARRIED COUPLES MAY ENGAGE IN WOULD INDEED BE MISUSING SEXUALITY AND BE SINFUL. IF THE MARRIED COUPLES ARE IGNORANT THAT THESE ACTS ARE CONSIDERED SINFUL BY THE CHURCH THEN THERE IS NO SIN COMMITTED BY THEM UNTIL THE TIME THEY BECOME AWARE THAT THEY ARE SINFUL AND REFUSE TO STOP DOING THEM. ONLY THEN WOULD THEY BE PROHIBITED FROM RECEIVING COMMUNION. THIS IS NOT THE SAME FOR GAYS. THEY ALREADY KNOW TOO WELL BY NOW THAT HOMOSEXUAL ACTS HAVE LONG BEEN DECLARED TO BE MORTALLY SINFUL BY THE CHURCH SO THERE IS NO IGNORANCE DEFENCE FOR THEM
Oh, And I forgot:
15. Married people who enage in same-sex activity outside of marriage;
16. Married people who engage in opposite sex activity outside of marraige;
17. Married people who are “swingers” with other married people.
Ah, the secrets of married life!
when there’s a mass celebrationg heterosexual married coubles having anal sex, im sure it will be shunned as well.
you are celebrating pride in the committing of a sin…. its very sad.
Hey, guess what? They’re already in mortal sin! You’re a little slow on the uptake, my friend. Unlike the GLBT Catholics, though, they don’t “parade” their hypocrisy and argue that their sins should be accepted lovingly; they hide them because they know their sins are shameful.
And a slight correction on your theology: Such people don’t need to be pushed out of communion … they’re out of communion already.
Tony, Tony, Tony…I just got through saying that NONE of us has the right to accuse another of sin, let alone mortal sin, which can be determined only when one investigates the freedom of will, gravity of matter, and premeditation involved. Using your logic, there are lots of people who are therefore out of communion, who are merely keeping their “sins” secret, yet it seems nearly everyone goes to communion on Sunday. I think to play it safe the church should reinstate public confession and bread and water penances for all people who dare to sin. Make all the sins public, for straight people apparently can hide behind their majority status whereas gay people are automatically considered sinful just because they are gay. It’s as ridiculous as to believe you are balding because you masturbate!
Being married and doing things wrong in a marriage is not telling people that it is ok. Some of what you said is not actually a sin by the way in a marriage. But acting out and proclaiming that it is ok to sin is different. Heterosexuals do not go around telling people they have sex with the opposite sex. Gays do. It’s all about the sex. Why can’t you accept that it is wrong to have sex outside of marriage between a man and a women with anyone?? Any of this made up same sex marriage, was never voted on. You can’t vote morals. As Catholics we are not supposed to pick and choose what we like and don’t like. If you don’t like the rules, go to another church. We are all sinners, but we don’t say if you want to be welcome, we aren’t going to tell you the truth. If you were having an adultry of any kind in a heterosexual marriage and were bragging about it and showing off, you would be told it’s wrong as well. We don’t just single out gays or whatever you made up yourselfs to be called. But you want to proclaim it ok to act out, then why should we tell you it’s ok? We would be in sin ourselves if we didn’t tell you it was wrong. Stop using the Catholic church for your dumping ground. You just want to destroy it and you don’t believe in Jesus, because if you did, you would know he said a marriage is between a man and a women, like his father said in Genesis, how he created man and women and to multiply. Time will never change this. Noah ark had two of every kind for goodness sake. As far as the disorder the man was correct saying it’s not a mental disorder, but a disorder of the order of the way god created man. It was also wrong to have gay priest abuse also. All these are wrong. But the one sin that wants to be open and accepted is same sex. None of the other sins are acceptable, but you wouldn’t know what someone is doing in the bedroom, unless you proclaimed it from the roof top, like Gays do. Love is about wishing good will and it’s not good will to allow someone to openly say the same sex is ok to act out on. It’s wrong, it will always be wrong and shame on the priest or anyone who would have allowed this mass. We already have an immoral President, but we have to fight to keep the words of Jesus in the Catholic church. It’s about love, but truth in love.
tonylane – you are so right on…we ought not to be celebrating sin…we are all sinners, as you say, but we don’t ask for a Mass to celebrate our sinfulness – and for those who are outraged that the Catholic Church dares to refuse to celebrate sinful behavior, why do you even care? There are rules for everything in society…if you speed, you will get a ticket; if you drink and drive, you will get a ticket; if you steal, you will go to jail. If you don’t go to work regulary, you will be fired. Everything has a consequence – we make our own consequences too. If we eat too much we get fat; if we drink too much, we get drunk. The Church is composed of all kinds of people, sinners and saints and all in between…each struggling to try to follow what Christ is teaching through His Church – often we fall and we fail but we keep trying with the help of others and of God’s grace. Those who complain that the Church speaks out against deviant sexual behavior while her own Priests engage in such activity don’t understand…the Priest is not the Church but a member of the Church – and a very small percentage of those priests who engaged in inappropriate behavior were pedophiles because the majority were teenage boys – and there are organizations who fight for the right for men to have sex with young boys and I don’t hear any outcry against this! This is a sexually permissive society where anything goes – and those who do not agree are thought of as hypocrites or worse…
Such judgment! Indeed, there is a distinct difference between objective moral wrong and subjective sinfulness. God and conscience alone can determine the latter. Gays are not proclaiming that they have sex just because they are gay, any more than straight people are declaring that they have sex. You’d be surprised how many celibate gays there are, as I am surprised at how many straights are acting out in “interesting” ways. None of us has the right to lable one another as moral or immoral…only God can do this because God alone knows all of the circumstances surrounding a particular action. We can parse until we’re blue in the face, but in the end, Jesus did not exclude anyone from the kingdom of God until they were judged at death by God. In the meantime, we’re all works in progress. None of us is complete. Mutual acceptance and love of one another is the incarnational truth Jesus left us. We may not like the behavior of many within the church. God knows I have encounterd the most unchristian, nasty, vituperative, judgmental, unkind and sleazy attitudes and behaviors among those who sit in church pews, give a dollar in the collection and call themselves “believers.” Give me anyone instead, gay or straight, on the cutting edge of their lives, struggling to be free as Jesus promised that the truth of God’s love for us would set us free rather than those who appear sanctimonious but who are in facted “whited sepulcres” in their hearts.
Jesus was walking along one day, when He came upon a group of people surrounding a woman of ill repute. It was obvious that the crowd was preparing to stone her, so Jesus made His now-famous statement, “Let the person who has no sin cast the first stone.”
The crowd was shamed and one by one began to turn away. All of a sudden, a lovely little woman made her way through the crowd. Finally getting to the front, she tossed a pebble towards the woman.
Jesus looks over and says, “I really hate it when you do that, Mom.”
After the 8:00 mass this morning at St Cecilia, Father Unni came on to make a short but impassioned speech about this controversy. He seemed to be struggling to portray this as a disagreement, but it was clear what he thought it was all about: lovers versus haters. In other words, those who opposed the Gay Pride Mass were intolerant, unreasonable bigots, whereas Saint Cecila welcomed all and always would. I think he may be presenting a rather unnuanced, one-sided view of what any serious person can see (by reading Joe’s post and the many insightful comments above, for example) a complex and important issue. I regret to say that in light of this and a few years of cringe-worthy sermons by Father Unni, as well as communal prayers for the health care bill and teachers unions, that I will look for another parish.
Why does this group think they have the right to beat up on people’s loved ones just trying to have a mass together? Come on. I have a hard time believing that the Cardinal is taking marching orders from this group. This is going to be squashed. Reasonable people aren’t going to tolerate getting bullied by this group.
Flabbergasted and others. Do you feel it is morally acceptable for men and men to have sexual relations with each other, and the same between women and women? Where do you find any basis for those specific sexual acts in the Bible or in the Catechism of the Church? There is nine, and in fact the Bible and Church teaching say they are immoral. What about this are you and others unwilling to accept?
Unfortunately Joe, the Hebrew and Greek in the Bible never mention homosexuality and the contexts used to condemn homosexuality refer to temple prostitution, not gay sex. The Catechism is basing it’s teaching on scholasticism which severely narrows the language used and therefore creates a great deal of misunderstanding. The reality is the church in its official teachings promotes the loving respect of all homosexuals and that alone should allow them to come out of the closet. But because of accusations of sinfulness among Christians, many do not feel at home in the church. Gay pride is simply one way to say, “we belong as much as you to Christ and the church, we are not going to change our sexual orientation any more than you are, and what we do privately is none of your business.”
Hmmm? You’re saying you do not accept what the Catechism of the Church says about sin, and you don’t accept what the Bible says about homosexuality.Where do you get your definitions of mortal and venial sin from–in your book, are they simply whatever your conscience tells you today? Catholics are fine welcoming those who sin in the Church–I sin, you sin, we all sin. Sinners are of course called to turn from their sins.
You said, “Gay pride is simply one way to say, “we belong as much as you to Christ and the church.” That’s a preposterous comment and if you don’t know it, then I suggest you go do some reading elsewhere before posting further comments here. “Gay Pride” has nothing whatsoever to do with saying people who identify themselves as “gay” belong to Christ and the Church. Maybe it has something to do with seeing societal approval for the lifestyle, but it has nothing to do with belonging to Christ and the Catholic Church.
Please stop twisting the truth.
Another example of the evil and hypocrisy of this ancient and grotesque institution. This attempt to force dark-age morality on people who do not share their interpretation of the faith is an expression of the worst kind of totalitarianism. The idea that this is a “complex issue” is itself an expression of ignorance and intolerance. There is nothing complex about recognizing the full equality and dignity of all human persons.
It is only “nuanced” if you are a bigot wedded to an outdated and ridiculous belief system like Catholicism.
Oh, wow … the hypocrisy of calling this “ancient and grotesque institution” hypocritical, of calling Catholics “bigots wedded to an outdated and ridiculous belief system”. Do you actually read what you write, or does that cause too much reflection?
James said: This attempt to force dark-age morality on people who do not share their interpretation of the faith is an expression of the worst kind of totalitarianism.
James, are you telling Catholics that we can no longer follow Church teaching? Are you saying what they can and cannot believe in their own Churches? Are you telling Cathoics how they can worship in their own Churches? This is matter of a Catholic Bishop, the proper liturgical authority, telling a Catholic Church what it can and cannot do during Mass.
What authority do you have, James, to tell Catholics how they must worship in their own Churches. You clearly do not “share our interpretation of the faith”. What gives you the right to tell us what to do in our buildings?
Last time I looked Rick, no one was having sexual intercourse in the pews during mass. Catholics, gay and straight, ought to be free to worship, to approach holy communion without others judging them, and to be who they are. Just because someone is unmarried should we then assume they are in “sin”? That would basically drive out 90% of all unmarried Catholics. Believe me, they are having a very nice time with their girlfriends or boyfriends…and still believing themselves “good Catholics.” Where do we draw the line?
“This ancient and grotesque instituion,” “dark-age,” “totatlitarianism,” “ignorance and intolerance,” “outdated and ridiculous”…?
I wonder who is intolerant, and who the real bigots are?
“I wonder who is intolerant, and who the real bigots are?”
I am intolerant of the organized and systematic abuse of children and the orchestrated efforts to cover it up. I am intolerant of a decades-long campaign of vilification and denigration of people like me. I am intolerant of a sexist institution which helps spread AIDS in Africa.
Are you in support of those things? If so you are more than an intolerant bigot – you are profoundly evil. Why not post under your full name if you support these atrocities, and show us your moral backbone?
“I am intolerant of the organized and systematic abuse of children and the orchestrated efforts to cover it up.”
So, you’re campaigning against the New York public school system?
You’re right, Mr Croft. I’m afraid to publish my real name. Why? Because intolerant folks like you seem to be would probably come after me, vilify me, make it hard for me to find employment, and search out my address and publish it on the web as has been done to in California to those who opposed same sex marriage. Diversity in everything but thought and the right to free speech, right?
And check your facts. Most of the “abuse of children” in the church scandal was committed by homosexual priests on adolescent boys. This most certainly does not excuse the church from covering it up, but it is in at least part a “gay” scandal as well.
As for AIDS in Africa, one of the most successful anti-AIDS operations was conducted in Uganda where the large Catholic population and a focus on absitence proved particularly effective. By the way, you must be a big George Bush supporter because he did more to combat aids in Africa than any other president.
And if you’re so concerned about AIDS, you might wish to question the role homosexual promiscuity played in its transmission here in the States and other western societies. Maybe there’s a reason the church has a stance against homosexuality besides atavistic fear of the other.
Last point. Why is the Church’s opinion so important to you? The main issue here is a Catholic mass held for Gay Pride. It’s not about forcing anyone to do anything. Those who don’t like it can choose from a smorgasbord of other Christian services which cater to such tastes. Why is is so important to make the Catholic Church change its beliefs? If it’s so out-dated and ridiculous, it’ll never survive in these enlightened times, right?
Again, I ask: who’s being the totalitarian here?
Last last point. I can love you without agreeing with you or approving of your lifestyle. THAT is the church’s point. THe basic doctrine of the chruch is that homosexuality is a sin, but just one sin among many. The pews are filled with sinners and hypocrites of all stripes. I know. I’m one of them. Gays are MORE than welcome at mass. But please allow us to use our brains, use our tradition, and use prayer to determine what we feel is right and wrong, and what we celebrate and what we respectfully refuse to celebrate.
This really is all the result of the man-made travesty known as the Novus Ordo. It celebrates man, not God. And man is a sinner, so one can’t be surprised when man uses the Novus Ordo liturgy to celebrate the sinfulness of man.
Cancel the homosexual mass! If you don’t agree with Rome then go join the Protestant churches!
Deo gratias ad lumina aeternam!!!
Keep up the great work. I cannot understand why this even has to be discussed. The Church has to have non-negotiables. This issue is one of them.
There are many people trying to dismantle the Church from within. Much like a plant, if you prune it – it will grow.
If the Church allows ‘gay pride’ celebrations, why not allow ‘cohabiting without marriage’ pride day celebrations? The Catholic Church does not stand against homosexual men and women – but for the teachings of Christ against sex outside of marriage and against sex between men/men or women/women. God created male and female to completment each other physically and spiritually. A simple analogy…a key is meant to go into a lock – a key does not go into another key nor a lock into another lock. None of the homosexual friends I have want this nonsense to continue…demanding that Churches submit to whatever radical gay activists want…sure, members of the Church have sinned in every way possible…does that mean the Church should declare those sins legitmate????
The Church already has such a celebration for cohabitating couples and couples engaged in premarital sex. It’s call the Sacrament of Marriage. Hmmmm, maybe that would be the solution for all those nasty gay people cohabitating and having premarital sex….Extend the Sacrament to all who are in the danger of losing their salvation.
Hmmmmm? said “The Church already has such a celebration for cohabitating couples and couples engaged in premarital sex. It’s call the Sacrament of Marriage.”
you appear to know only people who have sexual relations outside of the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, which btw is certainly NOT a celebration for cohabitating couples and couples engaged in premarital sex. For all your comments, you really don’t seem to have a clue what the Catholic Church and faith is all about. You would do well to actually study the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible (not just excerpt quotes, but truly study them).
Keep up the great work. I’m amazed that this even needs to be discussed – some things should be self evident.
There are people trying to destroy the Church from within. Much like a plant – if you prune it – it will grow
“Tanuki”: As a point of principle I do not engage in debate with people wearing digital masks. Either step into the light and stand behind your comments or step out of the debate.
James Croft: “Tanuki”: As a point of principle I do not engage in debate with people wearing digital masks. Either step into the light and stand behind your comments or step out of the debate.”
Sounds like as a matter of “principal” you side step a decent set of arguments with a ridiculous notion that one cannot have an opinion and keep his privacy. Perhaps he, like me, doesn’t have a Facebook to link to or doesn’t in fact want people he doesn’t know coming to his page. Sounds like cowardice to me. Or you’re lazy and just wanted to be a provocateur.
Though i suppose you won’t be responding to me either.
Many thanks for your blog and this post! Keep up the good work. Oremus pro invicem.
No, Jesus does not exclude anyone – but He does say: “Go and sin no more!” He is always open to forgive…and the Church founded by Him has His own authority to forgive – otherwise forgiveness would be subjective…a father molests his young daughter but he knows he is forgiven because he feels it’s right; or someone steals another’s laptop but he knows he is forgiven because he needs a laptop and can’t afford one; another rapes and knows he is forgiven because he could not resist the urge; another kills and knows he is forgiven because the person deserved to die. If all rules were subjective, society would be in complete chaos and no one would survive. The Church is not against gays – research has shown time and time again that no other institution does as much for HIV patients as the Catholic Church.
James Croft – if you do not share the Catholic Church’s interpretation of the faith then you do not have to belong to the Catholic Church. And – I will say again that the Catholic Church does more than any other institution to help vicims of AIDS – perhaps you mean that the Church fails because it will not permit condoms to be passed out…I work with AIDS patients who used condoms…condoms do not prevent HIV!!!
Sorry, I meant to leave after my last comment to Hazel. But need to say for any LGBT youth visiting this site, that Florin is painfully misinformed unless he meant to say that condoms do not provide 100% protection. In fact a condom used properly has about a 95-99% higher protective effect than sex without a condom. This has been repeatedly studied (and frankly is accepted by the Catholic Church although I recognize that the people on this site are more Catholic than the Pope). The key is “used properly.” Florin, please get into a remedial course about HIV prevention and frankly I would urge you to reconsider whether you really are providing a lot of help to HIV patients if you’re spending time condemning their lives because you view it as sinful. Now I really am out of here.
Here is condom information from the CDC.
http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html
@Michael Anderson: I do not deny one can have an opinion and maintain a certain level of privacy. Rather, I question the integrity of anyone who will make moral claims on others while being unwilling to stand by them with their name, unless there is an extremely compelling reason why to do so wuld bring ahem to the individual, I see no evidence that would be the case here. I post here putting my name behind my comments even knowing most here will disagree. I ask the same respect from my interlocutors.
I don’t know where you get your information from but condoms are absolutely not 90 – 95% safe even if used correctly…if you want to use condoms, go ahead…however, the Church does not support the use of condoms…if you want to be free to have sex with whichever person you want – go ahead – but don’t try to get others to do as you do….and a survey showed that many gay men do not like to use condoms because it decreases their pleasure…I worked for many years as a volunteer in Haiti and in India…they did not want to use condoms because they felt it was unnatural. There was a major epidemic in Uganda…then young people, boys and girls, decided to try to be chaste…to wait for marriage and from a percentage rate of over 65% HIV/AIDS it went down to almost nothing…you may mock chastity which requires self-control but that ALWAYS works…condoms do not. Listen, you might be struggling with something so you can’t break away from this site…you must know in your heart that the Catholic Church does not hate gays…there may be some Catholics who do hate gays…as well as some gays who hate Catholics…might be some Muslims or Jews who hate gays and vice versa…but hate gets us nowhere…
Homosexuals will not rest, will not stop squalling like children who do not get their way until all accept and approve of their behavior.
They scream “hypocrite!”, “bigot!” and “intolerant!” at anyone who dares disagree.
The irony of their intolerant hatred seems completely lost on them or, as I guess, it’s perfectly fine for them to be ugly and hateful simply because they believe their correct.
Children throwing tantrums.
It is perfectly appropriate for us to be indignant over your bigotry. Bigots discriminate against us, deliberately negatively affect our lives, actively harm us, and then tell us to be ashamed of ourselves. We are very correct to identify you as bigoted, intolerant, and hateful. Our not tolerating your treating us as “sinners” who deserve to be punished for existing as we do does not equate to your intolerance of us. We are entirely justified to be even more outraged and vocal than we already are. We certainly are not “children throwing tantrums”, which is a derogatory, diminishing, and silencing statement to make, by the way. You just don’t see past your heterosexual privilege.
With all due respect, what are gays proud of? Of giving into temptations that millions of people experience also, but to which they do not give in?
If gays parade around like drag queens or adopt the homosexual mannerisms or lifstyles that broadcast “gay”, they are giving in.
When they act out sexually a homosexual attraction they are giving in.
When they fly the rainbow flag or demand “gay marriage” they give in
We all have temptions to sexual abberations which me must resist.
]
Those who do not resist train their brains and their physiology to accept those acts.
We must resist if we love ourselves. We must encourage others to resist if we love them.
If gay pride comes to stand for being proud of resisting temptations the whole society will benefit.
I love myself, and I don’t resist. I don’t need to resist. I don’t want to resist. There’s no good reason to resist. It’s who I am. It’s heterosexual privilege that enables someone to tell someone else that his or her sexual orientation should be suppressed. So, no, I have a wonderful boyfriend, and we have sex. You don’t get to tell me that it’s wrong and expect me or anyone to actually give credence to your opinion that doesn’t take my own nature into consideration, so stop. You don’t know me, obviously. If you do, you don’t know me better than I know myself.
GayDoc, that’s part of the homosexual manifesto, isn’t it? I remember reading it years ago. Shout to the rooftops that you’re discriminated against, demand tolerance for yourself, but do not ever tolerate even the slightest disagreement with any element of your agenda, call everyone who opposes you an intolerant, hateful bigot and, where possible, stamp your feet and cry real tears. You’ve done a great job snookering many of the brain-dead public, but Catholics deal in the truth. We are on to your lies. Shame on you!
@Florin: “the Church does not support the use of condoms”. Hence its complicity in the deaths of millions.
If you reason that since the Church does not support the use of condoms it’s complicit in the death of millions then I suppose you would agree that since HIV/AIDS is prominent among gay men who spread it to others that they therefore are not only complicit in the death of millions but directly responsible for the death of millions…
Certainly, anyone who is aware they have HIV and has unprotected sex without informing their partner is indeed responsible. This is true of anyone, gay or straight. But since the church has consistently spread lies about HIV and its methods of transition it is hard to hold people fully responsible if they don’t understand the consequences of their actions.
You need to read the research which states, condoms alone cannot be relied upon to protect anyone from any transmitable disease including HIV. If we believe otherwise or teach otherwise then we are responsible for the resulting deaths.
Let me respond to you by asking you a question in the matter you proposed a stament that the Vatican does not support condoms hence it is complicit in the deaths of millions. Let me ask you… If a condom was filled with the venom of a cobra, would you allow yourself to sleep next to it? Seriously? That’s certain death if that venom leaks even slighltly. And, if we as you understand that HIV can mean death to an individual, are you saying that HIV in substance hidden in a Condom is not the same or worse than if it were the venom of a Cobra? Sir? Answer the question!
The Venom of The Cobra will kill you. Why would you think otherwise of The HIV in the Condom as well? Be consistent, not deceitful. HIV is worse. There is no cure. Cobra’s Venom can have within a certain timeline a vaccine to save the life. So which would you prefer? Sleeping next to a condom filled with The Venom or The HIV?
Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible [thought to be 1.7% of the population]. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
Homosexuality is a sin. God says it is. You say it’s not. God is ever merciful to sinners provided they repent of their evil deeds. You want reconciliation without repentance. I am an alcoholic. I may have been born with that predisposition or I may not have. Either way I have never asked God to accept my alcoholism. I knew it was wrong. It was painfully obvious. When it got bad enough I repented of it and asked forgiveness and set out to change my evil ways. The church never rejected me even when I was a drunk. It never said being a drunk was OK either.
Dear me, Steve. You’ll have to show me where God says homosexuality is a sin. Please refer to the original languages of the Scriptures, Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic…and show me! Bet you can’t.
hmmmmm? you are set in your opinion, and many of us are set in our Catholic faith. One of the things that distinguishes the Catholic faith from others is that the Catholic Church is not a follower of the practice of Sola Scriptura. She recognizes Tradition (both big and little “t”) and the teaching authority of the magisterium. If one only seeks out the truth from scripture alone, we would fall far short of knowledge of God. (we also wouldn’t believe in the existence of dinosaurs, which are never specifically mentioned in the Bible. And did our Lord ever go to the bathroom? (while this may seem silly, it does speak to a certain questioning and/or accepting of things that are not specifically written down). One must also approach the study of the bible in light of not only the language used, but the audience for which it was originally written, and how it applies to us today.
Being homosexual may not be a choice, but the engagement in the actual sexual lifestyle is indeed a choice, just as it is a choice by many heterosexuals to engage in sexual relations outside of the sanctity of matrimony, which is also against Church teachings. Wrong is wrong, and one shouldn’t try to reason that because one group is committing sin (known or unknown to others), the other group should be lauded for their wrongdoings.
For me, the most obvious signal that the homosexual lifestyle choice is not in sync with God’s plan comes from Genesis 1: 26-31 and Genesis 2:18-25. Woman was created to be with man and they were to be fruitful and multiply. Man and man, woman and woman cannot multiply on their own.
I doubt my comments will change your mind or the minds of others who believe homosexual sexual relationships are perfectly fine and entitled to celebration. But I thank the Pope and magisterium for holding fast to the Way. And I will continue to love my homosexual brothers and sisters, and to pray for them; but I will not accept the “lifestyle” as being something intended by God.
The Catholic Church compels people to be celibate until Sacramentally married and then to reserve their sexuality between the people in the marriage.
Getting sexually-transmitted HIV is impossible if you follow the guidance of the Church.
Promiscuous people who reject the guidance of the Church and sleep around and then contract HIV from some irresponsible looser are the people complicit in the deaths of millions.
and unfortunately spouses who are unfaithful may contract HIV and pass along to their spouse and potentially to any offspring. This has been the case for many in Africa. Please pray for Christine, one such victim in Uganda. Thank you :)
I feel sorry for Gay Catholics who wish to be in communion with the See of Saint Peter and the Holy Roman faith who are unable to understand the degree that the Magisterium and Catechism teaches them about Evils of Homosexuality and the Sin of Pride.
And we are in America and everyone is entitled to believe the way they wish. However, I find it extremely despicable that gays and Lesbians continue to push their faces in the Roman Catholic church when they are more than welcome to sustain their homosexual proud behaviours and lifestyles among Episcopalian…Lutheran….kumbaya-mass-grass faiths. But they will continue to scream “bigot” “intolerant” “hateful” until they can see homosexual pride and married priests and women priests destroying the faith!
OUR ONLY HOPE is the sincere return to the Roman Rite. Rome shall begin implementing it beginning Advent 2011. Let us pray for its widespread success so that we may rid our church of these mongrel deviants and restore the glory of the universal church.
What gives? Wow. The Roman Catholic Church must have it right and they feel wrong about their lifestyles… or they are just compelled to destroy the Church built by Jesus Christ on the rock of Saint Peter.
Thankfully, our Blessed Lord promised that the Gates of Hell shall never prevail.
Deo Gratias ad Lumina Aeternam! JMJ!
No rational soul would expect the Catholic Church to be ‘proud’ of sin. No real Catholic would expect the Church to sanction sin in the form of ‘celebration’ and surely no Catholic would expect the Church to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass in celebration of the Pride of Sin!!
Anyone thinking otherwise has no concept of ration, sin, celebration, pride and certainly not the Sacrifice of the Mass!
Go defile yourselves as you please but don’t expect the Catholic Church to sanction your perversions; that’s what you have the State and Federal Government for.
[...] Gay Pride Mass Cancelled The Boston Globe reported today that the Archdiocese of Boston,” in response to criticism it was sanctioning a [...] [...]
[...] A reader wrote in comments today: “After the 8:00 mass this morning at St Cecilia, Father Unni came on to make a short but impassioned speech about this controversy. He seemed to be struggling to portray this as a disagreement, but it was clear what he thought it was all about: lovers versus haters. In other words, those who opposed the Gay Pride Mass were intolerant, unreasonable bigots, whereas Saint Cecilia welcomed all and always would. Writer Tom Matlack, a non-Catholic who attended the Mass at St. Cecilia’s this morning had this to say about Fr. Unni’s comments, made after Mass which he notes was attended by the Bishop because it was a confirmation service: Without any idea of what was coming, I was about to witness Pastor John Unni’s clarification…Apparently, Father John had an official message from the Archdiocese which he never read. Instead he walked amongst his flock, back and forth, speaking with so much passion that at times his face became red. He talked in the strongest terms possible about the importance of inclusion not exclusion… [...]
I was horrified when I first read about this mass. If you ‘celebrate Gay Pride’ then you ARE endorsing same sex relationships which by the way include sex. Every mass in every parish should support all believers. If those believers don’t believe in Church teachings then what are they doing in the pews?
As someone once said, “if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” I’m tired of our Church apologising for our beliefs. I don’t and won’t. The Church’s mission is to inform secular society, not the other way around.
BRAVO to Bsp. O’Malley for his courage in defending Catholic belief!
Now will you kindly keep your beliefs confined to issues within the church and remind yourself that the church’s values are irrelevant to anyone outside the church, particularly civil law.
This would never have had the legs to be carried to fruition. It was a mass scheduled not to celebrate diversity but to celbrate specifically a Gay lifestyle agenda. If Donnely believes that it is the same to be gay black rich poor old, etc ..then you already have a mass. It’s said every week and It represents Universality already. There is no need to parse or separate people by calling the Mass a “Celebration of Gay Pride”…That statement is in effect celebrating the gay lifestyle, not teaching people correct Faith. Donnely is being deceived and decining others if she thinks she is clarifying matters. She is worsening them. The Catholic Church is Universal and It’s Masses are Universal as well hence no need to make special Masses for celebrating “gay pride” when that phrase means nothing other than “Gay Lifestyle”…. just coded… Remarkable how The Archdiocese responded so late in this matter.
“Fashionable sins backed by a powerful lobby should not be privileged.” Fr. Richard John Neuhaus http://tiny.cc/hznhr
If people had any notion of what eternity is, or of the purity of God, and if they had even the slightest inkling of what it is to know God…if people had any idea at all of the incredible joy and peace that comes from living God’s way….then it would be nothing at all to give up every form of sexual sin and disorder. You need God’s grace, but if you are serious, and ask for the grace, He will give it. The momentary pleasures are less than nothing compared to the freedom of living as a child of God–this goes for heterosexuals, too, who often sin gravely, even within marriage, and don’t care. You lose everything and gain nothing when you do that, whoever you are!
Jesus has nothing to say about sexual orientation; for Him it is a non-issue. He does, however, have a great deal to say about judging others (e.g., Matthew 7).
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
I think the real sadness in all of this is the cooption of the term “gay” as it relates to gay pride. Whatever happened to the notion of homosexuality as simply indicating the phenomena of same-sex attraction? The Homosexualists among us who promote homosexuality as a lifestyle or mindset that dictates committing homosexual acts turn their backs upon Catholic homosexuals who are attempting to live celibately, learning to deflect sexual impulses or framing a life of struggle as an opportunity to grow closer to God. For some people, religious identity is such an important part of their lives, it may transcend everything else. Catholics can celebrate this meaning of Gay in the context of Gay Pride but these Homosexualist Buttheads who demand that we bow to the altar of sodomy, anal sex and fist-f***ing so as to force the Church to reject or condemn homosexuality are the ones who are running a game here. Shame on them. http://tiny.cc/t20g4
[...] Gay Pride Mass Cancelled [...]
[...] concerned Catholics complained and the archdiocese insisted the Mass to celebrate Gay Pride be cancelled. The archdiocese said, the “wording and placement of a bulletin notice announcing that the [...]
Gay Doctor – we are keeping Church issues within the Church – this is about having a Mass to celebrate homosexuality which is not in keeping with Church teachings…I often wonder why so many feel they have the right to tell the Catholic Church what to do, what to teach – do you go to Muslim websites and tell them what to do, what to teach…they are radically opposed to homosexuality and have executed homosexuals…this is obviously wrong – the Catholic Church accepts and loves every person but not every act – love is always good but it’s the expression of love that is wrong at times. A man who loves a married woman is not committing sin as long as he does not act on that love. Why do we believe that the only expression of love is genital/sexual..there are many ways of showing love, deep love…
Words, words, words. A little research into the etymology of the WORD homosexual indicates that it wasn’t coined before 1869 in a pamphlet by a Austrian novelist. Or according to the online etymological dictionary it was 1892. So this WORD does not appear in the Bible. So what! The BEHAVIOR is described and is considered an abomination in both the Old and New Testament. I know that this is not going to change anyone’s mind As has been said in the past, “He who is convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still!”
Excuse me, AN Austrian novelist.
[...] of celebrating and commemorating Gay Pride at St. Cecilia’s in Boston. Then they said it had to be cancelled, but there would be a Mass in the future to welcome the community, but not specifically gays and [...]