Archbishop Sample is trying to clean up the mess Archbishop Emeritus
Vlazny has left.
Sorry
to say that Monsignor Dennis O'Donovan now is trying to make a noise
that was drowned out long ago by those he worked with. Father Peter Smith will have
to clean up his mess too. Monsignor O'Donovan didn't believe that Roger Martin, the lobbyist for the Archdiocese, was pro-abortion. The legislators he worked with this confirmed it.
The players in trying to
destroy the Catholic church depend on behaviors they use as a weapon for hating the Catholic Church, homosexual actions, as a banner for "pride" they want to encourage.
The hierarchy of the Archdiocese of Portland has a long history of confusion on Church teaching making the advent of Archbishop Sample a threat to the status quo they want to hold on to.
Look up names in the article on this blog to see their VOCAL history.
St. Andrew's Catholic Parish Will Carry Banner in Portland's Gay Pride Parade.
Parishioners from
St. Andrew Catholic Church, which has a longstanding commitment to social justice issues, will march in Sunday's
Portland Pride Parade with a banner proclaiming their parish identity, despite the wishes of
Archbishop Alexander K. Sample.
At least four Catholic parishes are expected to participate in
the parade, according to the Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of
the
Community of Welcoming Congregations. Members of
St. Francis of Assisi,
St. Philip Neri and
St. André Bessette (the Downtown Chapel) also are expected to march. In the past, they have carried parish banners, Wilkins said.
Monsignor Dennis O'Donovan, vicar general of the
Archdiocese of Portland,
called St. Andrew's pastor, the Rev. Dave Zegar, on May 31 on behalf
of Sample, parishioners say. O'Donovan relayed the message that
individuals could walk in the parade but that the archbishop did not
want St. Andrew's members to walk as a community.
Sample, who was
installed as archbishop April 2,
is in San Diego to attend the annual summer meeting of United States
bishops, according to Bud Bunce, spokesman for the archdiocese. He
could not be reached for comment.
Bunce confirmed that O'Donovan had made the phone call. While the
archdiocese respects all people, Bunce said, "this was not an event that
St. Andrew's parish could be in as a parish."
On June 4, Zegar met with a group of St. Andrew's parishioners, who
decided to stand by their 17-year commitment to Portland's gay
community. At Mass on Sunday, Zegar shared the group's decision with the
congregation, who responded with a standing ovation, according to Tom
Karwaki, who chairs the parish's pastoral council.
The Rev. Steve Newton, a Holy Cross priest who is pastor of St. André
Bessette, said no one from the archdiocese had called him about the
parade. Parishioners from the Downtown Chapel have walked in the parade
for years.
"The Catholic Church supports gay people, even though there is a broad difference of opinion on their lifestyle," Newton said.
"The Community of Welcoming Congregations stands with and supports
local Catholic parishes that want to bring a message of love and hope to
the LGBT community," Wilkins said.
At St. Andrew's on Sunday, a bulletin insert recounted the history of
the parish's welcoming ministry. A formal committee began meeting in
1996. St. Andrew's helped staff a booth at Portland Pride in 2000, and
members began marching with their banner, which reads "Welcoming the
Whole Family," in 2001.
Susan Kelly, a member of St. Andrew's since 1969, said the move to
become a welcoming congregation was partly due to a respected couple
within the church who were parents of identical twin girls. The twins
"came out" in high school, and their parents agonized over how the
church would react. The mother finally confessed to a friend at St.
Andrew's.
"It got us all thinking about how we deal with this issue," Kelly
says. "How can we reach out and get over this Christian – not just
Catholic –attitude that if you're gay or lesbian, you're not part of the
community?"
The official teaching of the Catholic Church is that homosexual acts
are contrary to natural law and incompatible with living a Christian
life. But
2006 pastoral guidelines from the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
say the church must welcome homosexuals to full and active
participation in the faith. St. Andrew's bulletin insert quoted the
document.
"Essential to the success of ministry to persons with a homosexual
inclination will be the support and leadership of the bishop and other
pastoral leaders," the guidelines read. "This is particularly important
because more than a few persons with a homosexual inclination feel
themselves to be unwelcome and rejected."
How many feel unwelcome became evident Thursday when the
Pew Research Center released the findings of an April survey on
the religious attitudes of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender adults.
Eight in ten adults said the Catholic Church, along with Islam and the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were "unfriendly" to the
LGBT community.
Kelly summarized the reasons that parishioners are insisting on carrying their banner in one word: visibility.
Joy Wallace, a member of St. Andrew's since 1998, says it is common
for members of the gay community and their advocates to seek out St.
Andrew's because they've seen the parish represented in the annual Pride
Parade.
"The banner is important because it says we are a community of
faith," says Jane Braunger, a parish member since the 1980s. "For us
not to embrace this statement as a core commitment about openness and
acceptance and living the Gospel is cowardly."
Karwaki said parishioners would like a chance to talk to the
archbishop about their ministry and explain their commitment to the
Pride Parade. He says Zegar asked for such a dialogue and the parish is
drafting a letter to Sample.
"We're not acting out of disobedience," Karwaki said. "We're acting
out of obedience to the Gospel and the mission of this parish."
-- Nancy Haught
Tuesday, July 16, 7:00 pm at St. Pius X Parish in Portland
