How Fr. John Unni catechizes his Rainbow Ministry Joe Sacerdo | June 24, 2011 at 8:15 am | Tags: Archdiocese of Boston, cardinal sean o’malley, gay lesbian, gay pride, st c | Categories: Archdiocese of Boston, Gay/Lesbian Related | URL: http://wp.me/pQfKt-pU http://bryanhehirexposed.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/how-fr-john-unni-catechizes-his-rainbow-ministry/

Lots of people have criticized me and this blog for “hate,” saying Fr. John Unni at St. Cecilia’s in Boston is doing a great job of welcoming gays and lesbians into the Church.  The Archdiocese of Boston says the parish is “devoted to the Gospel and Christ’s saving ministry.” Well, when it comes to saving people from their sins and calling gay and lesbian people to repentance and conversion, there’s basically zero indication that’s happening at St. Cecilia’s and lots of evidence to the contrary. It’s all sizzle and no steak as best as I can tell.

You’ve got people who supported gay marriage and opposed the Catholic church on marriage speaking at St. Cecilia’s for years.  Is this how Fr. John Unni catechizes his Rainbow Ministry and leads them to salvation for their sins?  I’ve got a few questions for Terry Donilon, archdiocesan spokesman, and Cardinal Sean O’Malley also: How exactly does that synch with Church teachings that marriage is between one man and one woman? How’s that synch with Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s statements defending traditional marriage, and Terry’s own statement, that while the church does not reject anyone, it “opposes changing the definition of marriage, because to do so would weaken one of the oldest and most sacred institutions of human society”?

Terry, Cardinal O’Malley, and Bishop Hennessey, we’d like an answer: How can we oppose weakening one of the oldest and most sacred institutions of human society, while still supporting a church and pastor who puts forward speakers whose focus and expertise is weakening and redefining that institution?  And the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston has “full confidence” in the pastor?

Every time I think we’ve heard all of the story here, we find out there’s more.  Here’s this article from the Rainbow Times on the rescheduling of the Mass originally promoted to “celebrate and commemorate Boston’s Pride Month. We pulled just a few of the more interesting passages.

Be here on July 10,” said John Kelly, chair of the LGBT-affirming Rainbow Ministry at St. Cecilia, referring to a new date for the parish’s “All are Welcome” Mass, a liturgy that Boston archdiocesan officials initially halted because of the “unintended impression” it supported Boston Gay Pride.

The archdiocese issued a statement, indicating support for the lay-led service. “We respect the desire of those individuals organizing and participating in the prayer service,” the statement said. “We know that the postponement of the June 19th Mass has been disappointing to them.”

The statement also served as the official announcement of the date for “a Mass welcoming the wider community of the faithful, including gays and lesbians,” now rescheduled for Sunday, July 10, during St. Cecilia’s regularly scheduled 11 am Eucharistic celebration.

The prayer service included hymns, prayers, readings, and a reflection offered by Richard Iandoli, vice chairman of the parish council, who at times fought back tears.

St. Cecilia is in fact a spiritual home to a significant gay population, with many parishioners finding their way to the church, by way of archdiocesan assistance in 2007, when the primarily gay Jesuit Urban Center abruptly closed its doors.

Iandoli also explained the need for a Mass, “specifically to celebrate Gay Pride, because it is difficult to be proud unless you are both loved and supported,” he said. “You see we are not disordered, immature, or sinful because we are gay, lesbian, or transgender – just children of God.”

C. J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, said in a press statement, the idea of a Mass, as “an opportunity to celebrate one’s sexual identity is as offensive as it is obscene,” adding, “Homosexuals are welcome in the Catholic Church on the same basis as the rest of us poor sinners – they are welcome to the confessional.”

But Iandoli would have none of it. “We are discriminated against and hurt because we are gay. It is not in spite of it,” he said. “We need to minister to our needs cognizant of the facts. We do not have to hide them or act as if they are hidden.”

Furthermore, a special Mass “to single out a particular group for pastoral care is neither unusual nor unorthodox,” Iandoli explained, noting the church celebrates Mass “at home for the infirmed, in nursing homes for the aged, and in prison for the incarcerated.”  During the academic year, St. Cecilia celebrates a 6:00 pm Mass for college students.

And Iandoli offered strong words of encouragement to gay youth. “I urge you to come out,” he said  “The closet is a hateful, lonely, silent, and unholy place.”As Iandoli explained, “If you can, come out when you are ready and when it is safe, I think your yoke will be easier, your burden lighter. The freedom that comes from being honest with yourself, accepting yourself, and sharing that information about yourself when appropriate will release terrible psychological pressure and give you new energy and life.”

If I get this right, Fr. John Unni, under the watchful eye of auxiliary bishop Robert Hennessey and Cardinal O’Malley, is teaching his parishioners that a Mass that commemorates Christ’s sacrifice on the cross–which is celebrated in a hospital or nursing home for those who are elderly, physically infirm, sick, suffering from a chronic illness or maybe even close to death and can’t get to a church–serves the same purpose and is equivalent in their eyes to a Mass “specifically to celebrate Gay Pride”?  The same holds for a Mass in a prison?

The archdiocese calls this “a wonderful example of the exceptional parishes in the Archdiocese.”  Is Cardinal O’Malley not well?  I’ll say it again, has Cardinal O’Malley lost his marbles?

Then we have the vice chairman of the parish council encouraging youth confused about their sexuality to “come out “as gay or lesbian.  No mention of turning to Jesus Christ, no mention of abstinence and chastity as the route to holiness consistent with God’s plan, no prayer advised, no spiritual counseling advised, no psychological or family counseling advised, no medical risks of unsafe sexual behavior to be concerned about.  Just “come out”  as gay or lesbian and you’ll get “new energy and life”!  How is this leading people with same-sex attractions to a deeper relationship with Christ and a life of virtue and holiness?

As we cited in a prior post, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has said:

All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous.”

Can anyone cite even one written statement anywhere from Fr. Unni or the Rainbow Ministry or an example of a speaker at St. Cecilia’s in the past several years talking about how those with same-sex attractions should practice chastity as the path to holiness?  One?

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Bishop Robert Hennessey, Fr. John Unni, and diocesan spokesman Terry Donilon have all proven themselves ineffective in stopping this scandal and making sure that the Church’s teachings and message of salvation are clearly articulated at St. Cecilia’s Boston in-season and out-of-season. They’ve all failed to fulfill their canonical responsibilities as shepherds–dismally. There’s no choice but to ask for the intervention of the Holy See to have them removed.

For now, you can Take Action by emailing the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi at nuntiususa(at)nuntiususa.org and the Holy Father benedictxvi(at)vatican.va. Next week we’ll mount a full-fledged campaign where you can fax or email the Holy See.