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Boston Archdicoese still in denial over Gay Pride Mass |
After seeing the latest drivel that came out from the Archdiocese of Boston last week about the Mass to celebrate Gay Pride at St. Cecilia’s in Boston, I feel Catholics need to just call it as it is. The Boston Archdiocese is still in public denial over the reason for the original Mass at St. Cecilia’s which was promoted to celebrate Boston (Gay) Pride and over the state of the Rainbow Ministry at St. Cecilia. It’s like they’re consulting with former Rep. Anthony Weiner for expertise on PR, honesty, and damage control.
Until they come out of denial and stop maligning bloggers like me and others and acknowledge what’s going on there, we’re going to keep seeking the truth to lead people to salvation. As I have said before, the problem is not the bloggers, it’s the Archdicoese.
On Friday, yet another statement was issued by Cardinal Sean O’Malley and the archdiocese. He said:
The philosophical and political agenda of Gay Pride in relation to marriage and sexual morality is incompatible with the Church’s teachings.”
That part’s very good! But then it went in the wrong direction.
“For that reason, Father Unni rescheduled a Mass of welcome for all his parishioners to a time that would not associate the Mass with the Gay Pride agenda.
Problem here is that the original Mass wasn’t a “Mass of welcome for all his parishioners” at all. First off, why would we ever need a special Mass of welcome for all parishioners? Isn’t that already happening every Sunday? Has everyone been wrong all these years to be going to Mass because we now need a special Mass of welcome for everyone? It’s plain silly.
Even worse is that the supposed “Mass of welcome for all parishioners” was promoted as follows:
Liturgy to commemorate Boston Pride 2011
The Rainbow Ministry of Saint Cecilia Parish invites all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month.
It invited friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month. As worded in the original notice, the Mass was not actually welcoming all parishioners–it specifically invited and welcomed friends and supporters of the LGBT community to celebrate Boston’s Pride Month. If you were not a friend or supporter of the LGBT community who wanted to celebrate Boston’s Pride Month, then according to the bulletin notice, you were not among the people invited to the Mass whose theme was supposedly “All are Welcome.”
The Rainbow Times said the leaders of the group assumed it was a Mass for Gay Pride. “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.
The Boston Globe said the Rainbow Ministry started planning 6-8 weeks ago: Members of the Rainbow Ministry first suggested the Mass to Unni six to eight weeks ago, he said, and he told them yes, “not knowing what would happen,’’ he said.
The Boston Globe caught Terry Donilon in the lie:
“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.”
If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
I have emailed Terry Donilon multiple times asking this question: If the June 19 Mass was not intended to celebrate Gay Pride, then what exactly WAS it intended to celebrate? When will you and the archdicoese stop deceiving people about what’s going on there? Even the Globe reporter caught you in the lie.
The archdicoese made it a point to say in the statement issued a week ago today that the previous Mass (which was promoted to commemorate Boston Pride 2011 and which invited all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month) was not cancelled, but merely rescheduled. Why? If a Mass promoted to celebrate Gay Pride was wrong in June, why is it somehow OK in July? Had they not specifically made it a point in the Sunday night statement to say that the previous Mass (promoted to commemorate and celebrate Boston Gay Pride) was being rescheduled, then the media and others would not have used that statement as the basis for their headlines and their belief that the archdiocese was supportive of a rescheduled Mass to celebrate Gay Pride. THE ARCHDIOCESE created the problem with THEIR statements, not the bloggers.
Then Cardinal O’Malley’s statement did little to address the same problem. He maintained the previous Mass was rescheduled.
Terry and Cardinal O’Malley, the problem isn’t the bloggers. The problem is what’s being allowed to happen with the Rainbow Ministry at St. Cecilia’s and what YOU’RE saying about it. Do you recognize this and just don’t want to say so publicly?
If the Mass promoted to celebrate and commemorate Gay Pride that specifically invited supporters of the GLBT community was in your opinion not being held to honor/recognize/celebrate Gay Pride, then can you please tell me and others what it WAS being held for? If the bulletin was wrong, then what WAS it intended to say and promote? They said they were planning it for 6-8 weeks and got Unni’s permission. They said they wanted and needed a Gay Pride Mass. Do you expect people to believe the bulletin had a bit of a minor typographical error? Even the Globe saw through it, and you wouldn’t answer them.
They promote gay marriage there. They tell gay teens to come out to get new life and energy. They think a Gay Pride Mass is no different than a Mass for shut-ins. It’s all documented in black-and-white. There’s a Rainbow Ministry at the church that’s promoting views contrary to the teachings of the Church on sexual morality leading people to sin instead of salvation.. Do you and the Cardinal agree? Yes or no? You seem like you’re in denial that’s going on. If no, then what else do you need to see to understand what’s going on? If yes, then what are you guys doing about it besides publicly pretending there’s not a problem?
Does the archdiocese still deny there’s a problem with the Rainbow Ministry and what Fr. Unni is allowing to happen there? Announce that a priest from Courage Ministry is going to celebrate Mass and give the homily at the 11am Mass on July 10, and announce that the Rainbow Ministry is disbanded and replaced with a chapter of Courage and publish a one-pager in the bulletin that discusses the Church’s teachings on sexual morality including chastity for homosexuals – we’ll cheer! I promise!
Otherwise, let Fr. Unni, Bishop Robert Hennessey, Terry Donilon, and Cardinal O’Malley keep following the lead of Rep. Anthony Weiner and see if you might all not end up in the same place eventually.
ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT / DEEP CALLS TO DEEP 