From March 16-20 the National Catholic Reporter published a five-part series about San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer parish. The article was by Thomas Fox, publisher of the newspaper. He is familiar with the parish, having spoken there at least once, on December 28, 2013. The tone of the series received its vanilla flavor because of significant omissions, a situation which caused the paper to take the unusual step (for them) of closing its comment functions:
“It is with deep regret that we have decided to end commenting on this series of stories. We gave a fair hearing to those who object or question aspects of this story, but too often, the same few points were being raised multiple times, which is against our user guidelines and was disrespectful to some of the people portrayed in the article. We encourage respectful discussion in our comments threads but reserve the right to close them when discussion is no longer productive, which has happened in this case.”
Unfortunately for Fox and the National Catholic Reporter, Jesuit Father Donal Godfrey’s dissertation Gays and Grays: the Story of the Gay Community at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church covers the same ground with more detail and accuracy. Gays and Grays refutes much of what Fox says and supplies what Fox omits. It shows why Fox decided the combox needed to be closed. A few examples of the omissions:
In part three of the series, Fox quotes parishioner Bob Barcewski: “There’s nothing in this church — no functions — that are gay here. There’s nothing gay about what we do here.” This is the opposite of the truth. On page 124 of Gays and Grays Father Godfrey quotes parishioner Charles Bold: “So one Sunday I went to Mass, and I thought, oh my, this place is so gay…My older sister, she probably belongs to Opus Dei, I brought her here one time, and she wrote a letter saying that all these men who have sex with other men are going to communion. My sister said, ‘You know, it is social at [Most Holy Redeemer], and that should not be part of religion. You go there to save your soul.’” On page 140, Godfrey quotes parishioner Jeff Farris: “It started to dawn on me how gay it was only after I started going there—you know the whole social thing, they are looking for boyfriends!”
Godfrey’s book was published in 2007, so let’s look at recent events. The calendar of events for Contemplative Outreach of Northern California lists current speakers at Most Holy Redeemer. February 21: USF Theology Professor and Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, author of God Has Made it Plain To Them: An Indictment of Rome’s Hermeneutic of Homophobia; March 7: Dr. Richard Hardy, author of Loving Men: gay partners, spirituality, and AIDS; April 11, Father Terry Ryan, who in 2012 wrote “Many same sex unions are quite holy” ; May 16, Father Tom Bonacci, frequent retreat leader for Dignity San Francisco (including a 2013 retreat for Dignity & Dignity’s ‘leather’ affiliate The Defenders cancelled by Bishop Soto of Sacramento following a CalCatholic story). On January 22, as CalCatholic reported, Most Holy Redeemer hosted Equality California, an event unthinkable in any other Catholic Church. The ostensible purpose of the event, to address issues of immigration and health care took up about five minutes of the hour-long presentation. The other 55 minutes were devoted to Equality California’s legislative agenda, including how to increase homosexual indoctrination in the public schools and how to kill conscience protections for those religiously opposed to having to further the LGBT agenda.
Fox does not mention perhaps the best known parishioner: three-time Emmy award winner Patrick Mulcahey. Mulcahey, considered by many the best writer of soap opera dialogue in Hollywood, is a past vice-president of the Most Holy Redeemer pastoral council. For years he has been quoted in articles about the church in the New York Times, the SF Bay Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Examiner, the Bay Area Reporter, etc. He is extensively quoted in Gays and Grays and is effusively thanked for his help by Father Godfrey in the acknowledgements. In addition to serving as vice-president of the parish’s pastoral council and as a Eucharistic minister, Mulcahey is a well known advocate of the “leather” s/m lifestyle, keeping a “slave” and giving workshops on keeping “slaves.” In 2014 Mulcahey was nominated to be grand marshal of the San Francisco Leather Contingent in the Gay Pride parade.
Nor does Fox mention David Differding, a past coordinator of the Most Holy Redeemer worship committee. Like Mulcahey, Differding is an afficionado of the leather lifestyle, publicly participating at various leather events, and receiving at least one Golden Dildeaux award from the s/m group the Golden Gate Guards. Differding may no longer be a member of the church. Like other Catholic homosexuals, including Jesuit Father Cameron Ayers, and USF theology professor Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, he has apparently joined the Episcopal Church. He is listed as a delegate to the 2015 General Convention of the U.S. Episcopal Church on the webpage of San Francisco’s St. James Episcopal Church. Having such a high profile parishioner as the coordinator of the worship committee leave the faith would cause consternation bordering on crisis in many parishes. But Fox does not mention it.
Nor does Fox address the issue of Most Holy Redeemer’s hosting of the Golden Gate Guards and other s/m groups at the church’s parish hall from 2000-2008. That situation only came to an end because of pressure from concerned Catholics in the archdiocese of San Francisco. Photographs of these s/m events at a Catholic parish can be found at the richtrove.com website, which chronicles such activities.
Fox does not mention the best-known event in the parish’s history: Archbishop George Niederauer being ambushed in the Communion line by two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence—at a Mass where David Differding was serving as master of ceremonies. He does not mention the obscene Revival Bingo produced by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and hosted at the parish. He does not mention the Switch Hitters Ball, a transvestite event held for years at the parish.
He does not mention pastoral council member Matt Dorsey, who in 2009 successfully lobbied the Gay Pride parade committee to award the Pink Brick award to Archbishop Niederauer for his defense of natural marriage. Dorsey is the press secretary for the San Francisco City Attorney’s office. He does not mention the appointment of Hugo Gonzalez, an ex-priest from Arizona, as coordinator of lectors at the parish. Gonzalez made news when he signed the pro-gay Phoenix Declaration then left the priesthood following the appointment of Bishop Thomas Olmstead, over “philosophic differences.” He served as lector coordinator through at least January of 2014, although he no longer does.
I and others have said this for a long time……the Parish needs to be closed!!!
Any Catholic who is practicing HOMOSEXUAL ACTS, FORNICATION,
or ADULTERY – commits SACRILEGE against the Body and Blood of our Lord – if they receive Holy Communion.
CCC: ” 1451 Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place.
Contrition is sorrow of the soul
and detestation for the sin committed,
together with the resolution not to sin again. ”
CCC: ” 1415 Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace.
Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance. ”
CCC: ” 1791 .. ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility.
This is the case when a man takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin.
In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits. “
Anonymous good post. They cant say they weren’t told.
Exactly!
Just a reminder that “National Catholic REPORTER” is not Catholic.
It is a FRAUD.
In 1968 the ‘Reporter’ was condemned by their Diocese Bishop Helmsing –
https://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00Cofv
In 2013 this was reiterated by their current Bishop.
https://catholickey.org/2013/01/25/the-bishops-role-in-fostering-the-mission-of-the-catholic-media/
The “Reporter” was asked not to use the name “Catholic” both in 1968 and 2013, however they have chosen to remain fraudulent.
Several times in the past, I have tried to post on the ‘Reporter’ web site. They only allow weak arguments to their positions – usually personal opinions that don’t mean much.
They do not allow quotes from OFFICIAL sources such as the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”. of the Catholic Faith that clearly disputes their positions.
And you are reading the National Catholic Reporter because….?
I can only answer for myself…I read in order to practice writing in the combox. Sometimes my posts are removed, sometimes not. I am collecting responses to my posts in order to write and submit an article to Eye on the Tiber website.
I’ve been accused of being a troll!
They need correction from all their lies about the Faith. But they don’t print official facts that disagree with their anti-Catholic positions, so after one or two tries most quit reading them.
Dear heavens!
After reading so many paragraphs about what was NOT mentioned, I wonder if the article mentioned anything at all…
“The FALSE RELIGION 03-24”
https://www.churchmilitant.tv/platform/?today=2015-03-24
CCC: ” 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.
Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.”
The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
CCC: ” 1036 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny.
They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where “men will weep and gnash their teeth.” “
Thanks Mike. The video puts a clear perspective on the entire issue
and exactly what we are dealing with.
Such flagrant heresy. Why hasn’t the Archbishop closed down or at least clean out this parish?
De-consecrate, Demolish, Remove the Rubbish, Salt the Land
Unspeakable, but understandable. When will you people learn about the power exercised by HomoFascists within the Catholic Church!
SF is lucky to have the excellent Abp. Cordileone in charge, after decades of beyond neglect by prior bishops. But the good Archbishop has his hands full at present with the (1) high school “morality clauses” issues and (2) the altar-boys policy at Star of the Sea Parish. All good things, but no where near the heavy lift of straightening out MHR parish.
But, something clearly needs to be done. As the article shows, homosexual-friendly publications will not tell the truth about the parish. Even if they did, not many people in SF will care (but they will be even more offended by someone who dared to impose a different moral order upon them). So what is done?
Close MHR? No, that is never the answer. What needs doing is to impose a purely Catholic, orthodox, structure there, one that is strictly Traditional. In short, the parish should become a purely TLM/sacraments in the extraordinary form place. For needed political separation, the administration of the New-MHR should be under the control of an external Traditional Order, preferably one from Europe, but the FSSP or the ICKSP would be OK, too (possibly the Franciscan Friars/Sisters of the Immaculate).
The uproar would be enormous, beyond description. But this is the only thing that would work.
Totally agree. Fight that unholy fire with the Fire of the Holy Spirit.
1) MHR already is being pastored by a European based religious order. Or at least I think it is European order.
2) Cordileone himself goes to MHR for its homeless outreach. Says it tenderizes him.
3) The liturgy is already one of the most traditional (and best) liturgies around. You could spend months of church-shopping to find one as beautiful as this one where the parish actually sings. GIRM compliant too, I believe. The new priests don’t seem to be so much into holy water and incense, but until them, it was one of the best smelling churches around.
4) How do you all know that MHR is so bad? Most people are pretty floored when they go there. Great music. Devout priests. Sincere parishoners. Commitment to the sick and the poor.
5) Until recently it was already the home to one of the TLM masses in the city.
6) The pews are full at the main mass, and the new priests have a strong commitment to outreach and evangelization that might just fill up the other masses and require additional seating at the main mass.
Sorry, “Your Fellow Catholic”: These parishioners are attending the last symphony on the Titanic. MHR clergy willingly permit its premises to be used by homosexual activists of a wide variety. This must end.
No “welcoming” and no recognition of “gifts” of homosexuals can ever characterize a Catholic Church. It is nice that the Archbishop feels “tenderized” there, but he will need to address the far too many activities of scandal that are recognized as acceptable there. And wasn’t this the place that someone was offended at the portrait of Pope Benedict?
Hardly just another Catholic Church.
No one can be satisfied until MHR preaches that homosexual sex is morally unacceptable every time and that all fornication is damnable. No more winking at the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and all that crap — the administration of the Church should no longer be under the local ordinary.
And, you know full well, that having full pews of parishioners, many of whom are practicing homosexuals (and, by many accounts, who also receive communion), means little. It is nice to go to Church, but not if the message received is one of “acceptance” of one’s sinful lifestyle. No wonder the pews are full! It is like being in Disneyland for the sexually disordered. Get serious, “YFC”, the focus needs to be on saving souls, not in having a homosexual-feel good event.
When you walk into a Church, how do you know if someone is a practicing homosexual? How do you know if another is an adulterer? How do you know if a third is a Mother Theresa? How do you know these things?
One participates in Sacrilege if they KNOWINGLY give Holy Communion to someone who chooses to live in Mortal Sin.
This would require any type of public acknowledgment on the part of the acting homosexual and/or adulterer.
It includes any type of public support for these Mortal Sins – which also involves the additional mortal sin of scandal.
However, this does NOT absolve any of us from private mortal sins.
SACRILEGE can be public or private.
CCC: “1415 Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace.
Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance.”
There are very few literate Catholics in the USA and Canada who have legitimate excuses for Mortal Sin.
All have access to a Catholic Bible and the CCC.
This access is not only in paper books, but also over the internet, and all electronics using apps.
If in any doubt Catholics have an individual responsibility to check these out for the Truth – if they choose to be Catholic.
Code of Canon Law:
” Can. 915 Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty
and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin
are not to be admitted to holy communion. ”
“Your Fellow Catholic”: As per normal, your comments are a non-sequitur to the post, and to its comments. The current literature speaks to the “larger than normal” population of homosexuals that attend MHR.
Further, if you read the article, MHR laity, at least those that seek to steer its organization and activities, are heavily homosexual. The article — again, you need to read it — discusses (1) Pastoral Council VP “Patrick Mulcahey” (and “Eucharistic Minister” — can you imagine him touching the Sacred Host), who seems to keep a “love slave” and (2) “David Differding”, a coordinator of the “Worship Committee” who also likes leather events (NB — it is observed that Differding may now be an Episcoplian).
The point is that homosexual activists attend MHR and are very involved in lay events. Space does not permit further discussion of the disgusting and immoral “events” that are planned and held on Church property. (No, it does not matter if the homosexuals also do good things for the poor.)
I don’t even know what it means to be “heavily homosexual”. Is that a gay person who eats a little too much at Thanksgiving?
I honestly believe that if you think you can walk into a parish and pre-judge who are mortal sinners and who are not, then you are occupying shaky ground theologically. You would even be guilty of, among other things, rash judgement.
Once again, excellent post St. Christopher!
Fellow Catholic,
When I lived in San Francisco I often attended mass at MHR because it had such a beautiful and reverent liturgy in which all the congregants are fully, and prayerfully involved. When I read your comments, it reminded me of the time I brought my folks to Sunday mass at MHR when they were in town. My father – a seventy-something year old man who has never missed a Sunday liturgy in his life and still prays the responses in the Latin of his childhood – said he thought the parish was TOO conservative because it had such formal liturgy!
When I read comments from people who say the church is not catholic or should be deconsecrated, it is clear to me that they have never been to the place or worshipped with the congregants.
A side note, I don’t know if you were there, but I was at mass the infamous Sunday Archbishop Neiderauer was saying mass with the Sister’s of Perpetual indulgence in the congregation. I was actually sitting nearby, and was annoyed that the “sisters” came in their full regalia. I assumed they were going to cause a stir or disrupt the mass or begin a protest. Nothing of the sort happened. They prayed right along side everyone else. The major distraction were the congregant OPPOSITE the sisters who we’re making a commotion and taking pictures… Congregants, it turns out, who did the initial “reporting,”. THEY seemed to be the only ones who were unable to pray and show reverence at mass to the holy presence of the Eucharist. It’s ironic what “news” gets reported and what news remains hidden.
Does MHR openly and frequently teach according to the Catholic Faith – quoting both Sacred Scripture and also the CCC (including as it relates to the sinfulness of homosexual acts) ?
1) Sacred Scripture –
Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 1 Tim 1:10; Jude 1:7.
and
2) CCC – 2357, 2358, 2359, & 2396 .
Any Priest who knowingly allows anyone to receive Holy Communion who is living in the state of Mortal sin – assists that person in committing Sacrilege.
When a Priest assists in committing Mortal Sin, or knowingly permits Sacrilege – no matter how reverent his Liturgy may appear – he is committing Mortal Sin. And he then makes a mockery of the Liturgy at which known Sacrilege is committed.
The Parish Priest is required to teach according the Bible and CCC.
“St. Peter”: What is “ironic” is that you take any time at all to be part of a truly Catholic blogsite like CCD. Demons are angels, too, and know all about God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. It does not matter at all if homosexual sexual partners go to Mass, pray, go to communion, work in a soup kitchen, and then go home and engage in sodomy.
Mortal sin is what they call it, and it trumps everything else. Like spritzing perfume on a dung-heap.
What homosexuals need to do is seek out confession, truly repent, promise and live their promise to reform their lives, and go to communion. This is what is marks a Catholic, not putting some money into the collection basket, or attending a pancake breakfast. We all sin, and need forgiveness; arguing that your sin is meaningless because it felt good (or necessary) is simply heresy.
Thanks for your post St. Peter. I agree with you. I was not at MHR the day you reference, but I’ve certainly read about it. As I understand it, the sisters were on their way to another event nearby and didn’t want to miss mass. I suspect that it just happened to be the Sunday that the Archbishop was there, though I don’t know for certain.
“Thanks” for what, “Your Fellow Catholic”? The “Sisters” are perverse; active homosexuals who have the moral audacity to receive communion when they are regularly partakers of another “communion” — that of sodomy, of man-on-man sex.
Just imagine how Christ must react to this insult. And, of course, the local ordinary (and the sad Bishop Niederahuer) have no compunction about placing the sacred Species into the profane mouth of these men. Perhaps Francis, Dolan, Wuerl, Cupich, and all others believe that this if fine, but it is not.
No homosexual, unless fully chaste and after going to communion, can receive Holy Communion. The fact that MHR does not preach this, is reason enough to have tough, unyielding, orthodox priests come in and take over.
FYI – Sisters of Perpetual indulgence are mostly men in drag.
These drag queens are merely in Church to make a political statement and distract people from worship, not to worship God.
Apparently homosexuals – YFC, and st. peter support this disrespect also.
Your Fellow Catholic –
1) Do you live in the SFO Diocese?
2) Do you attend MHR on a regular basis ?
3) Do the Priests promote reading of Sacred Scripture and the CCC on a regular basis – for the TRUTH in Catholic teaching. – No Holy Communion to those who choose to continue living in Mortal Sin or promote Mortal Sin in any way (homosexual acts).
Or are your assertions on the LITURGY at MHR merely more lies to promote the homosexual agenda ?
I am going to answer your question assuming your intentions are honorable:
-I am a resident of San Francisco, and hence, of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
– I do not live in the parish of MHR, however I do go there from time to time. Enough to have a reasonable sense of things there, but not involved enough to have registered there.
-The priests absolutely follow the approved lectionary, so they encourage the reading of scripture. It is done with great reverence and attention at each mass. There is a Gospel procession at every mass. Do they encourage the reading of the CCC? I can’t recall having heard that being recommended from the pulpit, however there are 2 copies of it in the parish library. They do have a number of spiritual development programs which parishioners are encouraged to attend. I myself recently went to a morning discussion on the 500th anniversary of St. Theresa of Avila by an internationally recognized scholar of her life. It was wonderful, and attended by about 20-25 people and included an extended opening silent prayer.
-The priests preach often on sin and conversion. I am quite certain that everyone in that parish knows that the priests encourage consciousness of sin, and there is no pushback about that, because attendees are generally trying to lead sincere spiritual lives.
I do not post lies. If you think going to mass and talking honestly about is a matter of lies then you would be mistaken.
In conclusion we find YFC to be a liberal and therefore incapable of recognizing the Truth…He pushes his gay agenda and will demand that rest of accept sodomy as a norm. We accuse to his face
Ab. Cordileone cannot do everything at once. Look at the uproar at a seemingly minor directive — that Catholic schools should be…Catholic. The Church has suffered decades of degradation and it will take years of catechesis to reverse. Starting with the schools and educating the young (and their parents) is a way to rectify what is lacking in the knowledge of Catholicism.
Ab. Cordileone needs our support for his doing the right thing in education, not our antagnosism for not doing a list of other things.
If it were not for California Catholic Daily, the perverts would prevail with their lies and distortions.
I HAVE PHOTOS OF MHR WITH THE GAY FLAG FLYING FROM ITS BUILDING.
Joan send to the Archbishop and to our Pope. Send with teachings of what the saints teach about homosexuality.
When sending any pictoral evidence to a Bishop be sure to write down –
1) LOCATION where pic was taken,
2) DATE the pic was taken.
Send in timely manner.
(It will have to be checked out to insure against photo-shopping.)
Yes, Joan please send the photo to Pope Francis and also ask him what is the anatomy of this other cover up?
Angry protests mar installation of Chilean bishop accused of covering up abuse
Catholic World News – March 23, 2015
“Bishop Juan Barros Madrid was installed on March 21 to head the Diocese of Osorno, Chile, despite angry public protests over his alleged failure to report sexual abuse.
Scores of noisy protesters crowded into the Osorno cathedral during the installation ceremony, and hundreds more gathered outside to voice their opposition to the bishop’s installation. Police were forced to stop some protesters from rushing the altar, and an armed guard escorted the bishop from the cathedral after the ceremony.
The protests against Bishop Barros have mounted since January, when Pope Francis named him to lead the Osorno diocese. Thirty priests of that diocese signed a letter protesting the choice, and dozens of Chilean lawmakers asked the Pontiff to reconsider the appointment. But Archbishop Fernando Chomali of Concepcion, who spoke directly with the Pontiff about the matter, said that after studying the case he “found no reason” to alter his decision.
Victims of a notorious Chilean priest, Father Fernando Karadima, claim that Bishop Barros was aware that Karadima was molesting them, and did nothing to stop the abuse. Bishop Barros has denied that charge, saying: “I never had knowledge of, or could have imagined, the serious abuses that this priest committed against the victims.”
That’s why it’s known as The National Catholic Distorter!
An interesting read on homosexuals in our Church:
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/02/fr-dariusz-okos-major-article-with-pope.html