Saint John the Evangelist, a parish in San Diego’s homosexual Hillcrest neighborhood notorious for its promotion of pro-sodomy initiatives, advertises a 5:00 pm Sunday Mass hosted by the church’s LGBTQ Ministry. The parish offers an LGBTQ monthly social/potluck, LGBTQ prayer and support group, and other activities, and has marched in San Diego’s Gay Pride parade.
Since learning about the Sunday “LGBTQ liturgy celebration,” a number of Catholics have been showing up every Sunday at 4:30 PM to pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy in reparation.
Led by Ofelia Olguin, the prayer warriors have been growing in number. “We really want to be here in June when Pride Month is celebrated,” says Andres Wong, who has been praying.
“There is no reason for any parish to hold an ‘LGBTQ liturgy celebration’ or ‘LGBTQ’ anything,” says another prayer warrior who wishes to remain anonymous. “There is only one Mass, and only male or female human beings. There are male and female Catholics who struggle with various sins, and some of them struggle with homosexual temptations that they must fight to overcome. Why is homosexuality such a special sin that it deserves its own Mass and ministries? I suspect the reason is because that sin is being condoned, not discouraged.”
The parish website contains a link to San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy’s January article in America magazine calling for “radical inclusion for L.G.B.T. people, women and others in the Catholic Church.” In the article, McElroy posits that the Church is a field hospital and the Eucharist is medicine, implying it should not be denied to anyone, regardless of the state of his soul. The cardinal talks about “reverence for conscience in the Catholic faith” and states it is “conscience that has the privileged place.”
In 2017, then-Bishop McElroy and then-auxiliary Bishop John Dolan, now bishop of Phoenix, celebrated a Mass there to commemorate the 20th publication anniversary of the U.S. bishops’ document Always Our Children. The LGBTQ ministry itself was established by a “gay,” civilly-“married” man, Aaron Bianco, who worked at the parish with the blessing of McElroy.
We are praying for the conversion of Cardinal McElroy and for those at St. John to be correctly taught the beauty and truth of our Catholic faith.
Photos from the parish website.
The above was emailed by a California Catholic Daily reader on April 28.
This is absolutely the wrong way to deal with it
If you really believed in the Sacred Heart, you would not have done this.
It won’t change very many (any?) minds at that parish but it does bring attention to the diocesan leadership and its agenda. Every day folks are pretty saturated with being bullied with the constant gender/race ideology mantras and so when things like diocesan appeals roll around, they’ll make their voices heard. This isn’t about changing hearts and minds. It’s about exposing the corruption and it needs to be done.
Still waiting for the other shoe to drop over MHR.
Not worth going to hell for, in my opinion.
Did they think they could be responsible for someone never coming back to Mass?
They make the false assumption that people who are LGBTQ and Catholic are violating the Church’s laws.
Some might be but most are struggling with this trial.
They know the Catholic teachings and they are trying to live it.
This parish gave them a space where they could feel accepted and not have to deal with the busybodies.
Jesus came, suffered, died and rose again to save sinners, not the self-righteous.
“Not worth going to hell for, in my opinion.” Your assumption is that the alphabet crowd embodies fidelity to the Church in sexual matters. But if so, then why the alphabet Masses? These serve to bring to bring prominence to the lifestyle, which for most people amounts to a validation. Notice Aaron Bianco as a case in point. If Cdl. McElroy is serious about the Church as a field hospital, and I think, based on our Lord’s consorting with tax collectors and sinners, that the idea is a good one, then the Church should be a spiritual doctor to, and not an enabler of, deviant sexuality. Now, there are those who argue protesting a Mass is an exercise in self-aggrandizing, self-righteous folly worthy of the highest outrage. I liked Butch Cassidy’s comment, April 28, 2023 at 2:28 pm. If a Mass is for the alphabet crowd, then its goal should be fidelity to the Church. No one in their right mind should protest this. I get the feeling this is not the aim at Saint John the Evangelist, which is why every Sunday at 4:30 PM some assemble to pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy in reparation. On the assumption that this does not disturb the Mass, I am unsure how this can be construed as protesting a Mass. If someone knows more, I would be glad to receive an education. Come to think of it, the 4:30 prayer would be an excellent occasion for those LGBTQ earnestly seeking conformity to Christ to participate in.
Rainbow fags don’t belong in church.
No need for the pejoratives. Mind your manners.
He probably meant “rainbow flags”. I see how that typo could happen.
….hmmmmmmm…..
I accidentally gave “don’t belong” a thumbs up thinking he wrote “flags”. The only flags that belong in a Catholic Church are Vatican, state or federal flags. No political flags or others should be there.
Of course, certain Church approved flags, such as the Knight of Columbus, can be brought into Catholic churches at times but not those supporting non-Catholic principles. I do not think most Catholic churches even put the state or U.S. flag in their sanctuaries but sometimes have them outside.
Why is homosexuality such a special sin that it deserves its own Mass and
ministries?
Homosexuality is not a sin in the Catholic Church. What religion are you?
It is a sin if you act on it, if you engage in abnormal sexual relations.
Paragraph 2357 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states, “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, tradition has always declared that ’homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ 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.”
Yes, Diane, we know all that.
In our US culture, people declare themselves LGBTQ who have never had sex.
Heterosexual people have more illicit sex than LGBTQ people do.
No one is saying that marriage is not between 1 man and 1 woman or that abortion is not a sin.
It is the fact that some arrogant self righteous Catholics decide they are so superior that they can protest a Mass. A Mass. The Sacrifice of Calvary renewed! One poster calls it a homosexual Mass and a pride Mass. This is what is so offensive.
These people are going to have to go before the Lord someday.
There is no more fear of God. Heaven help us all.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. 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.
2359 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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Because the goal of these people is to undo church teaching about gay sex. That’s what Fr. James Martin intends. They think if they persist in applying pressure they will succeed in making gay sex no longer a sin. Then they can move on to pedophilia.
Can we get a special Mass for legal gun owners who feel marginalized?
Aren’t all Catholic Masses “all are welcome” Masses?
I thought all people were welcome, but not all behaviors.
Is chastity a central theme at this Mass and social?
Chastity is for all; straight, gay or otherwise.
Is chastity a central theme at any Mass or social?
Do people stand with posters outside your Mass with these signs?
I wish they would bring a sign with their sins on it.
That would be more interesting.
I don’t know of any other parish that is promoting sin, do you?
They are not promoting sin that I know of.
You just assume if someone is LGBTQ they commit certain sins and do not repent of them.
I will assume that you do too.
Those assumptions are not with reason,,,every June they come out display themselves as the perverts that they are
Yes Diane, The Most Holy Redeemer, San Francisco, CA. I took pictures of Bishop Niederauer giving Holy Communion to Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in full drag. He later apologized saying he failed to recognize them. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/10624/drag-sisters-receive-the-eucharist-from-archbishop
You should be ashamed of yourself for taking pictures of people engaged in the most intimate encounter. they can have with the Lord. Especially when your goal wasn’t to edify but to bring shame.
There is a link on the page that takes you to a old link that now has a dirty picture on it.
Do not click on the link that says it is the history of MHC.
The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” mocked everything holy. They sometimes used seemingly Catholic websites about saints as fronts for porn until others complained.
If a Mass and social focus on sexuality (which obviously a LGBTQ+ Mass and social do), then it should be a central theme, like it is at Courage or Eden Invitation gatherings. When AA meets in a local church, it’s about sobriety and recovery, not continued addiction. And, we don’t have special Masses for (other) addicts. All are always welcome at any Mass and that means all sinners, including us. Yet, we are to resolve, by God’s grace, to sin no more and not continue in sin. “Go and sin no more,” says Jesus. And, you can’t be any more compassionate, loving or inclusive than He is.
Butch Cassidy, I have not been to this Mass but I assume it is like every other Mass. This is a safe space and maybe a space where people who feel marginalized can attend without fear of getting the side eye.
I doubt the focus is on sexuality at all. This is probably a place where they can get away from that.
It is not a great space to be what society considers ‘weird” or “evil” or ‘sinful”
We know everyone is sinful but nobody says “go and sin no more.”
If they are guilty of grave sin, I am sure confession is available.
If they are guilty of venial sin, that is forgiven during Mass.
What you mean is it’s a Mass where gay couples can hold hands and kiss and show signs of affection during Mass (arm around the shoulder) without getting the side eye. Believe me, the whole purpose of the gay Mass is to encourage gays to continue being gay. The Mass is most definitely not to encourage them to live in conformity with the Church’s moral doctrines against gay sex. It’s a gay rebel Mass. And everyone there knows it.
“We know everyone is sinful but nobody says “go and sin no more.”” Jesus said it, and the priest in persona Christi says it every confession. As I see it, this is always good advice when someone confides in us that they have a problem with some sin. We may suggest any number of things, but in the end, we ought to say “go and sin no more.”
The priest does not say “Go and sin no more” in Confession. He says “Go in peace.”
Well there are wedding masses, funeral masses, ordination masses. And there are private masses. So I’m not sure that all are not welcome at an LGBT mass – I doubt after all they ask for your gay card when you enter- if they did it wouldn’t be completely unheard of.
Besides, aren’t prayers a little more likely to be heard if the protesters went to the mass instead of protesting it? How does the most amazing demonstration of Christs presence ever deserve protest? It’s like protesting Jesus himself.
Besides I think things like this usually backfire because they demonstrate why there is a need for ministry for people who are often ostracized for something that the church teaches is not in itself a sin.
So there are no “couples” at the LGBT Masses? Come off it. There’s no “winking” at relationships? Nobody introduces himself as, “Hi, I’m Bob, and this is my partner, Kevin”? Come off it.
I have never seen winking at mass. My advice is that instead of protesting Jesus, we join in adoration of him, together.
“protesting Jesus”??!!?? I don’t think those saying the Divine Mercy chaplet and rosary would see it that way… what do you think?
I think they are protesting Jesus. That’s how I see it. Jesus is present at mass precisely to draw sinners closer to him. Even mortal sinners should be encouraged to go to mass for this reason, not discouraged from going to mass. Jesus is doing his ministry there and any protest is a protest against him. If you believe being a gay couple is a sin, you should open doors to the Mass all the more to them, not create a scene to shun them.
This Mass is an effort at evangelization.
There is an immaturity that believes that God only loves the pure but it is the opposite.
“The well do not need a doctor.”
I do not know what they do about reception of communion. Until I hear otherwise, I will assume it is the same here as other places.
This looks like a devout parish if you can tell by the website.
Nothing they are offering looks like sin to me (if you don’t count gluttony at the pot luck).
I just can not believe that anybody would behave like these protesters.
You can make reparation by joining their daily rosary. You do not have to attack this Mass.
You can tell from the comments here that most people assume the worst about people they do not even know.
I do not know what to say except that they should read the Gospels.
I took comfort in the fact that yesterday’s readings would console anyone who had to walk past those protesters to go to Mass.
What religion are you, “not a sin”? Homosexual practice most definitely is a sin in the Catholic Church. And not only is it a sin, it’s a mortal sin–and not only is it a mortal sin, it’s an especially terrible mortal sin, one that cries out to Heaven for vengeance. For St. John the Evangelist to cater to this with special masses, ministries and events, and participating in San Diego’s annual sodomy shame spectacle, is abominable. Of course, under queer-friendly Cardinal Bob, nothing will be done to stop these things as SJE, because McElroy’s all down with loving the sinner and their sin.
Homosexuality is a condition of fallen human nature. Yes,to commit a homosexual or many heterosexual sex act is a grave sin. The only acceptable use of the sexual gift is in marriage. Sodomy is the sin that cries to Heaven for vengeance. Not homosexuality. Stop altering the Catholic faith to suit yourself.
We are all sinners.
I do not think they should have LGBTQ Masses and specific ministries, but this is an example of why they feel they have to. I do not agree with Bishop McElroy’s position to change the sacramental disciple to allow those in mortal sin may receive communion.
But if you read the New Testament, you will see a lot of admonishments toward people who do this kind of things like the protesters are doing.
Cafeteria Catholics pick and choose what they want to believe and obey.
Would the sisters in the other story approve of a special Mass for plastic-users?
The people on here writing that “they are just LGBTQ. They are not committing homosexual acts.” are so naive. And college kids in mixed dorms are living totally chaste night lives. yeah, right.
LGBTQ does not mean you are sinning sexually.
“LGBTQ does not mean you are sinning sexually.” ba ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
bohemond, you told us about your sexual sins…did you think we forgot?
And yes, if you are a Catholic male, there is a 98% chance that you have committed a sexual sin.
Same with females, if you add in the use of birth control, I think it is about 90% without that.
I looked for the sources I found the numbers on but I could not find the pages. I think it was Pew Research.
Heterosexual does not mean that you are sinning sexually…that is not the meaning of it.
Neither does homosexuality mean that you are sinning sexually.
We could discuss the real issues but people here cannot be trusted.
“We could discuss the real issues but people here cannot be trusted.” I have to echo that one.
Oh yeah I have committed plenty of sexual sins, but none of them were unnatural. I never once asked the Church to change its teachings so that my sins are affirmed, so I could live my life as my “authentic self”.
“We could discuss the real issues but people here cannot be trusted.” It depends on what you mean by not being able to trust… not being able to discuss intelligently? with good will? without condescension? browbeating? virtue signalling? Some people I read here can be eminently trusted to respond fairly, intelligently and with compassion. I give you Deacon Craig Anderson as a prime example, if he will forgive me for mentioning him. I think the same of the other clergy who blog here. I have always liked the tone of asdf, whoever that is, and recently Butch Cassidy has impressed me as an apostle of sanity. For myself, I have had my moments and have had to have been censored a few times; I am trying to learn from my mistakes and am beginning to trust myself to answer with an improving measure of grace, though I have to leave that to others to decide if this is so. So yes, I look forward to reading those whose character elicits trust. They are out there.
…. jon commenting and then replying to himself again.
My apologies to the parishioners of St. John the Evangelist.
Jesus loves you and wants you to keep coming to Mass.
Heartbroken that anybody would treat you like this.
Holy Mary, pray for us sinners.
Many times, people have to leave their Father’s House for a while and wander often into a pig stye, or they do not hit bottom and realize they are headed in the wrong direction, and that their “Father” was right all along. Many years ago, it took a hard-hitting sermon, along with some milder warnings along the way, to bring me back into the fold.
One priest, who posted on another article, is right. No one way saves all, and some will never return, whether cleric or layperson, but go deeper into the pit. As St. Jude said in the New Testament, we can only pray for them while avoiding what they do.
They are going to Mass. Not a pig stye.
Evidently you cannot read. I was not writing about the Mass but people’s behavior.
On the other hand, if they are being encouraged to sin (and I wrote “if”) by the priest, deacons or others at the Mass, it would be wrong. I would not attend such a mass.
Anne TE, I am glad that the Lord sent you a sermon to help you on your journey.
It was something that you could change, it seems.
People can’t change being gay.
It is better as a Catholic not to start down the road of having gay relations or falling in love, getting married, having children.
When we get our ah-ha moment, sometimes it is difficult to change because you love your partner, your kids, you have suffered a lot, etc.
God knows when to send the moment.
Let’s keep praying for the conversion of all sinners, the sanctification of the just,
So much immorality that just continues to spiral until every decision is one that offends God.
But love does not offend God. We must put God first.
Thank you, “God first’. The Good Lord was teaching me all along that no one or anything comes before Him. As far as those who worry about people contemplating suicide, there is a great prayer, too long to post, for that in an older Catholic prayerbook I have. Such prayers can be found online. I had an Extraordinary Mass said for someone thought to have committed suicide and prayed myself for another. The cause of death was never mentioned at the Mass, of course, nor at the other’s funeral.
Could you give us a first line, please. I have never seen a prayer like that and I do not think I am finding it online.
In more enlightened times the parish would be shutdown, burned to the ground and the land salted.
Would be those same “enlightened times” in which the church invented devices to torture scientists who would not recant their heretical theories?
Christians need to proclaim God and His truth so that all of us move from sin to goodness, from eternal death to eternal life, and from isolation and interior loneliness to full communion with God and with one another. Revealing sin as sin is necessary. Presenting sacrilege is necessary. Showing that the way of God’s love is confession of sin, repentance, and reparation is a gift to those who are confused, especially when clerics are affirming sinful tendencies and behaviors. No one way of reaching people is the only way, so it is futile to argue it. Witnessing to Truth, to Jesus, to Chastity and that all these can be attained through confession, repentance, and reparation is a great gift. Some will be moved. Others will double down in their beliefs and behaviors, including clerics. Bless those who witness, and bless those to whom they witness Jesus and truth rather than the worldly falsehoods which keep people from deeper union with Jesus.
Thank you Father Rich, we miss you here in San Diego.
Did he leave again?
Normally, you would have to get permission to do something like this protest. So maybe they got permission.
I would not even organize a prayer group to pray the Rosary and the Chaplet without getting permission from the pastor.
Ordinarily, pastors do not allow parishioners coming into Mass to be harassed or intimidated.
Some people will never come back.
These are Church-going Catholics.
Just because they identify as LGBTQ does not mean that they are committing sins.
The Church has been very clear that they are to be treated with respect.
What would you do, as a pastor, if you had been counseling a gay person and they had accepted all the Church’s teaching and then someone from another parish heard about it and stood outside Mass with a sign?
It is not OK to use sacrilege to get people to convert if they even need to.
I have concerns about this, too. If I lived in San Diego, I might attend the Mass and see for myself if my prayers of intercession were needed.
You are free to protest on the sidewalk, same as the abortion protesters do. No need for permission.
You should not organize a prayer group at any Catholic parish, even your own, without the pastor’s permission.
Would you agree that you should not organize a protest at an abortion clinic without Planned Parenthood’s permission?
No
Past thieves who do not still steal and have made the determination not to do so, should not label themselves as thieves. That would be a red flag that they think they cannot or will not change. No one should label him/herself by his/her temptations.
In other words, there should be no Thieves Masses, No Gossips Masses, no Murderers Masses, No Adulterers/Adultresses/ Fornicators Masses, no Drunks Masses and no LGBT+ Masses, etc., etc., etc.
You are being reductive.
Maybe more like a special Mass for those who had attempted suicide or survivors of suicide or for the divorced. People who feel the need of special pastoral care.
I see many problems with doing a Mass like this but I do not have boots on the ground to see if my concerns are valid.
Maybe you missed the story about the Archbishop going to San Quentin? I’m assuming he celebrated a mass for the murderers there.
I was going to try to contact you about this. This, to me, is a sign of how deficient people’s understanding of the Mass is. Like the saying. “They know the rules, not the Lord.”
People have a done a great job with their smoke and mirrors distracting from the real issue.
The people protesting a Mass are wrong.
In order for an action to be good, it takes more than just having a good intention.
The behavior itself needs to be good.
It is not good to protest a Mass.
It is not good to try to harass and intimidate people going to Mass.
It is not justified.
It also shows that they have very little understanding of the Mass and of the Church.
Yes, there are valid concerns about this Mass. The proper way to approach this is to talk to your own pastor about it. You could also send a letter about your concerns to the bishop but if you cannot do that without sinning, then don’t.
If you want to minister to LGBTQ people, you do not do it in this fashion. You must first talk to your pastor and have him guide you in this.
Every person attending every Mass is a sinner. That is why Christ gave us Mass.
Everybody needs prayer.
Pray for those 10 people in the picture.
Pray for the bishop, the pastor and the parishioners.
Pray for those who comment here.
Pray for me. please.
One cannot be a Christian if they are not sinners! Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember our teacher, a nun, telling us that we are all created in the image and likeness of God.
LGBTQ+ are all human beings and are to be respected. Many choose to attend parishes where they feel welcomed rather that accused of being horrible people. They go to Mass, they teach Bible studies, they clean the church, they volunteer at fundraisers and they take on leadership positions. They are not evil.
We don’t know what goes on in their bedroom any more than they know what goes on in your bedroom.
Welcome everyone to your parish and into the life of the parish.
Jesus clearly stated that there are two genders only, and that marriage is between a man and a woman (Mk 10: 6-9) All single Catholics, regardless of sexual orientation, are called to chastity. The parish’s participation in the degenerate Pride Parade, an obvious occasion of sin, indicates that it has no interest in promoting chastity among the same-sex attracted. Instead of having a separate LGBTQ ministry, why not welcome everyone to the Church and provide solid catechesis? All Catholics, including LGBTQ people, should be treated with respect, compassion, and sensitivity, but concern for their physical well-being and their eternal salvation requires speaking the truth. The damage inflicted on the Church by the clerical abuse scandals, 81 percent of which involved homosexual acts on innocent young victims, is incalculable, and perpetuation of this evil is inexcusable. Read Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church, by Michael Rose, which reveals that the current priest shortage was man-made, contrived by a homosexual subculture in certain seminaries, who turned away two generations of traditional or orthodox men from the priesthood.
Jesus said nothing about gender. It is implied that marriage at the time of Christ was between one man and one woman. All Catholics are called to chastity.
I think the parish might have participated in the PRIDE parade to promote salvation but I was not there when the decision was made.
I do not think that the book you recommend has the entire story. I have heard homosexual persons who were in seminaries and orders say the opposite. Books like that can change your thinking and not in a good way.
We must make our decisions in the light of faith.
Jesus certainly did say something about gender. In Mark 10:6, He stated that “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.” Have you even read the book I recommended (Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church)? It’s hardly surprising that “homosexual persons who were in seminaries and orders say the opposite.” Why wouldn’t they? After all, the deck was deliberately stacked in their favor. Many non-homosexuals, on the other hand, were sexually harassed and forced out by seminary leaders. I sincerely doubt that the parish participated in the PRIDE parade to promote salvation, because the photos on the church website tell a different story. In the Gospel of St. John the Evangelist, the patron of this church, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). This is what each of us, without exception, needs to live by to attain salvation.
Thank you for using Scripture. I was using a different definition of the word gender. Sex and gender are used interchangeably also which seems to be what you are doing so I will not argue with you.
I have not read “Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church” or “Goodbye! Good Men: How Seminaries Turned Away Two Generations of Vocations From the Priesthood.” when I was interested in it I read a lot of reviews of it where people in seminaries said it was not really very accurate, and that his main source had been discredited and someone at my church told me they were sorry they had read it because it changed how she saw the Church. So I did not buy it.
The gay men I referred to were not accepted, made uncomfortable, felt discriminated against, left because of discomfort, also forced out. It may not have been their sexuality. They may just have interpreted it that way.
I only see one photo on the website and it says “LGBTQ Catholics All Are Welcome “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” so I guess that is open to interpretation. I would say that they are trying to communicate that it is OK to come to church if you are LGBTQ (which it is.)
As you know, right after Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments”. He said ” This is my commandment: Love one another as I love you.” John 15:12 Again, people will interpret this differently. Read Chapters 14 and 15.
We have been given salvation in Baptism. It can be lost, though. Read Luke 7: 47
Maybe the protesters should attend the Mass, and quietly socialize with LGBT Mass-goers, and give them a nice religious pamphlet to read, about Chastity, and how to lead a chaste life, if you are LGBT. And next, invite them to a group like Courage, after Mass, for fellowship, and help with their LGBT struggles and temptations. And pray the Rosary and/or Divine Mercy Chaplet with them, at the group. Provide lots of support for them, spiritually. A lot of churches with “Pride” Masses do not have correct Catholic teaching provided to participants. That is what is so desperately needed. And anyone “living in sin,” gay or straight, needs to go to Confession, and refrain from Holy Communion, until they have repented and changed their life.
All of this back and forth business and not one person brings up Courage?
This is the answer to this particular question:
https://couragerc.org/
Ironically, San Diego’s chapters of Courage and EnCourage used to hold their meetings at this parish about 20 years ago by the late Fr. Huston. Despite the fact the meetings were well advertised in The Southern Cross, the membership of these two groups never got very big.
Membership/participation in Courage is nothing less than heroic in places like San Diego or San Francisco or any metropolitan center. These are the most holy, powerfully humble people on the face of the planet and they literally lay down their lives to be known as being both homosexual and chaste. Just amazing people.
Actually they are usually secretive, don’t post their meeting times publicly, and in so doing display shame.
https://catholicvoiceomaha.com/qa-with-father-philip-bochanski-of-courage-international-inc-christ-and-his-radical-invitation/
Here is a good article with the director of the COURAGE Apostolate.
You will see a good pastor here.
So I think that’s always been a challenge. It’s long been a challenge, too, that people who experience same-sex attraction but don’t identify with the community that would identify as LGBT don’t get supported from some of them, from friends that they used to have. If they’ve been kind of out and involved in same-sex relationships and then they decide to try to embrace chastity and come back to the Church, oftentimes they lose the friends that they had in that community, which can make it an even lonelier way to live out that commitment.
I think a relatively new challenge that they’re facing, but a very real challenge, is the feeling that they’re not supported in the Church, particularly by priests and bishops who would advocate and hold out hope or expectation that the teaching of the Church is going to change or ought to change. When you have very prominent cardinals saying things like the basis for the Church’s teaching about same-sex unions is no longer correct or that we shouldn’t focus on whether people are in sexual relationships or not, then people who are striving, often at great personal sacrifice, to live a chaste life, they feel all of a sudden that the Church doesn’t value that sacrifice, that the people that they’re looking to for guidance – priests and bishops and cardinals – are telling them that they’ve been fooled all along or that it’s not worth it or that they don’t intend to support them or say that what they’re striving for is important and worthwhile.
Make this really simple: fake Catholic parish.
No parish with a Daily Rosary is a fake parish.
Also a weekly Devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Just so the protesters know, I am making reparation for them.
If someone wants to offer a prayer for me, i would appreciate it.
There are many uncertainties planted among the field of this thread. 1. is the parish pride Mass a de facto encouragement to homosexual activity? YFC would have us believe it is the innocent worship of Jesus who is doing His ministry there, while bohemond and all the protesters are of a contrary persuasion. 2. Are the protestors disrupting the Mass inside, or praying quietly outside? I take it that it is the latter, but it would be good to know. 3. Is the 4:30 prayer an actual harassment or intimidation or is it easily bypassed and ignored? 4. Has the pastor permitted the 4:30 prayer? If so how does he view the prayer? Does he see it as protesting a Mass? 5. How can the prayer be construed as hate? I see this canard raised within this thread. 6. If it is admitted that LGBTQ people go to this Mass because they feel comfortable, how comfortable would they feel if they heard a homily on the necessity of chastity and the observance of the Moral/Natural Law? Would they feel a sense of betrayal? 7. Is a LGBTQ Mass an effective tool of evangelization with the idea to deepen the spiritual lives of the alphabet crowd to the point where some day they might prefer adherence to Church teaching on sexuality? Or is the idea that one’s Catholic formation is compatible with one’s sexualilty no matter how aberrant, so that a live and let live position is the de facto one ? (going back to point 1).
It may be that some of these questions are inappropriate or otherwise out of place; these are the mental peregrinations of an old man whose best days are behind him.
It is not called a pride Mass.
How many people do you know that adhere to Church teaching on sexuality?
Dan if your best days are behind you, I’m glad I never sparred with you at your peak! Fwiw, I don’t seem to be the only one that think these people are protesting the ministry of Jesus. I’m impressed by, and thankful for, the outpouring of people who have said basically the same thing, often better than I did. And I am impressed by and thankful for your questions because otherwise we would not have the opportunity to rebut them.
Many of your questions are interesting ones, and I’d like to hear the answers as well. At best, they hint at the degree of how wrong they were to do this, but really don’t get at the question of whether they should have done it even assuming the best answers.
I think your questions (and the attitudes of those who think the protests are a good idea) seem to demonstrate that you have more faith that the protesters (and even a homily that restates Church teachings that everyone already knows) can do a better job at converting church goers than Christ himself can do by His presence. It seems to me He might say “oh ye of little faith”.
275, 000,000,000,000,00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Since you asked me.
You are getting sucked down the rabbit hole, Dan.
I have seen feminists protest outside of a Mass. (No women at the conclave.)
I have seen one person protest outside of a Mass every day for a long time. (No gay marriage.)
I have seen relatives and friends of clergy abuse victims protest outside of a Mass. (Priests being moved around before the Church got serious about it.)
I have seen people protest a Mass celebrating the anniversary of “Always Our Children” Same church as this one. (think church is too accommodating to gays.)
I have heard of protests by pro-choice people.(Abortion)
What do all of these have in common?
In answer to the question about why LGBTQ is special enough to receive its own ministries, the answer is because LGBTQ persons often believe that they are rejected by the Church.
The Church wants to show that they are not.
No one is beyond the grace of God’s salvation.
Divorced people often believe the same thing. They end up going to different churches or just stay home.
Neither of those situations is what the Lord wants.
That’s fine, but don’t call it LGBTQ ministry and don’t show rainbow flags and don’t march in gay pride parades with a banner announcing the ministry.
Ministry to homosexuals cannot adopt the language of the secular gay pride movement. Fr. James Martin does that, and although he claims to just want to make the church more accepting of these people, it’s clear that his nonnegotiable is that “acceptance” means changing church teaching to accept that homosexual sex is not sinful and that gay unions should be blessed by the church.
No way.
I do not know that that is what Fr. Martin wants. But I have not read the book.
There needs to be an agreed upon language in order to evangelize.
But that being said, one needs to have your “feet washed” if you do this kind of ministry or other evangelization because it is easy to get conformed to things that a Catholic should not be conformed to.
I do not mean that LGBTQ people are dirty by saying to have your “feet washed.” Jesus said that a man that has bathed does not need cleansing only his feet. A man’s feet is what comes in contact with the earth, the world. So a holy hour, rosary, Scripture reading, re reading Church documents helps keep one on the Catholic path.
Thank you to the person who emailed and the website for printing this.
This has reinvigorated my prayer life.
“Hate the sin, love and forgive the sinner “.
Pray for all sinners and yourself because the
gate is narrow.