Equally Blessed, the coalition of four national Catholic organizations that work for LGBT equality and justice in church and state, has launched a Valentine’s Day campaign on Facebook. The campaign is sharing six Valentine messages that promote LGBT Equality, such as ”Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, LGBT Equality Is Sweet, And So Are You,” and “Love Is Love.”
Equally Blessed’s coalition partners are Call To Action, DignityUSA, Fortunate Families, New Ways Ministry
You can view all six messages on Equally Blessed’s website.
You can share the Valentine’s Day messages by going to the Facebook pages of either Equally Blessed or New Ways Ministry, or any of the other three Equally Blessed partners.
Keep checking Facebook throughout the day as each of the messages will be released at different times through the afternoon.
Help spread the message of love and LGBT equality by sharing these images with your Facebook friends! Let’s make love and equality go viral this year!
Bondings 2.0 has reached a milestone today: this post is our 500th post!!!!!
To celebrate this little landmark, we thought we would provide a break from our usual serious material, and provide some humorous (though relevant) content.
Last week, on January 1st, The Washington Post‘s “Style” section printed it’s annual list of what is “Out” and what is “In,” an annual inventory of what is hot and what is not in American culture. Listed among the various fads, TV characters, celebrities, and the latest political lingo was this one little item of Catholic interest:
Out: Bishops
In: Nuns
This note obviously refers to the many stories during 2012, when it was proven time and again that Catholic respect for nuns has been on the increase. This respect is due in no small part to the fact that many nuns view LGBT issues primarily as justice issues. In 2012, nuns’ support of LGBT issues contributed to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ (LCWR) run-in with the Vatican. Back in April and May of 2012, when the LCWR story was front-page news, the following cartoon ran in many papers and was circulated widely on Facebook and the internet:
We hope these items lightened your day a bit!
–Francis DeBernardo and Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry
A happy and blessed new year to all of New Ways Ministry’s friends and supporters!
January 1st is a time for resolutions and hopes for the future. The following are some of the resolutions and hopes for the Catholic LGBT world from New Ways Ministry’s personnel. What are your resolutions and hopes? Add them in the “Comments” section of this post.
Sister Jeannine Gramick, Co-Founder:
Resolution: A number of folks in our LGBT family have asked about a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. My resolution in 2013 is to plan this pilgrimage so that the pilgrims can both walk in the footsteps of Jesus and also see the reality of the present-day Palestinian/Israeli situation.
Hope: That marriage equality will become a reality in more states in the U.S. and other nations throughout the world.
Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director:
Resolution: To remember that God has a plan for everything, especially for equality and justice for LGBT people.
Hope: That more Catholic parishes will open their doors to LGBT people and their families.
Bob Shine, Young Adult and Social Media Coordinator:
Resolution: Find new ways to spread the gospel of equality and justice through social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Bondings 2.0.
Hope: That the hierarchy’s rhetoric around marriage will be less hyperbolic to allow for an open and good faith conversation on the issue of equality.
Matthew Myers, Chair, Board of Directors:
Resolution: To name one thing every day for which I am thankful.
Hope: That 2013, as the “Year of Faith” proclaimed by the Pope, will be an opportunity for sincere dialogue and genuine communion among members of our church.
A 17-year old in Barnesville, Minnesota, is being denied Confirmation for posting a photo on Facebook revealing his opposition to the failed constitutional amendment in that state that would have defined marriage as one man and one woman, and his family is suffering repercussions too.
The mother of Lennon Cihak was informed in a private meeting with their parish priest, Fr. Gary LaMoine, that Lennon would be unable to receive the sacrament, even though Lennon had participated in a service programand attends Mass.
The photo in question is one of Lennon holding a lawn sign in support of the marriage amendment that the teen altered to show his support for marriage equality.
Other students in the Confirmation class ‘Liked’ the photo, thus the family cannot understand why Cihak was singled out. The priest sanctioning Lennon referred to it as an ‘internal and pastoral’ matter when questioned, and said he is consulting diocesan officials regarding the matter, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports that the Cihak family is now being sanctioned for their son’s Facebook post, yet some members remain committed to the Catholic Church:
“But now the family is not allowed to participate in Communion there, Doug [Cihak, Lennon's father] said, and he’s worried as to how far the sanctions will go, expressing concern about being able to be buried alongside his parents.
“Still, Doug insists he’s not mad at LaMoine, calling him just a ‘messenger’ of the church. The same could not be said for his wife, who said she doesn’t plan on returning to the church ever again, her son nodding in agreement…
“But through it all, Lennon said his faith hasn’t faltered.
“‘I don’t want the church to be put down. I don’t want the Catholic religion to be put down,’ he said. ‘It’s just the way the priest has things running. He’s so strict. He won’t loosen up about things.’”
It is positive that Lennon can parse out what the faith is truly about and the harmful actions of people in the institutional structure, but no young person or family should be subjected to such abusive treatment from a priest.
This use of sacraments in a disciplinary capacity undermines the beauty and depth of these important moments in the life of a Catholic, and a case like this sheds light on why many high school students choose to forgo Confirmation altogether. Hopefully, priests like Fr. LaMoine will come to their senses and minister pastorally instead of ideologically.
Diocesan officials need to intervene in this case and correct LaMoine’s mistake.
A Catholic priest in Italy has been removed from ministry for publicly coming out in October, but this case led to more fruitful discussions about spiritual leadership in the Church among some of its younger members here in the United States.
Bondings 2.0noted in October that Don Mario Bonfanti posted,“I’m a gay priest, I’m a happily gay priest” on Facebook during International Coming Out Day.
Gay Star News reports that the bishop of Ales-Terralba has since removed Bonfanti from the register of priests. The bishop, Giovanni Dettori, identified a letter from the priest expressing discontent with the Church as ‘apostasy.’ Additionally, Bonfanti’s outspoken views on marriage equality, communion for divorced couples, and anti-war activism are well known. The diocesan newspaper revealed that the Church views the loss of this priest as ‘sad.’
Here in the U.S., Fordham University’s student newspaper, The Ram, offered a summary by Patrick Maroun of how some young adult Catholics view the controversy of Mario Bonfanti. Focusing on the Catholic commitment to love unconditionally, the essaycaptures students’ recognition that a priest’s orientation is highly irrelevant and discussion should be focused on the quality of ministry:
“Paul Ross, FCRH ‘15, said, ‘It doesn’t bug me at all. I see nothing wrong with it.’
“David Emami, GSB ‘15, shared a similar sentiment. ‘I’m okay with it,’ he said. ‘Is he a good priest?’…
“‘When you go to talk to [any other] priest, [presumably] he’s attracted to women, so there’s no real difference talking to a priest who is attracted to men, as long as his life is devoted to God,’ Marc Alibrandi, FCRH ’15, said…
“‘There’s no reason that him being gay and him being a priest have to be mutually exclusive,’ [Paul] Ross said.”
Young adults concern with a pastoral worker’s abilities trumps considerations of their identity as a person. Maroun hopes the case of Bonfanti in Italy is an opportunity to educate, to love, and to welcome:
“I want to reinforce the call for love in the Catholic Church…We must welcome members of the LBGT community as who they are, and not only as who we wish for them to be. Just as in art, the beauty of our society and our world is a product of all of the different and great people in it, and the contrast that they create.”
In instances like the defrocking of Mario Bonfanti for coming out as God created him, an injustice is committed against good pastoral leaders desperately needed in the Church today. The person attacked, the community they serve, and the Church worldwide are all deeply harmed. We can hope, like the students at Fordham University, that from this injustice God draws forth good. The Catholic Church can become more loving and welcoming, especially to the LGBT Catholics who so effectively serve in it.
–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry
For New Ways Ministry’s listing of gay-friendly Catholic colleges and universities, visit newwaysministry.org/gfc.
For further information on New Ways Ministry’s efforts in Catholic higher education and to get involved, contact youngadults@newwaysministry.org.
A gay Catholic alumnus of a Catholic high school in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, has been disinvited as commencement speaker after it was learned that as an openly gay man, he is engaged to be married to another man in New York. The origin of the disinvitation, however, remains a bit of a “whodunit” mystery.
Sacred Heart Academy had originally invited Dominic Sheahan-Stahl to speak at the graduation ceremony where his youngest brother will be one of the seniors leaving the school, and where three generations of their family had been educated. Sheahan-Stahl recounts his side of the story in a YouTube video entitled “Live through Love. Stop discrimination”:
Theother side of the story is a bit murkier. The Detroit News reports that
“. . . officials with the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw withdrew the invitation when they learned he is gay.”
The same report also states, however, that it was
“[Sacred Heart Academy Principal Denny]Starnes and some on the schools’ staff [who] learned Sheahan-Stahl was gay after seeing engagement photos on Facebook.”
Principal Denny Starnes addressing students and parents at Sacred Heart Academy assembly.
An MLive.com account intimates that the diocese was the origin of the disinvitation, noting that the school principal, Denny Starnes, announced at an assembly for students and parents that he supports Sheahan-Stahl:
“In front of the Sacred Heart students, staff, parents and various media, Starnes gave an impassioned speech about what the school has been through this week. He spoke haltingly and deliberately, giving support
to Sheahan-Stahl, the senior class at Sacred Heart and the Catholic Church.
“After hearing the students and praying, Starnes said he believes Sheahan-Stahl is the perfect commencement speaker.
” ‘How can I not support this young man to come and speak to this class?’ he said before the school.
“Starnes said he respects the Saginaw Diocese and their decision. As a neighbor to the Sheahan-Stahl family, he said, he knows them well and remembers Dominic as a boy.
” ‘This is my community, of course I’m going to feel different here than someone making decisions in another county,’ Starnes told the student body. ‘The church is not sharing my position on this issue.’ “
Sheahan-Stahl participated in the assembly with Starnes via Skype.
A statement from the Diocese of Saginaw explains they had no role in the decisions, yet does not mention if Sheahan-Stahl should be allowed to speak at the ceremony, and implies that he should not:
“The events that have unfolded regarding the graduation address at Sacred Heart Academy Catholic school in Mt. Pleasant are unfortunate. The decisions to invite, and to rescind an invitation to a graduate who was to deliver the commencement address, were done independently of and without any discussion with the Office of Catholic Schools or the Office of the Bishop for the Diocese of Saginaw.
“The Most Rev. Joseph R. Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, learned about the events Thursday, only after the situation was reported by local news outlets. Further, neither the bishop nor the diocese were informed of, or invited to participate in, a news conference that was held at the school today.
“‘I am distressed by the way in which Sacred Heart Academy school leadership has handled this situation, and have expressed this to the school’s pastor,’ Bishop Cistone said. ‘It has hurt an individual, a family, a graduating class and an entire school and faith community.’
“‘The Catholic Church is very clear in her teaching, that men and women who have homosexual tendencies must be treated with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”‘ The bishop added, ‘The Catholic faith teaches that individuals with homosexual tendencies, as well as unmarried heterosexuals, are called to lead a celibate lifestyle.’
“Sacred Heart Academy exists to educate and form students in the teachings of the Catholic faith. It is the position of Bishop Cistone, on behalf of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, that individuals who are given an honor – such as serving as the keynote speaker for the culmination of a Catholic school education – should reinforce, and not reject publicly, the teachings of the Catholic faith. . . .”
Sheahan-Stahl will deliver a speech after the graduation ceremony at Warriner Hall on the campus of Central Michigan University.
Regardless of how the decision was made, it is a shameful one that continues to send a message that is contradictory to the Catholic spirit of inclusion and non-discrimination for LGBT people. The fact that Sheahan-Stahl will still be able to speak shows that the Spirit will not allow such discrimination to squelch the message of inclusion: I believe that God will find a way to have words of inclusion and equality spoken, even if church officials will not cooperate with such a plan for justice. At the very least, church officials will have to see that Catholics who support equality are not going to just “roll over and die” when adversity strikes; they will find a creative (if not ideal) alternative to let their message be heard. The sign of the Spirit working in this situation, for me, is that people are finding the wisdom and courage to respond to the unjust decision of disinvitation, and not just giving up or giving in. They are modeling the work of an inclusive church, in the face of church leaders trying to act otherwise. Perhaps it will be a lesson for whatever Catholic officials made the disinvitation decision that Catholics will not be stopped in their quest for equality and justice for LGBT people.
The love story of a lesbian couple who are alumni of St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, has touched the hearts of almost 2,000 other alums of the Jesuit university in a Facebook Valentine’s Day contest.
The St. Joseph’s University Alumni Association is running a “How I Met My Hawkmate” Facebook contest in which alums who met while at the school’s campus (called “Hawk Hill” ) were invited to post the story of their romance with photos of themselves. The couple who received the most “likes” would become the winner.
When Megan Edwards and Katie McTurk submitted their story and photos, they were originally denied entry, and the reason was that “the alumni association claimed the decision was made because the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize same-sex relationships,” according to a news story on NBCPhiladelphia.com.
Late in the afternoon on February 2nd, the alumni association posted the couple’s story and picture, and within an hour at had over 600 “likes” on the contest’s Facebook page. At 10:30 a.m. on February 3rd, it had 1,844 “likes,” and that number continues to grow.
McTurk offered a comment on the situation that shows the power of the true Catholic spirit:
” ‘I never thought that many people would support us and really fight for this,’ said MacTurk. ‘I think it attests to the caliber of students that St. Joe’s produces that so many people would really stand up for what they believe is right no matter who the injustice has been committed against.’ “
Equally Blessed, the coalition of four national Catholic organizations that work for LGBT equality and justice in church and state, has launched a Valentine’s Day campaign on Facebook. The campaign is sharing six Valentine messages that promote LGBT Equality, such as ”Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, LGBT Equality Is Sweet, And So Are You,” and “Love Is Love.”
Posted by newwaysministryblog 
A happy and blessed new year to all of New Ways Ministry’s friends and supporters!
