A parish in Boston is holding a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride month. I’m not kidding.
Homosexual acts are a sin and pride is one of the seven deadly sins. So one parish in Boston decided to put the two together! What could go wrong?!
I’m quoting from the bulletin of St. Cecilia’s:
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. The liturgy will take place on Sunday evening, June 19, at six o’clock, with a reception following. The theme of the liturgy, “All Are Welcome,” honors Christ’s message of hope and salvation to all people. We will also celebrate the diverse community that finds its home at Saint Cecilia and acknowledge, in a special way, the generous and warm welcome extended to the members of the Jesuit Urban Center in 2007. The Mass will be celebrated by Father John Unni and concelebrated by several of the priests who faithfully ministered at the Jesuit Urban Center for many years. Please plan to attend this special liturgy and support the diversity that makes Saint Cecilia such a special place.
Something tells me the homily won’t be quoting much from the Catechism unless there’s a serious misreading of “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”.
But what’s next, a “friends with benefits” Mass? How about a “Masturbator” Mass. (Although the sign of peace might be a little weird, huh?) Seriously. Why not just have Mass celebrating all sorts of sins.
I don’t want a religion that accepts me for who I am. I know who I am and am unimpressed. I want a religion that calls me to be better than I am even as I resist it.
I understand that many people struggle with homosexual urges. Look, we all watch “Fight Club” for different reasons but having the Church push sinners to take pride in a sin just seems a bit like a bad idea, doesn’t it? Convincing people that they’re not sinners, they’re just diverse is damaging to the Church and it’s damaging to the people buying this pc hogwash.
And just in case you think that’s an aberration, the bulletin also invites everyone to “A June evening with the Boston gay men’s chorus. The Saint Cecilia Rainbow Ministry is purchasing a block of tickets for the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus concert to be held at John Hancock Hall on Thursday, June 9th at 8 p.m.” In case you’re interested, they’ll be doing a Beatles Medley. I guess the Judy Garland medley is a little too 90’s.
HT Pewsitter
June 9, 2011 at 7:23 pm
We are called by out baptism and confirmation to make moral judgements~! It is a false charity to not do so. Living in a 'monogomous' but sinful homosexual relationship is still an intrinsic evil and mortally sinful! Does not anyone care to speak the truth in love?
What happened to friendship? Why is sexual expression so touted, legalized, and promoted–when it is not blessed by the marriage of one man and one woman as is God's plan?
Are not souls at stake?
June 9, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Don't tell me to cool it. That's the problem with our Church and world today. Everyone is told to be cool, blase, nonchalant, while people go to hell in a handbasket. This permissiveness is a denial of the truth, a betrayal of the ways of holiness. I am not saying stone the homosexuals. I am just saying we should not celebrate it in our liturgy or anywhere else. We should love the person and help the person live an ordered life and save his soul not persist in disorientation. Et cetera, etc…
June 9, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Typical Liberal Anonymous2:32. Instead of addressing the arguments and ideas, you resort to ad hominem attacks.
And the point of the post is, why not celebrate every aberration out there as well? How about a cleptomaniac celebration, a liturgy for drug addicts and alcoholics, for compulsive gamblers and adulterers et al.
If you are my FB friend, you'll see several gay friends in my account. I accept them to raise them to the Lord. I don't say, "Stay gay because it's OK" I say, "We got work to do but we have to start somewhere."
What we're scrunitizing in the post is the lack of pastoral sense. And I am not mad at the gay people but at the pastors who send confusing messages that can cost people their souls, that misrepresent the message of the Son of God, that distort the Christian identity.
June 9, 2011 at 7:49 pm
From their bulletin:
"Reconciliation
By appointment at any time and Wednesday evenings from 6:30—8:00 during Advent and Lent."
Anyone surprised? Scheduled, in-the-box times available 9-10 times per year, even with a total of 7 clergy listed in the bulletin. Good to know that they have so few sinners.
June 9, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Homosexuals must give up their false sense of homosexual identity if they want to be Catholic, and they certainly must never show "pride" in such a false identity, and they must categorically reject any claim to the moral acceptability of homosexual acts or unions. Male and female God created them… that is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife. That's the truth of Catholic faith from God's revelation. "Gay Pride" Masses are attempts to sneak acceptance of immorality and rejection of God's truth into the Church under the guise of distortions of tolerance and love and unity. I don't trust any "Catholic" who is involved in "Gay Pride" anything.
June 9, 2011 at 8:22 pm
"False sense of homosexual identity"? I wonder what that means. It's hardly accurate to call someone's sexual orientation a "false sense" – even the Church knows this. Is your heterosexuality a false sense in terms of your identity? No, our sexual identity is a huge part of who we are. Sawyer, I think it's time to head back to school.
June 9, 2011 at 9:59 pm
@Anonymous 3:22 A "False sense of homosexual identity"? would be revelry (PRIDE) in being and having a homosexual identity. A homosexual identity is not a real thing, it is a description, like obese, blind or invalid. These are called “accidents”. Every human being is an individual substance of a rational nature, composed of body and soul. Every sexual identity is part of the id, the part that begets the term idiot, one who panders to the basest instincts of human nature. The fool says in his heart: “There is no God” and denies his very own immortal soul. The practicing homosexual, who does not behave (to BE and to HAVE) denies the immortal soul of his partner, denies the immortal souls of every other person in creation, created by Our Creator with unalienable rights held in trust for him until the age of adulthood. This alone would forfeit his citizenship. This alone would be apostasy that would auto-excommunicate the idiot out of the Catholic Church.
If they of gay PRIDE approached the Blessed Sacrament in humility and adoration this would not be sacrilege. If the homosexuals approached the Holy Sacraments with all due reverence, no one would notice their “homosexual identity or PRIDE” as they would be one of the sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd. Homosexual identity is a group mentality. I want to say mob mentality as they have become militant and rebel against God and do not serve the Church as do Knights of Columbus or the Daughters of the American Revolution, but serve themselves, a source of great scandal, while denying to others the existence of the immortal soul as human beings with rational nature, a source of evildoing and treason.
Let those who claim homosexual identity, not deny to other persons the deference due to other persons’ immortal souls. If they demand respect, let them respect.
Mary De Voe
June 9, 2011 at 10:26 pm
@bbruno said…
and the pastor pastorum in Rome(i.e. 'pa.pa'Ben 16 )so is worried about Fikushima!
June 9, 2011 1:41 PM
What's not to worry about? We got Fikushima all over the country.
June 9, 2011 at 10:28 pm
@ Anonymous said…
Mary De Voe, time for your meds.
After you take yours.
Mary De Voe
June 9, 2011 at 10:30 pm
@Anonymous 5:17: Mary De Voe has shared rich thoughts. I was impressed by the ethymological analysis of idiot as being derived from the Latin id meaning "it". In Freudian analysis, the id is the animal in us. Then there is the philosophical definition of the words be & have in behave – too deep maybe for some. I didn't want to comment anymore but since you put her down, let me express my admiration for her thoughts. One can extrapolate what she wrote into a 10 page essay to break it down for some. It may be weird for the casual reader but, have you read Plato or Augustine? If you get those, you can get Mary De Voe.
@MaryDeVoe: Thanks for your insights! You rock!
June 9, 2011 at 10:51 pm
@ Anonymous June 9, 2011 11:31 AM
They do have a real crucifix.
It's sitting on top of a big marble platform of some kind at the rear of the stage.
You can see it in a couple of the Mardi Gras photos: http://www.stceciliaboston.org/mardigras.html
They take it down for Holy Thursday: http://www.stceciliaboston.org/easterpix.html
June 9, 2011 at 10:51 pm
@Rick:
The feeling of admiration is mutual. One Hail Mary, maybe a whole rosary for you Rick.
Thank you.
Mary De Voe
June 9, 2011 at 10:55 pm
@MaryDeVoe: Thanks. 😀 Friend me a FB @Ricky Vines – if you wish. I like to read more of your stuff.
June 10, 2011 at 12:07 am
Saying this is not an indictment of the Archdiocese is not accurate as this Mass reverses a ban that was put in place on these Masses, ironically, by Cardinal Law.
Moreover, Cardinal Sean selected Fr. Unni to advise him on the presbyteral council. Further, Cardinal Sean has selectively chosen priests and lay people who reject Church teaching on morality and abortion to advise him across the board.
June 10, 2011 at 12:25 am
Rick, you poor guy. Why should you be the the subject of ad hominem attacks when your argumentation is always dedicated to reason, facts, and logic. You'd never lower yourself to calling someone a closet homosexual, idiot, stupid. I'm getting the impression that your goal here is to try to give us conservatives a bad name.
–Dan
June 10, 2011 at 1:02 am
Don't feed trolls is always good advice.
June 10, 2011 at 2:18 am
Our Lord came for sinners; not for the righteous.
June 10, 2011 at 4:11 am
If Cardinal O'Malley would take back his moral authority as the Shepherd of Souls in His Archdiocese, like many other Bishops across the country are doing, and act to have this sacriligious Mass cancelled, so much scandal could be avoided and souls directed to the truth. Charity demands this.
June 10, 2011 at 6:00 am
what a crazy thread you have all constructed.I suggest a solid look inward to all you judgmental types, whoever you are, look to your own salvation, leave mine alone, Jesus Christ and I have it well under control.
June 10, 2011 at 6:22 am
Are you kidding me??? The Church is supposed to form and inform the world not the other way around.
Some of these priests need a slap up the side of the head. Christ loves and accepts me, that doesn't mean I get a pat on the head for every sinful act I commit.