kara speltz
10-08-2006, 05:15 PM
Today, my gay-friendly Roman Catholic parish truly experienced a "family vaules" day as a gospel of, "let the children come to me," was shared. For the first time in the 20 years that I've been a member of Holy Spirit parish, we baptised the child of an out-gay couple! Our parish has been active in supporting a LGBT group for well over ten or twelve years. Starting some nine years ago, we even celebrated a "gay pride Mass" each June.
Our babies are usually baptised a couple of times a year at our family Mass at 9:30 on Sundays. For years and years I watched all of these heterosexual couples have their children baptised and wondered where our gay couples were. True that most of the LGBTs are childless, but even one of our previously active lesbian members, when she had a child did not have the child baptised at our parish. I wondered about that.
Today, these two beautiful gay men (not previously members of our parish) joined two heterosexual couples in having their new born baby baptised. In the introductions, it was clearly stated that they had been a couple for 4 years. I made a point of telling every hetero couple I chatted with at coffee & donuts, that today was truly a historical moment. Most of them had never even thought about it actually. So it was a chance to educate. They take it as a given that their children will be welcomed and embraced as members of our community.
Clearly for partnered gays and lesbians this is hardly a given. I made a point to thank the young men for claiming their rightful place in our Church, and told them about our LGBT group and our Gay Pride Mass that we celebrate every June. They told me they had written a half a dozen parishes emails asking about having their baby baptised and most of the churches did not even respond. They told Fr. Al, that they wanted it to be made perfectly clear that they were both the parents. God bless them for their commitment to being visible within the larger community. I also made it a point to write to the priest who handles the baptisms and express to him how grateful I was for his acceptance of the couple and their child. Fr. Al has come a long way over the 20 years that I have known him.
I'm estatic that we've finally crossed what we used to refer to as the "color barrier," back in the civil rights movement. It's not a huge thing on the scale of things, but I cried with joy. Again, it points out the absolute necessity of our stepping outside of our closets and claiming our rightful space.
kara
Our babies are usually baptised a couple of times a year at our family Mass at 9:30 on Sundays. For years and years I watched all of these heterosexual couples have their children baptised and wondered where our gay couples were. True that most of the LGBTs are childless, but even one of our previously active lesbian members, when she had a child did not have the child baptised at our parish. I wondered about that.
Today, these two beautiful gay men (not previously members of our parish) joined two heterosexual couples in having their new born baby baptised. In the introductions, it was clearly stated that they had been a couple for 4 years. I made a point of telling every hetero couple I chatted with at coffee & donuts, that today was truly a historical moment. Most of them had never even thought about it actually. So it was a chance to educate. They take it as a given that their children will be welcomed and embraced as members of our community.
Clearly for partnered gays and lesbians this is hardly a given. I made a point to thank the young men for claiming their rightful place in our Church, and told them about our LGBT group and our Gay Pride Mass that we celebrate every June. They told me they had written a half a dozen parishes emails asking about having their baby baptised and most of the churches did not even respond. They told Fr. Al, that they wanted it to be made perfectly clear that they were both the parents. God bless them for their commitment to being visible within the larger community. I also made it a point to write to the priest who handles the baptisms and express to him how grateful I was for his acceptance of the couple and their child. Fr. Al has come a long way over the 20 years that I have known him.
I'm estatic that we've finally crossed what we used to refer to as the "color barrier," back in the civil rights movement. It's not a huge thing on the scale of things, but I cried with joy. Again, it points out the absolute necessity of our stepping outside of our closets and claiming our rightful space.
kara