 All Saints Liturgy Church of St. Stephen Saturday November 1st, 2003 |
All Saints Liturgy Church of St. Stephen Saturday November 1st, 2003 |
|
“It is time to be prophetic about the Christ we know is present in the folks who are pushed aside, dismissed, left out, undermined, underfed, unhoused, or simply unseen and unheard. It is time for the people of God to stop marching along with the status quo in search of security, power, and control, but to stumble instead toward the margins where we will encounter a magic and a mystery that will plunge us trembling but rejoicing into the Realm of God.” |
Interesting times? On November 2, 2003 no less than 50 Episcopal bishops laid hands on a bishop candidate whom God created gay, and thus walked into history. On November 1, 2003 the Church of St. Stephen in South Minneapolis threw open its doors for a glorious liturgy for all the so-called ‘objectively disordered’ women and men and the friends, families, partners and fellow travelers, and came they did. This was a first gathering of parishioners represented Catholic Churches in the Twin City area who have willingly identified themselves as ‘Inclusive Churches” – communities who welcome all women and men of all sexual persuasions. Imagine belonging to an inclusive church, sounds almost first century.
While the Episcopalians are leading the way, those gathering at St. Stephens chose well the day for gathering, the little celebrated All Saint’s Day that honors those who have gone before and whose lives have affected all of us. Once this flock had gathered, the opening hymn sung out praise for some of the many past heroes and one’s ears heard such wonderful names, name after name, some with a familiar ring; Bishop Lucker, Dorothy Day, John the XXIII, Steve Biko, Matthew Shepard. Matthew Shepard, yes his name was in the list. Beaten to death because God had created him gay and some found him to be ‘objectively disordered’ by their standards. Beautiful music wrapped in cruel realities can be very sobering.
There is much to say about a liturgy at St. Stephen’s church. Its location, its people, its willingness to allow everyone to enter into the event in a totally sharing way, is hopeful for tomorrow’s church. The Celebrant asked those present to sound out what parish or church they came from and thus begin a new and wonderful litany of churches of inclusion. “We are from St. Phillips, St. Albert the Great, St Margaret Mary, Transfiguration, St. Francis Cabrini, Hope Presbyterian, Sisters of St. Joseph, Pax Christi, St. Stephen’s, St Joseph in Trinidad, Holy Rosary, Basilica, Assumption, St. Francis, Christ the King, Holy Rosary, St. Joan of Arc, the Sisters of St. Joseph, CPCSM, etc.” As the names of the sister churches was being recited it mimicked the litany of saints, or litany of saints in waiting.
Carol Anderson from St. Joan of Arc read a statement written in times past by the American bishops. The year was 1997 to be exact, but the message seems to have been forgotten in today polarizing church climates. One part of it was profoundly insightful. “We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment.”
No Gospel is more wonderful to listen to… and for this calling together of the objectively disordered or saints in waiting, none more appropriate. The Sermon on the Mount takes on new depth of meaning in the company of those who are in the sexual minority of our up-tight society. “Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake….Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely ….” Much has been written and said about the Beatitudes as the true Christian commandments yet the very reason for this new kind of gathering came to be public because of the recent labeling, silencing, renouncing, leafleting and most hurtful, the listing of Catholic churches to be avoided because they welcome gay men and women as equals within the church family.
When St. Joan of Arc’s Peace and Justice Coordinator, Julie Madden rose to speak in the name of all who worked to bring these churches together for this Eucharistic Celebration of Unity and Diversity, she talked about being thankful for the great gifts and talent that comes from the gay community but the key message is the cornerstone of this liturgy and all future gatherings. “WE MUST BECOME MORE OF WHAT WE ARE ACCUSED OF BEING. WE ARE INCLUSIVE, WELCOMING, AND DIVERSE. One might add that we could get use to be ‘objectively disordered’ since that does sometimes describe the human condition for all of us. Julie boldly said something many people at St. Joan and the other churches believe and that is for better or worse we want to cast our lot with the persecuted minority, our brothers and sisters of all sexual orientations.
|
“For some, the answer is as easy as it always has been. Leave, they say. The gay world looks at gay Catholics with a mixture of contempt and pity. The Catholic world looks at us as if we want to destroy an institution we belong to. So why not leave? In some ways, I suppose, I have. What was for almost 40 years a weekly habit dried up this past year to close to nothing. Every time I walked into a church or close to one, the hurt overwhelmed me. It was as if a dam of intellectual resistance to emotional distress finally burst.” |
 and  |
 |