 |
| |
At 2 pm on Sunday, October 21 some 75 people—18 from SJA--attended the sharing of the personal journeys of SJA parishioner Carol Curoe and her father, Robert [Bob], 82. The journey was of Carol’s coming out as a Lesbian to her family, friends and work colleagues. She and her father’s journey is now documented in a just-published book titled Are There Closets in Heaven? A Catholic Father and Lesbian Daughter Share Their Story. The presentation was sponsored by PFLAG** (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Twin Cities and was part of PFLAG’s monthly meeting on Sunday, October 21 at the Mayflower United Church of Christ at 106 East Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis.
Introduced by the President of PFLAG, Gretchen Murr, Bob shared his and his late wife, Joyce’s struggle to understand, accept and ultimately lovingly embrace their daughter, her life-partner and her family.
Carol, a graduate of Marquette University and her father, Bob were joined at Mayflower UCC by Carol’s life-partner of 20 years, Susan Langlee, and their two sons—Patrick, 12, who proudly described himself as a “certified dork,” and Jonathan, 10. Patrick and Jonathan are respectively 7th and 4th graders at Breck.
The Curoe family is an indisputably Catholic family—of proud Irish Catholic ancestry; the family of six children was all educated in Catholic schools and has two aunts who are BVM nuns. And the family’s response to Carol’s coming out was also, in the best sense “catholic.” For example, Bob and his late wife, Joyce sent out 50 letters to family and friends explaining their re-defined family and received 49 positive responses wishing Carol and Susan support and love as they raise their family--including the two aunts who were nuns!!
And, if kids reflect the culture of their family, the healthy response of Carol and Susan’s youngest son, Jonathan, to a question of a member of the audience as to how he coped with having “two moms,” Jonathan confidently stated, “I have 2 or 3 friends who have gay parents--it’s NBD!!”
In summary, Carol stressed the importance of positive role models for gay and lesbian families and if Catholic family life is a reflection of Christ’s all-embracing love for the whole human family—indeed Carol, her partner, Susan, their sons, Patrick and Jonathan and their grandfather, Bob, could not be a better role models!!
 and  |
 |
