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Dear Friends,
CPO received a phone call recently from a very concerned parishioner at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Wayzata, MN. There was an announcement in the parish bulletin last weekend announcing that Holy Name of Jesus parish will begin a support group on August 23rd, 2006 for people experiencing same-sex attraction and their families.
The BIG problem with this "support group" is that it will be conducted by "Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities" (CPCSM) and "Catholic Rainbow Parents", two groups that consistently oppose Catholic Church teaching in the area of sexual morality. [The Executive Director of CPCSM is Michael Bayly who has also in the past been responsible for organizing the Rainbow Sash sacrilege demonstrations at the St Paul Cathedral and elsewhere].
The bulletin announcement was submitted by Mr. Bill Rose, Director of Pastoral Care at Holy Name parish. Mr. Rose is featured in a "CPCSM" newsletter, and 2 years ago he was the guest speaker for a group called "Inclusive Catholics" at St. Joan of Arc Church. He spoke on "the role of conscience in developing a Catholic sexual morality".
Many of you may remember that Archbishop Harry Flynn had a letter sent to all pastors/priests back in 1998 warning them NOT to support or endorse "CPCSM" in any manner. Here is a copy of that letter:
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December 21, 1998
Reverend and Dear Father,
Many priests recently received a fund-raising letter from the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities. Included in the letter was this statement: "The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is supportive of our efforts, however, we receive no financial support from the Archdiocese".
The statement is accurate in regard to the lack of financial support from the Archdiocese. The statement says too much in indicating that the Archdiocese is supportive of CPCSM's efforts and those of related entities, such as the "Families and Friends of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons in Catholic Schools".
Both Archbishop Flynn and Archbishop Roach have been careful to avoid support of this organization. To the extent that CPCSM and its related entities have attempted to combat discrimination and violence against homosexual persons and to advance their spiritual welfare, they are working very much toward the same goals as our Church. Nevertheless, some of their literature and the public statements of some of their individual members indicate a further purpose for the organization. To the extent that they advocate changes in the moral and sacramental-theological traditions of our Church, particularly in promoting recognition of same- sex unions and the genital expression of affection between persons of the same gender, they most certainly do not enjoy the support of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
It is our understanding that the organization is not univocal in regard to this advocacy agenda. Nevertheless, there is sufficient cause for concern in this regard that both Archbishops have avoided supporting, endorsing, or recognizing in any formal way the CPCSM.
Sincerely your in Christ,
Reverend Kevin McDonough, Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia
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Friends, if these dissident groups keep pressing their agendas and spreading false teachings in our Catholic churches and schools, then, as faithful Catholics, we must continue to oppose them. This information needs to be brought out into the Light!
Please pass this information on and PRAY!
God bless you and yours,
Colleen
P.S. Always remember that "Courage" is the only authentic Catholic support group for anyone struggling with same-sex attraction.
2 comments:
The parishioners at Holy Name of Jesus need to contact Fr. Licari and tell him they don't want CPCSM/Catholic Rainbow Parents there. If the parishioners are not aware of what those organizations really stand for, then certainly, they should be and need to be educated.
Fr. Licari may be under the mistaken impression that both organizations are "endorsed" by the Archdiocese. The Parish Bulletin certainly takes the benevolent approach towards both organizations.
As an outsider, I can, and will, do my part but because I'm not a parishioner of HNOJ there is only so much weight the parish Priest is going to give to my remarks.
My impression of Holy Name of Jesus is that they are on the cusp of going either way. They've historically been pretty conservative: hosting Cavins seminars, NFP etc. but some of the lay staff are dissenters. Also, I noticed how Fr. Licari refers to himself as Fr. Jonathan in the bulletin-usually not a sign of orthodoxy.
So, a baptismal name is worse than an inherited secular surname?
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