Group tries to prevent gay Catholics from taking communion

http://www.grandforks.com ^ | May. 30, 2004 | ELIZABETH DUNBAR

[miltonim]

ST. PAUL - A group of Roman Catholic laymen tried to prevent gay Catholics and their supporters from taking Holy Communion on Sunday by standing and kneeling in the church aisles at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

About three dozen men calling themselves "Ushers of the Eucharist" confronted members of the Rainbow Sash Alliance, a group that donned rainbow-colored sashes and ribbons in support of a right for gay Catholics to receive communion.

The men took turns kneeling in front of the altar to block the path of those wearing rainbow sashes and ribbons. There were no physical altercations, but the 100 or so sash wearers and others attending Mass were forced to walk around them.

The priest allowed everyone to take Holy Communion and encouraged people to use the side aisles to approach the communion rail.

Although many of the worshippers knew a protest was planned, others were surprised to see television cameras and protesters inside the cathedral.

"I think we should keep politics out of the church," said Michael Hanzal, of West St. Paul. "People go to Mass to worship, not for the 5 o'clock news to be thrown in your face."

Mike and Lynne Naylon, of Maplewood, who attend the service at the cathedral every week, said it was sad to see people trying to prevent others from taking communion.

"I've never seen anything like this," Mike Naylon said.

Some in the audience came specifically to support one of the two sides.

Elaine Eyre, who was there to support the Rainbow Sash Alliance, said you can't judge people. "We don't know what's in someone's heart," she said.

Heather Siewart said she came to support the Ushers of the Eucharist, even though she's Protestant.

"A lifestyle that goes against the teachings of the Bible is not something we can accept," she said.

Groups gathered at least an hour before Mass to pray and discuss their strategies. A separate group, Catholics Against Sacrilege, gathered on the cathedral's steps and prayed in support of the Ushers of the Eucharist.

Fifteen minutes before the cathedral bells rang, the rainbow sash wearers and the Ushers of the Eucharist engaged in a friendly, but tense, debate.

"You are pushing homosexuality as a form of love. It is not," David Pence, who organized the Ushers of the Eucharist, told Brian McNeill, who led the Rainbow Sash Alliance.

Several alliance members shouted back: "Yes it is!"

Doug Hughes, a rainbow sash wearer, said gays have received the Eucharist on Pentecost Sunday for centuries.

"The only difference now is that we're known," he said.

After Mass, both group leaders said they were happy to express their views peacefully.

"We're not bullies. We were very tame," Pence said. "It was time to stand up and say, 'don't do this.'"

"Everyone received communion," McNeill said. "It's a challenge to love our brother and sister Catholics when they do this."

Pence said the group's goal for next year is to get the church to refuse Holy Communion to rainbow sash wearers.

In a written statement, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said that while only baptized Catholics should take Holy Communion, "the determination of a person's spiritual readiness rests with the individual conscience and honesty of individual worshippers."

The Rev. Michael Skluzacek, in a written statement handed to people as they entered the cathedral, said the groups were "mistakenly using the Mass and the Eucharist to make their own personal statements."

[livius]

"the determination of a person's spiritual readiness rests with the individual conscience and honesty of individual worshippers."

That's true, but the "Rainbow Sash" publicly declared which side their "conscience" was on. I guess the Bishop's was on the same side.

[miltonim]

"We don't know what's in someone's heart".

Is a sash not enough? Do they need them to come up to communion holding hands?

[Mark in the Old South]

"Elaine Eyre, who was there to support the Rainbow Sash Alliance, said you can't judge people. "We don't know what's in someone's heart," she said."

Some people are blithering idiots, what does this airhead think the rainbow sash symbolizes about what is in their heart. Leprechaun liberation? Stop the world, I want off, I think I'm gonna hurl!

[NYer]

Elaine Eyre, who was there to support the Rainbow Sash Alliance, said you can't judge people. "We don't know what's in someone's heart," she said.

Oh yes we can! The minute they put on that 'rainbow sash', they have declared themselves as active homosexuals, which is TOTALLY out of line with Catholic teaching.

The official position of the Catholic Church on Gay Unions:
CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS

We have bishops and priests now who refuse to deny the Eucharist to people who are in public sin. They refuse to make the distinction between private and public. For instance, if I knew that one of you was living a sinful life and you came up to the communion rail, I would have to give you Holy Communion because, number one, I do not know if you have been to Confession; or even if I know that you had not, to deny you Holy Communion would cause a scandal because it would draw the attention to other people that what you are doing privately is now being made public. So unless I talk to you first and tell you, “If you come up to Communion, I will not give you Holy Communion,” the Church says that even though it is a sacrilege on your part to receive Holy Communion if you are in the state of mortal sin, I would still have to give you Communion. However, if one is a politician who has a public record of being pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, pro-human-cloning, if there is some other public exposition of your sin, like these unfortunate souls who show up all over the place with rainbow sashes telling people that they are practicing a homosexual lifestyle and demanding that they receive Holy Communion, at that point, it is a sacrilege on the part of the priest to give them Holy Communion because their sin is no longer private – it is now public. But there are many who do not want to cause waves, and so they refuse to stand up for Jesus; instead, being politically correct is what is more important.
Fr. Robert Altier
FULL TEXT

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[JimRed]

A homosexual Catholic who is celibate need only confess to whatever impure thoughts his sickness cause, do the required penance, and be absolved. Just like a normal individual who thinks about improper sexual behavior but resists the temptation. That's the ritual, anyway.

Just confessing in prayer and asking Christ for forgiveness is all it really takes. God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.

[Annie03]

"Some people are blithering idiots, what does this airhead think the rainbow sash symbolizes about what is in their heart. Leprechaun liberation? Stop the world, I want off, I think I'm gonna hurl!"

LOL-sums up my feelings too. I was so happy not to observe the rainbow sashers at Mass today - I wasn't sure what I would do if they showed up. I imagine they were at the Cathedral tho - I'm sure it will be in the paper tomorrow if they were.

[maestro]

Group tries to prevent gay Catholics from taking communion

What 'is' communion to an 'Evolutionist'.....?

(A 'joke'...?)

/sarcasm

(Bottom Line!)

[Salvation]

Good quote!

[formercalifornian]

I'm not a Catholic, but it seems to me that those wearing sashes are deliberately defying the teachings of the Catholic church and saying, "I plan to sin, I see no need of forgiveness for my blatant sin, but I want to draw you into my own pretense of receiving forgiveness. I am mocking the church's teaching that my sin is a sin and you MUST pretend with me. I am here to pretend I need to be absolved of a sin I don't want to be forgiven of and don't plan to stop commiting."

[longtermmemmory]

You can't judge?!!

No politics in the Church?!!

The homosexuals are judging in the chruch, The homosexuals are brining politics by inviting the cameras into the church. This is the church not a burger king have it your way burger.

I hope they keep the opposition to the homosexuals up. This priest is a digrace for condoning homosexuality.

[B Knotts]

The Rev. Michael Skluzacek, in a written statement handed to people as they entered the cathedral, said the groups were "mistakenly using the Mass and the Eucharist to make their own personal statements."

BZZZT!

One group is making a personal statement that they openly oppose the teaching of the Church.

The other group is affirming Church teaching.

Equating them does a disservice to all the laity.

[Gone_Postal]

Doug Hughes, a rainbow sash wearer, said gays have received the Eucharist on Pentecost Sunday for centuries.

Hummm maybe so .....but you can't serve two masters

[Cicero]

Where was the bishop? Out to lunch?

"Heather Siewart said she came to support the Ushers of the Eucharist, even though she's Protestant."

Interesting factoid. I believe that faithful Protestants and Catholics will be coming together more and more to oppose the anti-Christians.

The health of the Catholic Church has a major effect on everyone living in our country, including Protestants and Jews. And in turn the health of Protestant and Jewish groups also effects everybody. America has always depended on the religious faith and morality of its citizens to make it a place where people can be free, as de Toqueville noted long ago.

[tiamat]

JimRed wrote:


A homosexual Catholic who is celibate need only confess to whatever impure thoughts his sickness cause, do the required penance, and be absolved. Just like a normal individual who thinks about improper sexual behavior but resists the temptation. That's the ritual, anyway.

Just confessing in prayer and asking Christ for forgiveness is all it really takes. God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.

---

Thank you.

That's the most reasonable thing I have heard on this yet.

I'm getting very tired of BOTH the "Loud Gay In Your Face Types"

And the "Burn The Faggots" crowd....

[NYer]

I'm not a Catholic, but it seems to me that those wearing sashes are deliberately defying the teachings of the Catholic church and saying, "I plan to sin, I see no need of forgiveness for my blatant sin, but I want to draw you into my own pretense of receiving forgiveness. I am mocking the church's teaching that my sin is a sin and you MUST pretend with me. I am here to pretend I need to be absolved of a sin I don't want to be forgiven of and don't plan to stop commiting."

You've got it! See my post #5.

[NYer]

A homosexual Catholic who is celibate need only confess to whatever impure thoughts his sickness cause, do the required penance, and be absolved.

And that is where you would be wrong!

An active homosexual who presents him (or her) self for the Sacrament of Confession, MUST acknowledge their awareness of sinfulness and GIVE UP their active homosexual lifestyle. The Catholic Church embraces all people, including the homosexual but NOT their lifestyle.

[longtermmemmory]

There is a big huge difference in evolution/creationism philosophy debate and a man trying to declare his placement of another man's penis inside him, or vice versa, is ok as part of his routine before communion.


This is part and parcel with the homosexuals and the left USING homosexuals to attack judgment of right and wrong.

You will not the "sash" people don't join mulim prayer services with their decorations. Only christianity is fair game. Could it be the prior history of some moslems and the Nazis?

[sweetliberty]

"...a group that donned rainbow-colored sashes and ribbons in support of a right for gay Catholics to receive communion"

In the first place, there is no RIGHT to communion, but that which is granted by God. In the second place, if the priest of the church is giving communion to practicing queers, then it is unlikely that a group of laypeople are going to make a difference. Why, if they (the laypeople) are so concerned, are they staying in a church that goes against their conscience and which defies the scriptures?

Who do these perverts think they are anyway? Why do they think they have the right to usurp the authority of the church?

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

They also approached the altar doing a "light skip".