Gay couple losing their religion

The chronicle herald ^ | Friday December 8, 2006 | JEFFREY SIMPSON

[Antioch]

A Roman Catholic couple say they’re being driven from the church over the archbishop’s opposition to their same-sex union. After Daniel Poirier and Jack Murphy of Meteghan Centre got married in May, the two 69-year-olds placed an announcement and photograph in The Chronicle Herald.

When the notice appeared, the couple’s priest at Stella Maris in Meteghan told them that Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, head of the Halifax archdiocese and administrator of the Yarmouth diocese, which includes Meteghan, had directed that they could no longer receive communion or assume any leadership position in the church.

That meant Mr. Poirier could no longer serve as a director of the choir at Stella Maris. "It really was a blow," Mr. Poirier said Wednesday. "When we went to church there, it was like going into a warehouse; it was cold, because when everybody got up to receive communion, we had to sit down. "One day we went and the priest talked about love and sharing and charity and all that, and I said to Jack, ‘No, I can’t take this anymore.’ So we walked out. I was almost in tears and my heart was broken."

Mr. Poirier and Mr. Murphy subsequently joined Beacon United Church in Yarmouth, where they felt more welcome. Rev. Leslie Robinson said his church has benefited from having two new members with a different Christian background. "That is enriching for us," he said. "We can kind of challenge each other and bounce ideas off each other that come across initially as being different. "It just helps to sharpen the discussion, which is great."

But the men maintain they’re Roman Catholic and still attend a service at Stella Maris once in a while. "By being there once in a while, it’s reminding the people of how we’ve been treated," Mr. Murphy said. "This is an injustice."

The men said they were told there would have been no problem with their living situation if they had kept it quiet but that Archbishop Prendergast took exception to the publicity. "Your state of life — after having celebrated a same-sex civil marriage and spoken about it publicly on radio and television — has established your relationship as a public scandal," the archbishop wrote to them in a letter dated Aug. 18. "This disciplinary measure is to remind you of the objective seriousness of your present state and to invite you to renounce it and to return to living according to Christ’s injunction to ‘sin no more.’ "

Archbishop Prendergast couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday; his secretary said he was out of the country. But the Halifax archdiocese issued a statement Wednesday reiterating his call for Roman Catholics to encourage their members of Parliament to support the definition of marriage as being the committed relationship between one man and one woman. Archbishop Prendergast expressed concern in his Aug. 18 letter about other Roman Catholics seeing Mr. Poirier and Mr. Murphy marry and receive communion and thinking the situation was harmless. "Fellow believers, seeing this and the nonchalance of Catholics, would be led astray and weakened in their faith," he said. ’Your state of life — after having celebrated a same-sex civil marriage and spoken about it publicly on radio and television — has established your relationship as a public scandal.’

Mr. Murphy said that’s not the case. "For seven years, we’ve been accepted by the people of the community and the people that go to church," he said. "There hasn’t been a problem." The archbishop is denying them something that’s integral to their faith because renouncing their way of life is out of the question, Mr. Murphy said. "We were born this way," he said. "God has created us this way and the way that we live is blessed by God."

[Antioch]

God Bless Archbishop Prendergast, there are faithful Jesuits out there. Lots of telling snippets here...

"....when everybody got up to receive communion, we had to sit down."

Well, if everyone went up, chances are there was false understanding of what communion was at Stella Maris. In a well-catechized parish there will always be a sizable minority kneeling in prayer because they haven't been to confession.

"By being there once in a while, it’s reminding the people of how we’ve been treated," Mr. Murphy said. "This is an injustice."

Ah yes, because it's not about praying the Mass, it's about REMINDING the parish that it's all about you.

[mkmensinger]

They lost their religion all by themselves, and of their own volition.

[BlessedBeGod]

The men said they were told there would have been no problem with their living situation if they had kept it quiet...

Not true. Sinning is sinning, whether it's done in public or private. As long as their parish priest and the archbishop were aware of the situation (even if no one else had been aware), they have to suffer the consequences.

[old republic]

The men said they were told there would have been no problem with their living situation if they had kept it quiet... Not true. Sinning is sinning, whether it's done in public or private. As long as their parish priest and the archbishop were aware of the situation (even if no one else had been aware), they have to suffer the consequences.

It is true to an extent. No one is supposed to receive communion if they are in a state of mortal sin, but it is the policy of the the church not to refuse anyone if they go up in the communion line. (The priest may suggest that you not take communion, but he cannot publicly deny you communion unless you have committed a serious sin that is public knowledge.)

[vladimir998]

Devout Catholics?

How can these guys consider themselves "devout"?

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

A Roman Catholic couple say they’re being driven from the church over the archbishop’s opposition to their same-sex union.

It is NOT just the archbishop's opposition--it is the ENTIRE Church's opposition. Good to see some Jebbies with a bit of common sense!

[sitetest]

Three cheers for Archbishop Prendergast!

[Nihil Obstat]

>>>"We were born this way," he said. "God has created us this way and the way that we live is blessed by God."<<<

There's no fool like an old unrepentant fool. Concupiscence - look it up

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04208a.htm

[Joseph DeMaistre]

Don't even call them a couple because they're not a couple.

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

I was just quoting from the article...I was just emphasizing that the article makes it sound like it was just the Archbishop's opinion about same-sex marriage, and not the teachings of the Catholic Church.

[DungeonMaster]

A Roman Catholic couple say they’re being driven from the church over the archbishop’s opposition to their same-sex union.

The secular media sure likes to spin these situations against any church that tries to be a little bit biblical.

[mockingbyrd]

Well, if everyone went up, chances are there was false understanding of what communion was at Stella Maris. In a well-catechized parish there will always be a sizable minority kneeling in prayer because they haven't been to confession.

I have seen this comment several time on FR, and in truth it baffles me. Is it based upon the assumption that the Church's teachings are so burdensome that any given week a sizeable minority of the parish would have to abstain from communion? I would assume the exact opposite, the better the catechisis the less likely for the need for persons to abstain from communion, due to better comprehension of the Church's teachings. In addition, better cathecisis would result, I would assume, in greater respect for the gift of confession, and then again, the need to abstain from communnion would not exsist.

[Antioch]

I have seen this comment several time on FR, and in truth it baffles me. Is it based upon the assumption that the Church's teachings are so burdensome that any given week a sizeable minority of the parish would have to abstain from communion?

True there are two ways to look at this. At the local liberal church masses here, I often see the scandal of 100% of the people going up for communion, because they've been told (or assume) their parish "does confession" once a year at Easter. But we're fallen creatures and most all of us fall into mortal sin quite regularily as anyone you reads a good guide to examination of conscious can admit. Thus in reality, most who do the Easter confession ritual and ignore confession for the remainder of year commit mortal sin every Sunday morning by receiving the body of Christ unworthily. (A similar we-are-the-church mindset like the the happy couple above).

I believe (or would hope to believe) that the smattering of "left behind" people not going up for communion are not ignorant of the sacrament. Rather they're a mixture of those not yet prepared for confession that week (examinations or prayers etc), and and those you KNOW they're in a situation (like co-habitation ) which presents makes them not worthy to receive.

The "left behinds" know it is more pleasing to God to not receive unworthily, and seek absolution as soon as possible if one is in a state of mortal sin.

[lastchance]

As many parents have told their children:
WHAT PART OF NO DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?