A few weeks ago, I wrote that St. Al's was seen as one of the four "gay friendly" parishes in the Diocese by New Way Ministries. I had not realized that I wrote about that same parish almost a year ago, when they too were listed as one of the Washington DC "gay friendly" parishes by the Conference of Catholic Lesbians (April 9, 2009).In the past, when I have attended Mass, and the group is very small, we are sometimes asked to speak up and offer our own intentions during the Prayers of the Faithful. Usually, someone will ask for prayers for Uncle Bob with cancer, a couple who is going thru a rough time in their marriage, etc. All very, very good things and most pretty non-controversial.
However, when someone prays that the Archdiocese change their their practices of discrimination, or that we should not pay our Federal taxes to support the military and asks the congregation to do so, and the congregation prays for it, what does this say about the pastor and parish. Is this a liturgical abuse? I am not an expert in liturgical practices but I would probably say yes.You can read about this and a couple of other things at the Capitol Catholic.
Over the last few weeks, there have been quite a number of comments. First, I thank those who read this blog and are so inclined to comment. I attempt to post as many as possible but there have been a few which I have deleted.I have noticed a real change in the tone of the comments over the last few weeks. And to be quite honest, I do not appreciate the tone. These comments are the product of a small number of readers.So, I will ask again, to please be civil in your comments. If you cannot be civil, then do not comment.Thank you.
Well, it has not been a good week for the Archdiocese of Washington DC and those who believe in true marriage.First, the Archdiocese takes a bit of a beating in the media due to the changes in the health care benefits offered to new employees. Second, same-sex marriages are allowed in DC.The second matter should send a wake up call to Catholics who are faithful to the Church. We need to start to elect lawmakers who believe as we do. We cannot just simply pull the lever for someone because they have been there for a long time or are part of one party.The first matter should really be a wake up call not only for this Archdiocese and Catholic Charities but for all. That call should be: "Do not get involved in contracts with government." This call should not be based on the so called "separation of church/state." It is more along the lines that when you take money from the government, you almost become addicted to it. You will do almost whatever it takes to keep from losing it, including keeping silent at times.I believe, and I have done so for a long time, that we should divest ourselves of all government contracts. I hope that the Archdiocese of Washington DC will, as the contracts come to an end, refuse to renew them and get out. Let the DC goverment and their citizens learn the hard way that they will pay more, and get less, because they are pandering to a small but vocal minority.And those are my thoughts. What do you think?
At the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Conference this year, the keynote speaker is Garrison Keillor. Most of us know him from Prairie Home Companion and probably think he is one of those quaint humorists.However, did you know that he supports abortion and same sex marriages? So, I guess the question that I would ask is: How did he come to be the keynote speaker? Did anyone do a background check? Did they figure they could get a big name at a low cost, since the conference takes place in St. Paul/Minneapolis?More importantly, how did Archbishop Wuerl, who is listed as the Board Chair of the NCEA let this happen?Why does this sort of stuff continue to happen on his "watch?"
According to AP: The Archdiocese of Washington will change an employee health care policy because of a same-sex marriage law expected to take effect this week in D.C.
Starting on Tuesday, the church will no longer let employees of its Catholic Charities add spouses to their health care coverage.
Catholic Charities, which provides services such as substance abuse treatment programs and shelters, employees some 850 people. Church spokeswoman Susan Gibbs says currently about 10 percent of those employees have their spouses covered by their health care plan. Catholic Charities sent a letter to employees Monday about the changes. Without them the church could have had to extend coverage to an employee's same-sex spouse.
A bill allowing same-sex marriage is expected to become law in the city on Wednesday.
Whenever you watch one of the "food" channels, you come across the story of someone who is on a quest to visit every Starbucks or McDonald's. When I was a child, I remember watching a story of a newspaper reporter who would visit a different church every other week and write about it in his city.Well combine the two and you sort of have the next blog I have decided to add to my Blog Roll: Capitol Catholic.According to the website:My name is Michael. I'm a freshman at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I'm embarking on a project to attend mass at every Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. I'm using this blog to share my thoughts and observations on this project with others. Any proceeds from this blog will benefit Catholic Charities DC.It is interesting and I plan on visiting on a regular basis. Who knows, we may even see a story in the Catholic Standard about him. (I know I won't see one about this blog in it, until hell freezes over.)
