Viewpoint Prophetic, unsettling times
By CHUCK COLBERT
I do not write about the dismissal
of Sr. Jeannette Normandin and Fr. George Winchester as members of the pastoral
staff of Bostons Jesuit Urban Center as a disinterested observer.
The center has been my primary worshipping community for more than
five years. Not only do I know Normandin and Winchester, who were removed from
ministry after the nun assisted in a baptismal rite (NCR, Nov. 10), but
also I know Fr. Tom Carroll, the centers director. All three of them have
been present to me during difficult times -- as they have been to countless
others who consider the Jesuit Urban Center a safe spiritual place called
home.
I have had my share of disagreements with all three, expressed any
number of disappointments to them during my five years associated with the
center. All three, however, have heard me out, bearing with my frustration and
impatience. I say frustration, referring to the institutional roadblocks that
exist even at more enlightened Catholic worshipping communities for those on
the edge, outside the traditional boundaries of contemporary Catholic
experience.
These are unsettling times. Just about any gay-friendly pastoral
ministry is perceived, sadly by far too many, to be crossing the line, pushing
the envelope.
The public posture of the church hierarchy, sadly, often seems to
lack compassion. This spring, for instance, the Vatican permanently silenced
Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent, ministers dedicated to building
bridges between gays and the church. This summer all 15 New England bishops
decried civil unions in Vermont. The pope himself even scolded gays
-- from the balcony of St. Peters no less -- expressing his
bitterness over the celebration of World Pride, a gay event, in
Rome this summer.
Nonetheless, significant numbers of us remain faithful gay
Catholics, although the ties that bind us to our church are becoming
increasingly tenuous.
Where do we find encouragement? Some of us take heart, finding
consolation at the Urban Center. For the past several years, a dedicated
handful of us have served on a gay and lesbian ministry planning group. With
Carroll, we are exploring together what might be helpful and possible in our
ministry to so many in the community. At the Urban Center, the gay community is
in fact the majority. Seventy-five percent are self-identified as gay or
lesbian, according to surveys.
Under Carrolls leadership -- and with the support of the New
England province of the Jesuits -- there has been measurable progress in
attempting to meet the real needs of gay worshippers. I offer, as one small
measure of progress, the scheduling this year of a six-lecture series on
spirituality, particularly to address the spiritual growth and concerns of gay
and lesbian persons.
Another, perhaps even more hopeful, development has sprung up from
a most unlikely place -- the Catholic lesbian and gay baby boom. Before
Normandin and Winchester got into trouble over the recent baptism, other gay
couples had presented their children to the church for initiation.
To see committed couples presenting their children publicly for
initiation into the church is a powerful expression of faith, if not a
prophetic moment. Baptisms, moreover, are not one-shot events -- for the
children, parents or those of us present, who take vows to assist in the
infants religious and spiritual upbringing. God and community willing,
the Catholic Christian reality of initiation will continue to unfold, with the
sacraments of confirmation and Holy Communion to follow.
Carroll said in a recent homily that a prophets role is
three-fold: to point ahead, to communicate and to encourage. The baptizing of
gay couples children fulfills such a role. It communicates and encourages
our bearing witness to the truth of our lives. These baptisms point ahead to a
more hopeful future.
The recent and unfortunate turn of events, the dismissal of
Normandin and Winchester, is truly sad, profoundly disturbing. It pains me to
see them suffering. Quite frankly, I would like to see a rapprochement between
the nun and priest and the Jesuits.
Still, I trust the power of truth and justice to find their way
out within the Jesuit Urban Centers worshipping community. Meanwhile, we
cannot lose sight of the importance of baptizing a gay couples children.
There is a powerful mystery at work here -- Catholic sacraments and their
amazing ability to bind the faithful. We believers attribute this power to the
Holy Spirit.
Chuck Colbert, a graduate divinity student at the Weston Jesuit
School of Theology, serves on the board of the National Lesbian and Gay
Journalists Association. His e-mail address is CrcIIIUND@aol.com
National Catholic Reporter, January 5,
2001
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