HOPE

Posted by Censor Librorum on Sep 22, 2009 | Categories: Bishops, Faith, Lesbians & Gays

I found this interesting interview of Sr. Donna Ryan  by Thomas C. Fox in a recent edition of the National Catholic Reporter.   Read the whole thing here.  

“I think the culture wars have been won,” says Mercy Sr. Donna Ryan.   In the 13 years she has served as chaplain to a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Catholics, she has seen growing acceptance of this community by society at large. “It is kind of like the church is becoming the last group in our culture to face this reality,” said Ryan. sr. donna ryan

HOPE, the organization she serves in the Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri diocese, was recently asked to leave its meeting place in the Cathdral of the Immaculate Conception, but the group carries on, she says, because its members “care about the church and they care for one another.”

The diocese’s ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics has been going on since the 1960s, with few tensions. At first the group was called Dignity and at one point it was told it couldn’t use that name. So they simply began to refer to themselves as “gay and lesbian Catholics.” They met in different parishes.

When I came to the diocese 13 years ago, I was asked to be the group’s chaplain. We invited them to the cathedral. We thought the cathedral should be an umbrella for many different ministries. Soon after the group decided it wanted to call itself –  HOPE. We wanted a better symbol to represent ourselves. We designed a logo and picked a scripture reading from Romans about hope. bishop finn

At that time we worked very closely with the diocesan structure. Former Bishop (Raymond) Boland was very supportive. We met regularly at the cathedral once a month and had speakers and retreats. After Bishop (Robert) Finn came we were asked to leave the cathdral. So now we meet at a local Jesuit parish.

I am overwhelmed by their love and faithfulness to the church. We meet every month. I keep asking, “What other group of people would regularly spend a Sunday afternoon in a church basement?” They do it because they care about the church and they care for one another. I’ve found their witness very meaningful   in my own life. In the end, they struggle with the same things that any couples do; to be faithful in their relationships.

Frequently members of the group hear someting like “You are intrinsically evil.” This is very offensive to them. As a minister I do wonder. I think the beauty of our Catholic tradition is that our sacramental life involves the blessing of the ordinary with rituals and with communal support. I think that anytime two people want to make a commitment to one another, and be faithful and fruitful, and to live generous lives of service, they should be able to. I yearn for a time when we can bless them and support them. In some ways, however, we already do. gaychrist3-9925

The beautiful thing about the church’s sacramental life is that we have a book of blessings. One of the blessings is for the blending of families. I think there is also a blessing for friendships. Sometimes we have used these prayers to bless and support couples who want to make a commitment. These are very adult people. They are not dependent upon any particular statements  by our church for their identity. But because they love the church, some of the statements have been especially hurtful.

They receive messages from society and the church that somehow they are not normal. When you feel that year after year after year, it is often difficult to break free. So as a chaplain I deal with that. Often we have parents who come to the group. Their child is someplace else in the country and they’re struggling to accept this piece of their family’s life. I am so proud that we have this group for parents and children and brothers and sisters to come together. We have these conversations of acceptance.

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3 Responses to “HOPE”

  1. Thom Says:

    This is beautiful. Thanks, Karen.

  2. Karen Doherty Says:

    Hi Thom – always good to hear from you! Hope all is well. Karen

  3. Terence Says:

    I think Sr Donna is almost right: the “wars” are being won, but we are not there yet. Survey evidence consistently shows that US Catholics are at least as accepting, or more accepting, of LGBT relationships than the US population in general. Other denominations are showing that where they approach the issues with proper reflection and study, progress is made.

    But there are still large groups of Catholics, and large blocs of others, who remain strongly and vocally opposed. They tend to be the ones who get the headlines. We need to be constantly alert to ways to keep the discussion in the realm of reflection and rationality instead of raw emotion.

    And yes, Thom. I agree that Sr Donna’s witness, and that of her group and so many others, is inspiring.

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