letters tothe editor

Our gratitude to all at Dancin'

To the Editor:

Warm weather. Julian Marsh and the music. The boys with the spinning flags. Cold pop and beer; hot dancing. The vendors. The people-watching. The food. The fashion police. The over 100 volunteers. Tony Rizzo and the entire Dancin' Planning Committee. Not a drop of rain.

And you: the many, many people in the GLBT communities as well as friends and allies who poured onto Mall B downtown on Sunday, July 18 for the 15th annual Dancin' in the Streets celebration and fundraiser.

Thank you, thank you, thank You've you. proven once again that we can celebrate life, and help raise money to support essential HIV/AIDS services and education at the same

speakout

time. We've not yet finalized the amount raised, but in the meantime, we wanted to extend our gratitude to the entire community. You're wonderful!

19.

See you at the AIDS Walk on September

The Staff, Volunteers and Board of Trustees AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland

'I am still called to lesbian-gay ministry'

On July 13, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith barred Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Rev. Robert Nugent from ministering to gay and lesbian Catholics. Nugent and Gramick founded the progay New Ways Ministry in 1977. This is Gramick's response to the Vatican.

by Jeannine Gramick, SSND

This statement is intended to clarify my situation for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and for the whole Catholic community, which I dearly love.

I am anguished and deeply troubled that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has decided that I should be permanently prohibited from any pastoral work with lesbian or gay persons or their parents. Many of my friends, colleagues, and sisters are hurt, bewildered, and deeply pained by the action of the CDF.

I have felt called to lesbian and gay ministry since 1971 when I met a gay man during my graduate school days at the University of Pennsylvania. His question, “What is the church doing for my gay brothers and sisters?" became God's invitation to me to help correct the injustices of our society and church toward this excluded group of people. It changed the entire direction of my life. The severe judgment of the CDF brings me to a new moment in my life regarding this ministry.

I strongly believe in the need for authority, and I respect those entrusted with exercising it. At the same time, my experience in this investigation was that justice was not served because of a lack of fair and open procedures. The People of God deserve impartial hearings and trials for any accused. There is a conflict of interest when any agency fulfills the roles of prosecutor, jury, and judge in the same case, as happened with the Vatican investigation of my ministry.

What began as an inquiry about my public statements and writings on homosexuality became, in the end, an interrogation about my inner personal beliefs on the subject. My personal beliefs had earlier been avoided in the Vatican commission hearings when Cardinal Adam Maida, the commission chair, inquired about them but then quickly acknowledged, “Maybe that's not a fair question."

I stand ready to proclaim my assent to all the core beliefs of our faith. Beyond this, my status as a vowed religious and as a public pastoral minister should not deprive me of the right which every believer has to maintain the privacy of her internal conscience in matters which are not central to our faith. To intrude, uninvited, into

the sanctuary of another's conscience is both disrespectful and wrong.

I have refrained from making public statements of my personal views about homosexual behavior and homosexual orientation because these are the areas of contention between the Magisterium and lesbian/gay Catholics. As a bridge-builder, I have tried to keep my personal views on contentious issues as far as possible in the background. I have tried to follow the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's model of seeking common ground.

"Those who minister to

the divorced and remarried are not

expected to constantly

proclaim the immorality of divorce and remarriage.”

I have tried to present the teachings of the Magisterium in a responsible and respectful way. These are contained primarily in the book, Voices of Hope: A Collection of Positive Catholic Writings on Gay and Lesbian Issues. At the same time, I have tried to present the concerns and views of lesbian and gay Catholics, which are contained primarily in the book, Building Bridges: Gay and Lesbian Reality and the Catholic Church. My hope has been, and still is, to stand as a mediator.

An emphasis on the teaching about homosexual acts and orientation which obscures our church's teaching about the human dignity of lesbian and gay persons and their rights as baptized Christians misses the fundamental message of Jesus' Gospel of love and compassion. The church's teaching about the immorality of violence, prejudice, and discrimination, and about the human, civil and ecclesial rights of lesbian and gay people is far more important to the lived reality of homosexual and heterosexual people than any statement about homosexual activity or orientation.

Those who minister today to the divorced and remarried are not expected to constantly proclaim the immorality of divorce and remarriage. Hospital chaplains

are not expected to constantly proclaim the immorality of neglecting and endangering one's health. Those in prison ministry are not expected to constantly proclaim the immorality of criminal acts. Military chaplains are not expected to constantly proclaim the immorality of war. The expectations of those in lesbian and gay ministry should be similar.

Wouldn't Catholics feel proud if church leaders condemned anti-gay violence each time they mention homosexuality, instead of mentioning homosexual acts as they

usually do? Wouldn't lesbian and gay Catholics feel the beginning of reconciliation in this year of jubilee if we, as a church, asked forgiveness from our lesbian sisters and gay brothers for our silence and complicity in the face of their oppression?

I am concerned that lesbian and gay Catholics and their families will be angered by this action of the CDF. To them, I say: Use your anger creatively. Don't leave the church. It is your spiritual home. The People of God are welcoming you into our parishes. They are coming to see that the whole community is diminished when we exclude lesbian and gay persons from the table of Eucharist and dialogue. Believe what our U.S. bishops said in their pastoral message, Always Our Children: “In you, God's love is revealed."

I have learned and received much from lesbian and gay Catholics. I am especially thankful for the gift of helping me to accept diversity. St. Paul's image of the church as the Body of Christ has become very tangible in my life: "If the whole body were just an eye, how could it hear? And if it were only an ear, how could it smell? As it is, however, God put every different part in the body just as God wanted it to be" (1 Cor. 17-18).

I am now faced with a decision of whether or not to accept the outcome of a process that I believe was fundamentally unfair. I still feel called by God to lesbian and gay ministry. I also feel called to serve the People of God as a loyal member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the Catholic Church. Thus, the censure from the Vatican presents a dilemma for me.

On July 14, 1999, I canceled my ministerial commitments for one month so that I can take the needed time to discern where God is calling me in the future. In God's mysterious way, I believe that this time of trial will be the occasion of many graces. We are assured that "For those who love God, all things work together unto good" (Romans 8:28). I ask for your prayers.

GAY PEOPLE'S▼

Chronicle

Volume 15, Issue 5

Publisher: Martha J. Pontoni Business Manager: Patti Harris Managing Editor: Doreen Cudnik Associate Editor: Brian DeWitt

Senior Staff Writer: Dawn E. Leach Reporters & Writers:

1070-177X

Mubarak S. Dahir, Beren deMotier, Bob Findle, John Graves, Mark J. Huisman, Kaizaad Kotwal, M.T. Martone, Jeffrey.Newman, Harriet L. Schwartz, Kirk Read, Eric Resnick, Bob Roehr, Rex Wockner, John Zeh

Art Director: Christine Hahn

Production Assistant: Patricia Hughes Photographer: LeeAnn McGuire

Advertising Manager: David A. Ebbert National Advertising:

Rivendell Marketing 212-242-6863 David A. Ebbert 800-426-5947

The Gay People's Chronicle is dedicated to providing a space in the Ohio lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community for all of its members to communicate and be involved with each other. This means that every Chronicle, to the best of its ability, will be equally dedicated to both men's and women's issues, as well as issues that affect the entire community. This balance will provide lesbians and gay men with a forum to air grievances and express joys.

The Gay People's Chronicle is copyrighted under federal law. Any reproduction of its contents is prohibited unless permission is obtained.

Any material submitted for publication will be subject to editing. The Chronicle cannot guarantee return of any such materials unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The Gay People's Chronicle is not responsible for daims made by advertisers. We reserve the right to reject advertising which is unsuitable for our publication.

P.O. Box 5426 Cleveland, Ohio 44101 216-631-8646 or Toll Free: 800-426-5947 Fax: 216-631-1052

E-mail: chronide@chronohio.com www.develand.com/community/gay

Letters to the Editor

The Chronicle encourages everyone to write and express your opinion about the community or the paper. Please, however, keep letters constructive, and avoid namecalling and personal attacks. Please be brief. We reserve the right to edit letters. We will print your name unless you specifically ask us not to.

Letters must include a street address and phone, for verification only. They can be sent via U.S. mail, or fax to the addresses in the masthead above, or by E-mail to letters@chronohio.com.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are $15 for 13 issues, $30 for 26 issues (half year) or $60 for 52 issues (full year), sent third class in a plain envelope. For faster first-class delivery, add 50¢ per issue to cover extra postage: $21.50 for 13 issues, $43 for 26 issues, and $86 for 52 issues.

Mail check or money order with your address to Chronicle Subscriptions, P.O. Box 5426, Cleveland, Ohio 44101. To use Mastercard or Visa, include your signature, card number, expiration date, and your name as it appears on the card.

Deadlines

The Gay People's Chronicle is published every Friday. Display ad and article deadlines are 7 to 8 days earlier. Call for specific dates. Calendar, Classified and Personal deadlines are shown in each of those sections.

Obituaries

Obituaries, written by spouses, family, or friends, may be placed in the Chronicle free of charge. They can be sent by mail or fax (see above for address); but we can't take information over the phone. Include your name and phone, so we may contact you. A photo can be included; please send a selfaddressed stamped envelope if you want it returned.

Milestones

Tell everyone about your union ceremony, arrival of a child, or other milestone of life, in the Chroniclel Announcements should be 200-300 words, and can include a photoblack and white or color is okay. Photos will be returned if a self-addressed stamped envelope is included. Mail, fax, and E-mail addresses are above; include your address and phone so we may contact you.