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| Photo of current MHR pastors as pictured in NCR. |
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| MHR pastor at 2014 SF Gay Pride Parade; and the MHR float. |
An article, one in a series of overly-simpering pieces focusing on Most Holy Redeemer [MHR], titled “‘Gayest’ US Catholic parish strives to maintain openness, accepting…” published March 16th 2015, by “The National Catholic Reporter [NCR]” profiles the Castro District church located in the Archdiocese of San Francisco; beneath the picture of the smiling faces of the current pastors, the author of this article resorts to the worst sort of gay-fascist demagoguery: “When applied to religious or clerical life, the virtue of chastity is viewed as a gift given to a relative few -- those who enter religious communities or become priests. When applied to LGBT people, there is no talk about chastity as a ‘gift.’ Rather, the institutional church teaches, it is a demand, an obligation, across the board, for all. LGBT people, the church teaches, must refrain from all sexual intimacy…This seemingly impossible demand and concomitant threat of serious sin has sent countless young LGBT Catholics into confusion and self-loathing and even to suicide.” This ugly tactic of fear-mongering; scaring gay men into believing that if they accept and try to live-by the “impossible” demands of the Catholic Church they will inevitably end up suicidal; also, is incredibly patronizing and belittling – as if saintly priests and religious are only capable of even approaching the idea of chastity; in addition, the position of the Church, regarding God’s plan for those who suffer from homosexuality is greatly misrepresented when the author derisively describes how the mean Catholic hierarchy severely imposed “an obligation” to chastity upon homosexuals, when, in reality “The Catechism of the Catholic Church” goes beyond calling chastity merely a “gift,” but states that those afflicted with same sex attraction can reach “Christian perfection.” (CCC #2359)
Most Holy Redeemer pastor Fr. Jack McClure apparently agrees with this one-sided approach to the homosexual problem. He wisely said little in the article, but did add this: “And just as our parish is an accepting parish…each of us needs to be accepting people. But sometimes the most difficult thing about being accepting is accepting ourselves.” Of course, we need to be accepting, but being tolerant doesn’t mean facilitating and supporting someone’s wounded sinfulness. Also, why should I have to accept myself…if that means “accepting” a homosexual orientation? Only, this rational fits in with the entire demeanor of the NCR take on homosexuality: that of the sheer hopelessness of acquiescing to a “rigid” form of Catholicism which could only lead to eternal unhappiness; accepting who you are (i.e. gay) is the lone truthful and honorable thing to do. Not to do so is to be intellectually and spiritually dishonest. Why? Because in their mind - homosexuality is essentially good; only, the Church, according to one of the gay men interviewed at MHR, is sorely lagging behind with regards to this enlightened idea: “But I don’t want to wait for a pope or a bishop to say something is okay. If we are the Body of Christ we have to start right now. If we cannot at this time have women priests on the altar, we can at least have women speak. If we cannot have same gender couples married, we can at least welcome them in our pews.” But, in reality, when one succumbs to the gay orientation and the group-think mentality, they are not choosing to accept themselves, nor the Love of God, but to accept what society expects of them – if you are attracted to the same-sex, therefore you must be gay; part and parcel with this ideology is the list of demands made by the confused parishioner – insisting on satisfaction; not humbly yielding to the Truth of Christ. And this exact same scenario was addressed in 1986 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in their “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,” stating quite explicitly on the matter: “…special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition [homosexuality], lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not…An essential dimension of authentic pastoral care is the identification of causes of confusion regarding the Church’s teaching.” Therefore to exhort men and women suffering from same-sex attraction to accept themselves is doing a great disservice to them; let alone to the directives of the Church as instituted by God: “…we wish to make it clear that departure from the Church’s teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral. The neglect of the Church’s position prevents homosexual men and women from receiving the care they need and deserve.” Of this, MHR is most seriously culpable.
The original NCR article:
http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/gayest-us-catholic-parish-strives-maintain-openness-accepting