DignityUSA - Dateline December 1996

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DignityUSA DATELINE

A MONTHLY DIGEST OF NEWS, NOTES, AND MORE

DECEMBER 1996, VOL. 5, NO. 12

Our Gift to You is Peace

Robert Fulghum once wrote, Peace is not something you wish for. It is something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away. Many of us get caught up in the hustle and bustle around Christmas-endless shopping, that perfect card, fruit cake and office parties. Did you notice that following election day, those political ads seemed to give way to advertisements for the latest and greatest gift of the year?

It is so easy to overlook the true gift of Christmas, peace. It is a gift we cannot buy at Walmart. We cannot but it at all. Just look in the face of the baby Jesus, listen to the story of his birth, and know the gift of peace.

Jesus is peace. Each year, we celebrate the gift God has given us, and we, in turn, give to others. On behalf of the officers and Board of Directors of DignityUSA, I extend to all our members and friends, a joyful holiday season.

Our gift to you is peace. Pass it on.

— Mary Louise R. Cervone, Treasurer

Board News

* Candidates who wish to stand for election for the positions of NATIONAL PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT for the upcoming term (10/1/97 to 9/30/99), should submit their names and qualifications to the National Secretary Ben Boerkoel. Candidates for these positions are nominated and elected as a two person slate reflecting gender parity. Nominations close 60 days before the opening meeting of the Biennial Session of the House of Delegates in early July.

* Now is the time to take advantage of REDUCED MEMBERSHIP RATES! Renewals of individual or couple memberships made before January 31, 1997 save $5.00. Early renewals will be accepted! See your chapter leaders for details. Renew now and save!

First Annual CWC Women's Retreat

Women Ministering to Women

February 14, 1997 from 9:30 am to 4:30 PM
Phoenix, AZ
$5 donation requested
Childcare provided

Retreat will be held in conjunction with the Mountain-Plains Regional Conference

Questions? Call Della Nagle at 1-800-484-9366, code 7465.

Couples' Task Force Moves Forward

The DignityUSA Board of Directors commended the Couples' Task Force for its excellent report and analysis of the results of a recent national survey on couples' ministry. The survey found that the majority of the chapters stated that couples' ministry is èmoderately to very important.î

The survey also revealed that union ceremonies are considered to be one of the èmost important elementsî of couples' ministry. A significant finding is the desire for DignityUSA to provide direction and support in formulating guidelines for union ceremonies.

At the Board's October meeting, the Couples' Task Force was asked to advance its three major recommendations:

By March, 1997, GUIDELINES for Holy Unions will be distributed to all chapters. These may be adapted at the chapter level.
A motion will be submitted to the HOD for the adoption of an annual NATIONAL COUPLES' DAY.
A RESOURCE GUIDE for couples' ministry, based on current and/or envisioned practices, will be developed and distributed to all chapters by May, 1997.

During the development phase, the Task Force will be communicating with all chapters through regional coordinators. Please respond as best you can to any and all requests from the Couples' Task Force.

Solidarity Sunday 1996

Dear Friends, Thank you all for your great work to make Solidarity Sunday a success this year. To understand the impact Solidarity Sunday had, I'm asking that each chapter provide the following details: å

How many ribbons were distributed by your chapter?
Who received the ribbons?
What was the response of the recipients?
Did your chapter receive endorsements?
Were negative comments encounterered?

In addition, if you have letters of endorsement and newspaper or magazine articles about Solidarity Sunday events, please send copies of them to me so that they can be included in the final report.

Thanks from Bruce Jarfster, National Coordinator

Send information to: Bruce S. Jarstfer, MD, P.O. Box 701592, San Antonio, TX 78270; Fax (210) 545-6906 or BruceSJ@aol.com.

Sullivan Support (for Solidarity Sunday): Dignity "Misinterpreted" Him!

The National Catholic Reporter carried a story and picture about DignityUSA's Solidarity Sunday 1996 in its October 18 issue. Included was mention of Bishop Sullivan's endorsement of this annual event, which calls on Catholics to wear a ribbon and pledge prayerful solidarity against violence directed toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered brothers and sisters.

National President Marianne Duddy obtained Bishop Sullivan's verbal endorsement at a September conference, after which she publicly announced his support in a roomful of conferees. A member of the bishop's staff attended this session as did members of his Commission on Sexual Minorities.

The November 4 issue of NCR, however, contains a "Letter of Clarificationî from Sullivan insisting that the conversation was èmisinterpreted.î DignityUSA has, therefore, issued the following statement:

We are very angry and saddened that the fear Church officials have towards the gay/lesbian issues is so intense that they can't even support an antiviolence campaign. This is and outrageous and shameful commentary on the creditability of those who are supposed to be our moral leaders.

Bishop Sullivan has not yet responded.