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RETURN TO > 1996 > DATELINE
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DignityUSA DATELINE
March 1996
LA’s Jack Stafford Remembered
Jack Stafford, 1995 Convention Co-Chair, past National Board member, and long-time Dignity/Los Angeles leader, died suddenly on January 25 after suffering a heart attack. He is survived by his life partner, Les Hand and the Dignity/LA family. DignityUSA’s Director from the Pacific Region, Jerry Deas, represented the national officers at the funeral where he shared his own reflections and the following tribute by National President Marianne Duddy.
"Jack Stafford is someone who made a positive contribution to every level of Dignity. In Los Angeles, he was the driving force behind the creation of the Dignity Center -- a secure home for the Chapter, and a place from which prophetic outreach, most recently to gay and lesbian youths who needed a place to attend school in safety, could be accomplished. Regionally, he helped develop a generation of leaders in what was known as Region IX, and then was a leader himself in demonstrating the possibilities for a strong and coherent Pacific Region. I will never forget Jack standing with Jerry Deas in a model of grace, joyfully announcing that the motion to redraw the boundaries of the Pacific region to conform to the old Region IX and X map had been withdrawn from the floor of the New Orleans House of Delegates in 1993.
"And of course, DignityUSA benefited from Jack’s love, joy and talents in many ways through his service on the national Board of Directors, and his leadership as cochair of the 1995 Convention Committee. Jack had a vision of all of Dignity returning to our birthplace in honor of our 25th Anniversary, and the Convention he helped to develop gave us the opportunity to live out that dream. To me, it was a pilgrimage experience. One time when I was visiting Los Angeles to discuss the convention, Jack invited me to be a guest on his cable TV show, Jack’s Place. During the course of our conversation, Jack asked me about how Dignity should respond to the parish and diocesan outreaches to gay and lesbian Catholics. In that question, Jack identified a major challenge facing Dignity as an organization and as a grass roots community.
"Jack also had a rare talent for insight into critical issues and he was a model of integrating various facets of one’s personhood. As a gay, Catholic, Native American, Jack crossed a number of social groups, and yet somehow managed to bring each aspect of his identity into the settings where they might have seemed out of place. I particularly remember when Jack led a very moving ritual during the Board meeting in LA last summer in which he used the Native cleansing prayer and blessed us with smoke. I will miss Jack’s hugs, his smile, and his laughter. I will miss his passion and the love he bore for Dignity. I am glad for the chance to know him, work with him, and pray with him. Now I pray for his eternal happiness, and for his continued blessing on our work."
Diocese Evicts Pittsburgh Chapter
On January 23, 1996, the pastor of St. Pamphilus, Fr. James Merlino, OFM, withdrew the long-standing invitation for Dignity/Pittsburgh to hold its liturgies and other programs at St. Pamphilus. This decision was supported by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, represented by Fr. Ronald Lengwin, Secretary for Pastoral Life. Dignity/Pittsburgh had met at St. Pamphilus for over twenty years.
The pastor's action was based on a portion of Dignity/Pittsburgh’s Statement of Position and Purpose stating, "...we believe that gay men and lesbian women can express their sexuality in a manner that is consonant with Christ's teaching. We believe that we can express our sexuality physically in a unitive manner that is loving, life-giving, and life-affirming." These statements were cited by Fr. Merlino as a contradiction to Church teaching and the reason that he could not allow Dignity/Pittsburgh to continue to meet at his church.
In the dialogue which has occurred between the Diocese and the chapter over the past several years, the Diocese offered three pastoral options to the chapter: first, to join the local chapter of Courage; second, to attend mass as a group at one of the parishes in the diocese; and third, to recant the above portion of the Statement of Position and Purpose. The chapter rejected these options as inconsistent with its beliefs. Dignity/Pittsburgh leaders also noted that they fully understood the pastor’s decision and his need to follow his conscience in his actions. In the same way, they cited the need to remain true to the beliefs of the chapter’s members and therefore, refused to disavow the offending statements.
Chapter leaders, nevertheless, were very disappointed in the pastor's decision not only in light of Dignity/Pittsburgh’s long history at St. Pamphilus but also in light of the apparent need to estrange from the Church a group with valid dissenting opinions of Church teachings. In press releases and public statements, Dignity/Pittsburgh leaders reiterated the belief that God creates gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons as they are, with the same rights, privileges and duties of all Catholics. "We did not choose our sexual orientation nor are we disordered because of it. We are, therefore, called to be a voice for justice within the Church. Despite our loss of St. Pamphilus as a meeting site, Dignity/Pittsburgh will continue its mission as followers of Christ's Gospel to promote spiritual development, social and church reform, and social interaction within our community." (From Dignity/Pittsburgh Press Release)
Board Updates:
The Board of Directors held a teleconference meeting on January 27. National Secretary Ben Boerkoel reported the following highlights of the meeting.
National Director Deb Meyers of the Mountain Plains Region was welcomed.
Michael Flynn and Jerry Deas led a discussion on membership and the Membership Task Force.
Mary Louise Cervone reported that DignityUSA received a clean audit and will pursue suggestions made in the audit.
Terry Mischel clarified details about caregiver retreats. Fr. Tom is developing one, two, and three day scenarios that organizers may find helpful.
The Board will meet in Washington, DC from April 20-22, 1996.
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