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DignityUSA DATELINE

JANUARY 1997 VOL. 6 NO. 1

Dignity Mourns Bernadin's Death

After Joseph Cardinal Bernadin's death from pancreatic cancer in November, Dignity/Chicago offered a statement for a man often caught between being a voice of the people and a leader in the hierarchy.

We celebrate the life of our brother in faith who has been a model and guide for his people as he embraced death. In his honor, we will continue to seek common ground with our fellow Roman Catholics and all people.

The Cardinal, who ordered the ouster of the Chicago chapter from St. Sebastian's in 1988 after the Ratzinger Letter and then created AGLO (Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach) was remembered by Michael Savage, Dignity/Chicago president at the time. Savage recalled that he explained to Bernadin in a private meeting in 1988 that many gay and lesbian people who had been brought up in the Church came to hate themselves. 'As I started to leave, he grabbed my elbow, shook my hand and said, 'Don't hate yourself.'î

The meeting was kept secret by Bernadin's request until now. >From that time on, Bernadin never troubled the Chicago chapter again. 'Ultimately he had the power to put the pressure on priests not to say Mass for Dignity, but he didn't do that,î commented Marty Grochala, the current chapter president. Bernadin's creation and support of AGLO was controversial inside and outside the Church and the relationship between Dignity and AGLO was 'a rocky one at timesî noted Grochala although there is now a sense of reconciliation. Bernadin was, however, proving to be more tolerant than other Church leaders who were forbidding gay and lesbian ministries and ignoring the AIDS crisis. 'When our shepherd dies, it affects us all and it is something to be mourned,î reflected Grochala. 'There is sadness too, that there has been animosity between us.î

According to former DignityUSA President and Chicagoan Jim Bussen, inviting Chicago's Windy City Gay Chorus to sing during Cardinal Bernadin's wake was also significant. It marked a distinct departure from precedents in other American churches where gay choruses have been expressly prohibited from performing on church property. Observers at the services said it brought to a 'graceful closeî Bernadin's sometimes difficult history with the gay and lesbian community. (From Windy City Times, 'Gays Mourn Bernadin's Death,î by Louis Weisberg, 11/21/96, p. 1.)

Advocate Ad Appears

Look for DignityUSA's large ad in the December 24 issue of the Advocate (with Dennis Rodman on the cover). The ad, designed by Jeff Manley of Dignity/San Diego in conjunction with National Directors Jeff Stone, Peggy Hayes, and Michael Flynn, features the headline 'We're much more than a gay Catholic MassØ We're a voice for change and acceptance.î The text, proclaims that we are 'evangelists working for the inclusion of our community as equal parts of the Roman Catholic Churchî as well as 'protecting and furthering the rightsî of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered person in the Church and society. A copy of the ad will also appear in the redesigned Journal in the first quarter of 1997.

Convention '97

Holiness and Action

Dignity was a welcoming and visible presence to members, friends, and conventioneers as over 5,000 people attended Call to Action's November 15-17 convention in Detroit. The weekend was packed with addresses, workshops, and speaker sessions by theologians including Carmel McEnroy, Hans Kung, Bishops Jacques Galliot and Thomas Gumbleton, and Miriam Therese Winter. National President Marianne Duddy represented DignityUSA at the COR (Catholic Organizations for Renewal) meeting on Friday. That evening, DignityUSA hosted a reception for over 70 folks after the opening ceremonies. Saturday's Gay and Lesbian Issues Caucus attracted over 50 people, many of them Dignity members. Later that day, Marianne led a session entitled 'Gay and Lesbian Issues in Today's Church.î Her presentation included questions and a short prayer service. Dignity/Detroit helped staff the information booth all weekend and then welcomed many to it Sunday evening liturgy.

Mark These '97 Dates!

• Motion Forms: First draft motion forms are due at the DignityUSA office no later than January 4, 1997. Forms and additional information were mailed to all chapters on November 25.
• Delegate Count: Delegates to the 1997 House of Delegates will be awarded based on the January 31, 1997 membership figure. If there is a discrepancy between your chapter membership list and the DignityUSA membership list, now is the time to contact the DignityUSA office at 800-877-8797.
• Membership Discount: 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!
• National Officers: Candidates who wish to stand for election for the positions of National President and Vice President forthe upcoming term (10/1/97 to 9/30/99), should submit their names and qualifications to the national secretary Ben Boerkoel. Candidates are nominated and elected as a two person slate reflecting gender parity. Nominations close 60 days before the opening meeting of the July 1997 HOD.

First Annual CWC Women's Retreat: "Women Ministering to Women"

Held in conjunction with the Mountain Plains Regional Conference February 14, 1997, Phoenix, AZ, 9:30 am to 4:30 PM, $5 donation.

Childcare provided. Questions? Call Della Nagle: 1-800-484-9366, code 7465

Web Surfing?

DignityUSA's web page is worth a look!

www.dignityusa.org

Claiming the Promise

Groundbreaking Bible Study Curriculum on Homosexuality

• Study Guide 7 Sessions $5.95 or $4.50 for 10+
• Leader's Guide $9.95

HAPPY Anniversary:

• Brooklyn 20
• Phoenix 20
• Orlando 3

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