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DignityUSA
PO Box 376
Medford, MA
02155
tel: 800.877.8797
202.861.0017
fax: 781.397.0584
email:
info@dignityusa.org
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RETURN TO > DATELINE HOMEPAGE > HOME
DignityUSA DATELINE
July 2000
Volume
9, No. 7
ADVOCATE AD for Pride!
Our third and final ad for 2000 will run in the Advocate in the month of June, Pride Month. The Advocate reaches more than 20,000 people each issue. Dignity has received inquiries from many that have seen our ad. We hope that during Pride month our message will reach all those interested in learning more about our journey.
See elements from our ad campaign… (may take a few moments to download at slow speeds)
Millennial Pilgrimage to Italy to Benefit DignityUSA
Save the dates! From November 7 - 16, 2000, DignityUSA will be sponsoring its first ever trip to Italy for members, family and friends. This 9-day tour includes stops in Florence, Assisi and Rome, with plenty of time to enjoy the highlights of each city. It even includes a Papal audience! A portion of the $2,895 fee (which includes round-trip airfare, accommodations in superior tourist class hotels and many meals) is a tax-deductible contribution to DignityUSA, so your foreign vacation will help further Dignity's ministry here at home. Space is limited, so please sign up early.
Gay Catholics Decry Vatican Silencing of Priest and Nun Who Pioneered Gay Ministry
During meetings in Rome in May, Sister Jeannine Gramick, a School Sister of Notre Dame, and Rev. Robert Nugent, a Salvatorian priest, were ordered to stop speaking publicly about homosexuality, or about the investigation into their nearly thirty-year ministry. In July of 1999, the Vatican had ordered the two to refrain from any kind of pastoral ministry with gay and lesbian people or their families. Since then, they had spoken about the course of the 11-year investigation that led to the original sanctions, the role of conscience in the Church, and lectured on the status of gays and lesbians in the Church within academic forums.
DignityUSA, the leading advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Roman Catholics and their families, expressed outrage at what they called the Vatican's "continuing persecution of two people attempting
To live out their ministerial call." They said it would further alienate gay and lesbian Catholics already struggling to reconcile their faith with Church teaching on homosexuality.
"This latest order demonstrates that the Vatican has been on a witch hunt, and is determined to shut down any kind of ministry to our community that does not constantly remind us that the Pope considers us 'intrinsically disordered,' said Mary Louise Cervone, president of DignityUSA. "We are very angry that after all the pain that the original order against Bob and Jeannine caused, they've had to suffer this further assault."
Marianne Duddy, DignityUSA's executive director, noted that Sr. Gramick and Rev. Nugent have reacted very differently to the latest Vatican directive. "Bob's statements indicate that he intends to adhere to the order of silence, whereas Jeannine has said she finds it a violation of her basic human rights and in good conscience cannot follow the order. There is much at stake for both of them — their life as members of their religious communities, their ministerial legacy, their own sense of integrity." Duddy went on to say that DignityUSA will consider what further action to take against this grievous action in the weeks ahead.
"This action is not directed solely at Jeannine and Bob," said Cervone. "It is an attack on our entire community. We need to bear witness to our sense of how unchristian an act this is, in a way that communicates our pain and anger directly to the Vatican and the entire Roman Catholic Church."
DignityUSA is the nation's largest and foremost organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Roman Catholics, their families and friends. It is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1969, and has chapters and members across the US.
Camp Jaroco
Camp Jaroco will be held in Maine on the weekend of August 4-6. This fun-filled weekend is a fund-raiser for Dignity/New England. Pencil it into your summer calendar.
People of Dignity, Speak Up…& Take Personal Responsibility !
Hold the Dates!
This year's Call To Action national conference will be Nov. 3-5 in Milwaukee. On Friday, November 3, DignityUSA will be hosting a pre-conference day of reflection. Entitled "I Have Called You by Name: The Spirituality of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and transgender People," the retreat will offer Straight and GLBT people a chance to reflect on themes like coming out, healing, claiming one's identity and prophetic witness. Look for more information in the CTA Conference brochure, due to be mailed out in June.
Dignity Chapters Encouraged to Act!
In order to express our outrage at the Vatican's most recent attack on Sr. Jeannine Gramick, Rev. Bob Nugent and their ministry to the GLBT community, Dignity Chapters are encouraged to participate in visible and prayerful action. If you are organizing a prayer vigil, protest or other activity in your area, please call the DignityUSA office at 1-800-877-8797 to let us know the date, time, location and nature of the action. New Ways Ministry can also help, by providing contact information and mailing lists of people who may be interested in supporting such actions. New Ways Ministry can be reached at 301-277-5674.
DignityUSA hosts press conference at National Catholic Bishops meeting
On June 15, in conjunction with the opening of the National Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops' meeting in Milwaukee, DignityUSA sponsored a press conference on the Vatican's recent order that Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent stop speaking about the investigation and order to suspend their ministry to the gay and lesbian community. Executive Director Marianne Duddy led off the press conference by calling on the US Bishops to affirm Jeannine and Bob's ministry, and to challenge the Vatican for its violation of individual conscience. Other speakers included Sister Michelle Olley, OP, a Board member of the National Coalition of American Nuns, Sister Kathleen Desaulets of the Chicago-based 8th Day Center for Justice, Don Wedd of Call To Action USA, and Shirley and Jerry Stanke, Catholic parents of a gay son. Following the press conference, Marianne went to the site of the bishops' meeting, and talked to a dozen reporters about the Vatican's silencing of Jeannine and Bob before being evicted by NCCB security.
Third Millennium & Jubilee 2000 (a continuing series)
What does the Millennium celebrate?
The millennium marks the passage of a one thousand year period as noted by the calendar of our common era. For Christians, the millennium celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago and the history of that 2000 years. The birth of Christ is important because Christ's coming into the world ushered in a new era for humanity. Thus, the Millennium celebrates 2000 years of Christ's presence in human history, and as such, it celebrates God's love for humankind.
What is the religious dimension to the Millennium?
For generations the Church has used Jubilee years as opportunities to pause and reflect on all that the Lord has done for us. The Church invites people to open up to Christ and reconcile those areas in their lives that need to be addressed.
What is a jubilee?
Jubilees celebrate and commemorate the passage of a fixed number of years. People are most familiar with wedding and work jubilees of 25 and 50 years. The unique character of the Jubilee points to a celebration of life, but jubilees also provide an opportunity to look forward in life. A jubilee is a time of celebration and an opportunity to begin anew, but it is also a time to seek reconciliation and to acknowledge past failings.
Why is this Jubilee significant?
This jubilee not only will mark the passing from one century to the next, it also will leave behind an entire millennium.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
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WILLAMETTE VALLEY |
15 |
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HONOLULU |
24 |
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CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA |
25 |
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