DignityUSA - Dateline 8/03

The general membership and chapter votes from the recent national elections are in.

Sam Sinnett, of St. Louis (MO), will succeed DignityUSA president Pat McArron on October 1, 2003, as our new president. Peggy Burns will continue as Vice President, a role she accepted when Pat asked her to serve as his vice president in 2002.

Three new directors have been elected to serve on DignityUSA's National Board of Directors for a two year term beginning Oct 1, 2003. The newly chosen directors include Patty Hayes (Rochester, NY) and Mark Matson (Powell, OH).

The Board of Directors wish to express a heartfelt thanks to the following for placing their names into nomination for the board positions: Shawn Lowe (Arlington, VA), Frank D'Amore (Detroit, MI), Marty Grochala (Chicago, IL) and Phil LaChance (Hudson, NH). Your dedication and service do not go unnoticed. We look forward to your continued commitment to Dignity.

692 individual ballots were received at the national office in our 2003 election. This number accounts for 37% of the ballots mailed to our membership!

Dignity on the Scene
- outreach and coalition networking

CORPUS Conference

DignityUSA President Pat McArron attended the annual CORPUS Conference June 27-29, 2003, in Ft Worth, TX.

CORPUS is the Association for an Inclusive Priesthood, which, rooted in a strong Eucharistic commitment, promotes an expanded and renewed priesthood of married and single men and women in the Catholic Church. It is one of the oldest reform groups in the Catholic Church, and is active in reform movements both in the U.S. and abroad.

Pat reports that he received a warm reception and networked with numerous members of CORPUS, thus forging a stronger alliance between DignityUSA and CORPUS.

The CORPUS conference was attended by nearly 100 from all over the country. During the course of the conference, Pat met with Fr. Patrick Johnson, chaplain to not only the Dallas/Ft Worth Airport but also to Dignity/Dallas (TX).

WOW2003 Conference

DignityUSA past president Mary Louise R. Cervone will be a workshop presenter at the Witness our Welcome (WOW) 2003 Conference to be held at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA), August 14-17, 2003.

The subject of her workshop will be: "GLBT Issues in the Roman Catholic Church and Faith-Based Activism for All People of Faith". This workshop will explore current events and theology in the Roman Catholic Church, and their impact on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics and all people of faith.

Workshop participants will have an opportunity to learn about primacy of conscience, faithful dissent and faith-based activism through the historical role of DignityUSA within the Roman Catholic Church, and have an opportunity to share individual perspectives about human rights and how people of all faiths can make a difference in organized religion.

Witness our Welcome (WOW) is an ecumenical gathering of sexually and gender inclusive Christians from Canada and the U.S. who support the full inclusion of LGBT persons in its congregations and ministries.

Dignity to Present at CTA Conference

Current DignityUSA Executive Director, Marianne Duddy, will lead a workshop at the Call to Action (CTA) 2003 National Conference to be held November 7-9, 2003, in Milwaukee, WI.

The topic of Marianne's workshop will be,"I'm ODIE, You're ODIE - What Vatican Abuse of Gays and Lesbians Means to the Entire Church."

Happy Anniversary & Congratulations to:

DignityUSA Celebrates Supreme Court Ruling in Lawrence Case

Gay Catholics Filed Amicus Brief in Suit

DignityUSA, which filed an amicus brief in support of overturning the 1986 Hardwick decision, stands with all people of good will in celebrating the recent Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas. The 6-3 decision is a strong stand for equal treatment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, say DignityUSA leaders.

"We are delighted that the Supreme Court has decided this case in our favor, and with such a strong majority," said Marianne Duddy, Executive Director of DignityUSA. "The best news is that those who have cited Judeo-Christian values as justification for discriminatory laws have been decisively overruled. The justices saw through efforts to claim that religion supports having a different set of laws for lesbian and gay people."

Duddy also said, "This decision is a leap forward for all Americans who support basic justice and fairness in our laws. It is a huge step towards enabling gay and lesbian people to feel like we are no longer second-class citizens of our nations."

October 5, 2003

Visit the DignityUSA Website for all of the details regarding our annual faith-based anti-violence initiative.

Every Chapter is encouraged to take part and do something in their community no matter how small an effort. Every effort matters.

Dignity/Dallas welcomes DignityUSA president

Following the CORPUS conference in Ft Worth, DignityUSA president Pat McArron was welcomed to Dallas by several members of the Dignity/Dallas chapter at a brunch given in his honor.

Pat spoke of the importance of each and every member of Dignity as a messenger of hope and healing.

Executive Director Search Underway

The DignityUSA Search Committee is actively engaged in soliciting and reviewing applications from candidates for the DignityUSA Executiver Director position.

The Search Committee will be screening and interviewing candidates in August and September, 2003, with hopes of bringing a new executive director on board before the new fiscal year beginning October 1, 2003.

At least twenty applications have been received as this publication edition enters the final editing stages.

CTA National Conference Discount

Plans are underway, again this year, to provide DignityUSA members a discount when registering for the Call to Action (CTA) National 2003 Conference to be held in Milwaukee, WI, November 7-9, 2003.

Details will appear in the September 2003 Dateline.

May you nomads and pilgrims
trekking to encounter
"A Voice in the Desert" -
DignityUSA's Convention 2003 -
have a safe and pleasant
spiritual journey, as well as
energetic and fun times
In Las Vegas.

As Labor Day draws nigh,
and Summer leads to Autumn,
may all of you find time
to experience and enjoy
Mother Nature and times of
relaxation and rejuvenation,
whether at home, near or far.
God's love and peace be with you!

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