<p><img alt=Dignity/Boston Logo src=/sites/default/files/ChapterLogos/Boston_0.jpg style=width: 180px; height: 133px; margin: 5px; float: right; />By Peggy Hayes Dignity/Boston member</p> <p>Dignity/Boston celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding on December 1-2 2012. Many DignityUSA leaders and past presidents joined in the gathering procession at the Sunday liturgy and scores of memories sparked by stories photos returning members and a homily by chapter president Peggy Burns who described the chapter this way:</p> <blockquote> <p>Our journey has led us to many interesting places and we&rsquo;ve met many different people. We have laughed and cried; we have said hellos and goodbyes; we have welcomed our children married our couples and mourned those who died. We have marched walked and run. We have done all that has been asked of us. But most of all we said &ldquo;Yes&rdquo; to the call to bring justice to those in need. We responded and will continue to do so until Jesus comes again.&rdquo;</p> </blockquote> <p>The chapter recognized four members with 40th anniversary membership pins and collectively prayed in thanksgiving for the small group that had gathered at a gay bar south of Boston known as the Randolph Country Club to start the chapter in December 1972.</p> <p>DignityUSA president Lourdes Rodrigues-Nogues a member of Dignity/Boston since 1977 and Lewis Speaks-Tanner DignityUSA vice president spoke at the chapter&rsquo;s dinner dance and its anniversary liturgy.</p> <p>The LGBT newsmagazine and popular blog <em>Boston Spirit</em> reported on the chapter&rsquo;s anniversary:</p> <blockquote> <p>For the past four decades Dignity has forged its Catholic identity by making a key distinction between the hierarchical church which in recent decades has been alienating LGBT persons their families and their loving relationships and the faithful in the pews progressive Catholics who say they are Church too the Body of Christ. &lsquo;The bishops do not get to define what Catholic is&rsquo; said Rodr&iacute;guez-Nogu&eacute;s. &lsquo;We claim that identity for ourselves offering an alternative to a way of living the Gospel call.&rsquo;</p> </blockquote> <p>The December celebrations capped off a year of activities that included story-telling evenings a Dignity &ldquo;museum&rdquo; of artifacts pulled from the archives a new 40th anniversary logo and a renewed energy for the chapter&rsquo;s social justice commitments including co-sponsorship of a meals program for hungry and homeless people an AIDS fundraising bicycle ride and monthly second collections that contributed more than $250000 over the years to support the work of other justice-seeking organizations.</p> <p>The Boston area&rsquo;s largest LGBT publication <em>Bay Windows</em> said this about Dignity/Boston in the December 5 2012 issue:</p> <blockquote> <p>&lsquo;Gay and Catholic&rsquo; or &lsquo;lesbian and Catholic&rsquo; were rarely spoken out loud in 1972 because the combination of those two identities produced puzzlement laughter discomfort or an outright rejection that a person could be gay or lesbian and Catholic because of official church teaching on homosexuality and society&rsquo;s lack of acceptance. Now &lsquo;gay lesbian bisexual or transgender Catholic&rsquo; in the Boston area means a person has probably crossed the threshold of a Dignity/Boston liturgy or event cheered the group at Pride or written a check in support during the past 40 years.</p> </blockquote>