Well, it is in Enabler O'Malley's bailiwick! Please sign the petition. I did.
From the Boston Catholic Insider
Just when we thought we’d seen it all, a Boston Archdiocesan parish led by a “gay-friendly’ pastor has done something worse than we could have imagined. The “gay-friendly” pastor at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Chestnut Hill — welcomed by Cardinal O’Malley to the parish in 2016 despite his published history of leading a “gay-friendly” parish in New York City — has a full-page propaganda letter in their parish bulletin touting the parish administrator’s story as a transgender person and urging parishioners to vote “Yes” on the upcoming “Bathroom Bill” ballot question. A “Yes” means the existing law stands that allows transgender people to use whatever bathroom they please. A “No” means the law would be repealed, restoring safety and sanity to the Commonwealth by simply saying that people should use the restroom of their biological gender, as it’s been for the nearly 200 years since there have been public restrooms.
Please sign our Change.org petition to urge Cardinal O’Malley to immediately remove the pastor of the parish and also ask the Massachusetts Catholic bishops to issue a clear public statement that they support a “No” vote on Question 3.
First, excerpts from the letter from the transgender parish administrator:
Dear Parishioners,
I delivered the below text at a recent interfaith action event for transgender equality, hosted by Temple Israel of Boston…
One of the most frustrating aspects of being a catholic trans man is that people often insist on praying for me, but never with me. On the surface, they may appear well intentioned, and undoubtedly some are sincere. Yet, I know there are folks who pray for me to…change who I am at the very core of my being. They pray for what they assume to be a choice, a sickness, a disorder…. Opponents find comfort in limiting my human rights…This hatred and fear mongering is used to validate repeals to our protections, as is the case with Massachusetts Ballot Question 3… this measure seeks to roll back public protections for the transgender community. A no vote would succeed in stripping trans people of our rights, whereas a yes vote would preserve current legislation.
I never imagined that my faith would become a battleground. Often, I feel caught between my two communities…I exist in both communities without being a contradiction. If anything, my identities enhance each other. The choice I make is to reclaim what it means to be queer and religious in today’s world…
I cannot deny I benefit from privileges that others in the trans community do not. I experience passing privilege, meaning most people would not realize I am a trans man, unless I willingly outed myself. I am white, I come from a loving and supportive family, and I was able to receive a college education. My insurance has fully covered trans related services. However, many of my trans siblings are faced with difficult choices…
…we encourage the people of Massachusetts to love the transgender community, and uphold the protections in the name of dignity. Thank you!
(At the bottom of the bulletin page, there is a “Yes on 3” logo, clearly implying the support of the pastor for this position)
To say the publication of this in a Catholic church bulletin is terrible and outrageous is an understatement. The salvation of many souls is put at high risk by this. The smoke of Satan has clearly infiltrated this church.
People do indeed need to pray for the parish administrator, whether he wants the prayers or not, as well as the pastor, Fr. Joseph Constantino, who was well-known as an advocate for the gay agenda before coming to this parish (see this post and ChurchMilitant’s report, “”NY CHURCH DRAPES ALTAR STEPS WITH GAY FLAG”)
Here’s what people need to know about transgenderism and the bathroom bill.
First, yes, it is indeed an issue of privacy and public safety, and here is a link to a list of 26 bathroom incidents that have been in the news. It’s important to note that the concern is not that transgendered individuals are more likely to be sexual predators, but rather that sexual predators could exploit such laws by posing as transgendered in order to gain access to women and girls. The list of bathroom incidents includes 15 in the news since 2016 alone, showing this concern about safety and privacy is legitimate. Here are just two examples:
This predatory behavior inflicts serious emotional and psychological harm on the victims. Under the law, any attempt to block a man from entering the women’s locker room, dressing room, or bathroom could result in individual penalties of up to $50,000 and a year in prison. Businesses are also affected, like a female spa owner who faced a discrimination claim for declining to wax the genitals of a man identifying as a woman.
That’s part of the issue, but there’s more to it than that, as described at VoteNoTo3.com. What’s happening is the pro-transgender movement is positioning a mental disorder as a civil right. And the cost to us is the loss of our rights.
- Transgenderism is not a civil right, but an uncivil wrong
- Transgenderism is not a unique form of self-expression, but a mental disorder
- Transgenders need psychiatric assistance, not public accommodation
- Opponents of transgenderism are not crazy bigots, but sane and loving people who care about their families, faith, and freedom
Cardinal O’Malley needs to remove the pastor of the parish immediately and have a correction published in the parish bulletin. He and the Massachusetts Catholic bishops also need to come out publicly and voice their support for voting No on Question 3. They and the do-nothing Mass Catholic Conference have been silent on this, and for the salvation of souls, they need to speak out and encourage their pastors and clergy to speak out.
Please sign our petition to immediately ask Cardinal O’Malley and the MA Catholic bishops to correct this situation.
It is never easy to deliver a message that calls people to make sacrifices or to do difficult things….We must teach the truths of the Gospel in season and out of season. These recent times seem to us like it is out of season, but for that very reason it is even more urgent to teach the hard words of the Gospel today.
Friends and relatives of homosexual Catholics sometimes feel torn between their allegiance to Christ and their concern for their loved ones. I assure them that these goals are not incompatible….Calling people to embrace the cross of discipleship, to live the commandments and at the same time assuring them that we love them as brothers and sisters can be difficult. Sometimes we are told: If you do not accept my behavior, you do not love me. In reality we must communicate the exact opposite: “Because we love you, we cannot accept your behavior.”
Cardinal O’Malley, it’s currently “out of season!” Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. Now is the time for you to stand up and do exactly what you said must be done in 2006!
Here’s a link to the Change.org petition which emails Cardinal O’Malley asking him to remove the St. Ignatius pastor and emails all Massachusetts bishops asking them to publicly urge MA voters to vote “No” on Question 3. Please spread the word to like-minded friends and family members and ask them to sign also.
This church is run by the Jesuits and essentially part of Boston College.
ReplyDeleteAh, cabbage rolls and coffee. A great combination.
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