While the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community has made significant progress in its quest for social acceptance, the Roman Catholic Church has staunchly refused to recognize the GLBT public as members of the church.
The Most Holy Redeemer (MHR) parish in San Francisco leads the revolution for the rights of the GLBT community in the church.
This was the topic of presentation Thursday night by the Rev. Donal Godfrey of the University of San Francisco; Boston College was the first venue in which he publicly talked about his new book, Gays and Grays.
Opened in 1902, MHR became the center of its San Francisco neighborhood. Godfrey said the parish became a home to the so-called "disposed and disrespectful" people notorious for dwelling in San Francisco.
It was during the 1970s that homosexual recognition met the parish. "MHR was changed from a dying parish to a place where gays and straights were making something new," Godfrey said.
He suggested that everybody is born with God within themselves and how we choose to approach God, regardless of sexuality, is a personal decision.
Godfrey proposed in his book that Catholicism enables people to collaboratively enjoy life and being gay does hinder that vision. He said that being gay and Catholic is entirely possible.
Throughout his presentation, Godfrey quoted people who spoke about a sermon he had delivered, which was broadcasted on the BBC. One non-Catholic listener said, "I was amazed a Catholic church could produce such a wonderful, inclusive message." Godfrey said this very sentiment was reiterated by thousands who tuned in to his sermon.
Godfrey spent a significant portion of his lecture talking about MHR's role in the AIDS crisis. He said that during the 1980s many people in the parish feared catching AIDS.
However, he said, "The parish, in 1984, responded. [The braver] parishioners introduced a visiting program for people living with HIV." This program was one of the first of its kind.
2008 Woodie Awards
