What Happened at the Cathedral of
Sixty people (see photo) wore the Rainbow Sash at the Cathedral of St. Paul on a beautiful, mild, and windy Pentecost Sunday for the noon Mass, presided over by Fr. John Paul Erickson. As in years past, old and new friends joyfully donned the Rainbow Sash on the sidewalk in the spring sunshine before Mass began. Those wearing the Rainbow Sash received bright green cards with the protocol of the day, and those parishioners who wished to received a bright orange card explaining the purpose of the Rainbow Sash. The parishioner card read:
Dear Friends:
As part of the Catholic community, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) Roman Catholics will be joining the Eucharistic prayer at Mass today to celebrate the gift of their sexuality, and the wondrous diversity of God’s creation. We will be wearing the Rainbow Sash this Pentecost Sunday as a symbol of celebration, not of protest.
In this week’s Catholic Spirit, (5/8/08, p.10,) Archbishop Nienstedt refers to the Rainbow Sash as “a public act of defiance against church teaching.” It is not. It is a symbol of hope and celebration. Above all, it is a call to dialogue, something the archdiocese has refused to do for eight years.
We look forward to joining the Cathedral parish community in prayer today, celebrating with you the freedom, power, and love of the Holy Spirit. We are one in God’s love.
www.rainbowsashallianceusa.org
Fr. John Paul Erickson began his homily with a stern request that all those wearing the Rainbow Sash remove it as a sign of respect for the Eucharist and mother church. He mischaracterized the Rainbow Sash as a protest, inappropriate for the celebration of Eucharist. No one removed their sash.
After the prayers of the faithful, Fr. Erickson asked all the mothers in the congregation to stand and receive a special Mother’s Day blessing. At least ten women wearing the Rainbow Sash stood to receive this blessing.
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer Fr. Erickson, apparently annoyed with his disobedient flock, for a second time, with even more vehemence, and with a tone of anger in his voice demanded that those wearing the Rainbow Sash remove it. He warned that if they did not remove the Rainbow Sash they would not receive communion. Again, no one obeyed.
As has been the custom at the Cathedral of St.Paul since 2005, all those wearing the Rainbow Sash were denied communion. Some offered a blessing back to the Eucharistic Minister who gave them a blessing instead of Eucharist. They peacefully and respectfully returned to their pews and remained standing with hands outstretched symbolizing the discrimination they had, and were enduring. At least one friend, not wearing a Rainbow Sash, received a host and tried to bring it to those of us denied communion, but she was stopped by a minister who demanded that she either consume the host or return it. She gave it back to the minister.
After the final hymn, we assembled on the front steps of the
cathedral for our Class of 2008 picture.
We then joined the throng the
-Brian McNeill, 5/11/08