Public witnesses for LGBT dignity

Call To Action shares two events going on today (Wednesday, November 20) for Catholics to participate in.

Catholics Stand Up for Love in Springfield, IL

At the cathedral in Springfield today, Catholics will gather to support the dignity of LGBT people.  In quick response to Bishop Paprocki’s appalling plan to mark the passage of the marriage equality law with prayers of exorcism, Catholics in IL quickly planned a counter vigil to thank Catholic legislators for following the conscience and to show support for an inclusive, loving Church.“

As parents of gay and lesbian children, we needed to go to a Catholic event where our children would be loved and valued instead of being bombarded by the condemning spirit of our bishop.”  said one of the organizers, who recently attended a Fortunate Families retreat for parents.  ”After this wonderful retreat, we felt empowered to let our voices be heard.  We will pray and encourage each other.

”Catholics around the country quickly voiced their disbelief at the Bishop’s connection of the lives of LGBT people and exorcism.   “some Catholics believe the ritual Wednesday could cast off more Catholics than demons,” reported the Chicago Tribune, ”On Tuesday, 14,000 petitioners called on the bishop to cancel the event.”

If you’re in Springfield today, join the vigil from 3-4pm across the street from the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception (524 East Lawrence, Springfield, IL).If you don’t live nearby, you can still spread the word that there is no contradiction between being Catholic and supporting the dignity and equality of LGBT people; talk with your friends and family about this story and see what conversations can be sparked!

Catholics Celebrate Marriage Equality in Illinois with Public Witness in Chicago

Catholics for Marriage Equality, a coalition of Catholic pro-equality groups in Illinois who were active in their support of the passage of The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act will be celebrating the signing of the bill by Governor Quinn on Wednesday, November 20th beginning at 3:00pm at the Forum on the UIC campus by displaying their coalition banner outside the facility.

The coalition includes four Illinois Chapters of Call to Action with Fortunate Families, New Ways Ministry and Dignity/Chicago.   As we celebrate this milestone with joy, we wish to express our thanks to Catholic legislators, including our Catholic governor, for voting their consciences and courageously standing on the side of love and equality for all.

“We plan to mark this wonderful day by gathering before and after the signing under our banner that identifies that Catholics do support Marriage Equality and proclaims ‘God is Love,’ says Barbara Marian, of Harvard, Illinois, a Listening Parent with Fortunate Families, a national outreach to other Catholic parents of gay children.

She adds “This civil law codifies, protects and defends the innate dignity, God-given equality and freedom of our children to love and commit their lives to the person of their choosing.

In response to Springfield, IL Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s announcement that he will conduct a rite of exorcism at 4:00 on November 20th in Springfield against the “sin” of gay marriage and the politicians who voted for its legalization , Bob Heineman of Call To Action said, “The outrageous notion that passing this legislation is somehow the work of the devil  is yet another blow to the  Body of the Church.  As ordinary Catholic people in the pews we are astounded and quite frankly more than a little embarrassed for Bishop Paprocki.”

Going forward we will be praying for him and all our families who have suffered the disdain and bullying of too many of our Bishops who continue to speak against us. Standing together as parents and families of lesbians and gays and their children, we call for an end to these attacks and for movement in our church to a spirit of welcome and embrace for all our children.

”Catholics for Marriage Equality Illinois is proud of the work so many of our faith leaders, and fellow Catholics, have done to speak out for equality and stand on the side of love. We invite supporters to join us on Wednesday, November 20 at 3:00pm outside the UIC Forum to provide witness to and celebration of this incredible victory for human dignity, equality, and love.

The UIC Forum is located at 725 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago IL 60608 (southeast corner of Halsted and Roosevelt). The Forum is located minutes from downtown Chicago and is easily accessible by public transportation.

Contacts:

Barbara Marian, natvproj@gmail.com, 815.943.5504
Bob Heineman, bob@cta-usa.org, 847.682.1056