A sharing by a Catholic priest on homosexuality
Posted by: Plume
Date: 17 April 2007, Tuesday
Time: 730pm
Venue: Free Community Church
The Catholic church calls homosexuality an "objective disorder". A disorder because obviously it contravenes their moral sensitivities because the bible (and hence, the church) says so. And objective because there is no leeway for interpretation. For example, if you were to get involved in a car accident that results in a fatality, there is no arguing that someone has died. Similarly, if you've engaged in homosexual sex, you can't deny that it's not real sex because you are straight.
So where does this leave us gay Christians, or Catholics? Do we hide in the closet whilst living a double identity, pious Christians on Sunday, and heinous men-loving deviants the rest of the week?
Safehaven is proud to present a session of intimate sharing by Fr. Albert Renckens, Dutch by birth, Singaporean by residence (of over 30 years), and Catholic by religious beliefs. Learn about his personal opinions on homosexuality, and ask him the hardest question of them all: "is it ok to be gay and Christian?"
Don't miss out on this rare opportunity to understand the Catholic's church's stand on homosexuality. A must for Christians from all denominations!
Please RSVP by emailing Alphonsus at fonsus@gmail.com :)
Time: 730pm
Venue: Free Community Church
The Catholic church calls homosexuality an "objective disorder". A disorder because obviously it contravenes their moral sensitivities because the bible (and hence, the church) says so. And objective because there is no leeway for interpretation. For example, if you were to get involved in a car accident that results in a fatality, there is no arguing that someone has died. Similarly, if you've engaged in homosexual sex, you can't deny that it's not real sex because you are straight.
So where does this leave us gay Christians, or Catholics? Do we hide in the closet whilst living a double identity, pious Christians on Sunday, and heinous men-loving deviants the rest of the week?
Safehaven is proud to present a session of intimate sharing by Fr. Albert Renckens, Dutch by birth, Singaporean by residence (of over 30 years), and Catholic by religious beliefs. Learn about his personal opinions on homosexuality, and ask him the hardest question of them all: "is it ok to be gay and Christian?"
Don't miss out on this rare opportunity to understand the Catholic's church's stand on homosexuality. A must for Christians from all denominations!
Please RSVP by emailing Alphonsus at fonsus@gmail.com :)
posted by Plume at 11:49 PM
1 Comments:
I read an incredible memoir recently, and also found an interesting book review on the net about it. The book is called “That Undeniable Longing – My Road to and from the Priesthood” by Mark Tedesco.
Take a look. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46971.asp
(I found the book at the publisher’s website: http://www.academychicago.com/undeniablelonging.html)
Mark Nemetz
Here are some parts of this review:
This book tells the life of a Priest. A life filled with Latin, filled with lambs, filled with G-d. It is a life of celibacy, of poverty, of charity. It is a life filled with listening to the woes of the people, their sins, and giving the forgiveness through Jesus Christ, The Lord. This is the life of a man who has dedicated himself to G-d and the church, to the people, to His flock. After nearly 8 plus years, countless hours of prayer, devotion, and spiritual struggle. After a four-year degree, a post-graduate degree, many sleepless nights filled with fear and dread. This is a Priest. This is the life of a Priest. This is the life of a Gay Priest!
As a Priest-to-be, Mark struggled with not only his family and his faith, but also with his life as a closeted gay man. In his book That Undeniable Longing: My Road to AND from THE Priesthood, Mark Tedesco recounts his life, well roughly ten years of his life, of going from faithful Catholic parishioner to being a full-fledge Catholic Priest... and then back to being a "normal" Joe.
This book captivates the reader from page one when he wonders if questioning life and your past is a side-effect of being middle-aged. "How did I arrive at this point? Could I ever have imagined, long ago on a winter day in Rome, that I would find myself on this new path, my dreams not shattered, but transformed. And that elusive, relentless desire, for happiness - where is it leading me?" He sparks our imagination, at least those of us who are 30-something and older, of the days gone by. He makes us think about our past, and if we would have done anything differently. He makes us think about the lessons, the little "-isms" we have learned and discovered.
The life of a Priest is hard, as we learn. It is a life filled with monotony, with repetitiveness, and without much spontaneity. It is a life filled with being the moral grounding of a faith that is large and far reaching. To influence the lives of others is a path that many are not willing to take. Young Mark discovers this and so much more on his little journey known as the priesthood. From being an oblate in a monastery in the hills of Italy, to being kicked out, and then once again accepted by another seminary, Mark's adventure both captivates and invigorates you in addition to upsetting and angering you. In light of all the controversy surrounding Priests and sexual abuse, it is no wonder that a gay man not only questions his faith in the Church, but also in himself and his relationship with the Almighty above. The journey of understanding is not an easy one, which those who have had time to live a little bit more on this planet know all to well. The life of a gay man, and the struggle to not only accept yourself, but to reject others non-acceptance is also a journey filled with fears, tears and personal struggle. To go through both is killer, but one journey "Father Mark" accomplished.
This book is filled with controversy, with personal struggle not only with self-acceptance and faith, but also with the Catholic World. You will laugh, you will possibly cry, and you will most undoubtedly come to learn from the struggle both without and within. This book is quite well written and addicting from page one. I could not put it down and read it from cover to cover. It made me examine my faith and the faith of others. It made me reminisce about coming to terms with being a person of faith, being a gay man, and being a gay man with faith.
Discover more about the priesthood, about man, about faith, about life, about your life in this book. I did, and I know you will too!
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