My Church has LGBTQ Vespers?

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Interesting, you make a claim that there is propaganda. I would presume that you have proof of this claim.

Could you please post your evidence?
 
I would say that it is time to take the plunge and get involved at your parish. I think the devil uses these types of things to discourage and distract us because he delights when we feel disconnected from our parish, our priest, and our fellow Catholics. Donā€™t take the bait!

We are not Catholics in isolation. We are all connected to the vine that is Jesus. We need to focus on supporting and helping our fellow Catholics rather than viewing them with suspicion and keeping them at armā€™s length. Divide and conquer is part of Satanā€™s strategy.

Might service in your parish be messy? Sure. Might you encounter Catholics who disagree with you and even disagree with Catholic teaching? Most likely. But God has a role for you and a plan. And we influence others for the better by getting in the trenches and loving them. There is no other way. If you are waiting for your parish to become perfect before getting involved, then you will never get involved. You will simply show up to receive sacraments and then retreat to your silo. Thatā€™s not the type of Catholic life we should aim for.
 
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TN_Catholic said:
Iā€™ve always wanted to be active in parish life but never have been. When I was younger there were logistical issues with getting there, and now every time I start looking into getting involved I see things that discourage me. If itā€™s not moral dilemmas like this, itā€™s a matter of not really feeling welcomed by other Catholics or questioning my faith to the point I feel hypocritical for being involved.
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Just to reinforce what others have said, do not expect the people or the priest of any specific parish to be perfect. The Holy Spirit works with, through, and despite our imperfections. Of course it is nice to worship with sincere parishioners and an inspirational priest. But the truth is the Church is full of sinners. And some priests are boring and perhaps biased. By attending mass we are need not agree with everyone around us. But we acknowledge we are all sinners in need of Godā€™s mercy. Do not be distracted by trying to judge the sins of those around you, or even the priest. The Holy Spirit is present and working in the mass regardless of the imperfections you see around you. Best wishes in your faith journey!
 
I was thinking that ā€œGay Vespersā€ would be a cool band name.
 
LeafByNiggle said:
Do not be distracted by trying to judge the sins of those around you, or even the priest.
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Many good points in the above post, but just pulling this one out because it seems to me that 99 percent of the conflicts and issues today in the Church are caused by exactly this.

If you think someone is in sin, you can pray for them and if you think it necessary you can offer them a brotherly correction. And if you think they are committing a crime, contact the police and church authorities.

Beyond that, people should look to their own business and accept that it is not their place to decide whether or not someone belongs in the Church.
 
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Followed some of yā€™alls advice and am currently in the process of trying to set up an appointment with a priest at my parish. Heā€™s not the same one behind the Vespers and is more involved with Hispanic ministry (in my region Catholic churches tend to self segregate into ā€œHispanicā€ and ā€œAngloā€ divisions of the same church, partially due to language differences), but I remember him giving a Homily specifically about people getting so discouraged with evil within the Church that they leave, so he might be better tailored for addressing my broad concerns related to this.
Maybe Iā€™ll eventually approach the priest in charge of the Vespers and have a conversation to learn more about his position on the treatment of LGBTQ individuals and their status within the Church, but right now itā€™s definitely most important to go back to Mass and get more in touch with the faith.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I look in the mirror, but I am not the one who started this line of loaded questioning. You are.

God bless and good day.
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Selective amnesia? Umm, as I recall you got the ball rolling with your labeling of others with your snide ā€œCatholics like youā€ remark.
 
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Sounds like this is simply just outreach to the LGBTQ community. Itā€™s great that your church is making a safe space for them to be welcomed as a community. More parishes should offer this!

No reason to be turned off or afraid.
 
TN_Catholic said:
I just went to my churchā€™s website and noticed they have LGBTQ Vespers the first of each Sunday. I canā€™t tell if theyā€™re saying we should except ā€œpracticingā€ LGBTQ people as active Catholics who can take Communion, or if itā€™s about accepting the fact that these individuals have disordered tendencies and are called to celibate lifestyles (Catechism 2357-2359 clearly states we owe homosexuals respect and dignity while not condoning homosexual acts, Iā€™m assuming this extends to anyone under the LGBTQ umbrella).
I want to contact the church to ask what the overall message of this event is, but Iā€™m scared theyā€™ll get angry or defensive with me.
Also saw this: These Catholic parishes openly celebrate LGBT. Why arenā€™t bishops stopping it? | News | LifeSite
Obviously, the Churchā€™s official position hasnā€™t changed. But it seems like most Catholics either donā€™t know or donā€™t care. Seriously guys, whatā€™s happening? Iā€™m trying to get back into the Church and every time I do I see stuff like this that confuses me and makes me feel like we really are a hopeless sinking ship.
I wanted to talk to my priest about getting back into the church and now Iā€™m scared to even go to him because heā€™s the one in charge of all this. He wrote an essay about respecting gays, and Iā€™d like to read more so I can better understand his views, but I donā€™t have money to buy the essay.
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During an EWTN mass this homily was given by Fr Joseph Mary Wolf. It was a NDE (near death experience) by a priest from Kerala India (skip the ads)

Note: he saw priests and bishops in hell that he didnā€™t expect to see. They were there for bad teaching and bad example. Donā€™t be afraid to speak up. If it goes nowhere, look for another parish
 
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I bursted forth in laughter upon reading ā€œgay vespersā€

I pictured a priest with rainbow vestments with a heavy lisp saying ā€œthank God for our FABULOUS parishā€
 
R_H_Benson said:
OP, I strongly advise that you do not attend the gay vespers, especially if you are already confused about what is currently happening in the Church.
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You think the event will corrupt her? Donā€™t stand in the way of her collecting some facts to dispel the wild assumptionsā€¦
 
My only worry is they will be encouraged in sin.

We are to admonish sinners, not encourage them in sin.
 
But is that all we do? Admonish? Does that approach work on you?

Not everyone that a ministry touches will respond positively or if they do it might not be right away. It can take 7 or so invitations, conversations, interactions for a person to give something a chance. But if there is always a side of ā€œby the way, your particular sin is worse than anyone elseā€™sā€ itā€™ll be one step forward and about 11 steps back.
 
Do we know the reason behind the Vespers or are we just speculating? Surely a Catholic Priest would adhere to the teachings that he is supposed to teach and not cause a scandal that could remove him from his position?
 
Itā€™s because itā€™s gay šŸ³ļøā€šŸŒˆ vespers.

Do you guys police other ministries like you do this one? You probably should because I could tell you stories about the unfortunate messages I got when I was involved with youth ministry. I think some married couples could tell you about things they ā€œlearnedā€ in pre-Cana classes.
 
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R_H_Benson said:
leave that parish ASAP and seek out the nearest Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) or Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICRSS) parish
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It doesnā€™t help to say seek out the nearest FSSP or ICRSS parish, as most of us donā€™t have one close by.

It would better to simply say ā€œseek out a faithful Catholic Churchā€
 
Yes, it isnā€™t just this. We should be vigilant with every teaching service offered because thereā€™s plenty of good-intentioned yet horribly misinformed Catholics out there, both in laity and clergy.
Just as a positive example, know some FSSP churches require NFP classes as part of the mandatory pre-marriage counseling. More parishes should do this.
 
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