Bishop J. Terry Steib of Memphis is quickly acquiring a reputation as one of the most gay-friendly bishops in the US. (See previous blog entries here and here.)
Now, on March 11, Steib continues his gay outreach crusade by bringing in Fr. James Schexnayder of the National Association of Catholic Dicoesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM) to conduct workshops for clergy, religious, and lay leaders on “the spiritual needs of lesbian and gay Catholics and their parents and families, the Church’s teachings that encourage this ministry, pastoral issues that come up in this ministry, and models and strategies for creating welcoming parishs and ministries,” according to a letter sent to every priest in Memphis by Schexnayder. While he will discuss the Church’s teachings on ministry to gays, don’t expect him to discuss the Church’s teachings about homosexuality itself. After all, he’s never been a keen proponent of them:
“We cannot allow the Religious Right to confine our sexuality to the bedroom,” Father James Schexnayder told the congregation at a Dignity Mass at Dolores Street Baptist Church immediately following the 1992 San Francisco Gay Pride Parade. “Our sexuality must burst forth from the bedroom and leaven all of society.”
Please, I don’t want to see anyone’s sexuality “bursting forth” from anywhere.
I’m curious why there’s no special ministry for people afflicted with conditions that lead to sin? How about a diocesan ministry for pedophiles or adulterers or fornicators?
Schexnayder’s view of chastity
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