A Catholic priest in Bay Village, Ohio referenced the Los Angeles Dodgers and their plan to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in an on-field, pregame ceremony in remarks about attacks on the faith, and encouraged his parishioners that the time to be silent is over.
During the homily at St. Raphael Church, a man later identified as Father Tim said:
We should be emboldened by that spirit, you know why? Because we are under attack. We are. Look it up. Look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Look what’s happening. Defaming the name of Jesus Christ. Defaming the name of every Christian here on Earth. It just burns a hole in my heart, angers me and embitters me. And it should you. We should feel that sting. We should know that sting. We should understand it, and fight against it. Not by using boxing gloves. There’s other means. There’s other ways. And Jesus showed us in love. That’s how you do it. You go to the Cross. That’s how you do it. But we fight nonetheless. It just – I don’t want to give these people a name. I don’t want to give them that much credit. But it’s happening. And it’s also being affirmed. It’s also being affirmed. I want to cry. But we have the spirit We have the spirit of the Living God, who is upon us, who is with us, who is among us and within us. We have that power and that gift and that presence. Don’t underestimate it. Allow it to encourage it and bless you and give you the insight and the mode of response.
We can’t be silent anymore. We can’t sit on our hands anymore. We’ve been doing it way too long. Our God, that we worship, that we treasure, that we love, that we’re in union with, is being defamed. So I think it’s for these reasons that you and I, that we gather together as a Pentecost community, knowing that the spirit of the Living God breathes through us. We’re not a people that are defeated; we are a people of strength, we are a people of hope, we are a people who move forward in grace and in the light and in the presence of God.
After the prayer, a woman approached the podium. Her microphone was silent at first, when she said her name. She then said:
…and I just say that queer and trans people also carry the Holy Spirit, and that was really painful to hear. That was really hurtful. I live in Georgia with my wife now, but you named a queer community with you actually naming them. If you’re going to bring them up, please bring them up specifically so people know who you’re talking about, Father Tim.
You baptized me. I carry the Holy Spirit within me. I know you’re talking about the Sisters of Indulgence, and I understand that from the outside it looks like they are defaming the Catholic faith, but they only do that, they take – there are queer children here. The Spirit of God moves through all people. I will go.
The priests didn’t move to have the woman silenced, but rather a few parishioners approached her and took the mic away, and she peacefully walked away.
The group Catholic Vote has undertaken a $1 million campaign to encourage a boycott against the Dodgers.
To contact the Dodgers organization, click here.
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