Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 02:13:28 -0400 From: ac245@osfn.rhilinet.gov (Tina M. Wood) Subject: Goss Joins MCC AUTHOR JOINS MCC - LEAVES ROMAN CHURCH ----- 15 ----- AUTHOR JOINS MCC - LEAVES ROMAN CHURCH News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 7, 1995 FOR MORE INFORMATION C. Alexah Strongheart The Strongheart Group (314) 522-8320 Dr. Robert Goss, author of Jesus ACTED UP (HarperSanFrancisco, 1993), has announced his intentions to transfer his clergy credentials from the Roman Catholic Church to the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). This announcement was made at the 17th General Conference of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) during Samaritan Institute's awards luncheon on July 25th. Dr. Goss, an unlaicized Catholic priest and former Jesuit, has been impressed by the UFMCC's prophetic ministry as a church of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons, and those who are searching. "I have found a home in a non-sexist and non-homophobic church, ending my exile as a Catholic priest. I believe in the inclusivity and prophetic ministry of UFMCC -- it is what Jesus intended for the church in his inclusive call of women and men to ordained ministry. Jesus called us to justice-love and never made a litmus test of gender, celibacy, and sexual attraction as requirements for God's reign. I believe that UFMCC is what the Catholic Church could become if it embraced a sexual theology embedded in justice and if it divested itself of its authoritarian model." Reverend Sandra Robinson, President of Samaritan Institute, had the following comments regarding Dr. Goss' announcement: "We at Samaritan Institute whole-heartedly welcome Dr. Goss to UFMCC. It is our hope and belief that Dr. Goss' association will provide Samaritan Institute expanded freedom to explore the sexual and spiritual connectedness of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons, and those who are searching. In a world which is struggling to address the challenges and needs of the homosexual community for civil, social and religious justice, we believe that Dr. Goss' presence will further strengthen the ties Samaritan has formed among activists, scholars and pastoral leaders." Dr. Goss, a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, has been in close contact with Reverend Brad Wishon, Pastor of one of the MCC churches in St. Louis. Reverend Wishon had the following to say: "We at MCC - St. Louis are greatly excited by Dr. Goss' decision to transfer credentials. We look forward to learning from, and sharing in ministry with, Dr. Goss. It's our hope that this will be a foundation for radical change in Christianity in our community!" Goss, had joined the Samaritan Institute for Religious Studies, the educational and theological arm of UFMCC that prepares clergy candidates for ministry, as an adjunct faculty member earlier this year. Goss noted that he is looking forward to collaborating and working with the Samaritan faculty, and believes that Samaritan Institute will pioneer theological education in the next century. Samaritan Institute, located in Lewisville, Texas, is dedicated to improving the religious, social and civic opportunities for lesbians, gays and bisexuals. Its motto is education for liberation. # # # Why I choose to leave the Catholic Church? by Rev. Dr. Robert Goss I embarked on a journey into exile as both an unliacized Catholic priest and lover seventeen years ago. I left active ministry as a Jesuit priest and began to explore love and alternative ministry as a priest on the margins of the Catholic Church. In the early days, Dignity, a gay/lesbian Catholic organization, challenged the Catholic bishops with a vision of inclusion and justice. In the last few years, Dignity has faltered from a lack of vision on the national level and a well-orchestrated plan to render it useless by the U.S. Catholic bishops. While I spent six months on research in Boston in 1993, I asked the local Dignity chapter to allow me to preside at the Sunday Eucharist on the anniversary of the death of my lover of sixteen years. Frank had been president of that chapter for two years, and I was on the board of directors for two years and chaplain for several years. The title of my forthcoming Jesus ACTED UP terrified the decision-makers of the Boston chapter, and I was denied presiding at the funeral anniversary of my lover who given much to that chapter. The chapter leaders were only interested in duplicating the structures of Catholic parish life or stretch those structures to accept their sexual life-style. On a local and national level, Dignity has been unable to offer queer Catholics a vision of justice that comprehended homophobia as embedded in misogyny or connected to racism, ageism, classism, etc. Where are the Catholic voices? I have received quiet support for Jesus ACTED UP from many gay Catholics from religious orders such as the Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, Trappists among others. Many lay voices such as the late Kevin Calegari, the prophetic leader of Dignity, have expressed thanks for the courage to speak a challenging vision of queer Christian liberation. We will always share Christ's body. Where are the Catholic voices on Amendment Two? Two Catholic legal associations have filed briefs with the Supreme Court in support of the infamous Amendment Two. Where are the voices of the theologians of the Catholic Theological Society of America? They have not filed any briefs against Amendment Two. The Quakers and several other religious organization have filed briefs against Amendment Two. Outside of the few voices such as John McNeill and myself, where now are the Catholic gay and lesbian voices? Jeanine Grammick and Robert Nugent have caved into terroristic climate; they now involve themselves with parents of gays/lesbians and lead tours to the holy land. Priests, nuns, and theologians have remained in silent. The queer community has too painfully discovered the truth of the ACT UP slogan "SILENCE = DEATH." Where are the Catholic voices on the blessing of our unions and ordaining openly gay clergy? The Catholic Church is a dead institution. Its liturgies are necrophilic when they fail to include Catholic women and queers. Its theologies of sexuality are impoverished, promoting an anti-choice position, the secondary status of women, and the exclusion of queers. Its response to the AIDS pandemic has been too little and too late. Institutional necrophilia has numbed the Catholic Church to certain justice issues. There are, however, a number of Catholic base communities here in the Call to Action and in the third world still quietly resisting and struggling against the terrorism of the Catholic hierarchy. But their justice issues have barely included woman's issues and have hardly imagined queer justice issues. I prayed for discernment on the direction to move: Whether to start a new movement to challenge Catholic homophobia or to leave altogether. I have maintained contact with a number of queer Christian prophets in a number of denominations. I have investigated the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) in St. Louis for the last two years and have been impressed by its commitment to social transformation. In other parts of the country, the churches of the UFMCC have been fire-bombed, and members have been killed for being queer and Christian. Even though the UFMCC has met all the admission requirements of the National Council of Churches, it has been denied admission because of the issue of queer sexuality. This spring I took the initial step of offering my theological and teaching expertise to Samaritan Institute for Religious Studies which provides theological training for UFMCC clergy candidates. My offer was accepted, and I was immediately put to work to teach the theology and sexuality in the dual enrollment program with Chicago Theological Seminary and invited to join a steering committee for Samaritan's first theological conference in 1996. The UFMCC is by no means the perfect Christian community. It is growing and struggling with issues of racism, classism, economic oppression, etc. The UFMCC is generations ahead of Catholic Christianity with a vision of justice and compassion. The UFMCC, I believe, is where queer Catholic Christianity needs to grow: Its worship language is thoroughly gender inclusive. Women participate in the full discipleship of equals established by Jesus. They preside, preach, and participate in every level of leadership. As a Church, the UFMCC is pro-choice. It is actively developing a sexual theology embedded in a vision of justice and love. I recognize that God's Spirit is actively present and transforming the UFMCC into a prophetic change community, posing an alternative vision of justice-love and inclusion to the mainline Christian denominations. At the seventeenth General Conference of UFMCC, I was asked to speak at the Awards Luncheon of Samaritan Institute. I spoke on the vision of Samaritan Institute being a theological troublemaker providing a genuine sexuality theology for the next century. At the end of the talk, I announced that I would take the next step in my commitment to Samaritan by petitioning the UFMCC to accept the transferal of my Catholic clergy credentials. The next morning Rev. Troy Perry said to me, "Welcome home!" I have ended my seventeen year exile and found a home to learn, collaborate, and teach about the vision of justice-love of God's reign. -- ______ Tina M. Wood |Check out the Queer Resources Directory \ / ac245@osfn.rhilinet.gov |http://www.qrd.org/QRD \ / twood@qrd.org |gopher.qrd.org \/ Cumberland, Rhode Island |ftp.qrd.org