A Catholic Nun Spent Her Life Fighting for LGBT Rights, Even Against Vatican Wishes
Jo Piazza
The following post is an excerpt from the new book, If Nuns Ruled the World (Open Road, September 2014), which aims to shatter stereotypes about Catholic nuns. This chapter profiles Sister Jeannine Gramick, who has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church despite repeated censures from the Vatican for her activities.
How could Sister Jeannine Gramick have known that meeting a handsome gay stranger named Dominic at a house party on Spruce Street in West Philadelphia would completely change the course of her life?
Dominic strode up to her. He was a baptized gay man who had left the Catholic Church because a priest told him that he was going to hell. He wasn't alone. Most of his circle of gay friends hadn't set foot in a church for years for the same reason.
Dominic's story made the young nun squirm. She knew there was a profound stigma against homosexuality, especially in conservative Philadelphia, but she despised the idea that the Church would exclude anyone for something so inconsequential. Dominic asked Sister Jeannine if she would be willing to host a home liturgy for him and his buddies, telling her he missed his faith and the Church. Anxious to help, to do something to heal his wounds, she agreed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jo-piazza/this-catholic-nun-spent-h_b_5752464.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
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