Controversial nun to receive welcome from UK Christians
-21/03/05
A controversial nun whose pastoral work with lesbian or gay people the Vatican tried to end, is to be welcomed in the UK by seven catholic groups.
Sr Jeannine Gramick was a co-founder of the Catholic lesbian and gay New Ways Ministry, based near Washingtron DC, USA.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith forced her to resign from her ministry with lesbian and gay Catholics, but she has rejected the CDF’s demand that she also keep silence on these issues.
A documentary on her life and work, ‘In Good Conscience’, produced and directed by Barbara Rick, will feature in this year’s London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.
The film will have its UK premier on 12 April at the National Film Theatre, on London’s South Bank.
Seven UK-based progressive Catholic groups, along with the ecumenical Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement and the Institute for the Study of Christianity & Sexuality, will be co-sponsoring an invitation-only reception to greet Sr. Jeannine and Barbara Rick.
The reception will take place in London’s Soho on Thursday, 14 April.
While engaged in graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Jeannine Gramick became involved in a pastoral outreach to the lesbian/gay community. She continued this pastoral ministry as a co-founder and chaplain of the Baltimore and Washington, DC chapters of Dignity, a national organization for Catholic lesbian and gay people.
In 1977, along with Fr. Robert Nugent, she co-founded New Ways Ministry, a national, Catholic social justice centre working for the reconciliation of lesbian/gay people and the church. She engaged in writing, research, lectures, retreats, and consultation on lesbian/gay issues and Catholicism and traveled throughout the United States to educate Church personnel and other interested persons.
For approximately 20 years, the School Sisters of Notre Dame assigned her to this church ministry. In 1999 however the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith permanently prohibited her from any pastoral work with lesbian or gay persons. In 2000, the School Sisters of Notre Dame ordered her to cease speaking about the Vatican investigation and about homosexuality in general. In conscience, she chose to continue to engage in lesbian/gay ministry.
In 2001, she transferred to the Sisters of Loretto.
Sister Jeannine Gramick will be visiting London from 12 – 15 April 2005.
The seven groups who are hosting her visit include: Roman Catholic Caucus, Catholic Women’s Network, Called To Be One, We Are Church UK, Quest, Catholic Women’s Ordination, and Catholics for a Changing Church.