Out and About – November 2010

The season's anguish, crashing whirlwind, ice,
Have passed, and cleansed the trodden paths
That silent gardeners have strewn with ash.

The iron circles of the sky
Are worn away by tempest;
Yet in this garden there is no more strife . . .


– Excerpted from "Winter Garden"
by David Gascoyne (1994)

On the evening of Tuesday, November 2 I had some friends over to watch the midterm congressional election results come in. Pictured above (from left) are John, Jairo and Bob.

Disappointed and troubled by the results, I posted the next morning a compilation of perspectives entitled Some Progressive Thoughts for the Day After. For quite some time it remained one of The Wild Reed's top ten most popular posts.

Left: A portrait of my friend Jairo that I took in August 2010. In mid-November Jairo returned to his homeland of Columbia. He will definitely be missed by many but will hopefully return to the U.S. some time next year.



Above: A performance of the Yuval Ron Ensemble – St. Paul, November 11, 2010.

For more images and commentary, click here.



Above: On November 11 I met Doug's parents (pictured with him above) for the first time. At one point I asked them what three words would they use to describe Doug as a child. They responded with: "determined," "thoughtful" and "caring." I smiled, realizing that these qualities live on in the man I'm dating.

Right: Not only is my "Mr. Brilliant" a determined, thoughtful and caring man, he's also a gifted artist and a former Gay Olympian! Oh, and he also knows a thing or two about power tools! How lucky am I?




Above: In the always warm and welcoming kitchen of my friends Noelle and John.

From left: Phil, John (with Quinn), Jacki, Noelle and Doug.



Above: Saturday, November 20 may have been a cold and icy November morning outside, but inside we enjoyed a wonderfully delicious brunch prepared by Noelle!

From left: Noelle, John, Brittany and Phil.



Above: Brittany, Phil, John and me – Saturday, November 20, 2010.



Above: Little Quinny Quinn Quinn! – Saturday, November 20, 2010.



Above: The view from my attic bedroom of the Twin Cities' first snowfall of the winter – Saturday, November 6, 2010.



Above: Celebrating Thanksgiving with (from left) Brittany, Phil, Noelle, Doug, Benjamin and John.

Left: I'm thankful for many things this year, but by far I'm most thankful for having met Doug in August and for the wonderful experience of being in relationship with him.






Above: On Thanksgiving evening I attended a delightful "Wine and Dessert" party hosted by my friend Brian.

Pictured from left: Meg, Chris, Doug, Vince and Brian.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Out and About – November 2009
Out and About – November 2008
Out and About – November 2007


Images: Michael J. Bayly.

Out and About – October 2010

October was a very full month, as you'll see. And surrounding all the various activities documented here was, of course, the beauty of autumn in Minnesota. It's definitely my favorite time of year.

I took the photo above and at left while out riding my bike along the Minneapolis side of the Mississippi River.

For more images of this beautiful time of year, see here and here.



Above: Two of the several hundred participants at a Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Anti-Gay Bullying – Loring Park, Minneapolis, October 14, 2010.

For TheColu.mn's report on this event, click here.



On the evening of October 15, Doug and I were guests of our friend Brian to Dark Matters, a truly amazing dance performance at the Walker Art Center.

Above: At right with (from left) Doug and Brian.

Right: Outside the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. (For more photos of this unique building and nearby Whitney Bridge, see here.)



Above: Pictured at left with Daniel Maguire, Paula Ruddy and Paul Lipetzky – October 21, 2010.

I contacted and invited renowned theologian and ethicist Daniel Maguire to the Twin Cities to counter the Minnesota Catholic bishops' misguided anti-gay marriage campaign. On October 21, Daniel spoke on "Why You Can Be Catholic and Support Gay Marriage."

The event was sponsored by CPCSM, Dignity Twin Cities, and Catholics for Marriage Equality MN. Held in the beautiful sanctuary of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis (above left), Maguire's presentation drew approximately 400 people.

For more images and commentary, click here.

For The Wild Reed's special four-part series leading up to Daniel Maguire's Twin Cities visit, see here, here, here and here.



Above: Celebrating my 45th birthday – Saturday, October 23, 2010. From left: Bob, Doug, me, Paul, John and Cory.

For more birthday pix, see here.

For my special 45th birthday post, click here.



Above: With Doug at the unveiling of Lucinda Naylor's DVD to ART project, "The Wave" – Friday, October 29, 2010.


Right: Made from 2,000 unwanted copies of the DVD at the center of the Minnesota Catholic bishops' recent anti-gay marriage campaign, "The Wave," says Lucinda, is about "the Spirit of inclusion and love, which is sweeping through the Catholic Church as it continues to change, as usual, from the people up to the hierarchy."

For more images, commentary and links, click here.



Above and below: My friend Noelle's birthday celebration – Saturday, October 30, 2010.

Pictured above from left: Douglas, Fernanda, Noelle and Mark.




Above (from left): Phil, Annslie, John, Doug, me, Douglas, Fernanda, and Brittany.




Left: Phil and Brittany.








Above: What a handsome crowd!



Above and below: Earlier today, approximately 150 Minnesotans gathered at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Paul to respectfully let Archbishop Nienstedt and the MN Catholic Conference of Bishops know that they do not agree with their recent anti-gay marriage campaign.

The event was organized by a coalition of church reform and LGBT Catholic groups, including the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities, Rainbow Sash Alliance, and Catholics for Marriage Equality MN.

For more images and commentary, click here.




Above: My friend Phil in the scariest Halloween costume he could come up with. I think he succeeded, don't you?



Above: Quinn in his Halloween costume. And, no, he doesn't look too thrilled to be dressed as a banana, does he?

For more traditional Halloween fare, click here.

Out and About – September 2010

The summer dying . . .
September lives in flame.

"Flaming September"
Marianne Faithfull
(from the 1995 album A Secret Life)

Where did the summer go? Indeed, the whole year seems to be just speeding by. And now the radiant colors of autumn surround me – overhead and underfoot. It is definitely a beautiful time of year – especially in Minnesota. The colors this year seem particular brilliant – no doubt because of all the rainfall we received throughout the summer. Indeed, I didn't need to water my garden once! The hose never left the garage.

Of course, the down side to this was that I never really spent time in my garden this summer. I basically let it take care of itself. Not surprisingly, it felt like having stranger hanging around outside the house, a stranger with whom I had no real engagement. I kinda regret that now. But then it was a very busy summer for me, so maybe it was just as well that I didn't have to worry about the garden.



Above and right: The big event in September was the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform's Synod of the Baptized: "Claiming Our Place at the Table," which took place on Saturday, September 18, at the Ramada Plaza Minneapolis Hotel.

I had the honor of being one of the main organizers of this inspiring event – one that saw 500 Catholics gather in a spirit of hope and joy to discuss ideas and strategies for church reform.

My friend Paula Ruddy, another key organizer, has written a report on the synod for The Progressive Catholic Voice. It can be read here.



Above: Paul Lakeland, Director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University, CT, and author of The Liberation of the Laity, Catholicism at the Crossroads, and Church: Living Communion delivered the synod's keynote address: “The Call of the Baptized: Be the Church, Live the Mission.”

Following is a brief excerpt from Lakeland's insightful and inspiring keynote address:

If we pay close attention to our national or even our local Church, which is certainly where we can have the most impact, I think it is helpful for us to reflect on the not altogether alarming possibility that our Church has entered hospice care. This startling thought, with which I first became acquainted in an address that Fr. Bryan Massingale gave to the priests of the Milwaukee archdiocese, suggests that the structures of the Church as we have known it are dying. Like the loved one in hospice care, it is coming to the end of a long, fruitful and loving life spent in the service of God. Its accomplishments should be cherished and celebrated, in the knowledge that God is about to wonderfully change them into some new life. After death comes resurrection, in the Christian view of things. But as Christians we also know that it is God who brings the new life and that it will be wonderfully changed from the old life while being its culmination and fruition.

Whenever a loved one is dying, the temptations to denial and despair are always present, and this is no less true when the patient is the American Catholic Church as we have known it. In my view, this is what is going on in the conservative or traditional temperament, whether among the baptized in general or in the ranks of the hierarchy. They love the Church, just as more progressive Christians do. But they love it in denial of the life of the Spirit, which will persist beyond the death of the present form, so they cling to the details of the Church the way it has been. But be warned, the liberals have their own form of this problem. If traditionals are in denial, liberals can be tempted to despair. Like the traditionals, liberals too can fail to put enough trust in the Spirit, in this case in the power of the Spirit to overcome the entropy of traditionalism. For both groups, hope in the power of the Spirit to lead us into the future is sometimes lacking.

Looking to the future, on the other hand, is not a matter of waiting for the Spirit to act, but of acting prayerfully with trust in the guidance of the Spirit . . .

To read the full transcript of Lakeland's keynote address, click here. For a printable PDF version, click here.


Right: Terence Dosh and David McCaffrey, recipients of CCCR's inaugural Adsum Award, presented at the Synod of the Baptized.

Adsum is a Latin word which means "I am present and listening." Whenever the participants in Vatican II were gathered at St. Peter's Basilica their traditional prayer was the exclamation: adsumus – "we are present and listening." The Adsum Award recognizes those individuals who are known within the local church for having committed to being present and attentive to the Spirit. Accordingly, they have served as partners with the Spirit in re-creating the face of the church here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.


Left: Terry Dosh is presented with the Adsum Award by CCCR board members and synod organizers Brian Willette and Mary Beckfeld.

Terry is a married priest and church historian who for over 40 years has been a dedicated advocate for church reform. Inspired by the vision of church launched by Vatican II, Terry began research on mandatory celibacy in 1962. This led him to significant involvement over the next four decades with numerous church reform organizations, including CORPUS, the International Federation of Married Priests, Call to Action Minnesota, and various other Catholic organizations for renewal. He also helped found the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) in 1980, serving on its board for 24 years. Since 1975, Terry has edited and published four church reform newsletters, the latest being Bread Rising. He has also taught church history, scripture, and justice and peace topics extensively in parishes and other forums within the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.


Right: My friend David McCaffrey is one of six co-founders of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM), an organization that has worked since 1980 within the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis for the equality and dignity of LGBT individuals and their families. In the 1980's, David played a crucial role in CPCSM's groundbreaking Needs Assessment Survey of local LGBT Catholics. He was also the executive producer of CPCSM's 1988 video, Silent Journeys of Faith, and the editor of its companion guidebook. Both resources were major components in CPCSM's training workshops given to pastoral and social justice professionals of 25 parishes throughout the archdiocese. In the 1990's, David played a major role in the development and implementation of CPCSM's Safe Staff Training Project, which provided sensitivity training around LGBT issues to the educational leadership of the archdiocese and to administrators and faculties of eight of the high schools of the archdiocese.

For a detailed history of CPCSM's Safe Staff Training Project, one which culminated with the 2007 publication of the book, Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective, click here.

Also, for the installments to date in The Wild Reed series documenting CPCSM's relationship with the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, click here, here, and here.


Left: Bret Hesla (left) and my friend Kathleen Olsen (right) were just two of the numerous musicians and singers who shared their gifts at September 18's Synod of the Baptized. Liturgy, prayer and music played an important role throughout the day – contributing mightily to the spirit of joy and hope that infused proceedings.



Right: Pictured second from left with Paul Lakeland and friends Eileen and Bernie Rodel. Bernie serves as a co-chair of CCCR, along with Paula Ruddy and I.

Interestingly, a few days before the synod, it came to the our attention that some within the chancery of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis disagreed with that part of CCCR's synod media release that stated that CCCR "considers itself in union with Archbishop John Nienstedt and as working for church reform within the Catholic tradition."

When the media release was posted on The Wild Reed, archdiocesan spokesperson Dennis McGrath left a comment which, in part, said: "CCCR is not 'in union' with either the Archbishop nor the Archdiocese in any way, shape or form."

To read Paula Ruddy's thoughtful reflection on what it means for Catholics in a diocese to “be in union” with their bishop, and CCCR's official response to McGrath's statement, click here.



Above: Doug and Nikki: My beautiful man and his cute little dog!



Above and below: Electric violinist and Emmy-winning composer Mark Wood performing with young musicians from the Twin Cities - including my friend Joey on violin.

Wood, a respected music educator, had been invited to the Twin Cities by two public school music teachers. The young people invited to play with him learned their music in less than two weeks. The concert they performed took place on September 24 at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. It was a great – dare I say, electrifying – night of music!





Above: Standing third from left with other local faith leaders at a press conference in Coon Rapids, MN, that focused on the Anoka-Hennepin School Board's refusal to implement anti-bullying education programs aimed specifically at anti-gay bullying. There have been seven suicides in the past year by students who attended or were connected with Anoka-Hennepin schools. At least four of these young people had been harassed and bullied by their classmates for being gay or for being perceived as gay.

I plan on writing more about this tragic situation very soon. So stay tuned! In the mean time, check out the previous Wild Reed post, Dave Navarro to LGBT Youth: "We Need to Hear Your Voice", and the Star Tribune article, Schools Struggle with Gay Policies.



Above and below: Autumn colors along the Mississippi River – Thursday, September 30, 2010. "Flaming September," indeed!




Above: Young Cass, pausing in his gathering of herbs from his grandparents' garden in South Minneapolis – September 30, 2010.

Out and About - August 2010

Above and right: My dear friend Carol celebrated her 70th birthday recently, and on August 7 she and her husband Ken hosted a wonderful party in the backyard of their South Minneapolis home. The event also served as a fundraiser for Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), an organization with which Carol is actively involved.

I lived with Ken and Carol for five years (1998-2003) before moving across the river to St. Paul to caretake the house I currently live in. I still see them on a regular basis as we share a meal together at least twice a month. In addition, for a number of years now, Ken and I have delivered Meals-on-Wheels every Thursday. Both Ken and Carol appear regularly in my "Out and About" posts (see, for instance, here, here, here, here, here, and here). I consider them my surrogate American parents, and I love them both dearly. Happy Birthday, Carol!

Ken and Carol met my Mum and Dad in the summer of 2005. For a picture, see this previous Wild Reed post.



Above: I took this portrait of my friend Terence Dosh for the program booklet of the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform's upcoming Synod of the Baptized: "Claiming Our Place at the Table." Terry is a highly-respected church historian and co-founder of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC). He's also been actively involved in numerous church reform organizations, including CORPUS, the International Federation of Married Priests, and Call to Action Minnesota.

At the September 18 Synod, Terry will be one of two recipients of CCCR's inaugural Adsum Award. The other recipient will be my friend David McCaffrey, co-founder and current president of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities.

I've been working with others on preparing the Synod booklet, and following is what we say in it about the Adsum Award.

Adsum is a Latin word which means "I am present and listening." Whenever the participants in Vatican II were gathered at St. Peter's Basilica their traditional prayer was the exclamation: adsumus - "we are present and listening." It is now our turn to say Adsumus, to be present and attentive - and the Spirit will not fail us.

The Adsum Award hereby recognizes those individuals who have made their extraordinary commitment to be present and attentive to the Spirit, to be partners in re-creating the face of the church here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.

To learn more about CCCR's Synod of the Baptized and/or to register, click here. But don't wait too long as we're rapidly approaching our capacity of 500 participants!



On Sunday, August 15, I hosted a house Mass for members and friends of Cornerstone Old Catholic Community. We gathered to celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Left: Robert Caruso, pastor of Cornerstone Old Catholic Community, and his partner John.

Above: After the Mass we shared a wonderful meal together. From left: Phil, Brittany, Mary, Emily, John, John, Paula, Robert, and Doug.


For more images and commentary on this event, click here.




Above: Doug and Quinn – August 20, 2010.

I feel so fortunate to have met Doug on Sunday, August 1 at Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ. We've spent the past month getting to know one another, enjoying each other's company, and developing a very special relationship. And, of course, it's always great to spend time with the adorable Quinn!




Above: My friends Angie and Bryan by that part of the Mississippi River not far from my St. Paul home – Saturday, August 28, 2010.



Above: At my favorite spot by the river – Saturday, August 28, 2010.



Above: On the evening of Saturday, August 28, some friends and I traveled to Miesville, MN to hear our friend John (center) sing and play piano at the Gopher Hills Golf Club.

Right: Jim, John and Paula.





Left: John and Noelle.








Right: John's friend Timothy also entertained with both singing and dancing!









Above: Members of the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform gather at the Ramada Plaza in Minneapolis for a staging rehearsal ahead of September 18's Synod of the Baptized: "Claiming Our Place at the Table" – Monday, August 30,2010.

Left: Finalizing particulars with friends and fellow Synod organizers Mary Jo and Mary.

Much of my time and energy over the past several months have been spent on helping plan and organize CCCR's Synod. Although it's not an official Archdiocesan event, the Synod's definitely going to be a major event within the life of the local church of St. Paul-Minneapolis. I feel very honored to be working with so many enthusiastic and dedicated individuals and groups to make real a Catholic Church that, locally and universally, radiates Jesus' core teaching of radical equality, unabashed inclusivity, and transforming love. That, in a nutshell, is what CCCR and its Synod are really all about.

For more on CCCR and its Synod of the Baptized, see the following (chronologically-ordered) Wild Reed posts:
Introducing the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform
Many Voices, One Church
"Something Exciting and Joyous"
Preparing to Claim Our Place at the Table
CCCR Responds to Censure by Chancery
An Exciting Endeavor
A New Phase
The Spirit of Pentecost is Very Much Alive in the Church of St. Paul-Minneapolis
Taking It to the Streets

See also the following Progressive Catholic Voice posts:
In What Sense Are We Progressive Catholics?
CCCR Work/Study Groups Underway
CCCR's 2010 Synod: A Progress Report
Chancery Issues Statement on CCCR
CCCR Responds to Censure by Chancery
A Point of View
CCCR's 2010 Synod: A Second Progress Report
Let Our Voices Be Heard!
Rosemary Radford Ruether on Creating a Liberating Church (Part 1)
Rosemary Radford Ruether on Creating a Liberating Church (Part 2)
Rosemary Radford Ruether on Creating a Liberating Church (Part 3)