Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Newman Center at Fitchburg State College: A commitment to Catholic teaching or homosexual agitprop?

In a previous post I discussed how the Newman Center at Fitchburg State College has published a lecture from a Catholic priest which presents the Church's teaching on homosexuality as "evolving" at its website (see here). The Newman Center's website, which may be found here, has a directory of related links. One of these links is to the website of the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries, an organization which advertises (at its website) its goal "to welcome gay and lesbian Catholics into the Church." Unfortunately, NACDLGM also condones an actively homosexual lifestyle.

In a special report for The Wanderer, the full text of which may be found here, a veteran reporter covered a 2005 NACDLGM conference which was held at the San Jose Hilton in California. This reporter writes, "For the most part, participants were unashamedly 'out and proud,' with some priests freely admitting their homosexuality and attendees railing against upcoming seminary visits and the impending approval by Pope Benedict XVI of a document banning homosexuals from the priesthood. One participant was overheard by this reporter calling the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, 'a big queen'...Copies of OutNow, a Bay Area homosexual news magazine containing advertisements for bathhouses and XXX 'gay' videos were free for the taking at the registration table..."

Is the Newman Center at Fitchburg State College engaging in homosexual agitprop? Why would this Center link to an organization which condones homosexual sex and which rails against the Holy Father and Catholic teaching while distributing "gay" pornographic literature?

Bishop McManus?

10 comments:

Angela K. said...

The Newman Center website link to NACDLGM says it all. There wouldn't be a link to this dissident pro-homosexual group if the Newman Center didn't share their agenda. This is sickening. I think Deacon Nogueira should be removed from the diaconate and the Newman Center closed down. Unbelievable. To link to an organization which not only ridicules Catholic teaching but encourages an active homosexual "lifestyle" is demonic.

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

In its Letter to Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had this to say:

"What, then, are homosexual persons to do who seek to follow the Lord? Fundamentally, they are called to enact the will of God in their life by joining whatever sufferings and difficulties they experience in virtue of their condition to the sacrifice of the Lord's cross. That cross, for the believer, is a fruitful sacrifice since from that death come life and redemption. While any call to carry the cross or to understand a Christian's suffering in this way will predictably be met with bitter ridicule by some, it should be remembered that this is the way to eternal life for all who follow Christ."

The Church is not calling homosexual persons uniquely to suffering but rather calls all to eternal life, regardless of their sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

Organizations such as the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries which either claim that homosexual behavior is morally acceptable or which condone the lifestyle are really committing an act of violence against homosexual persons. This because they are working against the Church's call to eternal life. Such groups actually condemn the homosexual person to suffering and death.

This is why the CDF says (in the same document):

"All support should be withdrawn from ANY organization which seeks to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted..."

I call upon Bishop Robert McManus to address this matter and to treat it with the seriousness it deserves.

Ellen Wironken said...

Our Lady's Warriors has the following entry for NACDLGM in its list of dissenting organizations:

"National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM):

An organization trying to keep a lower profile, they err by failing to (i.e. oppress) provide the truth of the Church teachings. Rather, they promote documents which are not formal Church teaching, such as that titled 'Always Our Children.' They state "As baptized persons, lesbian and gay Catholics share the rights of all the baptized: 'to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1269)." However, they do not indicate that chastity is required, nor that active homosexuality is not acceptable whatsoever, nor that gays and lesbians living in sin are not eligible for the Sacraments except Confession/Reconciliation and repentance."

Source: http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/
dissent/dissorg.htm

Your right Paul. NACDLGM is a dissenting organization which does violence against homosexual persons.

John Ansley said...

Pope John Paul II said, during his Angelus Address of February 20, 1994 that "What is not morally acceptable, however, is the legalization of homosexual acts. To show understanding towards the person who is not in the process of freeing himself from this tendency, does not at all mean to diminish the demands of the moral norm (cf. Veritatis Splendor, 95)...

But we must say that what was intended with the European Parliament's resolution was the legitimization of a moral disorder. Parliament improperly conferred an institutional value to a conduct that is deviant and not in accordance with God's plan...

Forgetting the words of Christ 'The truth shall set you free' (John 8:32), an attempt was made to show the people of our continent a moral evil, a deviance, a certain slavery, as a form of liberation, falsifying the very essence of the family."

But this is precisely what groups like NACDLGM are attempting to do. They are dissident groups seeking to condone "a moral evil, a deviance, a certain slavery" is somehow legitimate.

Why then would a Catholic Deacon - Ben Nogueira from St. Camillus de Lellis Parish in Fitchburg - post a link to NACDLGM at the Newman Center's website?

Bishop McManus needs to investigate this. It is a source of scandal.

Michael Cole said...

I wrote the Youth Minister at St. Camillus de Lellis Parish and received a response from a woman named Kathy. She asserted that the person responsible for the offensive webpages is no longer at the Newman Center. However, Deacon Benjamin Nogueira - who posted the materials - is still listed in the Diocesan Directory as being involved with "Campus Ministry, Fitchburg State College."

There appears to be much deceit here.

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

Mike, I too have a copy of the 2008-2009 Worcester Diocesan Directory and Deacon Nogueira is listed (as you said) as being at Fitchburg State College and attached to Campus Mintry (p. 97).

One also has to wonder why the Newman Center website in question hasn't been taken down or at least amended if this youth minister is telling the truth. I agree with you. Her comments would at least appear to be deceitful.

But irregardless of where Deacon Nogueira happens to be stationed, what cannot be disputed is that a Catholic Deacon should not be promoting organizations or views which contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to homosexuality and same-sex "marriage."

Betty said...

Don't you just love semantic word games? Oh no, he's not with the "Newman Center" now, he's with "Campus Ministry." And about that morally offensive website, we just forgot it was still up.

Now maybe it becomes clearer why so many have become so disenfranchised with some of these parishes and why they are losing so many parishioners as a result.

The Diocese of Worcester needs to clamp down on dissent and the homosexual agenda. So many are being confused.

PMG said...

Roma Loquta, causa finita est.

Even if Papa Benny spoke ex-cathedra on this, there would still be calls for "dialoge" and "sacred conversation."

Unfortunatley, those doing this probably believe that they are doing "the will of God."

I'm afraid those who call themselves Catholic, who tried to pull a fast one in the CT legislature probably think likewise.

As a former Protestant, I find it hard to get through my 'noggin why folks who cant, or won't submit to the magisterial teaching of the church, don't just vote with their feet, instead of trying to bully and barge their view of the church into this church.

There are some perfectly welcoming (and empty, plenty of elbow room) Episcopal churches out there that will be happy to take them in.

Is it a cultural think? Because I'm Irish (or Italian/French Canadian, etc) I couldn't consider myself anything else BUT Catholic, so I must shoe-horn my wants in to this church?

Or is it just a consequence of the Fall; and a darkened intellect?

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

Bingo PMG.

Meredith said...

I wonder if Deacon Ben, who evidently has no problem whatsoever with the radical pro-homosexual dissent group NACDLGM, has a problem with the annual Fitchburg State College Drag Show or its recent "Cirque Du So Gay"? Students were entertained by such notables as "Rebecca Glasscock." Photos of the Drag Show and "Cirque Du So Gay" may be found here:

http://www.myspace.com/fscshow

Did the "Newman Center" register a complaint against these homosexualist productions? What do you think?

I just hope Deacon Ben wasn't directly involved in these efforts. At this point, I cannot be certain of that. After all, anyone who can link to NACDLGM is not exactly a strong supporter of traditional Catholic teaching on the disorder of homosexuality.

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