Today, we remember John McNeill, who passed away this week. McNeill was a hero to the gay Catholic community for decades. A Jesuit priest for 40 years, McNeill was forced by the Vatican to leave the priesthood if he continued to minister to the gay and lesbian community. McNeill left religious life with no bank account, health insurance, etc., but he did not abandon his faith nor his dedication to serving LGBT people of faith. He wrote several books, including the groundbreaking The Church and the Homosexual.
"It has always been the prophetic role of lesbians and gay men to lead the Church and Western culture toward embracing embodiment, a sense of identity with the body and its sensuousness," McNeill said, and he stressed the calling of our gay community: to guide humanity to a deeper appreciation of beauty, hospitality and compassion.
"Do not waste one ounce of energy in a negative attachment of anger with the Church, but rather, let's commit every ounce of our energy to the positive ministry of love which God has called us," McNeill said. Let us remember and honor his life and spirit. #gayisagift.
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