The Missionaries of the Precious Blood and their open “gay” rebellion against the Catholic Church

In 2016, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood came out publicly against a proposed Bill in the State of Missouri which would have allowed certain protections for clergy and religious institutions with regards to same-sex unions; part of the Bill read as follows:

“That the state shall not impose a penalty on any clergy or other religious leader on the basis that such cleric or leader declines to perform, solemnize, or facilitate a marriage or ceremony because of a sincere religious belief concerning marriage between two persons of the same sex…”

The Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) supported passage of the Bill. The MCC is the public policy agency for the Catholic Church in Missouri. The Missouri bishops serve as the MCC’s Board of Directors. However, Br. Daryl Charron, C.PP.S. posted an article to the official Missionaries of the Precious Blood web-site, which condemned the Bill: “The extreme resolution would have led to a ballot measure that proposes to allow individuals, organizations, and businesses to use religion as a legal excuse to discriminate against LGBT people…” He concluded with: “This legislation had the potential to undermine existing LGBT non-discrimination protections at the city level of government. Let’s continue to guard the basic human dignity of our LGBT community and always seek justice on their behalf by advocating for them to our state legislators.” (April 28th, 2016 Weekly Wine Press)

Earlier in 2015, Charron wrote on the Missionaries official web-site, following the legalization of same-sex marriage in the US:

“A victory for the gay rights movement happened June 26, 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage.”

He continued: “The day after this momentous decision, the Precious Blood LGBT Committee met to ponder our reaction to this historic event. The Precious Blood LGBT Committee is a good mix of homosexual and heterosexual individuals seeking to create a dialogue in our religious community about this very important social justice issue– gay rights…We want to initiate conversations about human sexuality and the many expressions of human love. We want to continue to foster Precious Blood parishes that are welcoming to the LGBT Community.” (July 2nd, 2015 Weekly Wine Press)

According to a 2003 document, “Considerations Regarding Proposals To Give Legal Recognition To Unions Between Homosexual Persons,” from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:

“Those who would move from tolerance to the legitimization of specific rights for cohabiting homosexual persons need to be reminded that the approval or legalization of evil is something far different from the toleration of evil.”

For the 2016 election, the Missionaries recommended a “voter guide,” put together by a consortium of dissident Catholics, including the George Soros funded Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, which claimed that:

“…no Catholic institution—or any institution—should use a false notion of religious liberty to discriminate against anyone they employ or serve, particularly the LGBTQ community.” (November 1st, 2016 Weekly Wine Press)

Arthur Fitzmaurice, who described language in the Catechism with regards to homosexuality as “gravely evil,” is a “Senior Fellow” with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. According to the November 2010 issue of “Communion: The Monthly Newsletter of Catholics for Marriage Equality in California,” Fitzmaurice addressed a Catholic “Faith Formation Conference” on “the issue of how to create and sustain ‘welcoming’ parishes” for the LGBT community. In addition, Fitzmaurice has repeatedly spoken about LGBT issues at the LA Religious Education Congress; and will do so again in 2017.

In a 2014 article from the Weekley Wine Press, Nathan Hess, Ohio Companion and Interim Co-director of LGBT Ministry, wrote about his homosexuality as: “the sexual orientation given to me before birth…” (March 13th, 2014 Weekly Wine Press)

According to The Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons:

The Bishops have the particularly grave responsibility to see to it that their assistants in the ministry, above all the priests, are rightly informed and personally disposed to bring the teaching of the Church in its integrity to everyone…With this in mind, this Congregation wishes to ask the Bishops to be especially cautious of any programmes which may seek to pressure the Church to change her teaching, even while claiming not to do so. A careful examination of their public statements and the activities they promote reveals a studied ambiguity by which they attempt to mislead the pastors and the faithful.
But we wish to make it clear that departure from the Church’s teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral. The neglect of the Church’s position prevents homosexual men and women from receiving the care they need and deserve.

In 2014, Archbishop Cordileone assigned two priests from the Missionaries of the Precious Blood to San Francisco’s predominantly “gay” Most Holy Redeemer Parish.

In a January 24, 2016 post on their official Twitter account, the Missionaries questioned the support by the Knights of Columbus towards so-called “anti-gay” training “workshops for bishops.” The Tweet contained a link to an article from The National Catholic Reporter which lambasted the Knights for supporting the Knight-sponsored “workshops,” claiming that: “the curriculum for these workshops has increasingly focused on anti-gay politics.”

In 2013, the Missionaries promoted “National Coming Out Day,” describing it as: “an international event which gives lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people the opportunity to ‘come out’ to others about their sexuality. It also provides a means of increasing the visibility of gay people.” They continued: “In light of recent remarks from the pope and that all parishes should be places of welcome, the Precious Blood LGBT committee encourages pastors to consider incorporating some form of supportive message in next Sunday’s liturgy. Suggestions include a petition or prayer that invites us all to ‘come out’ of whatever fears or ignorance that affects us, and for strength to embrace and celebrate the unique qualities that each of us bring to the altar.” (October 3rd, 2013 Weekly Wine Press)

The co-founders of “National Coming Out Day” were the late gay activists Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary. Eichberg was a psychologist who founded a series of retreats for “gay” men and women called The Experience; these self-realization workshops were loosely based upon concepts from the Human Potential Movement. Eichberg died of AIDS in 1995. Jean O’Leary, a former Sister of the Holy Humility of Mary, left the religious life in 1971. Later, O’Leary would remember her time in the convent: “I don’t want to make it sound like a hotbed of lesbianism, but I did have a number of relationships.” O’Leary died of lung cancer at age 57 in 2005.

From the 2016 “Final Report” of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood Meeting of Major Superiors:

“The Kansas City Province continues its ministry with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) community. In the past year, the LGBT committee has been incorporated into the province’s Justice and Peace committee. It has sponsored workshops in several parishes served by CPPS on being “Welcoming Parishes.” The Precious Blood Renewal Center also hosted a workshop in February for LGBT folks and their families of LGBT by New Ways Ministry which participated in the Synod on the Family in Rome. Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco is staffed by the Precious Blood and has a well-known outreach to the LGBT community…”

The founder of New Ways Ministry, Sister Jeannine Gramick, who took part in the Missionaries’ “workshop” was permanently barred by the Vatican in a 1999 Notification: “from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons.” Gramick ignored this directive, and, apparently, so have the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. As for their participation at the Synod, the only means in which New Ways Ministry “participated” was through the granting of a press credential to their Executive Director, Francis DeBernardo.

During one of her talks at Most Holy Redeemer, Sister Gramick said this about the predominantly “gay” San Francisco Parish:

“I think it can be a model for other parishes. I know every parish has gay and lesbian people in it, but looking at what Most Holy Redeemer does in terms of how it meets the needs of gay and lesbian people can be a model for other parishes…”

In 2010, Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I, archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement on the status of the organization “New Ways Ministry;” here is an excerpt:

No one should be misled by the claim that New Ways Ministry provides an authentic interpretation of Catholic teaching and an authentic Catholic pastoral practice. Their claim to be Catholic only confuses the faithful regarding the authentic teaching and ministry of the Church with respect to persons with a homosexual inclination. Accordingly, I wish to make it clear that, like other groups that claim to be Catholic but deny central aspects of Church teaching, New Ways Ministry has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church and that they cannot speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States.