Wyoming Recon: A Bishop Makes Peace

Last year, a lesbian couple in Wyoming, married in Canada, and mothers of three, got a surprise in the mail. At the request of their bishop (David Ricken), their pastor informed them by letter that they were no longer welcome to take Communion.

   

Their sin, the pastor made clear, was not their lesbianism per se. In fact, they regularly attended Mass and their family picture had appeared in the parish directory. What brought them down was the Smudge. On Ash Wednesday, they appeared (complete with forehead ashes) in an article in which they protested an anti-gay marriage amendment then pending in the Wyoming legislature. This exposure culminated in their being refused communion.

   

I several times contacted the couple in hopes of speaking about the incident, but they were no publicity whores like myself. They were classy ladies.  So they (understandably) never returned my call.  They continued to go to Church with dignity, heads held high, unashamed, though they did not participate in Holy Communion. At least one straight couple in the parish also abstained from the sacrament in solidarity “until everyone is welcome at the table.” I assumed they faded away, but I was wrong.

   

In February 2008, the bishop did an about-face. A nun approached the couple and invited them back to Church on the occasion of Bishop Ricken’s upcoming pastoral visit. At Communion time, the couple presented themselves for – and received – his blessing. They hobnobbed with him afterward and told their stories. The bishop apologized for what happened to them and told them he had instigated their being invited back.

   

After the visit and after consultation with their pastor, the couple was again permitted to take the Eucharist beginning on Holy Thursday 2008. “It was so beautiful!” Vader wrote. The whole story is in this pdf on pages 9-10.

   

Brava, Vader-Huskinsons! Your dignity carried the day here. I guess my only reservation is the usual: that we not await permission to participate in sacramental life, but that we take (i.e., receive) what is by rights ours.  It also bothers me that the initial refusal was widely reported, but there does not seem to be a hint of news about the reconciliation on the ‘Net.  You can contact the bishop’s secretary here to tell him you support his welcoming the couple back to the fold. Her name is Dorene.

   

Unholy Wine of the Week: 2007 Paul Cluver Gewürztraminer. This is a South African Gewurz, of all things! A wonderfully dry expression of the varietal, crisp minerality, serious spiciness, hint of lychee, and the per bottle case price is just 12 bucks! It is not the most complex in the world, but nonetheless delivers great, full flavor and refreshment comparable to a European version of 2-3 times the price. Buy this one now!