“Oh Happy Day” is a well known and loved Christian Spiritual that has been translated into many languages. It is most appropriate for today — a day for marriage equality. Read about the historic Supreme Court decision at these news sources. The first link includes the poetic final paragraph of the majority opinion written by Anthony Kennedy.
Beautiful Closing Paragraph of Justice Kennedy’s Majority Opinion
Dignity/Washington rocked the Capital Pride parade with a float decked out in colors of the Gay flag. Add to that a spirited music soundtrack that featured “Salve Regina” and “I will follow him” from Sister Act and “Like a Prayer” from Madonna. Put all that on the back of a truck, and you have one raucous Gay Pride party float. No one rained on this parade as the Dignity/Washington contingent was acknowledged along the parade route for its ministry to LGBT Catholics since 1972.
A huge thanks to Larry Ranly, master builder of the float, and Vin Testa, music director, for organizing this year’s Capital Pride marchers and float. Everyone had a Capital Pride experience that will long be remembered.
After the parade, the Dignity/Washington float was covered on NBC 4 in Washington, DC. Click on the link below to view the video.
Video of Dignity at Capital Pride Parade
Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi
Join the DC community for the Capital Pride Interfaith Service – Tuesday, June 9, 2015, 7:30 PM
Hosted by All Souls Unitarian Church at 16th St. and Columbia Road N.W. ( a couple of blocks north of Meridian Hill Park)
The theme of this year’s serves is “Radical Equality: Faith, Race, & Justice; Exploring our response to issues of racial justice in LGBT Communities of Faith and society”.
Featured speakers: Rev. Cedric A. Harmon, Co-Director, Many Voices, Lisbeth Melendez-Rivera, Religion and Faith Program Director of HRC Latino and Catholic Initiatives.
Dignity/Washington will be participating by blessing the space with incense and bells and taking up the collection. If you would like to volunteer for these activities or to be part of the community choir, please contact Tom Bower at Mass or at tom1545@verizon.net.
Updated with New Information: Dignity/Washington will be contingent #35, and we are very close to the front of the parade! Meet in the red staging area, which is located on 23rd Street NW, between N and P Streets.
Anyone riding on the parade float must sign a waiver. You can download and print the waiver at the bottom of this posting. Click on the link for “Pride Parade Waiver” below. Copies will also be available at the staging area.
Dignity/Washington marchers should NOT arrive at the staging area until 3:30 PM. Marchers must arrive between 3:30 and 4:30. Any questions, email Vin at vtesta914@gmail.com
DignityUSA’s biennial convention will be held July 2 – 5, in Seattle. Click on the link above for more information and to register. DignityUSA’s convention will page will give your information on speakers, the convention program, hotel information, and more. The convention will feature three keynote speakers:
Reserve your place using the Convention 2015 All in One Registration form.
Members of Dignity/Washington joined other LGBT groups to rally for marriage equality at the Supreme Court on April 28, the day the court heard arguments in the case that could bring marriage equality to all states in the United States.
Dignity/Washington has six candidates running for open seats on the chapter’s Board of Directors. Please see the candidates photos and a brief statement from each below. You must be a member of Dignity/Washington in order to vote. The vote will be on Sunday, May 10.
Daniel Barutta, Chapter President
With great appreciation for all the wonderful support Dignity/Washington members have given me during my three years as Chapter President, I humbly ask for your support for a fourth term as your President.
You all have helped me grow by leaps and bounds in my Catholic faith and have helped expand my leadership skills. In return I would greatly enjoy showing my gratitude by focusing on these three major areas: expanding our diversity efforts, ensuring the upkeep and renovation of our wonderful Dignity Center and working on improving our community infrastructure as a non-profit organization.
As for my qualifications for the position, an old song comes to mind with the lyrics: “if you don’t know me by now….”. Seriously for those of you new to the community please don’t hesitate to speak with at mass or whenever you see me.
Again, Thank You all so much – I have been truly blessed to be your President!
Tom Bower
I have been a member of Dignity/Washington since 1977, was on the board during the early years of the organization and rejoined the board ten years ago. I have served as Secretary, Vice President, helped organize Anniversary dinners, and am a lector, Eucharistic Minister, and member of the Liturgy Committee. My continuing thought on rejoining the board was that I would offer historical observations to current plans, not as a statement of this is what we have done, but as insights that could help instruct current opportunities. We are now more forward looking than at any time in the past and that is a good thing.Several years ago the D/W board decided to put our future in the hands of the Holy Spirit and place renewing the community physically and fiscally as our primary goal. By the grace of God and a generous unafraid membership we have put ourselves in a sound financial position and are now attracting new, younger, and more diverse individuals (sexual and racial minorities) to our services and organizational processes. A good idea and enthusiasm are the needed credentials for activities and leadership, not just experience which is used as leavening to provide structure for growth. There is still much to do for us to be seen as a force for good by the Church hierarchy and for us to be a valued voice for Christ’s teachings by the LGBT community, but, with your vote, I will continue to work as hard as possible to make both of those goals reality.
Jake Hudson
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve on the Dignity/Washington board of directors. I continue to be enriched by the activities of the community and the work of many devoted people. The past year has seen much work to reaching out to women, youth, and people of color and I hope to continue those efforts. I will also continue in my role as treasurer to maintain the sound fiscal policies that have served the community well.
David Lamdin
I have been a member of Dignity Washington and Dignity USA since 1975. I have also been a member of Dignity Northern Virginia since its founding in 1992. I have served as the Treasurer of D/NoVA since 2006, and I have been the DW Bookkeeper since 2011. I have been on the DW Liturgy Committee and in charge of scheduling the presiders and other ministers for many years. I am pleased to have the opportunity to offer my services to my DW faith community.
James Sweeney
1) Dignity Washington has unique opportunities in 2015 to be a voice on GLBT issues in the American Catholic Church. There will be a papal visit to DC and Philadelphia in September, a worldwide Synod on the Family in Rome in October and an annual gathering of all American Catholic bishops in Baltimore in November. As the largest local chapter in the USA located at the center of the action, we at Dignity Washington should engage the American Catholic bishops this year on both a local and national level. Our first goal should the elimination of “inherently disordered”.2) We should develop new programs to address the changing spiritual and material needs of the numerous aging members of our congregation
3) We have done an impressive job of attracting younger men and have given them opportunities to develop leadership and organizational skills. Many of these young men relocate out of DC and will carry these skills to other local chapters of Dignity and perhaps even found new ones. We should continue to develop and encourage these young men; they are the future.
4) Our efforts to encourage the participation of women in Dignity Washington have not been as fruitful and remain the great weakness of our congregation. We should redouble our efforts to recruit female participation and offer women the same opportunities to develop their leadership and organizational skills that we offer to young men.
Kevin Hennessy
Mark and I have been Dignity Washington members since 1998. I have had the privilege of serving on the Board for two terms already, including as Treasurer during the second term. I currently serve as a lector. I look forward to re-joining the Board and serving in a more in-depth manner again.
Dignity Washington celebrated an ecumenical service with St. Margaret’s Episcopal church. Fr. Jeff co-celebrated Eucharist with Rev. Kym Lucas, Rector of St. Margaret’s Church. The liturgy began with a wonderful agape meal prepared by St. Margaret’s parishioners. The guests were treated to unleavened bread, hummus, Lamb stew and vegetarian kale and potato soup. The liturgy featured the washing of feet and ended with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the alter of repose in the side chapel. Parishioners from both St. Margaret’s and Dignity kept a vigil throughout the night.
The Church paused to commemorate the Lord Jesus’ supreme sacrifice on the Cross with rites that are both ancient and ever new. The Service, co-led by Jake Hudson of Dignity/Washington and Monika Ruppert of Dignity/Northern Virginia, was highlighted by The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Narrative in Nine Voices, written and directed by Silvio Menzano Weisner, that stirred our minds and hearts and prepared us for compassionate Prayers of the Faithful for believers and unbelievers, for church and civil authorities, and for all the downtrodden and suffering.
Then, the Cross, draped in red cloth, that Roman implement of capital punishment, was carried in our midst and elevated in honor. All were invited to approach it, with profound gratitude and humility, and to venerate it as the implement of our redemption through Jesus’ blood.
Communion was served and the Service concluded in silence as the Blessed Sacrament was carried in procession to the side Altar of Repose for adoration and continual prayer until the dawn. Thus ended the first full day of the Sacred Three Days that had begun the evening of Holy Thursday and would conclude on Easter morning.
Dignity/Washington met for the Great Vigil of Easter at the Universalist Church at 16th & S streets. The beautiful, romanesque sanctuary was darkened for the Liturgy of the Word, except for the light of the Pascal candle and individual vigil candles.
The Liturgy of the Word featured seven readings from the Hebrew scripture and the New Testament, and each reading was followed by a Psalm. The many talents of Dignity/Washington’s choir made the vigil a solemn and sacred liturgy. Our Dignity chapter is truly blessed with many talented musicians and vocalists; their music made the Easter Vigil a night that everyone who attended will remember.
The Easter day liturgy was a fitting end to a beautiful spring day, which as the celebrant said in his homily, “reeked of resurrection”. The church was beautifully decorated with spring flowers. The liturgy included Fr. Jeff’s innovative homily that interspersed verses from the hymn “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” with reflections and the death and resurrection of Jesus.
During the liturgy, the congregation renewed the vows of Baptism and was sprinkled with holy water. It was a fitting end to an eventful Easter Triduum. Many thanks to the Liturgy Committee, choir, celebrants, and all who helped Dignity/Washington celebrate the Easter season.
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