Pro-Gay Parishes Causing Scandal

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NEW YORK (ChurchMilitant.com) - A notorious gay parish in New York is again causing scandal, a recent video making the rounds on social media showing the priest dancing down the aisle at a gay pride Mass in late June. Meanwhile, in Lexington, Kentucky, another parish is draping an LGBT flag outside to promote a message of "inclusion."

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi in New York City is a well-known pro-gay parish run by Franciscan priests. It has an LGBT ministry listed on its website. In May 2017, the parish was in the news for backing a Cinco de Mayo celebration at a gay bar.

In a Saturday vigil Mass on June 23, the parish celebrated a "Pre-Pride" Mass as part of the parish's "United in Love Celebration." The Mass was the beginning of LGBT festivities that would culminate the following day in New York City's Gay Pride Parade.

The priest offering the Mass is on video dancing down the aisle with enthusiasm, clapping his hands with the music, while parishioners wave rainbow flags. It appears to be during the recessional at the end of Mass.

Church Militant reached out to parish staff for comment but did not hear back as of press time.

Ex-gay advocate Joseph Sciambra noted that the parish has a long history of promoting the gay agenda through LGBT retreats, Pride Masses and events at gay bars.

"The contact person for the St. Francis LGBT Ministry, Meredith Dean Augustin, has publicly supported Planned Parenthood," Sciambra noted.

For years, Cdl. Timothy Dolan of the archdiocese of New York has turned a blind eye to St. Francis of Assisi Church's pro-gay events.

In 2015 and 2016, investigations by Church Militant exposed an alleged network of homosexual priests embedded in the archdiocese of New York. The investigations uncovered allegations from parishioners that New York priest Fr. Peter Miqueli was embezzling parish funds and using them to fuel a decadent, sexually perverse lifestyle.

In similar news, a parish in Lexington, Kentucky made headlines when it put a rainbow banner in front of the church, celebrating Pride Month in June.

Saint Paul Catholic Church in Lexington had the banner up for weeks during the month of LGBT Pride celebrations.

Stan "JR" Zerkowski, who advocates for the parish's LGBT ministry, told local news, "This is a church that's open to all people and hopefully, this sign gets that across."

Father Chris Clay wrote a note to St. Paul parishioners about the pro-LGBT signage, calling it "a small way of counteracting any experiences of hostility, rejection and silent treatment that LGBTQ Catholics may have experienced."

The head of the Lexington diocese, Bp. John Stowe, spoke in April 2017 at an event for New Ways Ministry — a dissident pro-gay group condemned by the Vatican.

When Church Militant and others reported that Bp. Stowe was scheduled to speak at the dissident group's event, the bishop responded by accusing us of being "Pharisees."

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