A Washington Catholic priest got more than applause Sunday—for his pro-gay stance. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Seattle parishioners gave the Rev. Tim Clark a standing ovation for announcing he wouldn’t campaign for Amendment 74, an effort to repeal Washington’s new gay marriage law.
Parishioners of Seattle’s Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church give the Rev. Tim Clark a standing ovation Sunday for standing against Amendment 74—an effort to repeal Washington’s new marriage equality law.
Clark’s move made his parish the sixth to reject Archbishop Peter Sartain’s order to Seattle area priests. He praised his flock for their support in an email.
“I am happy to report that Our Lady of the Lake parishioners have been overwhelmingly and, thus far, unanimously supportive of the decision I made NOT to gather signatures in support of this Referendum,” Clark wrote.
“The standing ovation experienced during one of the Masses says less about me and much more about the health of this parish. I only wished the archbishop could have experienced the sustained applause—the ‘sensus fidelium’—of the people. He needs to listen to this ‘voice.’ That is my prayer,” he continued.
The National Catholic Reporter has also reported Clark isn’t alone. Father Michael G. Ryan denounced the repeal attempt, too. Ryan believes it just might “prove hurtful and seriously divisive.” The lack of vehement responses, he said in an email, was surprising.
“I decided to take a preemptive strike by sending out my email (April 11) thinking that many of my parishioners would either boycott Mass this coming Sunday or that they would arrive in a white heat. I have received 115 responses to it—when none were required or even expected!—and fully 110 of them have been strongly supportive of my decision. And I mean strongly supportive!”
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a marriage equality bill, legalizing same-sex marriage, which will go into effect June 7. Referendum 74 needs 120,000 signatures by June 6 to get on November’s ballot.
Photo: patheos.com
