I guess some people forget the importance of not messing your own house, spitting in the wind, or peeing on an electric fence.
A certain mislead group in need of our compassion and in this case, pity, and maybe a bit of eyerolling derision, is out there begging people to boycott the annual Basilica Block Party. To those not familiar with our area, the Basilica happens to be the most "gay-friendly" parish around, of those that come even close to orthodoxy, so the real problem here is that some people continue to be shocked that the Catholic Church continues to insist on being...wait for it...CATHOLIC. Pretty anticlimactic conclusion, isn't it?Here's the entirety of the article, found at KARE11.com:
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jason Wermager said the idea to boycott the Basilica Block Party came to him at a party last weekend, [Mistake #1: Always ignore ideas that come during parties for obvious reasons. Have you learned NOTHING from Cheech and Chong?] as he was telling a friend with tickets he didn't think supporting an event held on church grounds would be in the best interest of a person in full support of same sex marriage. [Mistake #2: Given the fact that the Basilica Block party goes to Art, Historical Preservation and the Social Justice Goal of the Preferential Option for the Poor, isn't "same sex marriage" a bit irrelevant to people you're depriving of true justice and charity?]
"It really, the boycott, was just to bring awareness that discrimination to anyone on any level isn't right," Wermager said. [Mistake #3: So why should your cause trump the poor, who have REAL problems with basic survival?]
Wermager said he felt compelled to start the facebook invite, Boycott the Block Party, after discussing with his partner his discomfort about going to a concert, at a church, that is a member of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Archdiocese led by Archbishop John Nienstedt. [Mistake #4: Hmmm....You seem to misunderstand Ecclesiology]
Nienstedt is very outspoken on his beliefs concerning gay marriage. [Mistake #5: Archbishop John Nienstedt's role as Bishop is that of teacher and defender of the Faith of the Catholic Church as a whole; it is his obligation to preach about Faith and Morals, and in fact, the Church's belief about the sacramental and fruitful character of marriage between one man and one woman belong to the deposit of the faith and therefore are not affected by the "beliefs" of a few random individuals who choose to disagree because the Truth is uncomfortable to them. The Catholic Church is Catholic. Get over it. ]
Nienstedt openly says gay marriage is wrong and last fall sent out 400,000 DVD's to area churches outlining his position on why same sex couples she be denied marriage calling it a dangerous risk to society. [Mistake #6: This was not "Nienstadt's" position, but his articulation of the official position of the Catholic Church with regard to Faith and Morals...never mind science and anthropological and historical facts regarding this topic. Oh, wait...he inconveniently made sure that was part of the DVD. My bad.]
It is because of Archbishop's Nienstedt's statements, those DVD's, and the fact that Minnesota voters will vote on the gay marriage issue in 2012 that led Wermager to the boycott. [Mistake #7: I guess it's inconceivable that anyone could possibly disagree with you and not be bullied into compliance with your own vapid self-popery.]
"I am choosing not to attend this and by doing so I want to bring awareness to these issues," Wermager said. [Mistake #8: Wait! This is a WIN! The Basilica on behalf of the Poor thank you for the free publicity!]
His partner, Alex Zachary, says he hopes this boycott reaches the ear of Archbishop Nienstedt. [Mistake #9: I can hear him rolling his eyes from here. I can also hear his Hail Marys and Divine Mercies on behalf of your conversion. I hope he's praying as feverently for mine.]
"This is sending a message to the whole archdiocese of Minnesota," Zachary said. [Mistake #10: Umm...you seem to misunderstand not only Ecclesiology, but Geography and Hierarchy: there is no such thing as the "Archdiocese of Minnesota".]
Now, the block party has been on the Basilica grounds for the past 16 years.
It started with it's main sponsor, Cities 97.
The idea was to make money to restore the Basilica grounds and any other profits would go to an organization that provides meals and assistance to the city's homeless population.
In a statement today a Basilica spokesperson said that remains true and that the archdiocese receives no money from the block party.
BT, from Cities 97, wants to make sure that is known loud and clear.
"This event has no connection whatsoever to the archdiocese, none of the money goes there at all."[!!!!!!!!!!]
BT has been with Cities 97 for every block party over the years and says its mission has always remained the same.
"We want to open our arms to all people and that is what the block party is about. It is about love, inclusion, brotherhood, sisterhood and fellowship," BT said.
"The reason we got involved in the first place and continue to do so is about music, the community and nothing else. There is no political agenda and no religious agenda. It is just about the music and our community coming together," BT added.[!!!!!!!!!!!]
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
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There ya have it: a single ticket not sold equals a deprivation of the poor.
all those who have joined Wermager's lame FB page hate the Homeless, hate the Arts, and hate Historical Preservation. Even further, they are uninformed sheep following a leader who has no idea what he's talking about.
My friends, if you are interested in purchasing tickets for the Basilica Block Party for this very worthy cause, or interested in supporting it by volunteering or by donation, visit their web page here.
A few years ago I attended and was able to hear some incredible bands while giving to a great cause. If you're local, do your part! Let's make sure the Basilica Block Party remains profitable especially in the face of activist anti-Catholic bullies!
7 comments:
It would be better off being a ruin.
Ever heard Gillespie's sermons and why did they put that lesbian's "stations of the cross" back on the walls?
Of course, they'll have a booth at the "Gay Pride" this year too.
Tancred ~ As Catholics, we believe that architecture glorifies God, and the beauty of the Basilica far surpasses the evil that takes place within it.
We also recognize the rights of the poor and our own obligation to respond to that poverty.
As far as bad art, I make no defense of the crap inflicted upon the interior of the Cathedral by so-called "artists", and the Basilica of St. Mary is not alone in being victimized by such refuse.
The Basilica Block Party funds the building itself and no, it, as a consecrated House of God, needs to be RESTORED, not turned to ruin. Let the bad art turn to dust, but not the rocks that were placed to house and protect the King of Kings.
As far as your parting comment...you make my point: don't piss in your own home and I add another in this week after Pentecost: don't piss in the wind. That's what these protesters are doing.
But maybe they're doing a favor for the Basilica in the long run. Time will tell.
I'm all for this new Crusade for Truth at the expense of the idiots who have kept us shackled since the 60's.
Please note: Anonymous comments are not permitted. Either sign your comments with some kind of handle or it doesn't exist.
Just two clarifications: One, according to the Basilica Block Party website, only 5% of funds raised by the event go to help the poor (through the St. Vincent de Paul Society). A chunk of change, but still, only 5%. And two, anyone who says there's no connection between the Basilica and the Archdiocese doesn't understand how the RC Church is structured. Afterall, the Basilica is the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese. It's Archbishop Nienstedt's other cathedral. The Basilica pastor has already responded to the boycott by quoting the CCC (Catechism) on homosexuality. So people have a choice: buy a Block Party ticket and thereby support the Basilica, the Archbishop, and his number one legislative priority (passage of the marriage amendment) - you can't really separate them - or don't buy a ticket. And if you don't buy a ticket, consider donating 5% of the ticket price to a charity that serves the poor.
Adeodatus ~ Yes, the Basilica is the co-Cathedral of the St. Paul-Mineapolis Archdiocese, and even if it were not, it would still be Roman Catholic. That's a fact.
However, the Basilica Block party is not an Archdiocesan event. It is a seperate fundraiser.
You completely misunderstand the purpose of the Church, and therefore the Archbishop and the Rector of the Basilica: they are Catholic. The entire purpose of the Church is to save souls. Currently one thing putthing souls at risk of eternal damnation is the normalization of what we recognize as mortal sin.
The Church has ALWAYS stood for the fact that the Sacrament of Marriage is between one man and one woman. This is not about being a "legistlative priority" for the Archbishop and therefore his little pet issue. It happens to be a "legislative priority" for a certain group trying to bully everyone else into agreeing with them, obligating we Catholics to stand up and say NO.
So yes, by all means, stay away from the Basilica Block party. That's your right.
But don't mix up the issues with such a lame news story and pretend that you just now noticed that the Catholic Church and all associated with it continue to be...wait for it....CATHOLIC.
You don't have to agree with us but we're a bit sick of being bullied. After 2,000 years of it we should be used to it but just the same it's quite tiresome.
Excellent post, Adoro.
The people who started this absurd attempt to change the Church's position on same sex marriage are pretty ignorant about the Church.
An they select one of the most wealthy parishes in the archdiocese.
The people that probably get hurt the most will be the hundreds that show up almost every Saturday for the St. Vincent de Paul Free Shoe Ministry and the dozens who show up daily for free sandwiches and coffee.
But the anger of the homosexual narcissists isn't always well placed. We will be the victims of thousands of such attacks during the next 16+ months until the Marriage Amendment referendum.
Ray ~ To be fair, this particular attack isn't one that's directly about "changing the teaching of the Church" but rather is, as you aptly put it, just another bit of narcissistic activism that hurts all kinds of innocent people.
This same boycott group is made up of the type of people who will mourn if the Basilica were to fall to ruins, speak of it's architectural beauty, and then say, "Well, if only they had submitted to our minority beliefs we tried to inflict upon them, the building would still be standing."
We don't need their money, but the poor..the poor need help from everyone, even the narcissists.
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