Bill 13 Same Sex Attraction- Views from catholic youth

Dear Readers,

As you may know Bill 13, the anti bullying bill, has passed and is now legislation. The government has ignored the Bishops recommendations and have legislated that students can call their groups  GSA or gay straight alliances.   To fully understand the impact of this legislation it is important that you read an article written by a young woman who is a both as same sex attraction individual as well as a christian.
I found this article speaks to the issue well and puts in words what cannot often be explained but is known in the heart.  Enjoy.

6 June 10, 2012 1 catholicregister.org
BY BRONWYT LAWRE
Youth Speak News
There’s plenty of well-reasoned
discourse on all sides of the current
debate around Ontario’s new antibullying
legislation — but some
thing’s missing. The voices that I
have not heard in the debate are
those of teens and youths dealing
with same-sex attraction who want
to live in conformity with God and
His Church.
I can’t speak for anyone except
myself — but as
a person who
was bullied, and
a person who
has dealt with
Same-sex at
traction, 1 think
I can offer a
few thoughts.
I returned to
the Church last fall, after 13 years
away. In addition to excellent
pastoral support, a welcoming
parish community and, of course,
God’s grace, one of the biggest
reasons I stayed in the Church
after my return was the Church’s
teaching on sexuality
That might sound a bit strange
considering I was the director of
my campus’s LGBTTQ Pride col
lective at the time. But rather than
defining me solely by gender, or
who I was attracted to, or whether I
preferred fixing cars to tatting lace,
I found that the Church defined me
by one overarching principle: I am
a child of God, created in His own
image and likeness, and loved infi
nitely by Him. By counter-cultur
ally distinguishing between sexual
desire and sexual act, between act
and identity, the Church refused
to let me reduce my identity to a
simplistic summation of sexuality.
it is for this reason that most
Church documents (including
the “Respecting Difference”
report) use the term “persons with
same-sex attraction” in instances
where other groups would use gay,
queer or homosexual. It affirms
that although desire may be a part
of my identity and although my
actions shape my character and my
path towards or away from God, I
am infinitely more than my actions
and feelings.
As I returned to the Church,
walking into the Pride office began
to feel like a form of reductionism
— an implicit assent to the idea
that the most important aspects of
my personhood were my sexuality
and my gender. The Catholic chap
laincy gradually became a refuge
for me — a place where I could
shed the political labels of being
“gay” or “trans” or “queerL” Instead,
I could simply be human.
I eventually resigned as co-ordi
nator, left the Pride collective and
started looking for other Chris
tians who’d embarked on similar
walks towards God. Still, I fall all
too often and need His mercy to
pick me back up. But I know that
God loves me and all those who
have dealt with same-sex attraction
without equivocation and without
compromise.
This is why, as a Catholic, I
cannot in good conscience support
a club flame that would reduce
students’ identities to a simplis
tic definition of who they may or
may not want to sleep with. All
schools — Catholic and secular
— undoubtedly need better antibullying
measures and support
groups for all students, Taking a
stand against bullying can only
start with dubs (and names) that
recognize the inherent dignity and
worth of all human beings.
This is not homophobia. This is
not hatred. This is an attempt, as
best I know, to love.
(Lawrie, 20, is a creative writing
major at the University of Victoria.)
SPEAKJNG OUT
Anti-bullying clubs should
recognize the dignity of all
Bronwyn Lawrie

Catholic Education Week and Cardinals Mass

Thank you to all of the principals, teachers and students who worked to put together the wonder activities and events that the students participated in for Catholic Education week.

I attended a few session during the week and was just amazed at the number of activities and the number of parents that came out to celebrate our religion. It was nice to see students had fun while celebrating their faith.
My week ended with a mass attended by Cardinal Carter, held for the high school students at our board. It was so inspiring to see all the teens singing and praying together. I had the chance to speak with some of them and I was just amazed at the quality of their faith and how happy they were to be there. 

The mass with the Cardinal was the vision of Nathan Fernandez, our student trustee, who wanted his fellow students to have the experience of connecting with the Cardinal.  And let me say that the Cardinal did not disappoint, his words were inspiring and relevant.

After the mass he spent over one hour having his picture taken with the students. He was wonderful.

Mass was held outside in St Marcellinus's field. It was a a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky and the students sang beautifully. It was a great way to end the week. 

Kudos to Nathan, Alex Tucciarone, our superintendent, and all of the educators and students who worked to make this a successful event.

Changing Educational Dynamics

Hello Everyone,

The following is a video clip of that many of us interested in education need to consider.  It is important to see that our society is changing and that maybe we need to embrace the change and find ways to help our students be successful in the new age. Here is a video that explains some the change dynamics.

http://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY
Anna da Silva

Diversity Conference for Grades 7 & 8

 Hello Everyone,

May is such a busy month at the board. There are so many activities happening.  This week is Catholic Education week and we have a number of events happening at our schools. I hope that you can stop by your schools and attend some of the wonderful events that your kids are being exposed to.  

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attended the Divesity Conference and was priveledged to hear Alvin Law, the key note speaker.  This man was born with no arms and his story was so inspirational and moving that there were many a teary eye in the room.  His talked so moved me that I found myself crying.  I hope all of our children get a chance to hear his awsome story of courage and spirituality.

Thank you to Liz Kazimowicz and all of the staff who work so hard each year to put on this event. You all do an awsome job. 

Anna Da Silva

Intolerance of Christianity

Hello Everyone

Here is a great article by Michael Coren  about the growing intolerance of Christianity in our society.

Faithful & fed up

National Post
Sat May 5 2012
Page: A7
Section: Canada
Source: National Post

Michael Coren is growing increasingly impatient. He sees the world around him becoming dangerously intolerant of Christianity. In the just-released Heresy: The Lies They Spread About Christianity, his 14th book, he writes that Christianity has become the most abused faith on Earth. "I believe the evidence is overwhelming ... that Christianity is the main, central, most common, and most thoroughly and purposefully marginalized, obscured, and publicly and privately mis-represented belief system in the final decades of the twentieth century and the opening years of the twenty-first century." He rails that the same intellectual class that so quickly condemns anything Christian will do cartwheels to explain away Islamic terrorism. National Post religion reporter Charles Lewis spoke to Mr. Coren in his Toronto home this week about his latest book - the second in a year in which the broadcaster does battle with Christianity's enemies - and the place of Christians in what h e sees as a hostile world.
Q You start off in Heresy with the statement that Christianity has become the "most thoroughly and purposely marginalized belief system in the world." Certainly Christians are under physical threat in much of the Middle East and Africa. But is that really the case here?
A There's a radical difference in the life of a Christian in the Islamic world and the life of a Christian in the West. And any North American Christian who says we're being persecuted should really hold on a minute. This is not the same as the Coptic Christians being in physical danger in Egypt.
Q So how do you see things here in Canada and in the West in general? A Christians are marginalized, they're mocked, they're told their views don't belong, they're told to keep their views out of the public square and keep their religion at home. And where it can be quite sinister is at universities where Christian students are told that their ideas are stupid. I've even seen it with my children who are in university. Somehow Christianity is not a valid area of thought any longer.
You can bring your socialism, your feminism, your homosexuality, your anti-Zionism into the class but if you bring your Christianity that's not to be taken seriously.
Q But there is a lot about Christianity that can seem unreal: the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection of Jesus. Is it any surprise that people sometimes have trouble taking it seriously?
A Christians are mocked for believing in the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection but really what they are mocked for is the moral consequences of their beliefs: that life begins at conception and ends at natural death, that abortion is wrong, that promiscuity is wrong. We live in a culture where no one wants to hear the word "no."
Q There is a tone of exacerbation in your book. Are you getting fed up with have to defend your faith?
A When you get it from intelligent people it's particularly irritating, because they will give other ideologies and other religions a great deal of room to try to understand. When it comes to Christianity they seem to assume that any sense of fairness or sympathy should be thrown out the window. They will say things that are blatantly stupid and that's irritating.
Q Like what?
A To say Hitler once said he was a Christian so he must have been a Christian and Nazism came out of Christianity. Nazism was the antithesis of Christianity. The idea that because a tiny number of Catholic priests acted in an appalling manner should jaundice everything said by the Roman Catholic Church is also so illogical. You might as well say that no comment by a Canadian should ever be taken seriously because there are some serial killers in Canada.
Q In the book you say how angry you are that Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer, is constantly referred to as a Christian. Yet before it was known who the perpetrator was most people assumed it was a Muslim. If it's okay to label one criminal with his religion, why not the other?
A When the Norwegian massacre took place I said the chances are that this is a Muslim attack. I said that because there had been an attack in Sweden by Muslim groups and because Muslim groups had been promising they would attack Norway and because there are thousands of attacks every year by Muslims. It was a perfectly good assumption given all the evidence.
Q But who is to say that these Muslim terrorists are devout Muslims and that the Christians are not devout?
A Muslims read the Koran just before they attack and declare what they're doing is in the name of Allah. The Koran supports violent acts. And I'm afraid many ordinary Muslims rejoice in these attacks. But no where in the New Testament does Jesus justify violence. Jesus never led armies and was not a warlord. The few Christians who do these terrible things do it despite their Christian faith. Those Muslims who commit acts of terrorism do it because of their faith. Brevik hadn't been in a church in 17 years. There is just no evidence for Christian terrorism today.
Q But I'm sure a lot of ordinary Muslims would disagree with you, especially those living in Canada.
A I did a radio show and a Muslim called and said, "Well I believe it's wrong to attack Christianity and I think you would find most every Muslim in the world would agree with me." And I said: "Sir, I cannot listen to this. I've held a Bible soaked in the blood of Nigerian Christians slaughtered by Muslim fanatics. I've held the bullets fired from the guns of Muslim fanatics attacking Christians in a Baghdad church. There's not a Muslim country in the world where Christians are treated with absolute equality."
Q Do Christians in Canada stand up for themselves enough or are they cowed by secular society telling them to keep their religion at home or in the church?
A First of all, forget mainstream Protestants (Anglican, United Church, etc.). They're barely Christian anymore, and they'll accept anything.
Q What about Catholics? In Ontario a new anti-bullying bill, Bill 13, now in second reading, would allow the formation of gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools yet there seems to have been little protest.
A I think certainly Roman Catholics and evangelicals should have stood up more to Bill 13. We are being told our view on homosexuality is somehow wrong.
Q Could the Catholic Church leaders be afraid of being labeled homophobic?
A They're going to be called homophobic whatever they do. I think the Catholic Church has spent too much time worrying about the reaction it might get rather than reacting itself.
Q Let's talk about homosexuality a bit more. The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts represents "grave depravity" and "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered - and under no circumstances can they be approved." It also says gay people should be loved and respected. You say you have gay friends.
Wouldn't most gay people be insulted by being told their behaviour is "intrinsically disordered?"
A If someone calls me a homophobe because I believe marriage is between one man and one woman, then I would rejoice in that. But frankly, with gay friends, I try to avoid the subject. They know I am opposed to gay marriage and they also know I'm fond of them as people and would defend them against personal attack. But let me be clear, anyone who hates gay people is a moral criminal.
Q But a gay person might still ask, how can you be my friend when you think what I do is "intrinsically disordered."
A First, I would never use the same language as the Catholic Church. It sounds too clinical. A young gay woman once asked me if God loved her. I told her, "We all face challenges. You are loved as a person but you are more than your sexuality. We're all sinners and we're all struggling. I just can't affirm homosexual behaviour."
Q I was surprised you devoted a chapter to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. It seemed odd to me you would choose something that is now fairly old and forgotten. Even Opus Dei, who were portrayed as assassins, no longer seem to care.
A Well, it has influenced millions of people. They've been led by the book to read other books that oppose Christianity. Brown quotes real people and he makes a lot of it seem like non-fiction. I thought it was worth taking on again. I wanted to make sure that what is in The Da Vinci Code is just not true.
Q In Heresy you say one of the myths is that Christians are obsessed with abortion. But in the chapter on abortion you too seem obsessed with it. Can you explain what you were getting at?
A Christians, I believe, react so strongly to abortion, so intensely because they're part of an institution given by God - so they feel it more when the most vulnerable are destroyed. And they feel it more intensely than other people. I guess we are obsessed because it is such a tragedy. And if we dare to mention it, the world tells us to be quiet.
clewis@nationalpost.com twitter.com/holycharlie

St Thomas Aquinad 's Video on the food and beverage policy

Hello everyone,

The youth at St. Thomas Aquianas made this video in protest of the food and beverage policy. They are voicing the concerns of students everywhere and in a very positive way.  Here it the you tube video that they made.  I am proud of the leadership that these studnets show and the positive manner in which they communicate their concerns.
Check out the video for you. Way to go St. Thoma Aquinas.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1173800--junk-food-ban-the-target-of-slick-video-made-by-brampton-high-school-students

Anna da Silva

Hello Everyone,

Here is an good article about what is happening in Ontario with regards to our religious freedoms.
Please read and let me know what you think.


There's a line for religion in public arena

By BRIAN MACLEOD

As religious issues increasingly creep into the political realm, the temperature of the debate is rising.

Given the changing demographics of the Canadian population, new lines are being drawn on religious tolerance--or in some cases, intolerance--but with each line, comes a new controversy.

Christmas, in particular, finds some public officials twisting themselves into knots trying not to address the religious aspect of the season, often after some misguided soul renames the decorated Scotch pine a "holiday tree."

There is nothing wrong with displaying festive symbols signifying a certain religious group is celebrating a special occasion. Erecting a Christmas tree in city hall, setting up a menorah in the school cafeteria or placing a display of lanterns in a public building's foyer isn't spreading the word of a religious group, or subjecting others to their teachings. It's just drawing attention to the fact that it's an important time of year for a religious community.

But that's where the line should be drawn. Several public school boards have undergone

painful debates recently over whether to continue to allow the Gideons to distribute New Testaments in schools to Grade 5 students whose parents sign permission slips.

This is a 60-year tradition that should end. Schools shouldn't be used to hand out religious teachings. Bluewater District School Board trustees dealt with many nasty e-mails and phone calls before they voted to end the practice this week. It was just as bad in Waterloo in June when a resident asked to be able to hand out the Qur'an to students. Waterloo Region District School Board chair Kathleen Woodcock said the reaction from the community to allowing non-Christian religious groups to distribute materials in schools was "disturbing."

Another line some religious organizations don't want to cross is the province's pending legislation that would force publicly funded school boards to allow students to set up gay after-school clubs. Since homosexuality is not accepted by Catholic teaching, some say this is forcing Catholics to act against their faith.

But the Catholic boards will have to live with it, and so will private religious schools that rent space in public schools.

The Dalton McGuinty government introduced the Accepting Schools Act after the suicide deaths of two gay teens highlighted the issue. Gays aren't the only ones bullied in schools, but a recent Statistics Canada report shows they are targeted by hate crimes more than any other group.

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association says gays should be respected, but Catholic teaching is that homosexuality is a sin. Since these school clubs don't have to be called gay-straight alliances, Catholic schools will call them Respecting Difference groups, in which gays or any others can join, but members should not be engaged in political activism.

Whether this clashes with the legislation, which says such groups should promote "awareness, understanding and respect for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities," remains to be seen.

The bill aims to "encourage a positive school climate and prevent inappropriate behaviour, including bullying, sexual assault, gender-based violence and incidents based on homophobia."

Some religious officials resent the emphasis on gender-based bullying or use of the term "homophobia." But pretending that gays aren't singled out is to defy reality. Ask the students.

The legislation doesn't target religious schools; it targets bullying, and stresses the reality of bullying against gays.

Once the bill is passed, it will be a reality religious schools must address.