Tonight I was out to dinner with a couple of friends. One is a Judge who I a friend for almost 30 years and she is one of the first people that I Came Out to. The other is a Catholic Priest who is a dear friend of ours. He is on Facebook with me and I wasn't sure what he has seen about my Coming Out. As the dinner went on we talked about many subjects. At one point he mentioned a gentleman that I've metaken through him several times. The guy is a Cornell in the Army National Guard. He was telling me how he was worried about his son who had Come Out. At this point I realized that he had not seen my Facebook Outing. The Judge had to go to the bathroom. When she did I asked if he had seen anything on Facebook about me. He had no clue. I then Came Out to him. He looked right at me and said Jim you are my friend, you are a good man, and no matter what you will always be my friend. He was so reassuring. We then talked about the gentleman and his son. I told him that if the father needed someone to talk to I'd be there for him. It was so reassuring to know that a Catholic Priest was so loving. At one point he looked me straight in the eyes and said Jim your very conservative for a Gay Man. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. It's good to know that the rank and file in the Church are so supportive.
I don't know much about what's going on in the Catholic Church... That said... One of my strong memories of the first Pride event I went to was seeing a booth with a Catholic LGBT group. I chatted a minute or two, and apparently they had good support in their church, including IIRC a blessing from the priest before attending Pride. Of course...not all churches are so supportive.
Yes they are. ---------- Post added 26th Nov 2015 at 11:33 AM ---------- Blue it was a moment that caught me by surprise. He is such a good person, so loving and caring.
It makes me to happy see stories like this. You would expect it to go the other way, but it shows the strength of those people's characters. Honestly, your friend the priest reacted in a way that you would hope someone in his position would react. With support, love and respect. I'm so glad you are finding support as you come out to those around you. So far it's been mostly positive for me as well. I suspect a few people think I'm an abomination but oh well.
I've been very Blessed during my Coming Out. I thinkthe reaction of my friend speaks to a greater understanding from society in general. Sometimes I still can't believe how people have embraced me.
In all honesty, it doesn't surprise me. It may not be the case amongst the heirarchy of the RC Church, but I really do get the impression that the majority of Catholics are not wedded to dogma and inflexible ideas. I think the trend will continue. Anyway, I'm really pleased you had the confidence to come out and received a kind and supportive response.
