Remembering Sr. Donna Quinn, The Expulsion of a Gay Seminarian, And More News

Here are some items that you might find of interest:

1) Sr. Donna Quinn, OP, a longtime advocate for church justice including LGBTQ inclusion, passed away in late July. According to a tribute by theologian Mary Hunt:

“[Quinn] was committed to LGBTQIA+ justice, often collaborating with her friend Rick Garcia who became a Chicago-based activist with her encouragement. She was early on that front too, voicing Catholic pro-queer support when few Catholics, especially priests and members of religious orders, would open their mouths. As a coordinator of the National Coalition of American Nuns, Donna made her voice heard wherever she could on justice issues that the hierarchical church negated or ignored.”

To read the full reflection in the National Catholic Reporter, including more about Quinn’s advocacy for women’s ordination and reproductive rights, click here.

2) The Irish Times reported that Henry Frömmichen was expelled from seminary in Germany after posting an Instagram selfie with a popular gay television show’s star, Alexander Schäfer. Frömmichen went public with his alleged expulsion as a result of the Vatican banned blessing for same-gender couples last March.

3) Sr. Rose Pacatte, a film critic and arts journalist, reviewed a new film about conversion therapy titled Pray Away. Pacatte said the film was “intriguing,” and prompted her to ask questions. She writes, in part:

“As a film, I found ‘Pray Away’ intriguing; it is like a feature article in a magazine filled with pictures and personal stories. It made me stop and ask what the options are for LGBTQ believers who want to love God but are not helped by clergy or often untrained ‘professionals’ who focus on behavior rather than the person’s feelings; who think you can ‘will away’ or ‘pray away’ one’s sexual orientation when in actuality the person is born that way. I was inspired by the people who choose to live rather than take their own lives when conversion therapy does not work or make sense.”

The full review is available here.

4) In a column for NZ Catholic, Bishop Peter Cullinane, the bishop emeritus of Palmerston North, New Zealand, condemned the idea that gender identity is distinct from sexual identity, calling them “unmoored” from one another. He compared being transgender to being disabled and affirmed conservative Catholic understandings of gender. The full piece is available here.

Robert Shine, New Ways Ministry, September 4, 2021

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