Catholics Standing Up for Marriage in San Francisco



Catholics are standing up for marriage at a prayer rally April 3 in San Francisco’s colorful North Beach section, two months after a marriage rally in Boston that drew 3,000 people.

“Something special is happening with young Catholics across this land,” said Ray Flynn, president of rally sponsor Your Catholic Voice. “The issue of same-sex marriage has touched them deeply and they are responding. We saw that in Massachusetts and now we are seeing it in San Francisco. We are building national support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, the only way to guarantee that marriage will remain between a man and a woman.”

“We invite all who share our belief in the importance of marriage to join us in public prayer,” Flynn said.

The event begins at 8 P.M. April 2 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, with all-night Eucharistic Adoration. San Francisco Archbishop William Levada will celebrate 9 A.M. Mass on April 3, followed by a 10 A.M. prayer rally. A procession through the neighborhood of North Beach concludes the event.

“Archbishop Levada set a great example by standing up and publicly witnessing the truth on marriage,” said Chris Guirlinger, a volunteer from St. Dominic’s Parish. “It is part of our baptismal promise to stand with him.”

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s unilateral decision February 12 to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of state and federal law sparked the rally. The California Supreme Court halted the practice March 11, pending its ruling. Newsom’s action came on the heels of the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that the same-gender couples are entitled to marry.

“Your Catholic Voice’s position has nothing to do with gays and lesbians who have a right to live as they choose. But, that does not give them the right to redefine marriage and the family for all of society,” noted YCV Marriage Committee Chair Dolores Meehan. Changing the legal definition of marriage would codify a relationship that legally denies a child’s right to a mother and father.

“We need to show the world and lawmakers that, contrary to media perception, there is another strong point of view in San Francisco, ” Meehan said. “The Catholic Counter-Cultural Revolution has begun!”

“This is not a time to be quiet,” said Jeanne Condon of St. Timothy’s in San Mateo. “We need whole cities to stand up and say enough erosion of basic values. I am bringing my eight children to show solidarity.”

Your Catholic Voice announced that a major theme of the public rally will be “Love and Tolerance – Yes / Same Sex Unions – No”

Ambassador Flynn is the national president of Your Catholic Voice, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 1993 to 1997 and former mayor of Boston.

(Your Catholic Voice (YCV) is the largest and most active Catholic grassroots political and policy organization in America. Your Catholic Voice offers Catholics the vehicle to be actively involved in shaping their government — from the County Courthouse to the halls of Congress. YCV promotes faithful citizenship based on its four pillars of participation; Life, Family, Freedom and Solidarity.)

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