Date: Mon, 17 Jan 94 15:00:54 EST From: "Louie Crew" Subject: Episcopal Injustice & Oppression Shared here with the permission of B. Allan Ross, the author, with whom I just spoke extensively on the phone. Louie/Lutibelle >From ~Update~, Southern California's Gay and Lesbian Newspaper, Wednesday, January 5, 1994, page 1. WOMAN LOSES JOB FOR HAVING LESBIAN FRIEND After 16 years All Saints' Fundies Fire Organist Over Gossip By B. Allan Ross Associate Editor A ~Update Exclusive~ SAN DIEGO--In his office at All Saints' Episcopal Church at Sixth and Pennsylvania Aves., Father Steven L. McClaskey, parish priest, presented Katherine Kamarath, who had missed only three Sundays in the 16 years she had been employed as the church's choirmaster and organist, with two options. She could sign the resignation letter he had written falsifying the reason she was leaving the church, or she could accept the "moral cause" termination notice he had prepared. She signed the resignation. "(In the resignation) he used my father's death as an excuse for me to resign so that he could give the parish the feeling that I was so overcome with grief that I could no longer continue with my duties at All Saints'. It is a lie," said Kamarath. Kamarath was forced to resign because of rumors that she was engaged in a Lesbian relationship with the church's first soprano, Karen Parker. Several churches in San Diego are currently "cleansing" themselves of homosexuals, secure in the knowledge that their right to discriminate based on sexual orientation is protected by law, but there is no law that allows a church to fire an employee for being a heterosexual who is rumored to be a Lesbian. Kamarath is not a Lesbian. "I've never been attracted to a woman that way," Kamarath says, "I don't consider myself to be a Lesbian." When Parker and Kamarath met eight years ago, "I wasn't attracted to Karen sexually," Kamarath said. "She's been in a relationship with music, God, and her parents ever since I've known her," added Parker. The two women have shared a house in a College Heights-area neighborhood since October. Kamarath is Parker's musical and emotional mentor. Parker has four children from two marriages, a 17-year-old son and three daughters ages 15, 13, and six. The 13-year-old girl has Down's Syndrome...... At the August 19 meeting where she was forced to resign, McClaskey refused to allow Kamarath's father's nurse to witness the meeting. Kamarath recalls, "The entire time we were together he ranted, raved, vigorously lectured me.... I was by myself. (My father's nurse) could hear everything through the door. He yelled at me. He said, `You have betrayed Our Lord. You have betrayed this parish with your behavior. And then to go on a vacation with Karen... Quit lying to yourself.' "He was physically and emotionally threatening. He was in my face. He was ugly." In her written notes about the meeting she adds, "I felt like it was great sport of his to see me suffer. I felt like a whipping post for his frustration." He assured her that her job performances and skills were not being questioned..... McClaskey's response letter says Kamarath had told him "that rumors had been growing in the parish about an illicit relationship" between herself and Parker. The letter goes further, accusing the two of "openly scandalous behavior.. on and off church property, in violation of the moral standards of the Bible and this parish...... Parker believes that a contributing factor in Kamarath being forced out was the fact that Father Bausch, of Holy Trinity Church in San Diego, betrayed priest-confessor confidentiality by telling McClaskey what was discussed during marriage counseling sessions Bausch had provided for Parker and her ex-husband, including the information that Parker had recently come out. He also incorrectly informed McClaskey that she had left her husband for a woman. "I called Fr. Bausch...and he admitted it," said Parker. "My ex-husband would say to this day that I didn't leave him for a woman. I left him because our marriage was going off." While the marriage was going through its death throes, Parker did meet a woman (not Kamarath)..... When McClaskey took over at All Saints', there were some 1,200 parishioners. Now there are less than 600. ====Note, I have shared under one-fourth of the article. I hope to share the entire article as soon as I can get help with the typing. Here is a response from Mary Eunice Oliver, a prominent lay member of the Episcopal Church in that diocese. Mary Eunice was the last woman to be elected but denied a seat because she was a woman, as deputy to General Convention, 1969. Women were first seated in 1970. Currently Dr. Pamela Chinnis is the President of that body, the legislative body of the Episcopal church. I sit as co-chair of the deputation from the Diocese of Newark: January 10, 1994 Rt. Rev. Gethin Hughes Bishop of San Diego 2728 6th Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 Dear Sir: This article was mailed today from a friend who was very distraught...as I am. These unjustified actions are unacceptable in a church that claims to be Christian, and violate the inclusive nature of the Body of Christ. Fr. Bausch's violating the confidential seal is a matter for your episcopal action. You do have the authority to help. Thank you! In hope, Mary Eunice Copies to: The Standing Committee The Rt. Rev. Fred Borsch Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning McCloskey & Bausch ==================== Followup: Integrity/San Deigo began its response by trying to work principally with lesbigay members of All Saints' and with lesbigays who have earlier fled the church. The chapters is meeting again to review its strategies. Robert Heylmun, convenor of the chapter, encouraged me to be in touch with the bishop and to share this report in cyberspace. Bud Clark, a gay man much involved in ecumenical matters in San Diego, is sending me copies of his followup letter in the Janaury 12th issue of ~Update~; I will share that when it arrives. Bud complains that Bishop Hughes is remaining silent in this. Everyone notes that Hughes, even more than many other bishops, seems to have very strong voices at both ends of the spectrum on almost all issues confronting our church. Kamarath delayed in taking immediate action last August because of fear for her future employement in the church. A UCC parish has now hired her and the pastor there has encouraged her to protest the egregious abuses at All Saints'. Integrity/San Diego hosted Integrity's national convention last July. The chapter asked Bishop Hughes to send a letter of greeting. The convention was hosted by St. Paul's Cathedral; Dean Carroll there had been Dean of the Cathedral of St. James in Chicago when it hosted our first national convention, back in 1975; and Dean Carroll generously greeted us and attended many parts of our convention. Bishop Hughes snubbed us and snubbed our keynoter, Dr. Pamela Chinnis. Bishop Hughes did attend the symposium "Shaping Our Future" in St. Louis, July 12-15. He and I were together at a workshop on General Convention, which I reported in my article "Who Is Shaping Whose Future": "It's an imperfect system," Bishop Gethin Hughes of San Diego said of the General Convention, "but it's the only one we've got." Hughes, one of the 33 bishops or bishops-elect who attended the symposium, said that there were many valuable suggestions about how to improve the convention--such as streamlining the process for considering resolutions. However, he contended that his overall concern was the convention's "lack of focus on the mission of the church and it overemphasis on nonessential issues." ======================================================================= BCP 209 21. For Social Justice Almighty God, who hast created us in thine own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. =================================================================== For more current information, you may want to take an e-pew in the electronic catacomb of lesbigay Christians, though this is but one of dozens of threads there. To visit, send a message saying LUTI YES to lcrew@andromeda.rutgers.edu Quean Luti of the Alabama Belles/Louie