San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer Parish Invites Retired Male Episcopal Bishop Who ‘Married’ a Man to Lead Advent Vespers Service

Most Holy Redeemer Church, San Francisco’s notoriously ‘gay-friendly’ parish, has invited a retired Episcopalian bishop who left his wife and family to ‘marry’ a man as guest speaker at a Nov. 30 Advent Vespers Service.

Pro-homosexuality Vespers speakers are not unusual at Most Holy Redeemer. In 2010 such speakers included Episcopal Rev. Jay Emerson Johnson, a staff member at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. His biographical page on the CLGS website says, “His current research and writing interests involve the intersections of queer theory and Christian traditions.”

Another 2010 Vespers speaker at Most Holy Redeemer was the openly homosexual Rev. Jeff Bert, then serving as an associate pastor at Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco.

In 2008, the parish hosted retired Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, who has challenged Church teaching on homosexuality and is a member of the dissident group Call to Action.

Bishop Gumbleton is a recipient of the New Ways Ministry “Bridge Building” award. In 2010, Washington, D.C., Archbishop Donald Wuerl and Oakland Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, speaking for the USCCB, said of New Ways Ministry, “in no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church or to identify itself as a Catholic organization.”

California Catholic Daily