MY NEW HERO
Father Martin Dolan
A priest in Dublin received a standing ovation from his congregation as he came out as gay after his sermon where he called for same sex marriage equality in Ireland. Father Martin Dolan has been a priest at the Church of St Nicholas of Myra in Francis Street in Dublin’s city for 15 years. On Saturday past Fr Dolan confided in his parishioners during Mass and also on the Sunday morning. He called on his congregation to support same sex marriage in the upcoming Irish referendum at the end of May. He said: “I’m gay myself.”…. The statement was met by applause and a standing ovation from his “proud” parishioners.
Upon reading this story, my first thought was that it was really rather sad that this sort of thing is notable for its rarity. The Catholic Church, as with most of the Christian faith, has historically not been welcoming to the LGBT community. Being gay and Catholic has always been a recipe for almost certain rejection and condemnation…and that’s as a parishioner. Imagine being a member of the clergy and admitting you’re gay.
Being open about who you are shouldn’t be cause for anything close to rejection and condemnation. With same-sex marriage becoming more widely accepted in the U.S. and abroad, there’s a growing recognition that gay people are just…people. Ireland, historically an extremely Conservative Catholic country, is actually set to vote on a referendum to approve same-sex marriage…and there’s a good chance it will pass. The referendum’s prospects will be aided greatly by courageous souls like Fr. Dolan, who had to be wondering how his authenticity about his sexuality would be received. That his admission was met by a standing ovation makes me think that maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for humanity.
What I found particularly touching was the general reaction of his parishioners, who’ve clearly accepted him without reservation.
Speaking to the Irish Sun community youth worker Liz O’Connor said: “We are all very proud of Fr Martin. Because he has admitted that he is gay he doesn’t change the person that he was before it.”
Not knowing beforehand how his admission would be received, Fr. Dolan had planned a holiday, perhaps in the thought that he might need to make a break for it, but it appears that wasn’t necessary. He was able to take his holidsy and relax, secure in the knowledge that his parishioners wouldn’t be waiting for his with torches and pitchforks upon his return.
Perhaps someday, the question of who and how someone loves will no longer be something people feel justified in concerning themselves with. It won’t be important who or how you love, only that you do love. That will be a great day, and I hope that I’ll live long enough to see it.
