Father Geoff returned to the pulpit on Sunday, presenting his first sermon since he spoke out against injustice on October 4. Of course I'm speaking of Father Geoffrey Farrow, the Roman Catholic Priest whose vocal opposition to Proposition 8 brought him the attention of the LGBT world and a firestorm of condemnation from the Church to which he had dedicated twenty-three years of his life.
Father Geoff, dressed in a black suit instead of his usual collar, spoke at Hollywood United Methodist Church. Located in the heart of old Hollywood, Hollywood United is a socially progressive venue whose motto is "All Are Welcome". This was clearly reflected in the diverse and enthusiastic audience. He was welcomed with a standing ovation both before and after his sermon, which he entitled "Transformational Prayer".
His sermon was loosely themed on the interpretation of the Lord's Prayer but was really much more far reaching than that, specifically honing in on the spiritual starvation so many LGBT people feel when they are rejected by the mainstream religions of their birth. He cited as specific example a letter from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles written to reassure "homosexual" members of the Catholic faith that they should not feel like second class citizens by the august body which spent millions to stamp them with that very label. It was a warm, loving, funny, and very touching sermon that well deserved the standing ovation which it received by the full house at Hollywood United Methodist.
Father Geoff has proven that he still has a lot to say, especially to the LGBT Community. If you haven't had the opportunity to hear him speak, we will have a video of the sermon later this week. The text of the sermon appears below. Father Geoff is off to Sacramento today lobbying the California State Assembly to repeal Proposition 8 in conjunction with Equality California. He reported this morning that the Yes on 8 side has been intensely lobbying to preserve the bigotry they so cherish, and recommends that everyone contact their legislators on behalf of decency and reason. The link is below. This upcoming Saturday he will be at All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena presenting a sermon called "Staying the Course: How to Stay Focused on Faith and Hope when the Going Gets Tough".
And by now, he's an expert on that.
On the web:
Equality California: www.eqca.org
Father Geoffrey Farrow: www.fathergeoff.com
Hollywood United Methodist: www.hollywoodumc.org
All Saints Pasadena: www.allsaints-pas.org
6 comments:
I'm always appreciative of your efforts to keep us informed about Father Geoff. Please tell him that I and no doubt hundreds of others are keeping him in our prayers.
Thank you Jeff for posting this. I follow Father Geoff. Its courage like his that makes this land great.
I was at Hollywood Methodist on Sunday, and Father Geoff was a blessing to everyone there.
Very happy news, indeed!
I was there ... Father was great ... even when he was a bit "Catholic" every now and then for this Episcopalian! Blessing on your journey ... I may see you at ASC too!
I am afraid that as the economy worsens, folks are going to be looking around for a scapegoat. I pray it isn't the gays, that the rage of millions will be properly directed to Wall Street and their brown nosing congressional enablers. Hope.
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