Catholic LGBT group celebrates milestone

By Jen Colletta
PGN Staff Writer
© 2008 Philadelphia Gay News

Dignity/Philadelphia, a local group for LGBT Catholics, recently celebrated its 35th year.

The 160-member group holds weekly Mass services and sponsors numerous community events to promote the inclusion of LGBT people in the Catholic Church.

“It’s always been a welcoming place,” Dignity/Philadelphia president David Kalinowski said of the organization. “It started basically because there was no really welcoming place for GLBT Catholics to worship. This is a place where all Catholics are welcomed and can feel comfortable.”

Kalinowski said that in addition to fostering a sense of community for LGBT people, the group also seeks to educate all Catholics on the importance of diversity within the church community.

“Dignity makes its presence known to try to promote an open environment and show the differences in the church. We want to show people that, yes, the church should be more open and welcoming to all Catholics.”

Dignity/Philadelphia is an outgrowth of DignityUSA, the national organization founded in 1969 that now has nearly 50 chapters across the country.

To celebrate the local group’s anniversary, about 100 Dignity/Philadelphia members and friends gathered at The Church of St. Luke and The Epiphany May 18, as members looked back at more than three decades of work and forward to future plans.

Following a potluck dinner, then-president Norman Simmons recognized the numerous former leaders of the group, including Judge Ann Butchart, the city’s first openly gay elected official and one of Dignity/Philadelphia’s former presidents, who also served as the keynote speaker for the event.

Simmons also handed out the organization’s Community Service Awards to Lambda Legal, local cabaret singer Gene Cavanaugh and the LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dignity/Philadelphia member Domenic Cordone was also honored with the Chapter Service Award for his volunteer and fundraising efforts.

Kalinowski said the group’s longevity can be credited to “the sense of family and community and the love and support that everyone at Dignity gives you.”

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.