Special Mass Planned As Part of Pride Month In Hoboken

HOBOKEN, NJ — As part of Pride Month, an inclusive church in Hoboken has scheduled a "pride mass" for this weekend. The mass will celebrate the recently departed Pope Francis.

A petition against the event has garnered more than 90,000 signatures. A city spokeswoman told Patch on Monday that city officials haven't heard of a physical protest being planned, but they're ready if one happens.

Celebrates Departed Pope

The church — founded in 1851 and one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in the United States — said in an announcement last week, "In celebration of the pride that Pope Francis took in LGBTQ Catholics, Our Lady of Grace Church will celebrate its 8th Annual Pride Mass on Sunday, June 29.

"The Very Reverend Alexander M. Santora, Pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Grace & St. Joseph and Dean of the Hoboken/Weehawken Catholic Churches, will preach on this year's theme, 'The Pride of Pope Francis,' reflecting on the outreach of the revolutionary Pope Francis to LGBTQ Catholics around the world."

They noted that the late pope, who passed away on April 21, "is the first pope to ever utter the word 'gay' and in a positive way. Living in the Buenos Aires barrios, he knew many LGBTQ people personally and spent time talking with them and learning how theyfaced discrimination, especially from the Catholic Church. He knew thishad to change. The best way for him to get that message across was to tackle the hate head on. There are so many examples of how he ministered to the LGBTQ community as Pope."

See what the pope had to say about sexuality in an Associated Press interview here.

The church explained, "Our annual Pride Mass is our community’s way of showing that we are proud of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters and moving toward a more inclusive church and society. We warmly welcome LGBTQ individuals, along with their families and friends, and all LGBTQ allies."

Protest?

The petition calls for signers to "Stop the 'Pride Mass' sacrilege" and refers to the ceremony as "blasphemous."

"Stop 'Pride Mass' Sacrilege that Wounds the Sacred Heart of Jesus," it says. "Protest Now...The so-called “Pride Mass” at Our Lady of Grace parish is an outrage against God."

More than 93,000 people had signed by Thursday.

"While the Hoboken Police Department has not received any information regarding a specific protest related to the upcoming Pride Mass," said a city spokesperson, "HPD, as it has in previous years, is working closely with Our Lady of Grace Church to ensure the safety and security of all involved."

Six years ago, one group said they planned to come to Hoboken to protest "Drag Queen Story Hour." However, only a handful of people showed up. The event went on and the protest was peaceful.