from The Panama News
Gay church in Panama
Yes, Virgin-ia, there is a gay church in Panama. We all know there are umpteen gay priests; but only this church claims it loud and claims it proud. She may be bi and married to a man, but Our Lady of the Rainbow is here.
Last February 1, on the Feast of Brigid of Kildare, Bishop William C. “Rusty” Clyma, III, bishop of St Savior’s Inclusive Celtic Episcopal Church-San Francisco, and his spouse/partner, the Rev’d. George McCauslan, traveled to Panama City to ordain the then-deacon oonagh to the priesthood. In attendance, as presenters were members of AHMNP and UNAIDS, her husband — “my true tribe.”
Since then (and before) Amma oonagh has traveled the length and breadth of Panama, carrying the church “in the streets” for those who ask. Weddings, blessings, baptisms, adoptions, hand-fastings, Pride eucharists, World AIDS Day memories and vigils, house blessings, bar blessings, labyrinth walks. “You name it,” she claims,”we’ll write and pray a service! And I do mean ‘we.’ I’m not very good at being ‘Tha Man.’ This is your life; I’m your humble servant and people have a right to agree and disagree on what is said and done in sacred spaces…There is a common denominator of a ‘gay spirituality’ that speaks out of oppression and speaks from Liberation Theology, and most especially a way of thinking-being-and living in the world. My favorite book is Marcella Anthus-Reid’s ‘Indecent Theology;’ my other favorite theologian is Ivone Gebara. Both of these women come from the tradition of Liberation Theology, born right here in Latin America, speaking deeply from our experiences here that have always been deeply rooted in ‘The New World’ and the ‘Old Old’ of the New World that’s powerful and aboriginal, not Spanish, English, French, or US.”
One need not be Christian either. “We are all sacred beings of The Divine One. I use Christian language because that is my tradition, but I’m far from what is usually considered traditional, thank the God/dess!” she grins. “I believe we might be closer to what Jesus had to say about people…Early Church meeting 21st century people meets monastic prayer meets Gaelic and English..and now Spanish…My personal theology is as much a blend of my DNA, a Sioux mother and an Irish father, as it has to do with eight years in seminary; much of who I am has as much to do with Earth-based spirituality as it does with so-called Christian anything. We adapt lots of liturgy from Iona and other Celtic-Christian work and prayers. We practice a way of being church, a verb, as God is a verb, that’s about small groups and house church intimacy and safety; we call it ‘Brigid’s Mantle.’ You can read the story on the website. The ‘old’ of the Earth and Creation never left Ireland; it’s still there, underground, but it’s alive. Just as many RC nuns walk the sacred wells as lay people. Mary Daly is in Ireland. Starhawk danced the Spiral Dance in Ireland. If I don’t honour my Irish heritage then I’m doing a disservice to who and how I am. It’s one of the reasons I’m a member of ICEC, that intentional Celtic connection. The primary reason I’m a priest in this gay church is I couldn’t wait for my former Church to quit arguing about the full rights of Baptism with GLBT folk. A bumper sticker reads: Women, if we’re not going to ordain them, then stop baptizing them.’ The same has been said of GLBT folk; certainly my favorite t-shirt claims that. I’m not here to convert anyone…to anything! I’m here to walk with people, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people in their lives. For me, that’s the real sacred, in the day to day. That’s where the real miracles are. And besides God is Metaphor, Mystery, and Something Greater Than We That’s About Love And Relationships. That’s how I see it anyway, this day. Ask me tomorrow when I might not be able to say there is a God, whatever G/god is.”
Our Lady of the Rainbow/Nuestra Senora del Arco Iris and the Inclusive Celtic Episcopal Church use inclusive language. They honour the gay saints of Christendom and some of those like William Stringfellow, Martin Luther King, Jr., the s/heroes of Stonewall, and Harvey Milk are not officially canonized, “but that doesn’t matter…a saint’s a saint and a martyr is a martyr. Anyone here can speak to the life of Oscar Romero, the blessed, brilliant, and wonderful Jesuits, the Maryknolls, the ‘Disappeared.’” The liturgies and homilies are specifically addressed towards GLBT rights. “I’ll wear a collar into a gay bar in Panama City; I’ll have a few drinks; I’ll smoke a cigar; I’ll wear a collar to a GLBT movie showing. But you’ll usually find me in a nahua, whether I’m wearing a collar or not. They are beautiful walking rainbows and I love the Ngobe. They’re my other community.”
She hopes all her work in life reflects social justice. “I’m not so much interested in social works, although that is important. Churches with only ‘feeding programs’ raise my eyebrows. I come from the Father Robert Warren Cromey School of Church that lives and teaches an actual change in poverty, homelessness, hunger, education, housing, and health care — especially for women and children. Otherwise, what is the point? Sure a feeding program is important and necessary. But without the other, you’re just only making yourself feel less guilty.” The words of a hero, Camera say: When I gave food to hungry people, they called me a saint: when I asked why people are hungry, they called me a Communist. “I don’t know if anyone could call anyone from the US a real live Communist, but I could certainly pass as a Christian Socialist.” A life-long gay rights advocate and “fag hag,” her work before ordination was in hospice and AIDS-advocacy. She’s been working with WPA before we called it HIV, before ARC, before GRID. Her most “fun” job was as a chaplain on the NAIAD, the San Francisco Neptune Society’s yacht, where five days a week you’d find her blessing cremains scattered into the San Francisco Bay. She dreams of establishing a hospice in Panama.
Included are pictures of the cathdral/bishop’s see in San Francisco. The other picture is most of us ordained folks at San Francisco’s Pride. The silver-haired man is oonagh+’s spouse Kenny, an Episcopal priest in Bocas. Mother oonagh struggles with Spanish. “Language is not my gift; I was in terminal remedial Old Testament Greek” but with twenty-four hours notice, I can read the Mass in Spanish and in 72 hours, with translation assistance, I can preach in Spanish. On a good day and with lots of assistance from mi amiga Meri Elvia, I might be able to utter a few Ngobe words.”
For more information, please email: ammagh.oonagh@gmail.com or check http://www.myspace.com/ammaoonagh for ongoing revisions, music, images, thoughts. Celtic Advent reflections are at http://www.ammaghoonagh.wordpress.com named “Fay, Gay, and On The Way”.
The Rev’d. oonagh Ryan-King
The Inclusive Celtic Episcopal Church
http://inclusivecelticchurch.com/stsavior1.aspx
