FLORIDA: Father Tony Is On Call

Our own Tony Adams is standing by to perform Florida weddings this week. When marriage first came to New York, Tony was among the officiants on that glorious day in Central Park and he's since officiated at numerous other weddings. See his Facebook page for contact details. The above image embiggens nicely. That's me in the upper left photo from when he married friends of mine from Orlando during a Halloween snowstorm. The weather in Florida will be much nicer this week.

Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

Father Tony is doing the Miami - Key West AIDS ride this weekend.  From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:

In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.

So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. (And from this here website thingy, of course.)  Hit the first link for a worthy cause.

Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

I don't know where he gets the energy, but in November our own Father Tony will participate in South Florida's version of an AIDS ride.  From the SMART Ride about page:

Like many things that change us and the world in some way, it starts with a dream, a vision, and an idea. The Southern Most AIDS/HIV RideTwenty-Thirteen is no different. It was born out of a dream to make a real and significant difference in the lives of those infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS. The SMART Ride began as a dream to create a bicycle event where 100% of pledges raised could go back to the communities to be used for direct services. That was over eight years ago, and so far $4.2 million dollars have been raised. 100% has been given back to the communities we serve to assist with direct services for individuals infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:

In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.

So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. And of course, he'll have a JMG sticker on his helmet.

NOTE: Regretfully, I've had to turn down many requests to promote JMG reader participation in AIDS rides and similar events, but since this one is sort of "in-house" for me, I'm making an exception for Father Tony.

Married After 48 Years Together

This weekend our own Father Tony married Fort Lauderdale residents Mike and Ray, who met 48 years ago at a gay bar in New Jersey.  The ceremony, which took place at Central Park's Bethesda Fountain, was attended by eight friends of the grooms and was accompanied by a violinist. In lieu of the traditional stipend for officiating, the couple happily agreed to Tony's usual suggestion of a donation to the Ali Forney Center.  Tony adds: "You should have seen the faces of the three young gay couples who happened by us at the fountain. They remained with us through out the whole ceremony, and you could see in their faces amazing respect for these 'older' men who, as Ray said in his vows to Mike, are entering 'the final phase of our life together.'"

Quote Of The Day - Father Tony Adams

"Because there are no overtly gay-friendly cardinals on earth, when the 115 voting-age scarlet princes glided into the Sistine chapel to select from their ranks a new pope, hopes were slim that gay Catholics would benefit from the conclave. When the chosen one stepped out onto the balcony of Saint Peter’s basilica, it was clear that the haze of white smoke over the crowd in the piazza was laced with carbon monoxide smuggled in from Argentina and lethal to gay Catholics.  Unless the new Pope Francis does some serious backpedaling from his anti-gay words and record in Buenos Aires, the 'Extra Omnes' [Everybody out!] that is intoned when the doors to the conclave are locked will never be an exhortation to gay Catholics to feel free to come out of their closets and to share love openly." - Father Tony Adams, writing for South Florida Gay News.

Read the full essay.

Quote Of The Day - Father Tony Adams

"From the immaculate soles of his Pradas to the jeweled tip of his gold-threaded mitre, Pope Benedict XVI has been a paragon of gilded denial whose brow furrowed briefly when confronted with news of pedophile priests, church cover-ups, condom use in Africa, unruly nuns, plummeting Sunday church attendance and a general lack of new and renewed subscription to a church that has kept its flock in line with the threat that disobedience to the infallible moral teaching of its pope would lead to eternal fire in hell.

"Benedict once said that it would not bother him if the Catholic Church should become drastically smaller in size by the weeding out of dissenters. His 'my way or the highway' approach to pastoral leadership resulted in the silent and almost unnoticed mass exodus of significant numbers of American Catholics who simply stopped getting married in church, stopped going to church on Sunday, stopped feeling guilty about gay sex, artificial birth control, condoms or vibrators, stopped entering the confessional on Saturday afternoon, stopped becoming nuns and priests, and, as was disclosed in startling recent surveys, stopped believing that gay people should not have equality and that other belief systems are not just as good as Catholicism." - Father Tony Adams, writing for South Florida Gay News.

Read the full article.

Andrew Sullivan's 2012 Yglesias Award

Our own Father Tony Adams is among Andrew Sullivan's 2012 finalists in his annual Yglesias Award, which is granted to "writers, politicians, columnists or pundits who actually criticize their own side, make enemies among political allies, and generally risk something for the sake of saying what they believe."  Hit the link for the quotes from all of this year's finalists. Vote for your choice at the link.

DISCLOSURE: Father Tony's quote comes from his article in the 2012 issue of the national Pride Magazine, of which I was senior editor.

Afternoon View

Hurricane Sandy did a number on Fort Lauderdale Beach, which seems about half as wide as when I last saw it. I don't recall that lifeguard stand being so close the water.

Longtime JMG Reader Weds In NYC

Father Tony performed the wedding of another JMG reader this weekend in NYC! Tony writes:

Last night at City Winery, I joined in marriage long time JMG reader and past NYC Pride March director Maurice Michaane (right) and Dr. Michael Owen.  I spoke to the two families—Brooklyn Jewish and Kentucky Presbyterian — about how this ceremony represents the fruition of the Judeo-Christian tradition this country is rooted in, but in a way probably never envisioned by our founding fathers who would have, nevertheless, in their appreciation of freedom, approved. I began the recital of the traditional Jewish seven blessings by chanting the first two in Hebrew. I prefaced a reading from an epistle of St Paul by noting that some Christians use the words of St Paul against this type of union but if we listen to what Paul—a Jewish to Christian convert—says about love, it is clear that he would have been happy to be at this celebration.

The wedding was reported upon by the New York Times.  Father Tony accepts no payment for performing these ceremonies but does suggest a donation to the Ali Forney Center.  Write him at FatherTonyAdams@Facebook.com.

Longtime JMG Reader Weds In NYC

Father Tony writes us this morning with some happy news:

"At sunset on Friday night, longtime JMG reader Sean Smith (blue shirt) married his partner of 15 years, Kevin Beckford. On JMG, they had read about my policy of asking couples to donate to the Ali Forney Center in lieu of a fee and thought this was a good idea. Their wedding was held at Bongo, the fabulous seafood lounge at 395 West Street in Greenwich Village. Old timers will remember this as the location of the bar Ramrod."

Congratulations Sean and Kevin! As noted above, Father Tony accepts no payment for performing these weddings, but he does suggest a donation to the Ali Forney Center. Write him at FatherTonyAdams@Facebook.com.

Wedding Photo Of The Day

This weekend our own Father Tony married Italian visitors Salvatore Stolfi and Massimo Porcelli in Jefferson Market Garden in Greenwich Village. The grooms requested that the ceremony open with the below statement written by Tony and translated for the mostly-Italian wedding party.

Welcome to the marriage of Salvatore and Massimo! We have come together today to celebrate their life together. They want to proclaim before you and the world their dedication to each other. They have invited you to witness this important moment in their life together. Let us pause for a moment to remember that their proclamation of love is a bold and courageous statement.

This happy day, celebrated in New York City where couples like Salvatore and Massimo were granted equal marriage rights just thirteen months ago, is also a reminder that in many other parts of America and in many other countries, including Italy, what they do here today is still illegal. In some parts of the world their love for each other is still punishable by death. We cannot wait for kings and presidents and popes and bishops to change this unjust situation.

We live only once and have such a short time on earth to be the best lovers we possibly hope to be. There is much work left to do so that all of us may enjoy equal rights and protections. When you return home, I hope this celebration will inspire you to help end inequality in your own part of the world.

Father Tony accepts no payment for performing these weddings, but he does suggest a donation to the Ali Forney Center. Write him at FatherTonyAdams@Facebook.com.

Father Tony On Bear Week

"How you structure your Provincetown days and nights is telling. During Bear Week, I tried to do too much. I loved the people-watching from the chairs in front of Joe’s coffee shop, in the crowd at Tea Dance, or over a burger at Bubala’s. I loved the music at Bob Mould’s Blowoff party at the Boatslip, I loved my boat excursion with SFGN’s Brian McNaught, my posse’s bike trip through the pine forest and hike on the breakwater. [snip]

"Brian McNaught has a ritual when he is out on the bay. He rounds a metal buoy that holds a bell. His boat’s wake swings the buoy and he dedicates the ringing of the bell to the memory of a friend who has died. I looked tearfully to shore while he did this, and silently recited the names of departed friends like the beads of a rosary. If I must have ghosts, Provincetown is always where I’ll come to visit them and Bear Week is the happiest time for a reunion." - Father Tony Adams, writing for South Florida Gay News.

Quote Of The Day - Father Tony Adams

"Unlike my parents, young Catholics today do not fear or revere the clergy. The worldwide priest pedophile scandal did irreparable damage to the blind respect priests once enjoyed. For young Catholics, the pope is a distant and tiny man; a relic of an age when the temporal power and splendor of the church almost suffocated religion itself. Many of these young Catholics will not be getting out of bed early on a Sunday morning to get their kids cleaned up, dressed and in the car in time for Mass, and they will not be throwing their hard- earned dollars into the collection basket. They will discourage their sons from even considering the priesthood as a vocation. Today, American bishops brazenly insert themselves into politics, preaching messages of hate and intolerance, stripping rights from women and forcing the priests below them to read letters from the pulpit ordering Catholics to behave in certain ways, such as voting against marriage equality.

"Whenever a priest refuses to read such a letter, I am filled with hope that other priests—gay or straight—will stand up with him and will together take a courageous stand against the homophobia of the hierarchy. We live in a time where the sheep must lead the lost shepherds. But my hope is that when those confused old shepherds have passed away, a new generation of Catholic priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes will include openly gay, straight, single and married men and women—people who will not be interested in sticking their noses in Catholic bedrooms but will instead be focused on amplifying the unconditional love of Jesus. I hope I live to see that day. I would not mind receiving the blessing from such a pope and being asked again to step up to that pulpit on the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica to proclaim the truth of Jesus with the voice he gave me for exactly that purpose." - Father Tony Adams, writing for Pride Magazine.

NOTE: His essay begins on Page 74 and he does not shy away from naming some names from his days at the Vatican.

Pride Magazine 2012 Is Online

Pride Magazine 2012 is online in its entirety. Click on the link and hit full-screen to click through the title page by page. And keep an eye out for a piece (page 77) from our own Father Tony!

Tomorrow In New York City

There's just a few seats left for tomorrow night's reading of Father Tony Adams' new play, A Letter From The Bishop. Email for reservations: aletterfromthebishop@me.com.

Stonewall Live Radio With Father Tony

Tune in tonight at 9pm eastern.

A Letter From The Bishop: Father Tony Adams' Play Gets First NYC Reading

Father Tony Adams' timely new play, A Letter From The Bishop, had its first public reading in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year, which some of you watched here via a live video hookup. If you're in NYC next month, please consider attending the play's first Gotham reading at Times Square's St. Clement's Theater. Free admission, but reservations are recommended!

Morning View - Fort Lauderdale Beach

Tony Adams: A Letter From The Bishop

Tonight: A special JMG event as Father Tony Adams presents the first public reading of his new play, A Letter From The Bishop.

In November of 2011, Father Tony wrote "A Letter From The Bishop", a play about three gay priests and their Catholic bishop who is against marriage equality. It is also about promises, obedience and conscience. Most of you are familiar with the energetic homophobia of the Roman Catholic bishops of America, but obscure is the soul of the gay priest who must follow that agenda. Or not. Although the characters are entirely fictional, the business of the play is being repeated in cities across the country. The four readers are Ken Averett, Philip Brisbois, Tim Rogers and Chad Thilborger. (That cast includes an Episcopalian priest, an ex-Jesuit and two professional actors. You'll be hard pressed to assign the labels correctly!) The reading is hosted by Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale.

The reading begins at 7pm Eastern time. You may see a short commercial before the feed goes live. If you'd like to chat with others watching the feed, hit the large mid-screen play button to open a new window. Click the lower play button to stay on JMG.

UPDATE: The performance is completed. Thanks everybody!

Speaking Of Red Hats....

From our own Father Tony, pictured above at the left.

Reading about the consistory planned for February, when [New York Archbishop] Tim Dolan will be made a cardinal reminded me of the consistory of May '76 in which I had the silliest job I ever performed. And the one job I have ever had in my life that I thoroughly enjoyed. That's me delivering a fresh silver tray-load of red hats to the Pope [Paul VI]. I knew exactly what was behind door #2.

That tray was very old sterling, and extremely heavy. Standing there, waiting for the last hat to be taken off, my arms and hands began to tremble. I looked at my friend Renato, the handsome black-haired guy next to the cross (now the Archbishop of Spoleto) I mouthed the word "aiuto!" (Help!) He just laughed. Carol Merrill never had to work as hard as I did that day. The tray (16th century) was way too big to swipe. I'd have taken a hat, but there were no no-shows.

I love it.