Gays and Grays

Most Holy Redeemer Parish, the iconic Catholic parish in San Francisco’s Castro District, is where Father Donal’s inspiration of a Church built around inclusion can be witnessed. Located on the corner of 18th and Diamond Avenue, this landmark church became well known during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s; it opened its doors to serve as a “Coming Home Hospice,” serving as a facility that supported the terminally ill patients. Prior to the AIDS epidemic, the church had fallen in disrepair. It was part of a school that closed, and many of the parish community had left. But with the help of Father Anthony McGuire, the church became more open, and created a safe space where others could share stories without being judged.

Father Donal’s book, Gays and Grays, recounts this history but also the unique composition of its parishoners. The church weaves together the “Grays” –older parish community of mainly Irish, German, and Italian descent– with the “Gays” –younger LGBTQ+ transplants to the Castro. Father Donal writes “Most Holy Redeemer challenges the institutional church not by clamoring for change but by allowing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people of faith to be themselves and be Catholic without shame or subterfuge.” In this sense, the Holy Redeemer has been a step ahead of the global Catholic community.

As Father Donal explained, it is important for the church to “find space to respect people for who they are, and honor that…if it can happen in one community, then it can happen to someone else. They have to make the decisions themselves if and when they are ready, but we can’t tell them what to do.” He mentions his own journey led him to writing about his book about the parish. “The spirit led me here to be here and do this I believe. At the time, I wasn’t always sure, and part of it was my own sexual identity as a gay man, and that was something at that time which I struggled with but now is part of me. To me, it’s not that interesting anymore. It's who I am, and, with God, is part of my identity with everything else. I believe that God has used this to do my doctorate, which was on the parish, and the book came from my doctrine.”

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