Putting it on the line for marriage

Women’s group gathers signatures to get marriage amendment on November ballot

By Mary Moore
The Catholic Sun

TEMPE — A steady stream of parishioners gathered at tables outside of Resurrection Parish after a recent April Mass.

And it wasn’t for donuts.

Catholics are joining others throughout the Valley in gathering signatures to get the Protect Marriage Arizona amendment on the November ballot. An effort organized by the Phoenix Diocesan Council of Catholic Women has been underway since January to collect the necessary 184,000 signatures for the amendment to make it on the ballot.

The initiative defines “marriage” as only consisting of the union of one man and one woman.

Genny Jones, the legislative chair for the Catholic women’s group, said the participation has been outstanding, gathering more than 1,500 signatures in their first attempt in January.

The council has been to a dozen more parishes since and hopes to be a presence at all 90 within the diocese before the end of June.

“Very few people refuse to sign,” she said.

Volunteers also said that their presence has encouraged the message of the sanctity of marriage to be preached from the pulpit.

“People come out to sign the petition and they are really excited” after hearing the message from their parish priest, said Ginny Perron, a volunteer gathering signatures. “It’s very encouraging to them.”

Fr. Steve Kunkel, pastor of Resurrection Parish, said he is glad to have the petitions present for parishioners. 

“It’s important to protect traditional families because the Scriptures are clear about the morality of same-sex marriage,” he said. “We need to promote God’s kingdom.”

Fr. Kunkel said only one parishioner protested the petition and the Church’s position on same-sex marriage. His answer, he said, reveals an important distinction that should be made to any who feel similarly. 

“It’s not about the person, it’s about the sin” of homosexual activity, he said. “We love and accept the person, but we can’t accept the sin.”

Michelle and Joseph Cyr signed the petition while balancing their two daughters on one arm. As the parents of two young girls, Michelle said she signed the petition because she wants to teach her children to believe the same thing that the Church does on the subject of same-sex marriage.

“This is so important. There is so much going on out there to promote marriage of other combinations,” Michelle said. “We want to raise our kids to believe in God’s way.”

Parish Gillilea said he signed the petition because he believes his and other marriages are a blessed sacrament. 

“I want to promote children and love and the calling God has given us,” he said, adding that having the petitions at churches was a good first step. “Each individual must go beyond what the world asks of us and do what God asks of us, to preach the truth.”

Many who signed petitions outside of Resurrection and other parishes receive a copy of the Arizona bishops’ statement on marriage. The statement spells out the Church’s position on marriage and the need to get parishioners signing petitions at the local level.

“We, the Catholic Bishops of Arizona, are deeply concerned for our Catholic believers and the well being of society here in Arizona regarding the meaning of marriage,” the bishops stated in the pastoral letter. “In supporting Protect Marriage Arizona, we urge citizens of Arizona to consider carefully the assurance the amendment would give in our state to preserve the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.”

The letter also indicates the detrimental effect on a society that recognizes same-sex unions as the moral equivalent to a marriage between one man and one woman.

“The implications of equating so-called ‘same-sex unions’ and marriage are profound and unsettling,” the bishops said. “Across times, cultures, and very different religious beliefs, marriage is the foundation of the family. The family, in turn, is the basic unit of society. This makes marriage a personal relationship with enormous public significance.”

Representatives from the Phoenix Diocesan Council of Catholic Women estimate participation from a majority of parishioners leaving the churches since they began their efforts in January.