Beloved
Disciple Catholic Church, Toronto
"A progressive, inclusive, affirming
Catholicism rooted in Tradition"
About us
Beloved Disciple Catholic Church is a progressive and affirming worship
community within the Église Catholique
Eucharistique - Eucharistic Catholic
Church (ECE-ECC). Located in
The ECE-ECC and Beloved Disciple provide a Catholic witness to the
inclusive love of Christ. As such, we affirm that there are no throw-away
people in God's creation. We affirm that gender, marital status and
sexual orientation are not to be used as exclusionary factors. We welcome
the inclusion of women in the priesthood, the marriage of priests and the
wedding of gay and lesbian couples as gifts of God. We strive to be a place
of healing for those who have been hurt by their church of origin, but still
yearn for Catholic spirituality and liturgy. We value His Holiness the Pope as
our patriarch, spiritual father and symbol of unity; yet, we are
Catholics-in-exile and are not under the authority of the
See our monthly newsletters
for topical information on social, spiritual and liturgical issues. Each
newsletter includes a monthly liturgical calendar.
Beloved Disciple Catholic Church is listed at www.gaychurch.org, a web site dedicated to ministering to the gay
and lesbian Christian community (GLBT) and to the friends of our community. The
site features one of the largest gay Christian bulletin boards and gay
"welcoming" Christian church directories in the world. A large
section of the site is dedicated to articles pertinent to reconciling one's
faith with one's sexual orientation ("Gay and Christian?").
Mass
We use both the Traditional Rite in Latin and the New Rite in English
for Holy Mass, according to the liturgical calendar appropriate to each -- see
the schedule below for details. In the Traditional Rite, the homilies are always in
English; the priest, along with the whole assembly, always faces the Altar for
the Eucharistic Canon (a sign of our common prayer to God); and the antiphons
(Entrance, Gradual/Tract, Gospel Acclamation, Offertory, Communion) are sung
Gregorian chant in Latin. Hymns in English are also sung. Translations of all
Latin texts are always provided.
Holy Mass is celebrated in the Chapel of Our
Lady of the Annunciation and of the Beloved Disciple, the domestic chapel of
the Convent of Our Lady of the Annunciation. The Chapel is easily accessible by
the TTC. There is on-street parking. Please call 416-937-9459 for location
details.
Weddings
For weddings,
Abp. Roger and Fr. Stuart help couples ritualize their commitment; in most
cases their participation includes helping the couple create a ceremony that is
meaningful for them, as well as officiating at the ceremony if requested.
They are pleased to blend the different religious traditions of couples in
their wedding ceremonies. Divorce is not an automatic impediment to
re-marriage in the Church.
We solemnize both opposite- and same-sex marriages. Ceremonies for
same-sex couples - like those for heterosexual couples - affirm that God’s love
is witnessed and embodied in these relationships. Therefore, these are
sacramental events. In Ontario same-sex marriages are legally registered with
the province.
One of the weddings Abp. Roger officiated was the subject of an episode
of the popular TV program Rich Bride/Poor Bride.
If you want to talk about planning a wedding, are interested in the
celebration of any sacrament, or want to explore your own spirituality through
individual sessions, please contact Abp. Roger.
Our Patron
Saint John, the youngest of the Twelve Apostles, describes himself as
the "disciple whom Jesus loved" (Jn.: 13:23). He is known as the
Beloved Disciple because the Scriptures reveal that Jesus loved him with a
special love which was shown in many ways. It is Saint John who rests his head
on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper. Being the only Apostle who didn't forsake Jesus during His
Passion, he stood at the foot of the Cross as Jesus died. It is to his care
that Jesus entrusted Mary, his mother. Saint John, with Saint Peter and Saint
James, were the only ones Jesus admitted to the room where he raised from death
the daughter of Jairus; and they alone were present
at the Transfiguration and at the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Early Church believed that after the crucifixion, Saint John took
the Mother of God to Ephesus and was present at her death. Around the year 90
he was taken to Rome to be martyred but miraculously escaped death and was
exiled by the emperor Domitian to the solitary isle of Patmos. There he
received and dictated to his young scribe Prochorus,
the final book of Scripture, the Revelation. St. Augustine and some in the
Eastern church believe John died in Ephesus c. 101, a radiantly holy elder
bishop, his last words having been "Little children, love one
another."
Saint John is the author of a Gospel, three Epistles and the apocalyptic
Book of Revelation. It is from him that we receive the message that the light
of God's love is the only force able to counter the darkness of hate. Saint John's stated purpose in
writing his Gospel is "...so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life
through his name" (Jn. 20:31). It is this message of God's love offered through Jesus the
Christ to all people that we hope to proclaim as we build an inclusive
Catholicism.
Biographical Profile
s
Most Reverend
Roger LaRade, O.F.A.,
archbishop of the ECE-ECC and founding pastor of Beloved Disciple Catholic
Church, entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1977 and was ordained a Roman
Catholic priest in 1986. He left the Jesuits in 1990. His decision
to leave was based on two factors: taking a public position against the
Church’s teaching on gay and lesbian lives and a desire to be in a committed
relationship. He and his husband Mark met in 1991 and live in
Toronto. After 12 years together, they were married in the summer of 2003
following Ontario’s recognition in law of same-sex marriages.
Abp. Roger was called back to ministry by the gay and lesbian couples
who asked him to officiate at their commitment ceremonies and Holy
Unions. He returned to active ministry as a priest in 2003. In 2006 he
founded a religious community in the Franciscan spirit: the Order of
Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God, also known as the
Franciscans of the Annunciation.
On June 11, 2005, then-Father Roger was called to the Episcopate to be
chief shepherd of L'Église Catholique Eucharistique - The
Eucharistic Catholic Church (ECE-ECC); he was ordained and consecrated a bishop
in Apostolic Succession on December 10, 2005 in
Reflecting on his ministry, Abp. Roger says, “My life as a Jesuit for
thirteen years, and my priestly ministry since then, has given me experience
and training which is helpful to others as they search to make sense of faith
and spirituality. This search can be difficult because it is often based
in the context of a negative experience within the church of their youth.
My ministry is open to all. As an openly gay man prohibited as such from
ministry within the Roman Catholic Church, I feel a special calling to assist
others excluded by their church of origin who are searching for spiritual
meaning. We desire to claim our rightful place in Christian life.
The Eucharistic Catholic Church, given its origins in seeking justice and
inclusive Catholic practice for lesbians and gays, and its affirming and
respectful inclusion of all believers, provides a Catholic community which can
nurture our spiritual yearning.”
Abp. Roger has been featured on CITY-TV and VISION TV. His views on gays
and the priesthood have been carried in the Toronto Star, and the
Globe and Mail –
Clergy of the ECE-ECC are not employed by the ECE-ECC and do not receive
renumeration from the ECE-ECC. Abp. Roger is in
private practice as a Jungian
Analyst and a Spiritual Director. He is a member of the International
Association of Analytical Psychology (Jungian Analysis) and of Spiritual
Directors International. Prior to this, he was Director of Support Services at
the AIDS Committee of Toronto.
Photographs
of the Ordination of Abp. Roger LaRade
Reverend Stuart Watson, associate pastor of Beloved Disciple Catholic Church
L'Église Catholique Eucharistique - The Eucharistic Catholic Church (ECE-ECC)
+ A progressive, inclusive and affirming Catholic Church
+ Welcoming the inclusion of women in the priesthood, the marriage of priests
and the wedding of gay and lesbian couples as gifts of God
+ A place of healing for those who have been hurt by their church of origin,
but still yearn for Catholic spirituality and liturgy
+ A Church in the Apostolic Succession
+ Valuing the primacy of honour of His Holiness the Pope as Successor of St.
Peter and Patriarch of the West; we pray for the Holy Father at every Mass we
celebrate
+ Catholics-in-exile, not under the authority and jurisdiction of the Vatican
The ECE-ECC encompasses the following ministries:
Beloved Disciple Catholic Church, Toronto, ON, Canada
Hermitage of Our Lady of Walsingham & St.
George, Cleveland, GA, USA (O.F.A.)
Order of Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God
[Franciscans of the Annunciation] (O.F.A.); Convent of Our Lady of the
Annunciation,
St. Clare Convent,
Recovery Centre Mass, Moorhead, MN, USA
The ECE-ECC is an independent, self-governing jurisdiction with its own
hierarchy. The ECE-ECC holds a federal charter in Canada since 1977. Our
beginnings go back to the Eucharistic Catholic Church founded in the
1940s in the
In 1977 Archbishop Robert Clement, Primate of the Eucharistic
Catholic Church, received Fr. Hervé Lionel Quessy of Montreal and several other clerics, all ordained
in Old Catholic orders, into the Eucharistic Catholic Church. Two
mission parishes were established - one in Montréal and one in
On 28 March 2004 Primate Clement gave permission to Bishop Darrel D.
Hockley of Regina to restart the work of the ECE-ECC in Canada. In 2005,
Bp. Hockley called on Fr. Roger LaRade to accept the
leadership of the ECE-ECC. Committed to witnessing the inclusive love of God
and having an active gay-friendly ministry in
Franciscans of the Annunciation
On the Feast of the Annunciation 2006, Archbishop
Roger founded a religious community within the ECE-ECC. He named this new
community the Order of Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of
God, also known as the Franciscans of the Annunciation. The initials which
members of the Order place after their names are O.F.A. Members who live their
vocation as hermits add the abbreviation ‘eremi.’
(from the Latin eremita,
hermit) after O.F.A. (O.F.A.eremi.) to designate this
status.
Following the
evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience we experience and live
our vows as partnered/married or single persons, male and female, all under the
same rule of life. We desire to have Saint Francis as a
guide to our following of Jesus. We identify strongly with Jesus’ call to Saint
Francis to “go, rebuild my Church”. We understand this in the contemporary
world as a call to proclaim (announce – Annunciation) the Infinite Love of God
for all people. God’s Infinite Love is shown us in the person of Jesus. As
Mary, at the Annunciation, said “Yes” to God’s call to her to incarnate Jesus,
so Franciscans of the Annunciation dedicate ourselves to live out our “Yes” to
God’s call to each one of us to continue to incarnate Jesus through action and
word.
In living this call, we have looked for a Franciscan
community rooted in Tradition in its response to the modern world. We see this
community as necessary in encouraging our ministry while shaping our mission.
Membership in the Franciscans of the Annunciation provides this through the
making of a commitment to live one’s vocation according to the rule of life of
the Order under the guidance of the Guardian-General, and includes regular
contact among members, ongoing study and discussion of Franciscan spirituality,
and daily prayer and Mass, and ministry. We are currently one sister, one
deacon, one hermit-priest and two priests.
Want to know more?
Contact Abp. Roger at 416-937-9459.