Short Irish LGBT Film Mon on RTE

Ambersky

Tonight Monday 23/6/14 RTE 1 is showing a short film at 10.35pm made by Anna Rodgers who also did Hold on Tight, Stand Up and If These Walls Could Talk.
This film is called Novena and its about a Lesbian and Gay man who were invited to give the homily at a Novena mass in Dundalk. The reading for this mass was on the Good Samaritan and the theme was Courage, being asked to speak about their experiences of exclusion as LGBT people from within the Catholic Church.

I know some of the readers here still struggle with their religion or sense of spirituality while others cant understand why anyone would be interested at all.
This film might have something to say to you if you find yourself in either of those two positions.
The film was shown at last years GAZE festival as part of the Irish Shorts.

Here is a bit about it

Novena captures a groundbreaking event in Ireland and is the only record of an unusual speech made during a Novena mass. St. Joseph's Redemptorist church in Dundalk host a Novena every year, and it is the biggest festival of faith in Ireland. During this particular Novena, the director of the event Fr. Michael Cusack, decided to make the theme “The courage to be yourself” inspired by a mother in his church, whose gay son felt rejected by the Catholic community. Fr. Cusack reached out to members of the LGBT community, Kay Ferriter and Stephen Vaughan, inviting them to address the congregation about their experiences of being gay and lesbian in Ireland and feeling excluded by Catholic doctrine. Knowing his community to be a welcoming one, he hoped that the outcome would be positive. Novena documents the powerful speech that was made that day and the aspirations of one priest for a more inclusive church.

http://vimeo.com/83843825

J_E

Thank you for the reminder, definitely watching tonight.