A new start time and route to Chicago's annual Pride Parade may have been hailed by some as a necessary safety measure, but for one Lakeview Catholic church, the changes have become a serious sticking point.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church ( 708 W. Belmont ) is worried that the early start time and new route will make it difficult for parishioners to get to church that day. The church has launched a petition and phone campaign to 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney on the matter.
"The Sunday morning for us is sacred," Father Thomas Srenn of Mount Carmel, told Windy City Times.
Parade officials announced that the 2012 Pride Parade would begin at 10:00 a.m., two hours earlier than its usual noon start time. The change in time was made in an effort to curb public drinking at the event. The route was also re-worked to stretch out the parade and relieve parts of the neighborhood that suffered from dangerously large crowds in 2011.
Max Bever, a spokesperson from Tunney's office, said that his office is working on a resolution with the church. His office has received calls on the matter, he said.
"The route change and the time change certainly weren't meant to cause any inconvenience for any religious institutions," Bever said.
Srenn said that Our Lady of Mount Carmel is as diverse as the heavily LGBT neighborhood around it, and that his concerns have nothing to do with the content of the parade itself. In addition, Our Lady of Mount Carmel hosts Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach.
But Gregory Hauser, a church member of 18 years questioned if Srenn would react similarly to a non-LGBT group and said that social justice could not always be convenient. He voiced his concerns in a letter to Tunney.
"I would suggest to Fr Srenn and my fellow parishioners that this is in fact, a teachable moment," Hauser wrote. "Questions from the pulpit that might stimulate meaningful reflection include: Why was the Pride Parade created in the first place? What were the conditions in society that precipitated this event?"
Srenn said that contrary to rumors, the church is not protesting the Pride Parade. Rather he said, they're aiming to get organizers to reconsider the start time, which conflicts with morning masses. At very least, he hopes that organizers might find a solution for 2013, he said.
"We've all existed in this neighborhood together forever," Srenn said. "We'll cooperate with the reality."