National Geographic

Back where it belongs - with the best hockey fans in the world.

Earlier this week I reported that the Archdiocese of Boston had moved to cancel a planned "All Are Welcome" Catholic mass in honor of gay Pride. Yesterday the Boston Globe reported that the local priest behind the idea is standing up to his bosses.

Sunday Mass at St. Cecilia’s Church in the Back Bay brought the first standing ovation any parishioner could remember. During the first Mass since the Archdiocese of Boston canceled one planned for next weekend in support of St. Cecilia’s gay and lesbian churchgoers, the Rev. John J. Unni preached a fiery message of unconditional love and what he called “acceptance of all." “You are welcome here, gay or straight, rich or poor, young or old, black or white,’’ Unni said as he paced up and down the center aisle. “Here, you all can say, ‘I can worship the God who made me as I am.’" Unni finished his homilies at the 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses to thunderous applause.

The "All Are Welcome" special mass remains canceled, but members of the Rainbow Ministry will gather on the sidewalk outside the church next Sunday.

After being criticized that it was "endorsing" Gay Pride Month, the Archdiocese of Boston has forced the cancellation of a planned "All Are Welcome" mass at a local church.

In its most recent bulletin, St. Cecilia Parish said that it had planned a “liturgy to commemorate Boston Pride 2011’’ for later this month. “The Rainbow Ministry of St. Cecilia Parish invites all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month,’’ the bulletin said. “The theme of the liturgy, ‘All Are Welcome,’ honors Christ’s message of hope and salvation to all people. We will also celebrate the diverse community that finds its home at St. Cecilia.’’ But after protests from conservative church members, the archdiocese intervened. “The wording and placement of a bulletin notice announcing that the St. Cecilia Rainbow Ministry will be joining the parish at a Mass on June 19 may have given the unintended impression that the Mass is in support of Gay Pride Week; it is not,’’ said Terrence C. Donilon, a spokesman for the archdiocese. “The pastor will clarify this issue at the Masses this coming weekend.’’

At the urging of a very young fan, the Boston Red Sox have agreed to become the third major league sports team to record an "It Gets Better" video. The Advocate reports:

Sam Maden, a 12-year-old Sox fan, petitioned the team via Change.org to create a video for the project, founded by Dan Savage and Terry Miller as a way to fight antigay bullying and teen suicide by letting young LGBT people know that life does get better. Maden conceived his petition campaign as a way to honor an uncle who died unexpectedly in January. About 9,000 people, mostly Red Sox fans from New England, signed Maden’s petition, according to a news release from Change.org. Team executives announced over the weekend that the Sox would make a video.

Last week the San Francisco Giants became the first time to release an anti-bullying video. The Chicago Cubs are due up next.

The Boston Pops writes us today to invite JMG readers to participate in a Judy Garland tribute. Post a YouTube clip of yourself singing Over The Rainbow and you may be featured in their "national choir collage" to be played at Boston Pops performances all this season.

To pay respect to the shared cultural heritage of the American Songbook, the Boston Pops is asking for video submissions of fans singing “Over the Rainbow” for inclusion in a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. Voted number one on the RIAA and NEA’s “Songs of the Century” list, Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” is an American Songbook selection that unites generations and ties the 2011 Spring Pops Season together—from the Opening Night Judy Garland tribute to the finale “Triple Crown” performance celebrating America’s Heartland. The signature Boston Pops sing-along has long been an audience favorite, so this year the orchestra is opening the sing-along to a national choir. Participants of all ages can submit video of themselves singing “Over the Rainbow,” by adding a video to YouTube and emailing a link and contact info to overtherainbow@bso.org. Videos will be featured on the Boston Pops YouTube channel, on the Boston Pops website, and at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. All video submissions are due by Saturday, April 26, 2011.

There's more than a few of you that I'd love to see do this.

Their first record in 24 years. Like time stood still.

In mid-December a couple staged a flash mob wedding at Boston's Prudential Center. Stick around for the vows at 4:00 when the pastor includes gay couples as those deserving of marriage and love.

Longtime Boston Herald sportswriter Steve Buckley came out in a column published today. An excerpt:

I’ve put this off long enough. I haven’t been fair to my family, my friends or my co-workers. And I certainly haven’t been fair to myself: For too many years I’ve been on the sidelines of Boston’s gay community but not in the game — figuratively and literally, as I feel I would have had a pretty good career in the (gay) Beantown Softball League.Over the past couple of months I have discussed the coming-out process with my family and a few friends, and have had sit-downs with Herald editor-in-chief Joe Sciacca and sports editor Hank Hryniewicz, as well as with WEEI’s Glenn Ordway. They’ve been great, as have my friends and family. But during this same period, I have read sobering stories about people who came undone, killing themselves after being outed. These tragic events helped guide me to the belief that if more people are able to be honest about who they are, ultimately fewer people will feel such devastating pressure.