Clement celebrating the first public Mass in New York City

Clement celebrating the first public Mass in New York City

On July 19, 1970, Father Robert M. Clement celebrated the first public Mass of the newly founded Church of the Beloved Disciple at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Manhattan. Attended by an estimated 600 to 800 people, the liturgy offered an unprecedented public expression of sacramental worship affirming the spiritual lives of LGBTQ people and marked a watershed in the history of queer Christianity. The service attracted national media attention and established the Church of the Beloved Disciple as one of the earliest LGBTQ-affirming sacramental communities in the United States.

Church of the Beloved Disciple Archive, https://beloved-disciple.com

CBD_015