I switched my schedule this week from working Saturdays to Sundays. Newspaper stories come from wherever people gather, so Sundays often mean church assignments.
Today’s was at a church that has been in the news the past month: Holy Family Catholic Parish in northwest suburban Inverness. Colin Collette was the music director of the church for 17 years until he was fired earlier this summer after becoming engaged to his partner, William Nifong. You can read much more in some of our recent stories.
This afternoon, a couple hundred parishioners gathered in front of the church in support of Mr. Collette. They read letters expressing how much he meant to them, sang and prayed.
In a visually striking moment at the end of the hour, they invited everyone to come forward and reach out to Colin as they prayed with him. It was a moving scene before many of the parishioners headed inside for a regularly scheduled mass. They may be caught between their church and their friend, but it was special to see so many people there to support the person first.
