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Issues & Opinions

A Story of Marriage: Be Part of the Civil Rights Movement of Our Era. 

by Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo

 

I'm spearheading a campaign to request clergy to suggest their straight couples to consider marrying by Banns wherever possible rather than licenses. This will act as a support to same sex couples who can only marry by Banns (and then not see their marriages registered) and will save our straight couples 100.00 rather than giving it to city hall. It also rediscovers a wonderful old Church tradition. We have been doing this in our Church with great success. The campaign is supported by Doug Elliott the lawyer fronting the challenge to the Federal government and will hopefully spread to clergy of other faiths and denominations.

  

You may have seen the article in the Toronto Star on Aug.21st. I married two women in the first (acknowledged) gay marriage in Canada. It was ratified by the registrar's office by mistake and we performed the ceremony by using Banns. Subsequently I have sent out hundreds of emails and had an article published in Xtra, Toronto's gay weekly, urging clergy to use banns over licenses wherever possible in marrying couples as a sign of solidarity with legalizing same sex unions.

 

For straight couples this saves a registration fee and a wait at City Hall and is completely legal. It also positions marriage as a rite of the worshipping community. You simple need to get banns forms from the registrar's office and suggest it to couples as an option. They need to be known as members or adherents of the congregation and not be previously married. It also needs to published in your bulletin and announced from the pulpit. If anyone needs furthur info they can simple email me.

 

Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo is a minister at Emmanuel-Howard Park United Church in Toronto. She has D. Min on multicultural ministry.

 

 

 

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