A Most Ludicrous Funeral, Part II

Final thoughts on the spectacle at St. Patrick's Cathedral

The funeral service for Cecilia Gentili at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City last week infuriated many Catholics, who saw the event as a spectacle meant to blaspheme the Church. Following a statement from the cathedral that it was “tricked” into holding the service for Gentili - a trans woman and former prostitute who supported migrants and AIDS patients and also fought for the decriminalization of sex work - a group supporting Gentili released a press release and held a news conference demanding that the cathedral apologize.

This is part of the press release from the organization Gays & Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (GLITS):

St. Patrick’s Cathedral was filled with over 1,400 mourners and community members for the iconic homegoing of legendary trans activist, actress, and community leader, Cecilia Gentili. This joyful and celebratory commemoration of her powerful legacy was abruptly cut short by a rash decision made by clergy members of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

GLITS rightfully notes that Gentili’s funeral was changed from a Mass to a service once the event began. The release goes on to say that this caused great anguish for mourners.

Still reeling from the pain of Cecilia’s loss, community members are asking for an explanation for this decision which seemingly violated Catholic Canon Law governing the denial of funeral masses.

What’s more, GLITS says that St. Patrick’s Cathedral was encouraged to look into Gentili’s past prior to the funeral. (This contradicts with what funeral organizer and Gentili’s friend, Ceyenne Doroshow, originally told the New York Times.)

To now place responsibility on the funeral organizers to have affirmatively disclosed the gender identity of their loved one is imposing a burden upon the mourners that would not be expected of a non-transgender person.

What this is really all about

Cecilia Gentili was baptized a Catholic but claimed to be an atheist. Born male, Gentili began to identify as a woman in her early 20s and considered herself to be transgender up to her death. Gentili worked for many years in the sex trade and advocated for the decriminalization of sex work. Gentili’s “family” consisted of many trans women and LGBTQ advocates.

None of the above made Gentili’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral controversial.

As Fr. Tom Reese, a Jesuit priest, said in an interview with CBS News:

"We have services for prostitutes. We have services for criminals. We have services for saints. We have, most of our services are for sinners, for people like us. So this is not a problem. The fact that the deceased was transgender is not the issue at all.”

The issues were:

1. Inappropriate clothing. A see-through smock over a thong and a corset is not church attire. Funerals are dignified events. If the congregants truly wanted to honor the memory of the deceased, they would have dressed appropriately.

2. Sacrilegious words and actions. Calling the deceased “a great whore” is hardly language fit for a church. Turning the words of “Ave Maria” into “Ave Cecilia” shows no respect for the Faith. Twirling in the aisle as though this was a performance instead of a funeral suggests a lack of consideration for the event and the location.

   One has to wonder what would have happened if there indeed had been a Mass rather than a service. How would the Eucharist have been treated? It’s good that we will never know.

3. Placing the deceased above all else. It’s natural to remember the person who died with fondness, recalling good deeds and actions. But immediately elevating the person to sainthood and chanting the person’s name throughout the church is over the top. That is what happened at Cecilia’s funeral.

During the GLITS press conference, Doroshow said, “Her (Cecilia’s) heart and hands reached those the sanctimonious Church continues to belittle, oppress and chastise.” Condemning the very place where a funeral was requested to be held sounds disingenuous.

It’s true that the Church has made mistakes. Cecilia, being human, made mistakes as well. But it’s also true that the Church does a lot of good, and some of that good is done in the very same areas where Cecilia worked, including helping migrants. Maybe the Church and Cecilia’s loved ones could have found common ground in that fact. Instead, many of them made a mockery of the funeral service, and then demanded an apology. The whole thing seems like a loss for the cathedral and the mourners.

You know who did win? Cecilia. She had a Catholic funeral during which the priest prayed for her soul. Cecilia received exactly what her community said they wanted for her. If they had stopped dancing and chanting, they might have realized that.