Customer Reviews

Since My Last Confession: A Gay Catholic Memoir

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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Pomfret nails what it's like to be a gay Catholic in this funny, vivid portrait of a man on a mission to be accepted in a Church that often makes it clear it doesn'[t want his kind. Peppered amidst the story line are little sidebar items and quizzes that make for fascinating learning about others (one looks at how to tell of Cardinal O'Malley is a homosexual) and yourself (one asks questions to determine if you're a gay Catholic; I scored 12 out of 14! I guess I know where I sit!) Employing contemporary imagery with well researched history and facts, Pomfret creates a personal tour-de-force. Pope Benedict XVI (who Pomfret calls B16), probably wouldn't be too happy, but, then again, maybe he would. Pomfret ultimately embraces all the imperfections of the Church, just as he embraces all the imperfections in himself and those around him. In the middle of a gay-Catholic discourse that usually ends up in bitter division, it's a masterful achievement of Pomfret's to end with laughter and redemption.

Scott Pomfret is a genius. This is a must read for every GLBT Catholic on the face of the planet. Every 100 years or so someone comes around and writes a brilliant and also funny account of lifes circumstances. In this case it is being GLBT and Catholic. Mr. Pomfret does it with such intellegence and wit. I feel like Mr. Pomfret has channeled my life of 64 years as a gay catholic man. No one understands gay humor like another gay person. I could not put this book down. Mr. Pomfret has validated every nuance of my life as a Catholic Gay Man. Dealing with the Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is made easier once you understand them better. Mr. Pomfret does a brillant job of peeling away the layers of Church B... S... and lays open a human experience that reflects our lives. I am so grateful to Mr. Pomfret. Every Roman Catholic Priest, Bishop, Arch-Bishop, Cardinal and Pope should read this book. Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty and Mr. Pomfret, I am free at last. I am not alone.

Does being a self-assured and proud gay man make you a bit of a hypocrite in also proclaiming to be a practicing Catholic? That's the question that Scott Pomfret asks himself in his hilarious (as well as insightful and seemingly historically/scholarly accurate) memoir. Starting with remembrances of how it felt to belong to the Church in his youth, he resumes practicing his faith in Catholicism, at a time and place where more people were leaving it: in Boston, at the time of the Church's lobbying to repeal gay marriages.

Pomfret (who works as a government attorney during the day and, with his partner Scott Whittier, is responsible for the "Romentics" series of explicit gay romantic novels) shows a knack for describing the stereotypical yet colorful individuals, both gay and straight, he met while involved as a lector (reader) at church services, and attending meetings of Dignity and a gay spirituality group. There's the tough pastor Father Bear-Daddy, a trio of elderly Irish lady volunteers he calls the Hale Marys (they're all named Mary), spirituality group leader Mama Bear, and the worldly Father McSlutty, among others. He also has a few choice names for the Archbishop, as well as the Pope (Pope Benedict XVI, whom he calls B-16.) He rants at, yet tries to reconcile, the rules and politics of the Church, which he correctly points out, largely came from individuals throughout history, not God. Ultimately, he focuses on the reality that the Church is made up of a diverse group of individuals, gay and straight, clergy or not, and spotlights the more memorable (or outrageous) among them.

As a "product" of 12 years of Catholic education (enough to turn off ANYone to organized religion for life!), I must admit I roared with laughter dozens of times at the author's spot-on depictions of the Church's less-than-logical rules and pronouncements. He deals with many concepts that would be considered in bad taste, and joyfully leaps over "the line" to tell it like it is. He almost (but not quite) made me want to give "my" church another try as well, which is certainly a miracle worthy of papal-declared sainthood! My only beef with the book is that it is somewhat unfocused and rambling, with many "déjà vu" moments that seem to overlap with sections that went much earlier in the book. Don't know if non-Catholics can relate much to it, but I do recommend the book highly for both practicing and "lapsed" Catholics. Give it four stars out of five.

Pomfret's writing on the Catholic Church from his perspective as a gay man had me on my knees in hysterics! He brings a much needed light touch to what has otherwise been a heavy time for the Archdiocese of Boston. As a former seminarian who lived "inside those walls", I highly recommend Since My Last Confession for all who have struggled with the Catholic Church in recent years. This is a must read for gay and straight alike!

Since My Last Confession
A GAY CATHOLIC MEMOIR
A Must Read Book for ALL GLBT Christians especially Catholics
Written by Rev. Bob Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus
www.missionstsergius
www.missionstsergius/Divine_Mercy_Franciscans

SINCE MY LAST CONFESSION, A GAY CATHOLIC MEMOIR by Scott Pomfret is a must read book for al GLBT persons who are or ever considered themselves Catholic and in fact, all GLBT Christian persons.
The book will have you laughing hysterically, getting angry and make you think.
" Since My Last Confession" makes it clear how a Gay person can even consider being a Catholic while it points out the hypocrisy of the Roman Church and it's contradictions.
Filled with great humor, a true love and respect for the basic principals of the church as well as poignancy and regret for the church trying to use the smoke screen of homosexuality to hide it's failures in the pedophile sex scandal.
Set in Boston where the author is an active member of a Franciscan Church as well as an open Gay man living in a committed relationship the book is full of humor and historical facts that opens your mind to the truth of Christ's message and the differences between the Truth and the churches current position.
I strongly recommend this book for it's openness and honesty as well as historical facts presented in an enjoyable and humorous way.

Okay, the topic sounds like a heavy one - a gay man struggling to find his place in an increasingly homophobic Catholic Church - but Pomfret's witty writing had me in stitches. For confidentiality, the author has changed many of the names of parish priests and church members, giving them hysterical names like Father McSlutty and Father Daddy-Bear, and he offers us funny, yet handy cut-out guides along the way with titles like "How to Come Out to Hardcore, Bead-counting Catholics" and "Brokeback Lent."

That said, this memoir also deeply touched my heart and reaffirmed my own faith. Like many, I was surprised to learn that Pomfret - author of gay erotica books like "Hot Sauce" - is a devout Catholic and active lector and lay minister at his Boston parish. Where one might expect this to be an angry, Catholic-bashing book, Pomfret's memoir is actually a very loving one, as he attempts to accept the Church he loves, broken as she may be. "So why do I cling to a broken, dying Church and its broken prelate?" he writes. "Brokeness is an opportunity for the Spirit to enter."

I, too, have struggled to support and defend the Church in which I grew up. Many of us have left, but Pomfret's memoir reaffirms that we are all a part of the Church, and that she is incomplete without us. One gay father of three tells Pomfret, "I feel a political responsibility not to leave and not to be budged by people who don't want me there. It's the Rosa Parks thing. It's my church, too, as much as theirs."

So, while I howled with laughter throughout my reading of this wickedly-funny book, I, more importantly, have come away even more deeply committed to my own faith and in my resolve to help heal the Church from within. I have Pomfret - a kindred spirit - and his touching memoir to thank for that.

-Salvatore Sapienza, author of Seventy Times Seven: A Novel

this book is aimed for, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it! I'm a straight Jewish woman and I found the book at the O'Hare airport bookstore recently. Hey, why not take a chance and learn about gay Catholic lawyers? I'm glad I took that chance as Pomfret is a wonderful writer.

Devout catholic lector (lay minister) Scott Pomfret weaves gay humor into his critique of the (mis)management of the Catholic church during the period from the first open discussions of the pedophile priests through the passage of the equal marriage rights law in Massachusetts. He exposes widespread homosexuality in the priesthood while clearly differentiating it from the pedophilia of a small minority. Scott is relentless in his criticism of the church hierarchy for their long-term cover-up of the actions of pedophile priests.
A central point in this book is hypocrisy. The Vatican very publicly issues rules. The bishops direct their priests to both publish and enforce them. Meanwhile, the parish priests decide whether these rules are appropriate for their congregations - and often simply ignore them. In some parishes, openly gay priests welcome their gay and lesbian congregants. In others, parish priests ignore constraints on marrying divorced parishioners. The vast majority of parishioners practice birth control, with no threat of pastoral approbation.
Much of the humor in this book revolves around Pomfret's ongoing battle with Cardinal O'Malley over God's and the state's acceptance of gays in the church and equal marriage rights. One would think that Pomfret's obvious, open violation of Church rules would lead to excommunication. It hasn't. He continues to lector, take communion, and participate in the Gay-Lesbian Spirituality Group in his church in South Boston.
Alongside the stories of his experiences, Pomfret provides short segments of his gay interpretations of various church rules. Since he means no threat to any of the lay people or specific priests in his church, he makes up special names for some of his characters. It is a fun book to read, while making strong points about the differences between the official church position on gay issues and the actions of their parishioners.
If you think the Church is infallible, you probably will not like this book. If you know the Church needs to get back to its roots - living and spreading Christ's teachings - you will enjoy it.

This was a purchase made out of curiosity, that has become a gift of love to a whole family. In addition, it is a great read; funny, incite-ful, insightful, it lovingly portrays a Church that doesn't always show the love it was founded on, "Love one another, as I have Loved You." And, I fully believe that the writer will be a historically recognized figure in the future.

Purchased for my own reading, I passed it on to my mother. Mom (83) is a devoted and devout Catholic, who was still having issues with accepting my sister (47), her lesbian daughter. Mom read this book in 2 days! And came away with a new knowledge, not based on hearsay and innuendo, but of reality, truths and feelings.

Now, the interesting thing is we were lucky enough to meet and get this copy signed by the Author. Mr. Pomfret informed us that, despite of all his love of and devoted work for the Church, he has been excommunicated. A sad situation, for both him and the Church as a whole.

Don't let the title fool you, this book is not an attack on the Catholic Church rather it is the tale of one person in the Boston Catholic Dioceses and his struggle with his faith. Though frequent mention of Catholic ritual and gay slang it is made fully understandable thanks to coy explanations of concepts that may be unfamiliar to some readers. The fact that this memoir takes place during the same-sex marriage debates and in the wake of the Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandal only serves to make his tale richer. A gem for someone who wants a humorous look at the Catholic Church but also a fairly honest and poignant yarn of the everyday struggle one's relationship with God. As this exercept below details


SPOILER ALERT

"Angela, a thin, sporty, lesbian...was telling the G-L Spirtuality Group about her parish in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. "It was the first place I could ever go into and worship with all my parts. I didn't have to check anything at the door. I brought my whole mind, my whole body to worship the Lord, I didn't recognize the sacraments in my life until I came to church with all my parts."

Passages like this that touch so poignantly upon the struggle so many Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, people have with their faith and the churches they grew up in that make this book a gem. What seems as if it could be a cruel lampooning is instead turned into a parable about the nature of faith itself. Faith can be like a glass when we are small it is easy to fill it and satisfy our needs, as we grow questions and hardships make it more difficult to fill, and this book touches upon that fact wonderfully.