By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist During a Mass at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, Minneapolis-St. Paul Archbishop John C. Nienstadt denied Communion to members of a gay and lesbian student group. However, a priest from St. John's University said a special Mass for the students later that same evening in which all were given Communion. According to the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), an organization that seeks to restore the Catholic identity to Catholic universities in the U.S., the incident occurred on Sept. 26 when a group of about 25 gay activists from two local Catholic colleges - St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict - attended a Mass at St. John's Abbey. They group were members of People Representing the Sexual Minority (PriSM), a homosexual activist organization, and showed up wearing rainbow sashes in protest of the Church's position on homosexuality. When they came forward for Communion, the Archbishop refused to give them Communion. An Archdiocesan spokesman later explained to the Star Tribune that “for years you cannot receive communion if you wear the rainbow sash, because it’s a political statement, a sign of protest.  Going to the communion rail is the most sacred part of our faith, the Eucharist. We don’t allow anybody to make political statements or any kind of protest.” This stance is in keeping with a directive from then-prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, Francis Cardinal Arinze, who expressed his opinion on the subject in a 2005 private letter obtained by Renew America. In it, his secretary wrote: “Rainbow Sash wearers, the Cardinal says, are showing their opposition to Church teaching on a major issue of natural law and so disqualify themselves from being given Holy Communion.” In spite of the Church's clear position, however,  CNS learned that later the same evening, Fr. Rene McGraw, a professor of philosophy at St. John's University, held a "short Mass" for the group in which all were given Communion. “My understanding of church law is that one is not to deny communion to anyone unless he or she is a public sinner, and that has traditionally been interpreted very narrowly,” McGraw told WCCO.com. “My instinct was these are people who were in need, I’m supportive of them, therefore I’m happy to say Mass for them.” CNS calls his action a "sad irony"  because "by offering a back-up Mass to these agenda-driven students, Fr. McGraw is politicizing the sacred liturgy: the very false accusation levied at the Church by gay rights activisits for denying people communion. "Fr. McGraw’s action and public comments were disrespectful towards Archbishop Nienstedt.  Hopefully an apology will be forthcoming," they said. Meanwhile, a PRiSM board member has denied any involvement in the affair, saying “the students involved acted on their own, not under the auspices of PRiSM, and that their actions were aimed at Nienstedt and not at either college.” © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com