WA: Pastor receives standing ovation for not joining anti-gay signature drive

The Rev. Tim Clark received a standing ovation Sunday from the congregation at Seattle’s Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church when he announced that the parish would not gather signatures for a referendum to repeal same-sex marriage.

“I am happy to report that Our Lady of the Lake parishoners have been overwhelmingly and, thus far, unanimously supportive of the decision I made NOT to gather signatures in support of this Referendum,” Clark wrote in response to an e-mail.

“The standing ovation experienced during one of the Masses says less about me and much more about the health of this parish. I only wished the archbishop could have experienced the sustained applause — the ‘sensus fidelium’ — of the people. He needs to listen to this ‘voice.’ That is my prayer.”