What a beautiful and Spirit-filled day at CNY Pride 2025!
Parishioners from our diocese gathered to celebrate Eucharist, with Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe presiding and preaching on God’s boundless, healing love.
In her message, Bishop DeDe reminded us that “all of us are made in the image of God, that all of us are part of God’s redeeming love and mercy in this world.” She called on us to be witnesses to that love—especially in undoing the harm caused when the church has failed to affirm the fullness of how God creates humanity. “We are called,” she said, “to include people the way Jesus includes people.”
After Eucharist, we marched together in the Pride Parade, offering a visible sign of hope and joy—proclaiming with our presence that “you are loved beyond measure.”
Check out the photos, videos, and full text of Bishop DeDe’s homily below—and thank you to all who joined us to celebrate God’s love for every person.
Transcript of Bishop DeDe’s homily:
(What a joy)… to have this celebration of love and the celebration of God’s diversity and creation, that all of us are made in the image of God, that all of us are part of God’s redeeming love and mercy in this world. My prayer today is that we will be a witness for that love and especially that our presence here will help to heal and undo some of the harm and the sin that the church has committed but not welcoming and affirming all the ways God creates humans.
We are called as people who love Jesus to include people the way Jesus includes people. The affirmation and understanding that you are beloved, that you are innately God’s beloved. And that in sharing love with those whom you love and those who are around you, that we proclaim a mercy and a healing for this hurting world that so often wants to separate out into who’s in and who’s out, but to know that all are included in God’s grace and mercy.
I invite you in this time to turn to the person next to you and say, “God loves you! I’m so glad you’re here!”
And what a joy to have this opportunity to change the narrative and to be about the gospel of Jesus Christ in loving and affirming and nurturing all people in all places and in all times. I hope today is a blessed day for all of us and may you know that you are loved beyond measure. And may this be a day of hope and peacefulness and protest for all of us as we seek to stand for something so intrinsically important.
Amen.
