Saints and Sinners

Synopsis: After living together for seven years in a seemingly accepting community in New York City, Edward DeBonis and Vincent Maniscalco decide to get married. But unlike many other gay couples who formalize their relationship in a domestic union, Vincent and Edward, both devout Catholics, will settle for nothing short of the "Holy Sacrament of Marriage." Determined to celebrate their relationship on their terms, the couple presses on with the preparations. Several months of elaborate planning begin. From dance lessons to bachelor parties, floral bouquets to custom-made cake decorations, no detail is overlooked. However, their efforts and search to find a Catholic Church where they can perform the ceremony are to no avail. For Edward, who grew up as an altar boy, and Vincent, who was baptized at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in Little Italy and who attends Sunday Mass regularly, getting married outside the Catholic tradition is not an option. The couple books St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, converts it to suit a Catholic mass and invites Rev. Raymond Lefebvre, a gay Catholic priest, to perform the ceremony. But the real complications are yet to come. Invitations to the wedding provoke previously supportive family members to voice their true feelings. Fears of going to hell for receiving communion from a gay priest and the possibility of being kicked out of their local church for participating in the ceremony rise to the surface as the wedding day approaches. The couple's request to The New York Times to announce their wedding in the weekly "Styles" section throws the newspaper into disarray. Publishing the first Catholic gay wedding announcement presents the editors with numerous controversial questions: Is a gay priest a real priest? Can a gay union be called a wedding? Can a gay couple be considered Catholic? As America stands on the verge of legal acceptance of gay and lesbian unions, "Saints and Sinners" explores the social, political and religious aspects of same-sex marriage and examines its effect on American society.   Source: Persona Films