God Bless Hooters?

[+ Lucky]

Could this have been just the sort of thing that could have saved the Gaiety? Or would a priest be shy to endorse a gay club in this manner? But wait, the Pope did encourage love today...

 

Hooters to receive blessing – from priest

 

By Cindy V. Culp Tribune-Herald staff writer

 

Monday, January 23, 2006

 

The new Hooters restaurant may have gotten an unwelcome reception from some of the community's religious leaders, but tonight it will get a little help from above.

 

As part of a private opening party, Monsignor Isidore Rozycki, the head Catholic priest for the Greater Waco area, plans to bless the chain's newest location at New Road and Interstate 35. The public won't be able to attend the event. But they can bask in the divine dedication starting Tuesday morning, when the restaurant officially opens.

 

“Blessings are part of the Catholic tradition,” said Rozycki, who is pastor of St. Martin's Church in Tours. “You bless the building so it will be a safe haven, so that the families that enter will be blessed, so the employees will be blessed É as they support their families.”

 

The 63-year-old priest says he knows some people might think it's odd for a man of the cloth to bless a restaurant best known for waitresses who wear tight tops and short shorts. Rozycki also knows the move may draw the ire of other local religious leaders.

 

About 60 local ministers signed a letter this fall in which they expressed their disapproval of the restaurant. They said they oppose Hooters because it exploits women and bases its marketing campaign on sexual innuendo.

 

But to Rozycki, offering the blessing is just another way he can reach out and serve the community. He pointed to the biblical story of Jesus eating with a tax collector, even though men in that profession were considered among the worst of sinners. He says he doesn't see how attending the Hooters event is any different.

 

“God's image is in all of these folks,” Rozycki said.