300 worship with breakaway priest

'The greatest theology today will come from your experience of yourself'

The only reason for coming to church is to learn how to love," the Rev. Bill Hausen preached at Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church, which met at the Sewickley Country Inn.

"God does not need praise. God has all the praise he needs. We don't have to love God, because God is love."

Many people said they were visiting out of curiosity or to show support for Hausen. Those included 18 Unitarians from Slippery Rock who had skipped their own service at Ginger Hill Unitarian-Universalist Church.

"We came to show support for a more liberal viewpoint," said Lois Ament, who said she was a former Catholic who had been outraged more than 40 years ago when she was not permitted to become an altar server.

Julianne Scimio of Hopewell said she had left the Catholic Church 25 years ago but never felt at home in other churches. "I want to come home, but I don't want to come back to the same church I walked away from," she said. "This feels like home. I just hope it turns out to be a home church."

Article here.