McClatchy Information Services

A handful of Catholic protesters plans to deliver more than 2,000 controversial DVDs to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this morning. Some 400,000 of the DVDs, funded by a private donation, were mailed to Minnesota Catholics in September to express the church’s position opposing gay marriage and calling for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage to be voted on.

“We’re just doing what we said we were going to do,” said Burnsville resident Bob Redecki, who helped launch ReturnTheDVD.org with his wife and others.

According to Redecki, the response from Catholics in support of gay marriage was “overwhelming.”

In addition to the DVDs, the group received a number of personal notes for Archbishop John Nienstedt.

The group also raised $10,000 to “help fight poverty and homelessness,” according to its website.

Dennis McGrath, spokesman for the Twin Cities archdiocese, said he will receive the DVDs and invite the Redeckis to come inside the chancery in St. Paul.

“We’ll be receptive,” McGrath said. “(The DVD) was in no way intended to be an alienation effort or statement against people with same-sex attraction.”

The group hoped to meet with Nienstedt but received an e-mail directing members to put their concerns in writing.

McGrath said the DVD laid out the Catholic Church’s universal position on marriage to educate the state’s Catholic community.