Catholic Church
Since becoming pope in March 2013, one of Pope Francis’ most endearing habits has been making phone calls or writing notes to ordinary people, and even sometimes meeting with them in a personal encounter. So, is it too much to hope that he might meet with friends of New Ways Ministry when Sister Jeannine Gramick,…
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Advent for, many Catholics, is a time of patience and reflection, a time of wonder and amazement. This Advent for me is a lot different than the last. Last Advent I was struggling to tell my family that I was transgender, struggling to voice how unhappy I had been. But since that last Advent I…
Read MoreLast fall I finally had enough. Enough of hearing the Roman Catholic Church romanticize the materially poor. Enough of watching the Roman Catholic Church fire married gays and lesbians from public ministry from high schools and churches. Enough of trying to defend the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of ordaining only celibate men to the priesthood.…
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The news of a slate of mostly conservative bishops being elected to represent the U.S. Catholic Church at the Synod on the Family in Rome next October was disappointing. Across the Atlantic, news about the synod preparatory plans of the bishops of England and Wales are much more optimistic. According to The Tablet, these British bishops are going…
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One of the most common questions that I have been asked by people in my years of ministry in the LGBT Catholic community is “Why are some bishops so stubborn against changing policy and practices in the church concerning LGBT people?” It’s a good question, and it is one that I wish I could answer. Many…
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After signs of progress from the mid-term report of the Extraordinary Synod on Marriage and Family, the Vatican’s final report significantly backtracks on LGBT issues from the promising draft. Despite this disappointment, the synod’s process and openness to discussion provide hope for further development down the road, particularly at next year’s synod, where the make-up of the…
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In reflecting over my ongoing sojourn with faith and sexuality, I realize that who I am and the area I seek to evolve is one that both disturbs and is disturbed, changes and is changed. As I look back at my life in an effort to re-remember my re-membering as I wrestle with church teaching,…
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For two weeks, Catholic leaders are gathering for The Extraordinary Synod on Marriage and Family to address “the pastoral challenge of the family in the context of evangelization.” On Monday, the Synod released a relatio, its mid-term report, which offers some hopeful directions in the way that Church leaders should address lesbian and gay people and their families. While this…
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In a one-to-one conversation following a public speaking engagement, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that the firing of church workers because of LGBT issues is a situation that “needs to be rectified,” becoming the first prelate to speak against this trend. Earlier in the evening, the cardinal publicly spoke positively of the need to include and minister to the…
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Whenever the media uses the phrase “Catholic Church” when they reference statements made by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) or by individual church leaders, Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of DignityUSA, stands up to correct them. “The bishops try to discredit DignityUSA by saying we’re not authorized to use the word Catholic,” she says.…
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