April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
HOMOSEXUALITY
Conference connects Church teaching, gay Catholics
"Setting the Table," the 16th annual conference of the Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry, will be held Sept. 22-25; several Albany diocesan leaders are registered to attend.
Keynote speakers will hone in on the power of storytelling to inspire inclusion in church communities; the role of families in promoting health and well-being for their LGBT children; and the unique challenges and prejudices facing Catholics of Latino origin who are LGBT.
Workshop topics include an exploration of chastity, outreach to youth and college students, outreach to LGBT Catholics and their families and a guide to starting parish ministries. All sessions include confidential, media-free discussion time.
Rev. Jim Schexnayder, resource director of the association and a retired priest of the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., will talk about his forthcoming book on how to become a welcoming parish community.
One of his goals is "just being able to let people know it's legitimate to have a ministry" to persons who are gay, bisexual or transgender, Father Schexnayder told The Evangelist. "A lot of it is knowing it's OK to do this. It's also critical. It's about saving lives - [ministering] so people don't get isolated or commit suicide."
He knows of 25 such diocesan ministries in the U.S. The Diocese of Albany is a member of the Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry, but doesn't have a designated ministry to LGBT Catholics. St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany is listed in association materials as a "welcoming" or "gay-friendly" parish.
"These are difficult ministries where you don't tend to get affirmation," Father Schexnayder pointed out. Critics of ministries tend to dwell on the sexual aspects of LGBT life, but supporters look at the dignity of individuals, the promotion of Church participation, concern for individuals who are harassed and the social justice aspects: "They need to get better educated on what the Church teachings are."
The U.S. bishops published a pastoral message to parents of homosexual children and pastoral ministers titled "Always Our Children" in the late 1990s. (Read it at http://nccbuscc.org/ laity/always.shtml.) It advised: "All homosexual persons have a right to be welcomed into the community, to hear the word of God and to receive pastoral care. Homosexual persons living chaste lives should have opportunities to lead and serve the community."
The idea that the Catholic Church opposes homosexual people is a misconception, said Rev. Robert Pierson, OSB, vice president for conferences of the Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry.
"Church documents say a lot of positive things about how to respect and honor everyone's human dignity, and it's that part of the message that doesn't get heard," Father Pierson said.
"Many [homosexual people] have grown up in family situations where it wasn't OK to be who they are," he said. "The Church, in living out its Gospel call to reach out to people, has the role of providing a welcoming place."
To achieve this, Father Schexnayder recommends:
• looking for parish allies in social justice ministries;
• conversing with ordained and lay parish staff;
• finding other ministries in a parish's deanery;
• starting conversations with homosexual people and their parents; and
• initiating parish listening sessions.
"It's a family ministry," the priest concluded. "It's about our families and keeping them safe - as opposed to [being] some subculture or political movement."
The association was founded in 1994 as the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries and grew to include other types of ministries. Conferences usually draw from 100 to 125 participants from all over the U.S., as well as some from Canada.
The "Setting the Table" conference will be held Sept. 22-25 at the Best Western Albany Airport Inn, Albany. See http://calgm.org/calgm-national-conferences.[[In-content Ad]]
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