Community With Apostolate Of Ministering To Lgbt People

[katherineH]

Hello friends,

 

I was wondering if you knew of any religious communities that have an apostolate of ministering to LGBT people.  For the past several years, I've been involved with religious groups seeking to build dialogue between LGBT people and Christianity, and am particularly interested in working with LGBT Catholics who are re-discovering their faith and are seeking to live chastely in the Church.  It seems like most orders that are speaking about same-sex attraction are the ones that are no longer in line with the teachings of the Church or are at least wavering (I'm thinking of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas for example). Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Thanks!

 

Katherine 

[marigold]

It's a wonderful and much-needed ministry. A couple of years ago I heard a priest suggest that shelters run by the Church (or someone who was a member of the Church) for LGBT teens who had been kicked out of their homes would go a long way to repairing the damage done by Christians, well-meaning or not, with regard to these issues; and doing downright good by showing them Christ-like love which rejects no-one. There are waaaaay too many people living on the street because of this.

 

Anyway, getting down off my soapbox, I think the person to contact would be Eve Tushnet, if you haven't already. I read her blog and she's very engaged and would probably know where to point you.

[katherineH]

I recently finished Eve's book and was amazed by how articulate, intelligent, and helpful her approach was.  Thanks for mentioning her! I hadn't thought of contacting her directly.  I do dream of an order of sisters opening up a homeless shelter for LGBT youth who have been alienated from their families and communities to restore hope, trust, and belief in God's love for all of His children.  Kind of like the Sisters of Life but for LGBT people of all walks of life :)