GLBT Ministry

St. Francis parishioners have taken part in the AIDSWalk for several years.

The GLBT Ministry at St. Francis of Assisi parish participated in the Raleigh AIDS Walk and Ride event on Saturday, May 21, at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh.

Mission statement

In accordance with our parish mission statement, we reach out to provide spiritual nourishment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their families and friends. We seek to affirm the intrinsic value and self-worth of all people and to welcome them into full participation in the faith community. All GLBT people are welcome. We also welcome friends and family of GLBT people and anyone who might be questioning what it means to be a supportive Catholic for GLBT parishioners. Whatever your religious tradition, please know you are welcome to pray and worship with us.

 

Reaffirm looks ahead by taking stock

We often find the new year a great time to look fresh at our lives and recalibrate our internal compasses. But living our lives differently is likelier to be successful if we can do so consciously and purposely. To that end, we may find it helpful to examine what brought us to this place in our spiritual journey.

In 2012, the St. Francis GLBT Ministry will help participants pursue their spiritual journeys through the six-week program Reaffirm. This program will use as its guidebook Michal Anne Pepper’s “Reconciling Journey,” described as “a devotional workbook for lesbian and gay Christians.” (The same book will be used in the ministry’s spring day of reflection, coming in April.) Participants will be able to supplement the Sunday-afternoon gatherings with their own daily reflections and workbook exercises.

The Reaffirm series begins at 3 p.m. Jan. 15 and continues Sundays through Feb. 19 in Room 405 of Anthony Hall. Cost for the six-week series (which covers materials) will be $10. For more information, contact Jane Paris at 847-7431 or Chuck Small at 859-4889.

 

Click on the 2011-2012 Calendar of Events for more information on this ministry, and to see a schedule of events.

The following resources are available in our Ministry Resource Center:
• Homosexuality: Catholic Teaching and Pastoral Practice by Gerald Coleman.
• With Listening Hearts: Understanding the Voices of Lesbian and Gay Catholics by Peter Liuzzi.
• Spiritual Direction and the Gay Person by James Empereur.
• Fortunate Families: Catholic Families with Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons by Mary Ellen Lopata with Casey Lopata.
• Seeds of Hope: Compassionate Ministry with Gay and Lesbian Catholics and their Families, A Practical Resource Manual.
• The National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries: Manual and Directory
• Homosexuality – a Positive Catholic Perspective, Questions and Answers about Gay/Lesbian Life, published by New WaysMinistry of Mount Ranier, MD

For more information about this ministry, call Chuck Small at (919) 859-4889.