News

Washington, D.C. – DignityUSA, the nation’s largest advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics, issued comprehensive new guidelines for pastoral care at its just-concluded national convention, held July 5-8 in Austin, Texas. The document was developed in response to pastoral guidelines released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 2006, which Dignity views as deeply flawed and damaging.

Washington, D.C. - On Sunday, May 27,2007, one Canadian and two American women will be ordained as priests, and one American woman and two Canadians (a man and a woman) will be ordained as deacons in the Roman Catholic Church. The ordinations will take place in Toronto, Ontario, at the West Hill United Church beginning at 3:00PM. A pass is required for admission, and there will be a press conference after the ceremony. The Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) supports these ordinations wholeheartedly as one of the ways women are renewing the church.

Gay Catholics Deplore Decision of Archbishop Flynn to Forbid Mass for Conference on Homosexuality and Catholicism

Four agencies are collaborating on an in-depth study of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of central Ohio.

The study is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, and is the first step to designing culturally competent services to meet the needs of an increasingly visible LGBT community.

To access the survey, click here.

On December 20th, Soulforce sent a letter to TIME magazine along with 3,638 petition signatures. The letter calls on TIME to publish a follow-up story or editorial in the print edition to counter Dobson's erroneous statements from his article titled "Two Mommies is One Too Many" which appeared in the December 18th issue of Time.

Thank you to everyone who signed the petition and helped to circulate it.

To read Soulforce's letter to Time magazine visit Soulforce's website.

In the December 18th issue of TIME Magazine, James Dobson responds to the news of Mary Cheney's pregnancy by once again invoking "30 years of social-science evidence" to support his claim that children do best "when raised by their married mother and father."

Dobson's views on lesbian and gay parenting do not reflect the mainstream of American professional organizations concerned with researching and promoting children's well-being. In a 2004 policy statement, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy reported "no evidence that same-sex couples or family units vary significantly from heterosexual couples or family units in terms of aspirations, hopes and goals, or in outcomes for children."

The Ohio Supreme Court will hear its first legal challenge of one aspect of Ohio’s defense of marriage amendment Tuesday when Warren County Prosecutor Rachel A. Hutzel argues that the state’s domestic violence law applies to unmarried couples.

For more information, check this out.

There have been many articles on the recent paper by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The New York Times states Bishops Back Guidelines Urging Gay Celibacy. Gay Catholic groups reject new guidelines is the headline in the San Jose Mercury News. Reuters News Service reports Catholic bishops say gays should remain celibate.

(Austin, TX) -- The social justice organization Soulforce has launched a campaign urging LGBT people and straight allies to write letters of concern and compassion to Rev. Ted Haggard, the deposed Pastor of New Life Church and former President of the National Association of Evangelicals.

"This is obviously a moment of personal, familial, and professional crisis for Rev. Haggard," said Paige Schilt, Soulforce Media Director. "We want to make sure that the voices of intolerance and homophobia are not the only voices that he hears during this difficult time. Through the Soulforce web site, members of our community can share their own experiences and affirm that LGBT people can and do live lives filled with faith, love, and happiness."

This attached survey is based on the Statement of Purpose found on the Dignity USA website. The questions are designed to give the local leadership a better idea of what is expected by the members and what direction they would like to go. It will also help determine whether or how to generate new membership.

Please bring a copy of this survey to the Mass on November 26. Thank you for your help and feedback.