“The Church seeks to enable every person to live out the universal call to holiness. Persons with a homosexual inclination ought to receive every aid and encouragement to embrace this call personally and fully. This will unavoidably involve much struggle and self-mastery, for following Jesus always means following the way of the Cross… The Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance are essential sources of consolation and aid on this path.”
– USCCB, Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination (2006), p. 13
Gospel of Life Week
Gospel of Life Week
Teachers and Parents
– Adoption
– Loving Our Neighbors
– Knowing My Value
– Life is a Gift
– Learning to Forgive
– Respecting Others
– Caring for Those in Need
– The Beginning of Life
– Celebrating Special Needs
– Overcoming Differences
– Receiving Mercy
– Immigration
– Life is Precious
– Dignity at Every Age
– Marriage
– Caring for Creation
DREs and Catechists
– Grades PK-3
– Grades 4-6
– Grades 7-9
– Grades 10-12
Topics
– The Beginning of Life
– Knowing My Value
– Adoption
– Respecting Others
– Receiving Mercy
– Immigration
– Loving Our Neighbors
– Life is a Gift
– Life is Precious
– Dignity at Every Age
– Learning to Forgive
– Caring for Those in Need
– Marriage
– Caring for Creation
– Celebrating Special Needs
– Overcoming Differences
High School Resources
Youth Ministry Resources
Service Opportunities
God has a plan for every human person: a plan for their life and their love. Every human person is invited to discover their deepest identity in being a child of God, infinitely loved and willed into existence. Persons who experience same-sex attraction are called to live their identity as beloved children and to lead lives of holiness by responding to the grace of chastity.
The Third Way: Homosexuality and the Catholic Church
In June of 2019, the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Vatican published “Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a path of dialogue on the question of gender theory in education.” The document reaffirms the Church’s position on the danger of gender ideology and the importance of fostering Christian anthropology that better affirms the nature of humanity as created by God.
They write:
“The first step in this process of throwing light on anthropology consists in recognizing that ‘man too has a nature that he must respect and that he cannot manipulate at will.’ This is the fulcrum on which to support a human ecology that moves from the ‘respect for our dignity as human beings’ and from the necessary relationship of our life to ‘moral law, which is inscribed into our nature.’”
Find the full text of the document here.
Other Church Documents:
- Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care, USCCB
- Ministerio a las personas con inclinacion homosexual, USCCB
- Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons
- Catholic Apostolate Courage – Ministry for Persons with Same-sex Attraction
- “Chastity and homosexuality,” Catechism of the Catholic Church
Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace
“In this frank memoir, [Daniel] Mattson chronicles his journey to and from a gay identity, finding peace in his true identity, as a man, made in the image and likeness of God. Part autobiography, part philosophy of life, and part a practical guide in living chastely, the book draws lessons from Mattson’s search for inner freedom and integrity, sharing wisdom from his failures and successes. His lifelong search for happiness and peace comes full circle in his realization that, above all else, what is true about him is that he is a beloved son of God, loved into existence by God, created for happiness in this life and the next. Mattson’s book is for anyone who has ever wondered who he is, why he is here, and, in the face of suffering, where to find joy, happiness, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.”
Find the book here.
Made for Love: Same-Sex Attraction and the Catholic Church
“In Made for Love, Fr. Michael Schmitz presents the Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction and same-sex “sexual” relations.
He begins by giving background information regarding the different worldviews of the human person, the philosophical ideas of nature and purpose, the differences between objective and subjective truth, the principle of non-contradiction, and the fallen human nature that resulted from Original Sin. He then discusses in great detail the nature and ends of human sexuality and the nature of true love, while, in a compassionate and non-judgmental way, explaining the flawed nature of same-sex “sexual” relations.”
Find the book here.
When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment
“Ryan T. Anderson offers a balanced approach to the policy issues, a nuanced vision of human embodiment, and a sober and honest survey of the human costs of getting human nature wrong…
Everyone has something at stake in today’s debates about gender identity. Analyzing education and employment policies, Obama-era bathroom and locker-room mandates, politically correct speech codes and religious-freedom violations, Anderson shows how the law is being used to coerce and penalize those who believe the truth about human nature. And he shows how Americans can begin to push back with principle and prudence, compassion and grace.”
Find the book here.
- CanaVox has a number of explanations and resources for families looking for more information about a number of these issues. Find their platform here.
- Are you living with same-sex attraction? Here’s a website for original personhood beyond the LGBT+ paradigm. Go to Eden Invitation.
- Courage is a support group that ministers to those with same-sex attractions and their loved ones. Find a Courage chapter near you. They also have an outreach called EnCourage, which ministers to relatives and friends of persons with same-sex attractions. Find an EnCourage chapter near you.
- Person & Identity – Find resources and pastoral guidance on issues of faith, gender, and sexual identity.
- Gender Resource Guide – Educating and equipping parents to respond to the transgender issue.