The U.S. Federation is committed to having important conversations around LGBTQIA+ issues and centering the LGBTQIA+ experience. Through education, prayer, listening, dialogue, and presence, we seek to learn, understand, welcome, and advocate.
Resources
History and terms:
Every community and social movement has a history and particular language. Spend some time with the history of the LGBTQIA+ in the United States here and pick up LGBTQ Catholic Ministry: Past and Present by Jason Steidl Jack for an in depth look at the evolution of pastoral approaches. Consult a glossary of terms from the Human Rights Campaign here.
Across the Federation:
In 2023, the U.S. Federation and many sponsoring congregations, prepare a statement for Transgender Day of Visibility. This document and the endorsers can be found here.
Ministry of the Arts – Prayer Card
Beyond the Habit, is a podcast a ministry of two Sisters of St. Joseph who are deeply committed to having honest conversations, sharing information about their lives as sisters, and standing for social justice. They have several episodes in dialogue with LGBTQIA leaders and pastoral care providers. See especially:
- Episode 2: Season 8 – Sr. Jeannine Grammick of New Ways Ministries
- Episode 2: Season 9 – Bob Shine, Associate Director of New Ways Ministries
- Episode 8: Season 3 – Dr. Craig Ford, Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College
- Season 4 – Beyond the Binary – Max Kuzma
Websites and other digital resources
Celebrating Pride month as a Catholic – Several Catholics have written about seeing connections between the “traditional” designation of June as a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the modern celebration of Pride, which centers the experience of LGBTQIA+ persons around the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Fr. James Martin, SJ sees the two themes as complementary and shares his insight here. Check out this article by Robert Bardone who is a fellow at the Harvard Law Institute and part of the LGBTQIA Ministry Team at the Paulist Center in Boston. For a more broadly constructed message on celebrating Pride as a Catholic, revisit Fr. Martin’s article from 2022 with some updates for 2025.
LGBTQ+ and Catholic Social Teaching – A recent “LGBTQ+ Justice and Catholic Social Teaching” talk given by Sarah Hansman, MDiv and hosted by the Association of Pittsburgh Priests, broke open the themes of dignity, inclusion, synodality, and co-responsibility. Hansman, who identifies as a Queer Catholic theologian, offers many programs that are accessible to religious congregations and groups. She coordinated a compelling response of theology students and allies to the Vatican’s 2025 document, Dignitas Infinita, to express their concern on statements it made about gender theory and sex change. You can find more of Hansman’s work here.
“Wonderfully Made — LGBTQ+R(eligion)” is a combined fine art project and feature-length documentary that together strike at the root of anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes by exploring the challenges and aspirations of LGBTQ+ Catholics. Featured interviewees include Fr. James Martin, SJ; Sr. Jeannine Gramick, SL, Co-Founder of New Ways Ministry; Father Bryan Massingale, Professor of Theology at Fordham University, where he teaches theology and social ethics; Stanley “J.R.” Zerkowski, Executive Director of Fortunate Families; Jason Steidl, a gay theologian who teaches at St. Joseph’s College in New York; and, several others. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden are hosting a film screening on June 22. To learn more, contact 724-869-6525.
What’s Next? Pope Leo XIV and LGBTQ+ Catholics – On Sunday, May 11, 2025, three days after the election of Pope Leo XIV, New Ways Ministry hosted a webinar featuring seasoned Vatican observers to try to answer the question of the program’s title: “What’s Next: Pope Leo XIV and LGBTQ+ Catholics?” This is a question on the minds and hearts of many Catholics these days, and the webinar set out to provide some answers to it. The recording of this program is now available on New Ways Ministry’s YouTube channel here.
Making Space for Transgender Kids – TedTalk by Dr. Sarah Garwood – Adolescent Medicine specialist, Dr. Sarah Garwood MD, shares her personal and professional journey toward becoming a medical provider for young transgender people. Her talk provides an overview of relevant health needs and challenges facing transgender people. Assumptions about gender and sex are questioned and the audience is prompted to reflect on how they can be personally involved in the cultural gender revolution.
