All should support goals of Courage, EnCourage ministries

About a year ago, Archbishop Miller entrusted Deacon Bruce Fraser and I with two related ministries. Deacon Fraser was assigned to lead an outreach ministry called EnCourage and I was assigned to lead an outreach ministry called Courage.

EnCourage is the Catholic Church’s ministry of the love of Jesus Christ for the parents, siblings, children, and other relatives and friends of persons who experience same-sex attraction.

EnCourage was founded in Toronto 30 years ago and acquired its name a few years later. In our archdiocese, members of EnCourage meet once a month at St. Helen’s Church in Burnaby. I have attended meetings and know how much EnCourage members appreciate the ministry and Deacon Fraser’s compassionate and wise leadership.

My blessing is to coordinate Courage, the Church’s ministry of the love of Jesus Christ for men and women who experience same-sex attraction.

Courage began in September 1980 in New York City under the leadership of Father John Harvey and with the full support of Cardinal Terence Cooke, then Archbishop of New York. At their first meeting, Courage members devised five goals that now guide and inspire the more than 100 Courage chapters throughout the world, including ours in Vancouver. The goals commit members to chastity; a life of grace in the sacraments of Eucharist and reconciliation and in Christian service; fellowship; friendship; and a life of good example.

Chastity, the first goal of Courage, lived in different ways, is a virtue, not an oppressive burden. It is a virtue for all Christians, for all human beings, whatever their sexual orientation. Chastity is among the fruits of the Holy Spirit along with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and gentleness.

Like all the virtues, chastity allows us to live with freedom and integrity in God’s presence. Like all the virtues, chastity is a good habit, a form of human excellence that responds to the gift of God’s grace for a particular dimension of human life. Chastity is a graced form of human excellence that responds to God’s plan for authenticity in human sexuality, in which love is expressed sexually between one man and one woman, married to each other.

Courage does not advocate reparative therapy. It does not seek to change a person’s sexual orientation. Courage calls men and women who experience same-sex attraction to chastity. The call to chastity in Courage echoes God’s plan and the Church’s teaching to live a life of fulfillment with freedom and integrity and dignity, to love and to experience love without physical sexual expression.

Chastity can be arduous for all of us. It is a life-long project in need of the support of God’s loving guidance and mercy. Courage is a ministry of Jesus Christ’s love, compassion, and accompaniment in service of a life of love and fulfillment for men and women with same-sex attraction. Like all people, they are first and foremost God’s beloved children, who deserve to be treated with respect, sensitivity, and compassion.

The commitment to the goals of Courage was in evidence at the most recent Courage conference at the end of July on the campus of the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Ill.

The conference brought together about 350 people, members of Courage and EnCourage as well as deacons, priests, and bishops who support and lead these ministries. The Courage conference showed me that I belong to a large, purposeful, and wonderful family.

The testimonies of Courage members were my favourite part of the conference. They shared deeply personal stories, stories of trial and triumph. Hearing their stories reinforced my desire to serve in Courage.

For three moving testimonies I recommend you watch the film Desire of the Everlasting Hills, which you can watch for free at https://everlastinghills.org/movie/.

In Vancouver, men and women who experience same-sex attraction have confided their stories in me. What strikes me most about these men and women is their holiness. God is alive and at work in these wonderful people!

If you experience same-sex attraction, you are most welcome in the Courage ministry. No matter where you are in your journey to our loving God, I am happy to meet with you, to listen to you, and to walk with you on your journey. You are not alone. I am beginning to facilitate group meetings for Courage members. For more information please contact me at [email protected].

I also speak in support of the dignity of men and women with same-sex attraction, particularly those who come to Courage. As the Church, our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ must feel at home among us. We all must be the Courage ministry by supporting the goals of Courage and delighting in the gifts with which God has blessed our brothers and sisters with same-sex attraction. If your parish or organization wishes to learn more about Courage, please contact me.