The Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach of Chicago will partner with Loyola University Chicago's Institute of Pastoral Studies to host a four-part spring retreat for the LGBTQ+ community and their family members starting May 24, 2023.
The series considers what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Catholic. The four-part retreat is open to all as a unique learning opportunity for those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those who do not. The group will meet once per week for four weeks online or in-person at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Ministry Center from May 24 — June 16, 2023, starting just after Pentecost and ending on the Feast Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Registration is $40 for the series and is available now at www.aglochicago.org/retreat .
Last fall, AGLO and IPS hosted a similar series and received inquiries from family members and friends of the LGBTQ+ community who were seeking information on what they could do for those who have left the Church and how they can support their children and friends. AGLO and IPS are answering that call by offering the retreat again for anyone seeking to understand what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Catholic, and for those struggling to reconcile and unify these sometimes-competing identities.
The retreat is steeped in biblical tradition and will examine specific texts from Sacred Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. The goals are to help understand God's desire to be with those present on the margins and to create an authentic community by growing in faith and sharing in meaningful discussion.
Additional note: AGLO will celebrate its 35th anniversary of ministering to the LGBTQ+ Catholic community in Chicago with a special Mass on Sunday, June 18, 2023.
