LGBT Catholics from various Chicagoland parishes gathered in prayer and discussion at Loyola University, 25 E. Pearson, June 14 to share testimonies and network on how to become more visible in their faith-based communities and the Catholic Church.Michael Herman and Sister Jeannine Gramick spoke at the June 14 LGBT Catholic forum at Loyola University. Photos by Deborah Winarski
'Here In Faith: Creating a Welcoming Catholic Community Through Prayer and Story'—sponsored by Call to Action, a national Catholic social justice organization, with New Ways Ministry and Dignity Chicago—seeks to motivate LGBT Catholics and their allies to be more active in the eyes of the Church.
'The church belongs to lesbian and gay people just as much as the church belongs to anyone,' Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry said.
Gramick, author of Homosexuality and the Catholic Church, has been involved in LGBT pastoral outreach programs since 1971. She led a small group session on gaining strength with gay and lesbian allies.
'There needs to be a voice raised on behalf of lesbian and gay people who have been so silenced in our church,' Sr. Gramick said, 'I feel God has asked me to fill this need.'
More than 70 clergy members and parishioners participated in the event from local parishes such as St. Clements Church, St. Gertrude Catholic Parish, Old St. Patrick's Church and Evanston's St. Nicholas Catholic Parish.
The discussion opened with prayer and testimonies from various gay and lesbians Catholics where they discussed how they coped with coming out. Parents of gay and lesbian sons and daughters discussed how they were able to accept their children's sexualities before other speakers discussed how they were able to find gay-friendly Catholic parishes in and around Chicago.
Linda Wesp, who shared her testimony of realizing she was a lesbian before entering a Catholic nunnery, spoke about how her relationship with God helped her 'come out.'
'With the help of the Holy Spirit, I was able to come out to my parents and realize that God had worked in my life through the gift of an amazing relationship,' she said to the event's attendees.
Michael Herman, a former priest who helped organize the event, shared his experience entering the priesthood from his institutional seminary training to being profiled by the New York Times in 2005 for coming out against Vatican policies.
Herman, currently the development director of Chicago House, said he knew that being gay was frowned upon as a Catholic priest so he kept it to himself throughout his career.
'Some people call that denial,' Herman said to the crowd, 'but I called that 'becoming a seminarian'.'
In 2005, after the Vatican released a decree condemning the ordaining of homosexual seminaries, Herman stepped down as a priest and became outspoken against the Church's doctrines in the media.
'It really wasn't the viewpoints of the church that changed; it was pushing it in the faces of people that was so insulting,' Herman said.
He said at that time it was a difficult struggle to 'move on' because he loved his priesthood.
'It was a hard decision … I told [ my parish ] that I was born Catholic, I was born gay but that I was not born a priest,' he said. 'I knew that I could go on being a gay Catholic, but being a priest was no longer possible.'
Speakers discussed the history of various doctrines issued by the Vatican over the years critical of the 'homosexual condition' as a 'disorder' incompatible with the Catholic Church's teachings.
The participants were able to choose to attend one of four small group lectures led by Dianne Costanzo, Sr. Jeannine Gramick, Terry Nelson-Johnson and Gloria Woods.
Nelson-Johnson, the director of Faith Formation at Old St. Patrick's Church led a small group discussion about celebrating the gift of sexuality as a religious sacrament. He said he enjoyed the tone 'Here in Faith' was taking by creating more of a dialog and less of an opposition.
'If you are not welcoming to all people, you are not living in a fashion that is consistent with the Gospel,' Nelson-Johnson said, 'I get a sense that this merging is more a commitment of healing and mutual respect.'
Pat Sabol of Wheeling, Il. came to 'Here in Faith' because the subject matter of the discussions interested him. He said it is important for him to find a way to unite his sexual and spiritual identity.
'They are both such intricate parts of my life,' Sabol said.