Same-Sex Attraction
“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
- USCCB, Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination (2006), p. 13
COURAGE:
Support Groups for those with same-sex attraction
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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.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published guidelines for programs of ministry to persons with homosexual inclinations in, “Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care”. Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference July 18 – 21, 2019 Clergy Track on July 17 COURAGEOUS FRIENDSHIP Inspiring Hope and Renewal For more information you can click here. |
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The Third Way:
Homosexuality and the Catholic Church
Recommended Reading
Why I Don't Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace by Daniel C. Mattson
"Daniel Mattson once believed he was gay. Raised in a Christian family, and aware of attractions to other boys at age six, Mattson's life was marked by constant turmoil between his faith in God and his sexual attractions. Finding the conflict between his sexual desires and the teachings of his church too great, he assumed he was gay, turned his back on God, and began a relationship with another man. Yet freedom and happiness remained elusive until he discovered Christ and his true identity.
In this frank memoir, 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.
"Daniel Mattson once believed he was gay. Raised in a Christian family, and aware of attractions to other boys at age six, Mattson's life was marked by constant turmoil between his faith in God and his sexual attractions. Finding the conflict between his sexual desires and the teachings of his church too great, he assumed he was gay, turned his back on God, and began a relationship with another man. Yet freedom and happiness remained elusive until he discovered Christ and his true identity.
In this frank memoir, 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 by Fr. Michael Schmitz
"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 principal 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.
While this book is intended primarily for those who have same-sex attraction and their family and friends, its presentation of the compassionate truth of Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction will be of great benefit to everyone in today's society."
"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 principal 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.
While this book is intended primarily for those who have same-sex attraction and their family and friends, its presentation of the compassionate truth of Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction will be of great benefit to everyone in today's society."
Church Teaching & Pastoral Care Links
- 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