Priests and deacons in the diocese gathered last month for a day of study that included a presentation on how to pastorally accompany persons identifying as LGBTQ.
Father Colin Blatchford, associate director of Courage International, a Catholic apostolate serving men and women who experience same-sex attraction, guided clergy in conveying Church teaching on the topic to people in a clear, welcoming and compassionate way. Priests and deacons explored providing pastoral care to same-sex attracted individuals and their loved ones.
The day of study, held at Columbus St. Catharine of Siena Church on Wednesday, April 22, was open to all priests and deacons in the diocese.
Courage International offers spiritual guidance, community prayer, support and fellowship to individuals experiencing same-sex attraction. The apostolate also trains chaplains to serve in their diocese.
EnCourage, a sister apostolate, provides pastoral care for families and friends of same-sex attracted individuals.
Many Courage members experienced a life-long struggle with same-sex attraction.
“They still struggle with it, even after being encouraged and living a virtuous, a chaste life for 20, 30, 40, 50 years,” Father Blatchford said. “Temptation never goes away, but how we respond to it changes significantly.
“It’s important for priests to know this because it’s not about just a solution to a problem, but rather, a fundamental disposition to those in pain.”
Responding to same-sex attracted individuals can be different for men and women.
Women often have an imminence of a person and their presence, Father Blatchford said. The masculine genius, he noted, is geared toward sacrificial self-giving and offering solutions, which can be unhelpful in accompanying individuals who identify as LGBTQ.
“(Same-sex attraction), it’s long term; it’s not short term,” he said. “It’s not just a ‘bad habit that I have,’ but rather, it’s a wondering about my own worth in the eyes of God and others.”
Father Blatchford, speaking to clergy of the Columbus diocese, helped equip them going forward.
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He affirmed clergy have the necessary tools to accompany individuals who identify as LGBTQ. The presentation explored the goal of authentic pastoral accompaniment: to help individuals grow in holiness.
“Chastity is a virtue by which we integrate our sexual thoughts, feelings and desires in a healthy way within the person, so we can love whomever we encounter with our whole body and our whole mind and our whole soul,” Father Blatchford explained.
“That shift from negative to positive is really important when we dialog with somebody.”
The study day helped clergy learn to receive a person fully in their story and respond with Christ’s love and the truth.
“The essence of authentic pastoral accompaniment is three points: I love you; God has a plan for your life, and I want to hear your story,” Father Blatchford said.
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Clergy, he advised, should “hear fully what the person has to share, … respond with authentic love wherever we can, and then, to encourage them to cultivate healthy loving relationships.”
Courage, based in Trumbull, Connecticut, in the Diocese of Bridgeport, is present in more than 15 countries and has approximately 160 chapters worldwide.
For more information, visit Courage. To connect with the Courage chapter in Columbus, contact couragecolumbus@columbuscatholic.org.