Before I entered the Community, Loretto was already engaged in the hard work of confronting homophobia and transphobia that threatens the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. For example, at a Colorado assembly in the 1980s,…
During the five weeks that Pope Francis was treated for complications of respiratory infection, journalists were preparing articles about his legacy in anticipation of his death. In his autobiography, “Hope,” Francis recounted that, as a young priest, he fell victim…
During the last two years, New Ways Ministry, the organization I co-founded to reconcile LGBTQ+ Catholics and the institutional Church, sponsored meetings for some U.S. bishops to discuss LGBTQ+ topics with theologians, medical professionals, pastoral ministers and LGBTQ+ people. In…
This story began in early 2021, when Frank DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, wrote to Pope Francis, describing the ministry Fr. Robert Nugent and I began in the early 1970s on behalf of LGBTQ+ people. Frank’s letter…
This past April, Frank DeBernardo and I wrote to Pope Francis. I am the Executive Director and the co-founder of New Ways Ministry (NWM). We told Pope Francis about the mission of NWM to work for justice and reconciliation for…
“Oh, honey, I listen to you all the time! Madeleine Albright With these words Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, greeted Maureen Fiedler before air-time on the radio show “Interfaith Voices,” a public radio newsmagazine on…
By Jeannine Gramick Although the rain came down in a deluge all weekend, the 300 Catholics gathered at a Chicago hotel April 28-30 didn’t seem to be bothered. Inside it seemed like a rainbow of participants and presenters who discussed…