Homosexuality and the Catholic Church

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, & Allied Students

"Should [DePaul] be a place where gays and lesbians can find respect, friendship, justice
and a special degree of care? . . . Might DePaul be a place where men and women exercise
intelligence, wisdom, civility and humility and theological and moral insight developed?
I know of no better place."
Rev. Dr. James Halstead
Assoc. Prof. of Religious Studies, Director, Program in Catholic Studies
The DePaulia 6/98

Given DePaul's Catholic heritage, Pride DePaul sponsors an ongoing series of speakers, as well as this site, to explore the evolving relationship between LGBT people and the Catholic Church. The need for such a series arose out of the discussion/debate that occurred in response to Pride DePaul's first Kiss-In. To read more excerpts from that debate and to learn about the Kiss-In, click here. In November 1998, Pride inaugurated the series with a forum featuring guest speaker Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit. A tape of the forum and the Bishop's speech is available at the Richardson Library (Lincoln Park) or the Loop Campus office of University Ministry. You can also borrow a tape from Pride by emailing pride@condor.depaul.edu.

On Monday, October 11, 1999 at 7pm (place TBA), the Program in Catholic Studies in association with University Ministry and Pride DePaul is pleased to present a forum with guest speaker Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND, prohibited by the Vatican on July 14, 1999 from pastoral work with lesbian and gay people. The forum will be titled, "Lesbian and Gay Ministry: Testing Vatican II Reforms." Sister Jeannine will speak about the lengthy investigation by the Vatican of the last 22 years of her lesbian/gay ministry. She will comment on elements of the process and discuss the implications of the case for Church reform.

The links below provide additional information on LGBT issues and the Catholic Church

Dignity/USA a national organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics. This page also includes extensive discussions of LGBT and Catholic issues.

Gay and Lesbian Catholicism a part of a web-based theology library at McGill. The page includes a link to the text of Always Our Children, the pastoral message issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel the Archdiocese of Chicago offers a specialized Catholic mass for gay and lesbian Catholics at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the 700 block of Belmont in Chicago. Mass for this Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO) is at 7pm every Sunday.

Dignity/Chicago a Roman Catholic mass for lgbt Catholics is also offered by Dignity/Chicago at Broadway United Methodist Church (3344 N. Broadway) at 7pm every Sunday. Dignity/Chicago honored Pride DePaul with their 1999 John Michie Award for Community Service.