BY BTL STAFF
PLYMOUTH – Fortunate Families Detroit, a group of Roman Catholic parents and allies of LGBTQ people, will hold a Prayer Walk from 7:30-9 a.m. on Aug. 11 at the Inn at St. John's, 44045 Five Mile Road, Plymouth in protest of an event sponsored by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.
The event at St. John's, "Welcoming and Accompanying Our Brothers and Sisters with Same-Sex Attractions," will make clear the church's position that sexual relationships between LGBT persons cannot be considered to be morally acceptable.
The conference is part of the Courage apostolate, the only Church-sanctioned ministry to LGBT Catholics. Courage prescribes chastity for gay Catholics, whom they call "same-sex attracted," as the only permissible way to live in harmony with church teaching.
"Contrary to its title, the conference is neither welcoming nor willing to accompany LGBT Catholics and families on their faith journeys," said Fortunate Families Detroit leader Linda Karle-Nelson. "Let me be clear. While we honor and admire all of those who freely choose chastity as well as celibacy as a spiritual path, our own experiences and consciences teach us that our lesbian, gay, transgender and questioning children are gifts from God — in their total beings. Their sexual orientation, gender identities and loving relationships are emphatically not 'objectively disordered' as the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church' holds. Fortunate Families believes that such an idea reflects an extremely limited and unhealthy understanding of human sexuality and of the divine presence in the lives and faithful relationships of LGBTQ persons."
In an FAQ on its website, Courage says: "Acceptance of another human being does not necessarily mean that we will agree with all his/her decisions and life-style choices, and sometimes love requires us to make our disagreement known. For example, if two same-sex attracted people are having a 'wedding/commitment' ceremony, a practicing Catholic cannot in good conscience attend that ceremony."
Fortunate Families Detroit also finds hurtful Courage's insistence in calling gay, lesbian and bisexual people "same-sex attracted"– a distancing label that does not allow a minority group to claim its own name. Fortunate Families Detroit will respectfully ask Archbishop Allen Vigneron, Father Paul Check, Father John Riccardo and other speakers at the conference to meet with Fortunate Families Detroit to hear LGBTQ stories.
Fortunate Families Detroit is made up of parents, allies and LGBTQ Catholics in Metro Detroit who work and pray for change within the Catholic church. Visit the website for more information at http://www.fortunatefamiliesdetroit.com/.
