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Families with LGBT children to reconcile at church

Chris Azzopardi

Parents who struggle with or celebrate their gay or lesbian children will share in A Day of Reflection for Catholic Parents of LGBT Children from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at St. Simon and Jude Parish in Westland.
"Religion can be the source of so much guilt and pain for parents who have GLBT children," said Linda Karle-Nelson, a co-president of PFLAG Detroit and board member of Fortunate Families, who's offering the event. "We hope to be able to reconcile our faith experiences with our experiences of our GLBT children whom we love and cherish."
Though Fortunate Families, a ministry to Catholic parents of homosexual children, has hosted the event in Rochester, N.Y., this will be its Michigan debut, Karle-Nelson said.
"This is an attempt to go national with it," she said.
The day will begin with an opening prayer session. The morning will be devoted to listening to the experiences of parents of LGBT children and offering an overview of church teaching on the subject of homosexuality.
In the afternoon, parents will have the opportunity to express their concerns and questions regarding this issue and offer an option to speak with a pastoral counselor (a sister or priest) who will be a part of the team for the day.
There will be time for quiet reflection and Pastor Gerry Bechard will end with a liturgy.
"He's a very open and very welcoming and, (he's) supportive of the GLBT community," Karle-Nelson said.
The event costs $25 per person and $40 per couple. This event is not limited to Catholics only. Parents of all (or questioning) faiths are welcome. For further information and to register, please contact Karle-Nelson at (248) 489-1505 or [email protected].

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