We Are Family

Download the We Are Family Brochure

We meet the Third Tuesday of every Month at the church.

Ministry to Gay and Lesbian Catholics, Their Families and Friends

Mission Statement

Accepting God's call, we seek to reflect Christ's actions to all at St. Michael's and the larger community. We minister to families and individuals dealing with homosexuality, either within their own families or within themselves. As part of the community, we gather in faith to celebrate the gifts from, and the presence of, God in our lives as fellow disciples of Jesus on a journey with our larger Christian Catholic community. In unity with them, we search for understanding and spiritual strength.

As Catholic Christians we believe in the full participation of every member of the body of Christ and embrace the pastoral statements of the U.S. Catholic Bishops and the larger Church [Always Our Children, a pastoral message to parents of homosexual children], the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other writings of the Magisterium that stress the importance of the homosexual individual and their right to respect, friendship, and justice. We will live our faith in the midst of our community. We will speak works of faith, hope and love to individuals, parents, and families who need the Church's loving presence at a time that may be one of the most challenging in their lives. Inspired by God's deep love for us and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will seek to deepen our commitment to love and care for gay and lesbian people, their friends and families. By this commitment we embrace the full diversity of community and promote justice and peace for all people.

We will strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, intolerance, and oppression against homosexual people in our communities. This ministry walks with gay and lesbian people, their parents and friends as they explore and come to value their stories, thereby, empowering them to share that story with their family circle and the larger Catholic community.

Recognizing that a child or sibling is gay will have significant emotional ramifications for family and close friends. We Are Family attempts to provide opportunities for better understanding of what homosexuality actually is, and how their lives may impact both the individual and those close to him or her. While it is beyond the scope of the group to provide any formal therapy, the sharing of experiences, perceptions, and feelings is often beneficial to parents and family members dealing with the emotional turmoil of accepting a gay son, daughter or sibling.

Central to the philosophy of the group is understanding that God creates us all and has a good reason for doing so! This may not always be obvious to us! It is recognized that faith is a vital part of a healing relationship that may have been disrupted by difficulties in accepting a newly realized orientation on the part of a child, sibling, or friend. It is our belief that we need to put our faith completely in God, to rely on the teachings of the Church, and to minister to those in need.

In the belief that it "takes a village" we strive to be supportive and loving to members of our community as they journey toward the full acceptance of God's creation. As a Pastoral Care ministry at St. Michael's, we strive to demonstrate that everyone is welcome in our midst and that all persons are integral parts of our church family.