Once a month, a group of local LGBT current and former Catholics gathers to discuss the intersections of their faith and identities.
“The aim is not only to support LGBTQ Catholics but also to really engage in direct action to bring about a more loving and inclusive Catholic Church,” explained Seth Jacobson, founder of OUTCatholics.
Jacobson launched the group as the LGBT Catholic Community of Philadelphia in September; a co-facilitator had a family illness and Jacobson was finishing a Ph.D. so meetings fell by the wayside for a bit, but the group reconvened about six months ago with a new name and meeting place, the Camac Center.
Jacobson, 32, noted that, while he initially was interested in the group being more activism-driven rather than support-oriented, he recognized a need for both missions.
“I was weary of the idea of a bunch of LGBTQ Catholics sitting in a circle as a support group. And that’s only because I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with us — many of us don’t — but rather that we’re in a challenging position within the church,” he said. “But I came to realize after I started the group that there were a lot of LGBTQ Catholics looking for support and a sense of community because of painful experiences they had within their parish communities.”
The first half of the monthly meeting is typically devoted to members sharing about a particular theme; a recent meeting focused on transgender issues and featured remarks by a transgender Catholic woman. Then, for the second half, members delve into a “call to action.”
“In the first hour, we listen to one another and understand what the challenges are for us within the church, why we stay, and then we move into trying to brainstorm and execute direct actions we can do together as a group to bring about changes within our local parishes and the broader Church,” Jacobson explained, “so the hardships we struggle with don’t continue, and don’t continue to inflict pain on younger LGBTQ Catholics and even those who aren’t LGBTQ.”
The group’s attendance varies, with anywhere from six to 16 members at any given meeting. Attendees also represent a wide age range, Jacobson noted, adding that allies are welcome, as are those who no longer identify as Catholic.
“We want to make sure that folks who are Catholic and ex-Catholics who want to be part of encouraging a more inclusive Church can come together, and we need our allies in the pews and within the Church to help with this,” he said.
To that end, OUTCatholics is launching a new outreach initiative based off of its reading of “Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity,” a new book by the Rev. James Martin.
Jacobson said he’s read several works by the progressive priest and was particularly inspired by his new book that highlights the need for openness both from the Church and from the LGBT community.
“That’s a tough message for a community that has felt so marginalized by the institutionalized Church, to hear, ‘OK, now treat them with more respect, compassion and sensitivity.’ But what Father Martin tries to urge is that that is the Christian message: Love thy enemy,” Jacobson said. “It’s a tough call and a high toll to pay for creating and walking that bridge, but it’s one we’re called to do.”
The group will discuss the book at its July 27 meeting and later this year will invite parish representatives, such as those who sit on local councils and committees, to meet with the members.
“The immediate plan is to identify folks on parish councils and church committees throughout the region and all come together,” Jacobson said. “We’ll have the first hour of our meeting continue to be about supporting LGBTQ Catholics and then in the second the call to action which, in this case, will be about building bridges with these representatives. We’ll ask them questions about what their churches are doing to be more sensitive, compassionate and respectful to LGBTQ people at large and in their pews and see what they need from the community to assist them in engaging in these kinds of conversations.”
Jacobson noted that the effort is not necessarily meant for those who are resistant to LGBT acceptance, but rather for resource-building for those interested in starting or furthering the conversation.
“We’re not trying to immediately open doors and ask people who are really struggling with the general reconciliation of LGBTQ identities and Catholicism to come in and try to covert them to being more open,” he said. “In the interim, we’re trying to recruit folks from different parishes who have an interest in having these conversations. We want to be an incubator through which different representatives of parishes can come and we can encourage them to build these bridges in their parishes and provide them resources for how to go about doing that.”
OUTCatholics meets from 6:30-8:30 the last Thursday of the month at the Camac Center, 201 S. Camac St. For more information, visit www.meetup.com/outcatholicsphilly or search Facebook for OUTCatholics of Philadelphia.