Tag: Catholic

Some principles for making prayerful decisions

THIS WEEK, the church where my partner and I volunteer to run a monthly LGBT inclusive service, faced a huge decision – whether to commit to at least ten years of major fundraising and building work, or to walk away and start afresh somewhere else. A question this big was hard to answer – the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/10/24/some-principles-for-making-prayerful-decisions/

Coming home – My story for #NationalComingOutDay

WHEN AN LGBT PERSON speaks of coming out, it often involves the moment of revelation to those closest to you, especially parents and family. October 11th is #NationalComingOutDay – so here’s my story: Coming out was certainly a major milestone on my journey, delayed and complicated by the fact that I spent three years in my twenties …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/10/11/comingoutday15/

A very queer* time – Bishop goes viral, Quest continues, Love in the dock, God loves hugs & Michael’s mates

*Queer – originally meaning odd, used as a term of homophobic abuse, reclaimed by activists as a defiant act of liberation, now interpreted to mean radical transgression of norms – see my comments on Keith Sharpe’s book The Gay Gospels below. IT’S BEEN an extraordinary couple of weeks since my last post about the Bishop of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/08/04/a-very-queer-time/

LGBT History Month: What’s your story? #LGBTHM15

FEBRUARY is LGBT History Month in the UK – marked every year in the UK since 2004 to remember and celebrate the lives and achievements of LGBT people past and present. It was set up by Sue Sanders, founder of Schools Out, a group for LGBT teachers since 1974. LGBT History Month is a wonderful opportunity to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/02/21/lgbt-history-month-whats-your-story/

Diversity Role Models – Challenging prejudice one story at a time

A YEAR AGO I trained as a volunteer with Diversity Role Models, a charity which offers workshops in schools featuring positive LGBT or straight ally role models who speak directly to young people about their experiences, to challenge bullying by promoting empathy. They began in London in 2011 and are now expanding across the UK, including …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/12/22/diversity-role-models/

‘You gotta have faith’ – Diva magazine debate on faith & sexuality

Tonight in Liverpool, Diva magazine editor Jane Czyselska chaired a debate between veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, Christian commentator and musician Vicky Beeching, Rose Neelam, a muslim and Faith Communities Officer at UK Black Pride, and lesbian Rabbi Ariel Friedlander, as part of the annual Homotopia LGBT arts festival. Read Peter Tatchell: My journey to Humanism Read …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/11/12/you-gotta-have-faith-diva-magazine-debate-on-faith-sexuality/

A very extraordinary synod

Early in the morning of Sunday 19th October I received a text message from the lay reader at our Anglican parish church, who was away for the weekend. This was unusual – what could be so urgent that she would text so early in the morning while she was on holiday? The text read: ‘Dear …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/11/10/a-very-extraordinary-synod/

A call to action as Catholic Church consults on marriage and family life

A CALL TO ACTION, a group of Catholics campaigning for greater openness and dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church, is calling for the results of a consultation on sexual ethics to be released. The survey was commissioned by Pope Francis and sent to Catholic bishops around the world last November, with instructions to consult as …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/04/19/a-call-to-action/

‘And it’s goodnight from him’ – A eulogy for my father

I have been silent for the past month due to my father’s final illness. I last wrote while on the train to visit him in hospital. The following week, though his will was strong, his body was weak, and could sustain him no more. Yesterday we celebrated a requiem mass in thanksgiving for his life. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/11/23/and-its-goodnight-from-him-eulogy-for-my-father/

‘I am what I am’ – A reflection on identity

The following text is a reflection I presented today during Morning Prayer at the church I attend with my partner. The church chooses a monthly theme for its services – this month’s theme was Musicals! When my partner and I were asked to lead a service on the theme of musicals, at first I thought: …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/08/11/i-am-what-i-am/

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