Last night in Chicago, Outreach hosted a prayer service and social hour, and during the reception, a man a few decades older than me caught my attention and asked if he could bring me over to a group of friends to say hello. We walked past linen-covered banquet tables, covered with vases of fresh flowers, trays of cookies and sandwiches and even pillar prayer candles, five different colors, situated to resemble a rainbow. I shook hands with each of the man’s friends and I took a moment to reflect on what I saw in front of me: a group of smiling, LGBTQ Catholics, representing different ages, ethnicities and genders, all gathered together to celebrate the joy of being part of this unique community in our church.
Last year, Outreach announced a plan to host regional events, in order to build community in various parts of the country and to offer a bit of what we do at our national conference in more places throughout the year. We seek to introduce Outreach to communities that are unfamiliar with our work, and in a special way, to reach out to young adult LGBTQ Catholics so that they know they are a valued part of the church.
The Chicago event hit all those marks, mostly because our local host, St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, was so gracious, with volunteers preparing the church, singing in the choir, reading Scripture, setting up the hall, pouring cups of wine and cleaning up when the evening was through.
There was one moment, though, at the start of the liturgy, that caught the attention of my Outreach colleague, Jack Consolie. As the prayer service was about to begin, Michael Ruzicki, the director of sacred music and liturgy at the parish, offered a simple but profound greeting: “Welcome. Welcome. You are most welcome here.”
For many in the church, such clear and concise words of welcome might not always have been the norm. LGBTQ people have not always been welcome in the church, and in many places, that remains true. But last night, as nearly 125 LGBTQ Catholics, and their friends and family, sang hymns, listened to Scripture and prayed together, that spirit of welcome that Outreach seeks to foster was evident, with wide smiles and a few tears visible on the faces of several people.
During the reception, I made my rounds and I was struck by the gratitude many in the parish hall expressed for the opportunity to be with one another in that space. Chicago is blessed to have several thriving parishes with robust LGBTQ ministries, but I was told they rarely have the chance to spend time together. So there was a true spirit of camaraderie present last night. It was a team effort: the presider, Rich Andre, C.S.P., is pastor at a Paulist parish, Old St. Mary’s, in downtown Chicago, and several volunteers during the liturgy came from other parishes from across the city. Even getting people there was a group effort, with several parishes spreading word of the event to their own communities and AGLO, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s LGBTQ ministry, lent their support as well.
Even with all that positive energy, I was particularly moved by the folks I met who had traveled in from places where they are unable to find welcoming spaces, some from hours away, for a chance to spend a relatively brief evening together, knowing that they could be fully themselves while practicing the faith they love.
As the reception began to wrap up, I asked the pastor of St. Mary of the Lake, Father Sergio Rivas Tamayo, if he would say a few words. He offered an apology to anyone who had ever felt hurt or unwelcome by the church, and a simple “thank you” to everyone for showing up to the event. The evening that began with welcome concluded with gratitude, two sentiments I felt acutely in that moment.
