In June 2016, a man walked into Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and opened fire on its patrons. He killed 49 people and wounded 53 in the deadliest incidence of violence against the LGBTQ community in American history.
The lack of prayers, the lack of communication with the LGBTQ community and the seeming lack of care for LGBTQ people in the parish I was serving put me at a crossroads. As a gay Catholic, I prayed. I sought discernment. And ultimately, I felt the Spirit calling me to do something because the void was deafening.
Image: JR Zerkowski; some passersby; and Mike Jagielski, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus; put out Historic St. Paul’s first rainbow banner.
Bishop John Stowe, O.F.M. Conv., of Lexington, Ky., speaks to those gathered for a Fortunate Families Day of Discernment at the Catholic Center in Lexington.
I was inspired to speak with Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Ky., and seek his permission to begin intentional LGBTQ ministry in his diocese. I did exactly that: received Bishop Stowe’s permission and began the ministry as a “personal outreach of the Bishop of Lexington.” We established ourselves as the Catholic LGBTQ+ Ministry Lexington at Historic Saint Paul Parish. With no plan in place and relying totally on the Spirit, we held our first meeting, attended by two people. Plenty of growing pains and trials followed, but the ministry has produced much good fruit.
Since then, the ministry has drawn dozens of LGBTQ people and their families and friends back to the church. It has attracted others who have made their profession of faith or received baptism because of the witness of the LGBTQ ministry.
This ministry has made Historic St. Paul Parish the home for a great many LGBTQ Catholics, their families and friends. We have partnered with civic organizations to work for the common good and received a mayoral proclamation for our work with the civic community. By providing opportunities for encounter, we have brought together unlikely pairings: an Eagle Scout project, the Knights of Columbus and many supporters and defenders of the LGBTQ community.
The ministry was instrumental in establishing two LGBTQ support groups at Lexington Catholic High School and a statement supporting LGBTQ youth signed by more than 50 percent of the diocesan presbyterate. The ministry is a regular sight at the Pride Festivals in the Bluegrass and is a respected member of the LGBTQ community in Lexington and in the Commonwealth. It contributes editorials and statements regularly to the press.
Moreover, our ministry’s model is known throughout the country. I have been invited to assist educational venues, parishes, religious communities, bishops and presbyterates in discerning and beginning LGBTQ intentional outreach.
In 2021, the local ministry produced yet another incredible outcome: the Diocese of Lexington LGBT Outreach Commission, which is part of the diocesan structure under the Peace and Justice Office. The 50 diocesan counties now benefit from ministry to and with LGBT persons, and the LGBT Outreach Commission is a permanent part of the diocesan mission.
