Message from Our Director
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Dear Friends,
On behalf of the Courage Office team, I wish all of you a blessed, happy, healthy new year!
This year will bring us much to celebrate: in 2020 we will mark the 40th anniversary of the first Courage meeting, the 25th anniversary of Courage Philippines, and the 15th anniversary of Courage Latino. I will be writing more about each of these important celebrations in due course.
The universal Church will also mark a significant anniversary this year: the centennial of the birth of Pope Saint John Paul II. Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, on May 18, 1920, as philosopher, theologian, teacher and pastor he did more than anyone else in the 20th century to shape our understanding of Christian anthropology, of God's plan for human sexuality, and of the way in which the Church can and should engage the relativistic philosophy of the modern world. His teaching provides a solid foundation for the educational work of the Courage apostolate, and his loving pastoral gaze (so beautifully captured in the portrait by Courage member Gary H., depicted above) inspires and guides our ministry of pastoral accompaniment.
With Pope Saint John Paul II in mind, I want to remind you of our upcoming
Truth & Love Conference, which will take place from April 27 to 29 in Sterling, Virginia, in the Diocese of Arlington. This conference is designed for clergy, other people in pastoral ministry, educators, members of the healing professions, and others who accompany people who are experiencing same sex attractions or confusion about their sexual identity. Our first-class roster of speakers will address topics of pastoral care, mental and physical health, the legal and political landscape, and the work of catechesis and evangelization. Participants will also hear witness testimonies from Courage and EnCourage members, and have opportunities to share their own experiences with colleagues from around the country. At our opening liturgy, we will formally place the
Truth & Love project under the patronage of Saint John Paul II.
Further information appears later in this newsletter. If you are serving in the ministries I mentioned, I cordially invite you to attend the
Truth & Love Conference this April. If not, I ask you to consider purchasing a registration for your parish priest, director of religious education, school principal, or someone else who could benefit from the formation and fellowship that the conference provides.
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Please keep the conference and all of our pastoral efforts in your daily prayers, and know that you have a special place in the prayers and Masses offered in the Courage Office.
Sincerely,
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Father Philip G. Bochanski
Executive Director
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News
- Shop at the Courage Online Store
- New Chapters
- Divine Mercy University Tuition Discount
General Resources
- Fr. Bochanski on "Why Does the Church Hate Homosexuals?"
Courage
- The Importance of Friendship
- "Masculinity is Not a Program…Or is it?"
EnCourage
- "Prayers for the Fallen Away Do Work Miracles"
- EnCourage Members Unite in Prayer on Shrine Days
Courage Internacional (Spanish)
- Courage Internacional January E-Newsletter in Spanish
- Online Conference in Spanish on Saturday, February 22
Pastoral resources
- Sign Up Now for the Truth & Love Conference
- Truth & Love Resource of the Month: Church Teaching on Homosexuality
Events—Too many great opportunities to list here!
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Shop at the Courage Online Store
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Check out the latest additions to the Courage store by going to
Couragerc.org > "Resources" > "Shop" from the dropdown menu. The DVDs of the talks from the
2017,
2018, and
2019 conferences are all available now for easy online ordering at discounted prices. Some have bonus content that cannot be found in our
online conference video archives. Plus you can also purchase Courage's 5-part catechetical DVD series,
Invited to Courageous Love, which is excellent for use in Courage and EnCourage chapters, parishes, and beyond.
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Courage International is living up to its name with the exciting addition of chapters in Spain!
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About 170 Courage chapters and
100 EnCourage chapters around the world
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Divine Mercy University Tuition Discount
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Divine Mercy University offers a
20% tuition reduction to those associated with Courage and EnCourage in hopes that "the Holy Spirit is drawing more people to serve the mental health needs of people with same-sex attraction." Divine Mercy University "is committed to mental health rooted in the Catholic understanding of the human person, the family, and society."
Programs offered at Divine Mercy University:
Contact Divine Mercy University admissions today at 703-416-1441 or
enroll.divinemercy.edu. Be sure to tell them Courage sent you!
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"Does the Church Hate Homosexuals?"
How to reply when friends and relatives ask
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An encore presentation of Fr. Bochanski's compelling
conversation with
Courage advocate, Fr. Robert McTeigue, SJ, was recently aired on
The Catholic Current. Father's unequivocal reply to the question posed was, "The Church doesn't hate people who experience same-sex attractions…because the Church is our mother. She loves us all very much. When she has to say, 'I love you, but I think you're making a bad decision here,' it's always because of the deep concern … for our happiness and our fulfillment and our salvation." There is something for everyone in this episode as they go on to discuss chastity, the meaning of "disordered," an authentic pastoral approach, same-sex "marriage," and how to relate to the same-sex partners of loved ones.
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The Importance of Friendship
Members of Courage serve as models of friendship in a lonely culture
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Deacon Hilmar Pabel is the Courage chapter coordinator in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as a university history professor. In June 2019, he presented a diocesan lecture on
"The Importance of Being Friends: Lessons from the Courage Apostolate." "We need to reclaim and deepen the value of friendship in our world, in the Church, and for ourselves to foster a culture of welcome and of love. Friendship is a fundamental goal of the Courage apostolate. Men and women who experience same-sex attraction—members of Courage—can teach us much about friendship as they wait for us to embrace them as friends." In an interview with the B.C. Catholic about
"Rediscovering the Art of Friendship" he discusses the understanding of friendship throughout history and its continued importance today: "To have a friend is a gift….[T]hat's God's love working through someone else."
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"Masculinity is Not a Program…Or is it?"
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Mark Houck, director of The Kings Men and long-time Courage friend, makes some observations about the role of church-led men's programs in a Catholic man's life. While these formation opportunities can be beneficial, each man needs to discern where he should best invest himself so that God's grace can bring about his "overall integration—emotionally, spiritually, and physically as a man" and lead him to "sanctity and holiness."
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"Prayers for the Fallen Away Do Work Miracles"
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Fr. Roger Landry wrote a hope-filled
article for the
National Catholic Register, in which he gives many examples from scripture, the lives of the saints, and his own priestly ministry, where prayers for the conversion of lost loved ones are answered. He then goes on to offer seven practical tips about praying for those who have gone astray:
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- Exercise all five forms of prayer.
- Recognize we aren't praying alone.
- Our interactions with loved ones should enflesh the Good News.
- Reasons why people leave the faith often contain seeds of their return.
- People need to be reminded of the moral truth, but not all the time.
- Pray over the Parable of the Sower and the Seed.
- Our prayer and life should radiate hope.
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EnCourage Members Unite in Prayer on Shrine Days
Many holy sites visited on December 7; next date is April 18
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Mary Anne S., the EnCourage nightly prayer call coordinator, reports on a new way EnCourage members are banding together in prayer for loved ones: "Every night of the week, for more than three years, EnCourage prayer call members have sought to bundle their individual flames of prayer together. The hope has been that a mighty fire of united prayers might ascend like a blazing column before the throne of God. On December 7, 2019, many EnCourage prayer call members united in prayer yet again—but in a different way. They united to honor Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, on an EnCourage Shrine Day."
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For more information on EnCourage prayer opportunities:
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Courage Internacional
For our Spanish-speaking members and friends
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Courage Internacional
January E-Newsletter in Spanish
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Online Conference in Spanish on Saturday, February 22
"What does the Church teach about homosexuality?"
For Spanish-speaking religious and lay persons involved in pastoral care
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Echoing the invitation of the Church to welcome with "respect, compassion and sensitivity" (CCC 2358) those who experience same-sex attractions, the panel of experts at this conference will discuss Christian anthropology as well as the experience of these teachings in the lives of persons who live with same-sex attractions. This international Spanish online conference is aimed at religious, laity with pastoral responsibilities, catechists, and professionals in education and medicine with pastoral interest in the subject. It is offered at no charge, although donations are welcome.
Please spread the word to Spanish-speaking friends and acquaintances who are in the target audience.
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Sign Up Now for the Truth & Love Conference
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A conference offering
practical and pastoral guidance
on the topics of homosexuality
and sexual identity
to those who minister to them.
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Holiday Inn
Washington-Dulles Airport
Sterling, Virginia
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Join us as we mark
the 100th birthday
of Pope Saint John Paul II
by naming him
the official patron
of Truth & Love
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Two of our Plenary Session Speakers:
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Trent Horn
"Love That Makes Sense"
Trent will explain how our culture has rejected God’s plan for marriage and sexuality and why His plan alone makes sense to our minds and brings peace to our hearts.
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Helen Alvaré
"SOGI Laws: Reflecting and Forming Culture"
Helen will discuss the current shape and status of sexual orientation and gender identity laws at both the state and federal level, their history and legal context, and their impact of the formation of culture.
Helen Alvaré is a Professor of Law at
Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, where she teaches Family Law, Law and Religion, and Property Law. She publishes on matters concerning marriage, parenting, non-marital households, and the First Amendment religion clauses.
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Spread the word!
Your invitation could make the difference!
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Truth & Love's
Featured Resources of the Month
Church Teaching on Homosexuality
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Truth & Love, an initiative of Courage International,
is a multifaceted Catholic resource for anyone seeking the tools to support men and women who experience same-sex attractions.
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Florida Courage and EnCourage Day of Recollection
February 15, 2020, in Orlando area, Florida
Dioceses of Orlando and St. Petersburg
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Spanish Online Conference on Church Teaching & Pastoral Care
February 22, 2020
For Spanish-speaking religious, lay persons involved in pastoral care, catechists, educators, and mental and medical health care professionals.
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Courage Men and Women's Retreat South
March 27–29, 2020, in Birmingham, Alabama
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Philadelphia Courage Day of Recollection
March 28, 2020, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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West Coast Living Waters Leadership Training Seminar
March 28–April 3, 2020, in Scottsdale, Arizona
Equips participants for ministry to the sexually and relationally broken.
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EnCourage Shrine Day
April 18, 2020, at the shrine of your choice
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Truth & Love Conference
"'Be Not Afraid'': Affirming the Truth about Sex and Identity"
April 27–29, 2020 in Sterling, Virginia
(Holiday Inn, Washington-Dulles)
For those involved in ministry to persons with same-sex attractions.
An initiative of Courage International.
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Courage Men's Sports Camp XXI
May 21–24, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Courage Women's Spring Retreat
June 4-7, 2020 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
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Midwest Living Waters Leadership Training Seminar
June 20–26, 2020, in Kansas City, Kansas
Equips participants for ministry to the sexually and relationally broken.
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Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference
July 23-26, 2020 in Mundelein, Illinois
(Archdiocese of Chicago)
Kickoff for our 40th Anniversary celebration
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40th Anniversary of Courage's First Meeting
Holy Mass with Cardinal Timothy Dolan
September 26, 2020, at 12:00 noon, in New York, New York
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Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference
July 15-18, 2021 in Mundelein, Illinois
(Archdiocese of Chicago)
Closing of our 40th Anniversary celebration
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Courage does not necessarily fully endorse all of the ideas included in resources that are not produced by Courage, but we still like to share items that we and our members have found to have considerable helpful content.
Photo credits
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