Message from Our Director
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Dear Friends,
It's now more than a month that most of us have been living with "stay at home" orders and all of the inconveniences and anxieties that such a situation brings. Some of us have lost family members and friends to the pandemic, including members of our Courage family: as I write, Courage Manila is mourning the loss of their brother Jim A., and another Courage brother is very ill. These are truly unprecedented conditions in any of our lifetimes, but you can be sure that I and my team in the Courage Office have been praying for you and your loved ones.
Nothing happens in this world without the permission of Divine Providence, and it is precisely in crises like this that the Lord asks us to deepen our faith in Him and to strive to understand more deeply the truth of His Word to us. In this regard, I have been marveling at the way that so many of our Courage and EnCourage chapters have found ways to stay connected by phone and internet during this time of enforced isolation. It's a powerful reminder of just how important are the fellowship and chaste friendship that we commit ourselves to building every time we read the
Goals of our apostolate. In some places, the crisis has actually
increased participation in Courage and EnCourage meetings as they move to online platforms! Truly God is able to bring great good even out of very difficult situations.
While we have had to cancel or postpone some of our retreats and in-person events, we have been able to use this same technology to move next week's
Truth & Love Conference to a webinar, and to attract more participants. Because instructions from health authorities and government officials are changing very rapidly, I don't have definite details to share about our
annual conference at this time, but please continue saving the date, July 23 to 26. My team and I will continue to update you as plans become more clear.
I'm sure we are all looking forward very eagerly to the time when we can be together again in person as a Courage and EnCourage family. Until then, rest assured that you are in my prayers, and that I remember you and your loved ones often as I celebrate Holy Mass. Please continue to pray for us, and to pray with us for the sick, the deceased, their family and friends, and for all who are putting their own lives at risk to care for them. May Our Lady, Health of the Sick, and Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, stay close to you always.
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Father Philip G. Bochanski
Executive Director
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News
- Spread the Word About the April Truth & Love Webinar
- Fr. Bochanski Visits Bishops and Chapters in Toronto
- Third Anniversary Retreat of Italy's Priests of Courage
- Happy 99th Birthday, Fr. James Lloyd, C.S.P.!
- Bonus from Fr. Lloyd: "Some Thoughts While in Quarantine."
- New Chapters
General Resources
- Courage Pandemic Pastoral Resource Page
- Pope Francis's Special Urbi et Orbi Blessing
- Fr. Bochanski's Good Friday Homily: Hope in Suffering
- A Spiritual Routine for Catholic Living in Quarantine
- Praying with the Courage Family
Courage
- Loneliness and Friendship
EnCourage
- Parent's Spiritual Warfare Power Pack
Courage Internacional (Spanish)
- Courage Internacional April E-Newsletter in Spanish
Pastoral Resources
- Truth & Love Conference Now Online
- Featured Resources of the Month: Parental Pain
Events—Too many great opportunities to list here!
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Spread the Word About the April Truth & Love Webinar
Invite clergy, pastoral ministers, educators, caring professionals
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(schedule, speaker bios, talk descriptions)
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Now that the
Truth & Love Conference is online, participants from around the world can attend. Even if you aren't a part of the target audience, you can help by encouraging those who are to attend:
- Email a link to the conference page along with the conference booklet.
- Give the gift of conference attendance to a clergy member, religious, pastoral minister, educator, or mental or medical health professional.
- Let people know about the event on social media by visiting our social media accounts and sharing with your friends and followers.
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Fr. Bochanski Visits Bishops and Chapters in Toronto
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A Courage member from Toronto, who helped coordinate the visit, fills us in on Father's packed agenda:
In March 2020, before COVID-19 travel restrictions and self-isolation/social distancing rules and recommendations were instigated across North America, Fr. Philip Bochanski, Executive Director of Courage International, visited Toronto, Canada for the first time! Fr. Philip had been invited by Cardinal Thomas Collins, the Cardinal Archbishop of Toronto, to speak at the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario. …
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From left to right: Fr. Kevin Belgrave (Toronto Courage Chaplain), Fr .Bochanski, Fr. Vaughan Quinn O.M.I. (former Toronto Courage Chaplain), Fr. Ante Market (Toronto Courage Assistant Chaplain), Fr. Eric Rodrigues (Toronto EnCourage Chaplain)
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Third Anniversary Retreat of Italy's Priests of Courage
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Translated from the Spanish
Courage Internacional report:
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In the holy place where St. Paul was martyred, the Abbazia delle Tre Fontane
(Abbey of the Three Fountains) on the outskirts of Rome, a chapter of priests of Courage met in a prayer of thanksgiving for their third anniversary. The chapter has been directed from its beginnings by their chaplain, Fr. Victor deLuna. The first meeting of the priests was on January 31, 2017, but it was not until the end of this February, just a few days after the beginning of Lent, that they had the opportunity to take a day of retreat with prayer and silence as well as dialogue and fellowship. …
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Priests who experience same-sex attractions
and desire confidential support
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Happy 99th Birthday, Fr. James Lloyd, C.S.P.!
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On April 2, our longest-serving Courage chaplain celebrated another milestone. One of the members of his Manhattan Courage chapter wrote a beautiful tribute:
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Anyone would consider Fr. Lloyd an extraordinary man — even if he weren’t 99! He loves being a priest and he’s been at it for 72 years (as of May 1st)! In addition to his vocation as a priest, he’s also taken on the roles of missionary, educator, seminary director, psychologist, author, NYPD chaplain, and weekly TV talk show host (for 15 years), just to name a few. … But of all the important extra roles he's had during his long priesthood, he often says that he thinks the most meaningful one for him has been as a Courage chaplain the last 25 years in NYC ….
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Listen to Fr. Lloyd's timely wisdom
on the gift of the Holy Mass
as we can no longer take it for granted.
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Last-Minute Bonus Feature from the Pen of Fr. Lloyd
"Some Thoughts While in Quarantine"
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As Providence would have it, just before this newsletter went to "press" a Courage member sent us "Fr. Lloyd’s latest — and I think, one his best — written reflections, especially for these times." Father first shared it on
Facebook, but we reformatted it as a PDF so everyone could have access to it.
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COURAGE:
ENCOURAGE:
COURAGE CHAPTER FOR CLERGY
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About 170 Courage chapters and
100 EnCourage chapters around the world
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"Courage in Isolation" Pandemic Spiritual Resources Page
Living in union with God while distanced from the sacraments
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This coronavirus has not only deprived us of human closeness, but also of the possibility of receiving in person the consolation that flows from the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation. In many countries, it has not been possible to approach them, but the Lord has not left us alone! United in our prayer, we are convinced that he has laid his hand upon us (cf. Ps 138:5), firmly reassuring us: Do not be afraid, “I have risen and I am with you still!” (cf. Roman Missal
, Entrance Antiphon, Mass of Easter Sunday).
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As the sacraments are inaccessible for many of our members, we have launched a page offering resources for those who are especially struggling during this time.
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Pope Francis's Special Urbi et Orbi Blessing
Consoling words in the midst of the pandemic: "Do not be afraid"
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On March 27, Pope Francis presided over a
prayer service for the end of the coronavirus on the steps of St Peter's Basilica. He delivered a compelling
meditation on the calming of the storm from the Gospel of Mark:
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“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Lord, you are calling to us, calling us to faith. Which is not so much believing that you exist, but coming to you and trusting in you. This Lent your call reverberates urgently: “Be converted!”, “Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not the time of your judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others. [...]
Faith begins when we realise we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we founder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars. Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. [...]
We have an anchor: by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope: by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love. In the midst of isolation when we are suffering from a lack of tenderness and chances to meet up, and we experience the loss of so many things, let us once again listen to the proclamation that saves us: he is risen and is living by our side.
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Fr. Bochanski's Good Friday Homily: Hope in Suffering
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Fr. Bochanski delivered an encouraging homily on Good Friday, in which he drew parallels between the uncertainty and fear experienced by the disciples after Jesus's death and that which we are experiencing during the pandemic, with broad application to all of the sufferings and crosses we experience. He introduces the key points of his message: “Pope John Paul I once said that it's possible to hope even in hopeless situations if we are attached to three truths: God is all powerful, God loves me immensely, and God keeps His promises.”
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A Spiritual Routine for Catholic Living in Quarantine
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Fr. Mark-Mary of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (good friends of Courage) "shares some insights that teach us how to live as Catholics while in quarantine. He reflects on the monastic life, pointing out how monasticism is incredibly conducive to this quarantine we’ve adopted. He tells of how Fr. Walter Cizsek, a Jesuit priest in Russia, was persecuted for his faith in the 1920s, and how the imprisoned priest thrived with the Lord in quarantine. He kept up his Jesuit routine of prayer and work, and drew closer to God through it all."
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Praying with the Courage Family
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Even though most of us can't be in each other's physical presence, we can still join with one another in prayer as Courage members lead us online. Check out the videos on Facebook where we can pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Holy Rosary together.
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Loneliness and Friendship
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Two Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph, on an episode of their
Godsplaining podcast, "discuss the Christian understanding of loneliness and the place of Christian friendship as a help to live well in the midst of lonely times."
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Parent's Spiritual Warfare Power Pack
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Allison Ricciardi, founder of
CatholicTherapists.com, has recently released a collection of resources for concerned parents. It begins:
Many people are suffering great angst and sadness because their children, spouse, or other loved ones have fallen away from the faith, many of whom are living in terribly sinful circumstances. It can certainly be heartbreaking. … More than anything, you must recognize the situation for what it is: A spiritual war. You may not realize you’ve enlisted, but one way or another, you’ve been drafted, so gird your loins and plan to win. […]
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Courage Internacional
For our Spanish-speaking members and friends
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Courage Internacional
April E-Newsletter in Spanish
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Truth & Love Conference Now Online
Registration extended to Friday, April 24; sign up for webinar today!
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Since we have moved the conference to an online webinar,
we're happy to open this event to
English-speaking participants from around the world.
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A webinar offering
practical and pastoral guidance
on the topics of homosexuality
and sexual identity
to clergy, religious, pastoral ministers, and lay professionals.
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Registration fee reduced to $75
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(schedule, talk descriptions, speaker bios)
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Featured Resources of the Month: Parental Pain
Truth & Love site equips those who provide pastoral care
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Many helpful resources can be found in the
Resources section of the
Truth & Love site. Highlighted this month is our collection of
Parental Pain, one of the categories to be found under
Advice for Families.
Scroll down to "Category Resources" to view. Click at the bottom of the page for additional pages.
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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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2020 EVENTS
In compliance with guidelines to suspend gatherings of 10 people or more during the current phase of the pandemic, Courage International will be reviewing and updating the status of all events. Some events will be moved online, while others may be postponed or cancelled. The current status of events is listed below, but please check back with our
events calendar
for updates.
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Moved Online:
Truth & Love Conference
"'Be Not Afraid'': Affirming the Truth about Sex and Identity"
April 27–29, 2020 via Zoom webinar
For those involved in ministry to persons with same-sex attractions.
An initiative of Courage International.
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Cancelled:
Courage Men's Sports Camp XXI
May 21–24, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Cancelled:
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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Special Topics in TOB: Gender and Sexual Identity for Educators
June 25–26, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio
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Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference: 40th Anniversary Kickoff
July 23–26, 2020 in Mundelein, Illinois
(Archdiocese of Chicago)
Because conditions related to the pandemic are changing so rapidly, we haven't yet made a final decision on the conference. We will notify you as soon as we firm things up. Feel free to
contact us
with your thoughts, suggestions, and questions.
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Courage Philippines 25th Anniversary Conference
August 1, 2020 in Manila, Philippines
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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 Women's Fall Retreat
October 22–25, 2020, in Asbury, New Jersey
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EnCourage Midwest Fall Retreat
October 30–November 1, in Akron, Ohio
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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.
P
hoto credits
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