Sacred Heart of Jesus mosaic in the Parish of the Holy Spirit in Anáhuac, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
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Message from Our Director
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Dear Friends,
In a letter to his niece, a cloistered nun, Saint Philip Neri concluded his spiritual advice with these insightful words:
"May God give you grace that you may so gather yourself up into His divine love, and enter so deeply through the wound of the side into the living Fount of the God made man, that you may deny yourself and all love of self, and never more find a way to come out from there."
At this time of year, the Church directs our attention to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (especially during the month of June) and to His Most Precious Blood (through the month of July). As we contemplate the mystery of His wounded Heart and the total sacrifice that He made in order to save us, Our Lord invites us to let Him make our hearts like His own. His Blood, and the self-giving love it represents, strengthens us to live chastely, deepens our prayer and devotion, creates the solidarity that makes our mutual support and friendship possible, and empowers our witness to the Good News. It becomes a flood of living water flowing from His heart to our own: His love becomes our very life.
I'm looking forward to seeing you — virtually this year — at our annual Courage and EnCourage Conference, and opening our Fortieth Anniversary celebrations. Until then, I hope that you will take Saint Philip's advice and lose yourself in the Heart of the Savior. And when you find your home there, please do for me what Saint Philip asked of his niece: "There, within that wound, remember me, and pray for me, a wretched worthless sinner."
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Father Philip G. Bochanski
Executive Director
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News
- Register by July 22 for Courage & EnCourage Conference
- Cardinal O'Brien Congratulates Courage on 40th Anniversary
- "In Trying Times, How Can Catholics Stay Hopeful?"
- Celebrating 25 Years of Courage in the Philippines
- "Approaching Pride Month as a Catholic"
- New Chapters
General Resources
- St. Mary Magdalene: In Pursuit of Love
- Read Our Story in Courage: A Ministry of Hope
Courage
- Courage Brings Freedom and Joy to Filipino Member
- "Guarding Your Life Against Lust" with Matt Fradd
EnCourage
- EnCourage and the Spiritual Life: Union with God is the First Priority
- "Are you stuck in the past or worried about the future?"
Courage Internacional – For our Spanish-Speaking Members and Friends
- July E-Newsletter in Spanish
- Priests Show Great Interest in Serving People with SSA
Pastoral Resources
- Response to Austrian Book on Church Same-Sex Blessings
- Featured Resources of the Month: Pastoral Care
Events
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Register by July 22 for Courage & EnCourage Conference
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Includes schedule, speakers, registration, and more info
Suggested donation: $25.00
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Deadline July 22
Plenary session speakers
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Cardinal O'Brien Congratulates Courage on 40th Anniversary
"Thank you all for your splendid witness"
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Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop emeritus of Baltimore and Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher (based in Rome), has extended congratulations to members of Courage and EnCourage as they mark their 40th anniversary. A priest of the Archdiocese of New York when Courage began, he had been appointed by Cardinal Cooke to assist in its founding.
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Fr. John F. Harvey, OSFS,
founding director of Courage
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“I recall the early years when a saintly Father John Harvey would travel from Philadelphia to Manhattan for prayer and discussion with scarcely a handful of potential members. It was a long and labored birth but he was never discouraged,” Cardinal O’Brien said.
“Prayer and Perseverance were his hallmarks, as they are yours, faithful disciples of Jesus, freely following him without compromise. Prayer and Perseverance! Thank you all for your splendid witness!"
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"In Trying Times, How Can Catholics Stay Hopeful?"
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The Catholic News Agency recently featured a conversation with Courage Executive Director, Fr. Philip Bochanski, about his book
The Virtue of Hope: How Confidence in God Can Lead You to Heaven. The piece begins with a question: "Amid the worldwide panic surrounding coronavirus and lockdowns, as well as protests and unrest in many parts of the country in recent weeks, it can be easy for people of any faith to ask: Where is God?"
Fr. Bochanski answers that "Hope brings us back to that reality that He's never absent. And although I can't see Him at the moment, I trust him enough to wait for Him to show me and to do what I can moment by moment. ... If we do our part, God will also do his part and carry out his plan for our lives.”
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Celebrating 25 Years of Courage in the Philippines
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Video recounts history of Courage in the Philippines
and introduces some of their members and chaplains.
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Congratulations to Courage in the Philippines for
25 years of serving as a gift to the local Church on July 29!
Several new chapters having been established recently, with a Courage presence now in ten different dioceses and one apostolic vicariate. The anniversary conference has been rescheduled for September 12 in light of the pandemic. Watch their
Facebook page for updates and details.
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"Approaching Pride Month as a Catholic"
Fr. Bochanski discusses this question and more on
Catholic Answers Live
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In June, Fr. Bochanski appeared as a guest on
Catholic Answers Live where he had a conversation with host, Cy Kellett, about how Catholics should respond to the broader cultural observance of Pride month. Father also replied to a number of questions from callers. Topics included:
- Pride celebrations in the workplace
- promoting Courage in the parish
- "gay" person joining the Church
- church leaders who don't uphold Church teaching
- making T-shirts for Pride month
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About 170 Courage chapters
and 100 EnCourage chapters
around the world
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St. Mary Magdalene: In Pursuit of Love
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Eileen Leyne, a consecrated laywoman with the Fraternas, wrote a reflection that explores what the example of St. Mary Magdalene might have to say to Courage and EnCourage members, chaplains, and friends of the apostolate:
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Our pilgrimage towards union with God is a journey with hills and valleys. We have all known the experience of victory and we have known disappointment too in our pursuit of chaste love. Yet something has kept us going about the streets and squares of our cities, and of our hearts, in search of that which our souls truly desire.
This month, on July 22nd, the Church will celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, perhaps one of the most well known disciples of Jesus. There is much mystery and debate that shrouds the identity of this faithful follower of Christ; was she a former prostitute, the repentant sinner who wiped the Lord’s feet with tears, the adulterous woman who Jesus saved from stoning, the sister of Martha and Lazarus who sat in contemplation at the Lord’s feet, a wealthy widow from Magdala? While these debates continue, one thing we know for certain is that St. Mary Magdalene was a woman who was utterly transformed and healed by a liberating encounter with Jesus Christ that set her on a path of courageous discipleship in the footsteps of the One whom her soul now loved. …
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Read Our Story in
Courage: A Ministry of Hope
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A great way to observe Courage's 40th anniversary year would be to read the book that documents our story from the point of view of one of our members, Jim Beers. Here's an excerpt from the description of
Courage: A Ministry of Hope:
This book will relate not just the history of the apostolate but how and why it was founded. It will introduce readers to the numerous souls whose lives were changed by following the goals of Courage and who found peace, understanding, and joy in choosing a life of chastity. … Founded in 1980 in New York, Courage has grown into an international organization. Yet its very existence seems to defy the tide of the popular culture. In spite of pressure on all sides and even from inside the Church, Courage continues to stress the traditional teachings of the Church. While society's attitudes toward sexuality have changed, the teachings of the Church have not. … All of us, homosexual and heterosexual, are called to be chaste.
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Courage Brings Freedom and Joy to Filipino Member
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Member and coordinator of the Courage chapters in the Philippines, Edwin Valles, was interviewed on an episode of
CBCP News Conversations (a production of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines). He explains the apostolate, shares his own testimony, and offers suggestions for how the faithful can support persons who experience same-sex attractions. He describes three key means by which God delivered him from 22 years in the "gay lifestyle": regular time praying with the Word of God, a new understanding of his identity as "a redeemed child of God," and the support and accountability found in his Courage chapter. Edwin says the apostolate is aptly named since it takes "Courage" to go against the grain and move beyond a "gay" identity and live chastely. He then encourages others: "If you want to help persons with same-sex attractions, the best way is to draw them to Jesus Christ."
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"Guarding Your Life Against Lust" with Matt Fradd
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Matt Fradd offers sound guidance in this
Ascension Presents video:
Oftentimes the advice we receive for overcoming lust sounds a little cliché, so we dismiss it as unhelpful. In this ... video from Matt Fradd, though, he offers advice from St. Thomas Aquinas, who taught four ways to combat lust. Though they may seem common and difficult, no one who has consistently tried all four has found them lacking in their power to combat lust.
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EnCourage and the Spiritual Life
Part 1: Union with God is the First Priority
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EnCourage mom and lay facilitator for her local chapter, Mary W., has written a series of articles to educate and support EnCourage members. This month we feature the introduction:
It is of no little significance that both the first and last of the
five goals of EnCourage
are directly related to the spiritual life. Encouraging one another to develop and sustain a relationship with Jesus Christ in the heart of His Church, for our own sake and for the sake of our loved ones with same-sex attractions, is the beginning and the end of what EnCourage does. …
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"Are you stuck in the past or worried about the future?"
St. John Paul II advises gratitude, enthusiasm, and confidence
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Philip Kosloski at
Aleteia wrote a short reflection on this exhortation from John Paul II's
Novo Millenio Inuente:
Duc in altum! [Put out into the deep]
These words ring out for us today,
and they invite us
to remember the past with gratitude,
to live the present with enthusiasm
and to look forward to the future with confidence.
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An EnCourage couple sent us the above article because they found it to be applicable to EnCourage members. Feel free to
send us your suggestions of inspiring and helpful resources for possible inclusion in future newsletters.
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For our Spanish-speaking members and friends
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July E-Newsletter in Spanish
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Priests Interested in Serving Persons Who Experience SSA
Courage International holds second online conference
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On Saturday, June 20, Courage International held its second online conference addressed to Spanish-speaking priests under the title "Accompanying People with Homosexual Inclinations: Pastoral Guidelines in Light of Truth and Mercy."
The conference was attended by more than 70 priests from 12 different countries. "Through their questions, we were able to note their great interest in serving our brothers and sisters who experience same-sex attractions (SSA),” said
Rossana Goñi-Cuba, coordinator for Spanish-language chapters of Courage International." Many of our brothers and sisters with SSA look to the Church for that Mother who welcomes them, understands them, and leads them by the hand toward an understanding of the truth of their deepest identity as sons and daughters of God and toward an encounter with Jesus Christ in whom they can discover their true freedom." ...
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Response to Austrian Book on Church Same-Sex Blessings
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The Catholic News Agency interviewed Courage Executive Director, Fr. Philip Bochanski, about a recently published "German language book which considers how homosexual couples might receive a formal, liturgical blessing of their union in the Church." Father said that such blessings "would only obscure knowledge of what is important and good about persons with same-sex attraction. … To suggest that without a recognized sexual relationship (marriage or something like it), we are expecting people to live lonely, loveless lives, overlooks the fact that there are many kinds of love — charity, affection, friendship, to name a few -— that are real, vital loves in their own right and not consolation prizes for people who aren't married. We appreciate love less, not more, by insisting on same-sex unions.”
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Featured Resources of the Month: Pastoral Care
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. This month we are highlighting our collection of
Pastoral Care resources. Scroll down to "Category Resources" to view. Click at the bottom of the page for additional pages.
In this section you will find help for common pastoral challenges. For example, a search for
"pornography" resources yields loads of items that can assist ministers who accompany individuals struggling in this area.
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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 certain types of gatherings 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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Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference NOW ONLINE
40th Anniversary Kickoff
July 25–26, 2020 on Zoom
Register by July 22
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Courage Philippines 25th Anniversary Conference
NEW DATE: September 12, 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.
Photo credits
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