EnCourage is a ministry dedicated to serving the spiritual needs of parents, siblings, children and other relatives of persons who have same-sex attractions, said Carlos Tejeda, director of the Office for Marriage and Family Life. It is part of the Courage program, which ministers to persons with same-sex attractions who desire to live chaste lives in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Courage is an apostolate of the Catholic Church and has been endorsed by the Pontifical Council of the Family. According to the Courage website (www.couragerc.com), “What distinguishes the work of EnCourage is its concern to offer faithful witness to Catholic teachings on sexual morality while meeting the needs of its members with charity and compassion. The group professes an orthodox position on the immorality of homosexual acts even as it respects the human dignity of persons who have homosexual feelings.”
Also, according to the website, “Moreover, EnCourage differs from other Christian ministries … . While recognizing families’ interest in or commitment to the enabling of their loved ones’ ‘re-orientation’ EnCourage works primarily to cultivate a supportive accepting environment in which the more immediate goals of fostering personal chastity and sexual abstinence can be valued within the context of a broadly Christian appreciation of human experience.”
EnCourage members support one another and their loved ones, said Tejeda. “It will be a time of prayer and fellowship, networking, resource distribution and listening,” he said.
Msgr. Carl Kemme, vicar general for the Springfield diocese and chaplain of the Courage Apostolate, said the church “has a deep love and concern for all people who experience same-sex attraction and for those who love and care for them.”
“EnCourage is a way for the church to minister to the families and friends of those with same-sex attraction through prayer, support, encouragement and advice,” Msgr. Kemme said. “The time together will be a time of common prayer, reflection on the call for all to a chaste life and for the sharing of the challenges that come with members of families who are homosexual and live the homosexual lifestyle.”
“The church’s love for all people can be misunderstood or unheard,” said Tejeda. “We need to make it very clear that we support family members to persevere in the virtue of chastity. The point is to support families so that the family can support their loved one.” All Catholics are called to cultivate the virtue of chastity appropriate to their state of life: abstinence, celibacy or marital chastity, he said.
“We hope those family members who struggle with the lifestyles of their loved ones will feel welcome and encouraged to attend,” Msgr. Kemme said. “Anonymity and respect for people will be of paramount importance.”
For more information or to register, contact Bernadine Smith at or (217) 321-1139. Your registration is requested to help estimate attendance. There is no charge for attending the gathering.