Celebrating 35 Years of Ministry in the LGBT Catholic Community!

Anti-Gay Bullying

by Fr. James Martin, S.J.

by Kate Childs Graham
by the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN)

Loving God, you made me who I am.
I praise you and I love you, for I am wonderfully made,
in your own image.

But when people make fun of me,
I feel hurt and embarrassed and even ashamed.
So please God, help me remember my own goodness,
which lies in you.
Help me remember my dignity,
which you gave me when I was conceived.
Help me remember that I can live a life of love.
Because you created my heart.

Be with me when people make fun of me,
and help me to respond how you would want me to,
in a love that respects other, but also respects me.
Help me find friends who love me for who I am.
Help me, most of all, to be a loving person.

And God, help me remember that Jesus loves me.
For he was seen as an outcast, too.
He was misunderstood, too.
He was beaten and spat upon.
Jesus understands me, and loves me with a special love,
because of the way you made me.

And when I am feeling lonely,
help me remember that Jesus welcomed everyone as a friend.
Jesus reminded everyone that God loved them.
And Jesus encouraged everyone to embrace their dignity,
even when others were blind to that dignity.
Jesus loved everyone with the love that you gave him.
And he loves me, too.

One more thing, God:
Help me remember that nothing is impossible with you,
that you have a way of making things better,
that you can find a way of love for me,
even if I can't see it right now.
Help me remember all these things in the heart you created,
loving God. Amen.

 

Articles

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If you're considering suicide, call 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) right now. There are people standing by ready to talk to you.

It does get better. I once thought that in order to live my life as an openly gay person, I would have to give up my faith. Now I know that I can be both proudly gay and devoutly Catholic. For every person in the church who says that being gay is wrong or LGBT rights aren't rights at all, know that there are many more Catholics who will love and support you for who you are... Read more
On behalf of GLBT Catholics, their families and friends, and thoughtful Catholics across the United States, the National Coalition of American Nuns is appalled at the lack of sensitivity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to lesbian and gay persons... Read more

Many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.

Resources for Catholic Youth

8th Day Center for Justice
Michael A. Jones
Earlier this year, a high school student in Minnesota penned a heartfelt and deeply moving missive, "Life as a Gay Teen," in his Catholic school's newspaper. In the piece, Simonsen confronted the homophobic work of many bishops in Minnesota, who actually spent nearly a million dollars this year sending out a DVD to Catholic families blasting same-sex couples. Simonsen, talking about the reality of being gay in a Catholic community, noted that homophobic messages like this directly lead to LGBT youth feeling immoral, wrong, or out of place in society... Read more
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