Bishop Gumbleton: Remembering a Prophet Pioneer of Catholic LGBTQ+ Equality
Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton
The following is a statement from Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry’s Executive Director, honoring Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton, who passed away yesterday at the age of 94:
With great sadness and great gratitude, New Ways Ministry mourns the passing of our dear friend, Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton. We will miss both his courageous voice for justice, which rang through our church, our country, and our world, and his gentle personal presence which touched our hearts.
He spoke on many issues, but the one most important to us was his uncompromising pursuit of justice for LGBTQ people, particularly in the church. Bishop Gumbleton paved the way for Pope Francis. Decades before this pope’s openness, when a Catholic leader’s support for LGBTQ people could negatively affect one’s stature in the church, Bishop Gumbleton spoke fearlessly with compassion and certainty that were rooted in a deep commitment to the Gospel of Jesus.
He was not concerned about his own reputation or person. He was concerned that justice be done, that people be accepted, and that the institutional Catholic Church have the courage to live up to its own best ideals.
In the 34 years that he had been public about his support for LGBTQ issues, Bishop Gumbleton did more than any other member of the hierarchy to move church members, theologians, and pastoral ministers to extend a friendly and welcoming hand to LGBTQ people. For him, LGBTQ issues were not a question of sex, but of justice.
His passion for LGBTQ issues sprang from his relationship with his brother, Dan, who was gay. Bishop Gumbleton confessed that, when he first learned that Dan was gay, he was concerned about how Dan’s identity might reflect negatively upon him. But the bishop was moved by a question his mother asked him, “Is Dan going to hell?” He quickly disavowed her of that notion and began to realize the truth of faith: God loves everyone, so the church should welcome everyone, just as they are.
When asked once how Catholics could get more bishops to speak out positively on gay issues, Bishop Gumbleton answered, “Find the gay and lesbian members of your families. That experience will change you.”
New Ways Ministry is grateful for our relationship with Bishop Gumbleton over many decades. At New Ways Ministry’s 1992 national symposium, Bishop Gumbleton first spoke publicly about his gay brother and how the Catholic Church needed to do so much more for LGBTQ people and for people like his mother. After that event, he began criss-crossing the United States, speaking to Catholic groups to help them better understand and welcome LGBTQ people. On such occasions, he sometimes celebrated Mass wearing a bishop’s miter adorned with a pink triangle and rainbow colors.
From 1997 to 2002, Bishop Gumbleton served on New Ways Ministry’s Advisory Board, stopping only because of a direct order from Pope John Paul II’s Vatican to separate from the organization. He did separate in a public sense, but continued to attend board meetings and offered his wisdom and counsel. In 1992, Bishop Gumbleton collaborated with New Ways Ministry in recruiting 20 bishops to ask the National Conference of Catholic Bishops to write a pastoral letter to Catholic parents of lesbian and gay children. The result, five years later, was the document, Always Our Children. To this day, Always Our Children remains the most positive statement the U.S. bishops conference has produced on LGBTQ issues.
In 1992, Bishop Gumbleton received New Ways Ministry’s “Bridge Building Award” for his brave pastoral leadership. During the introduction to the event, the emcee thanked Daretta Williams, Bishop Gumbleton’s secretary, for her help in planning. When Bishop Gumbleton was called to the stage to accept the award, amidst sustained, thunderous applause, and a standing ovation, he whispered to the emcee, “Thank you for mentioning Daretta.”
In a moment when he could have basked in glory, his first thought was not for himself, but for his secretary. Such is the example of humility that is part of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton’s legacy.
The road ahead for LGBTQ Catholics is still a perilous one within their own church. Last year’s Synod General Assembly in Rome showed that achieving consensus on questions of sexuality and gender appear to be in the distant future. But perhaps the closing Synod assembly in October 2024 will produce a surprisingly more positive outcome for LGBTQ people because we now have a powerful saint in heaven whose calls for justice and equality, for compassion and welcome have not died, and they will continue to echo through eternity.
—Frank DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, April 5, 2024
Frank,
Bravo, bravo, bravo for your beautiful tribute to our brother and pastor, Tom Gumbleton.
It brings tears to my eyes to remember him as you do. I love the line about “get to know someone in your family who is LGBTQ.” He is right. That makes all the difference. Thank you Bishop Tom, and thank you, Frank
I know for sure Bishop Gumbleton has a high place in Heaven. I was at the conference in 1992, he was absolutely amazing. Loved his story about his Mom challenging him on gay issues.
What an amazing man was this Bishop Tom Gumbleton. He was the start of Pax Christi USA and committed to lifelong service in the work of peace with justice.
Bishop Tom Gumbleton Presenté!
Yes. I remember being at the retreat where he spoke about his brother. He helped me keep my Catholic faith. May he rest in peace.
In speaking about drafting “Always Our Children” Bishop Gumbleton said a section on “Conscience” was voted down by the other bishops. He is truly a prophetic voice and example of spiritual freedom.
What a wonderful bishop! He was like a Jesus figure in our day. So humble strong and inspirational.
May he rest in the peace he exemplified.
What a warm and welcoming man, especially for a bishop. At the New Ways conference in Baltimore a few years ago, he came right over and started talking with me and remembered meeting me at the Paulist Center in Boston previously! Tom had a remarkable way of making people feel welcome and at ease.
RIP Bishop Gumbleton – a humble and fearless servant of God. You are greatly loved
by all people who recognize truth and beauty aligned with the Source of all that is and ever will be.
Tom Gumbleton was first and always a man of personal integrity. If he were ever want to be known or remembered in any way, it would and should begin here. For him, all the rest would simply be part of his understanding of priestly ministry. I believe John Cardinal Dearden was waiting for him at heaven’s gate to express his gratitude for how his recommended collaborator exceeded all expectations. One like Tom doesn’t pass our way often, or often enough. His name should be on the front of the USCCB office in DC to remind his brother bishops what episcopal servant leadership looks like.
Thank you, Frank, for the eloquent tribute to Tom Gumbleton. From the moment I first heard him at a Call To Action conference in Detroit in1997 I was inspired. He spoke the truth with humble conviction. When I learned of his role in crafting “Always Our Children” and his support for the censored section on conscience, I knew I was in the presence of a prophet. I have always cherished his brilliant insight. May he know peace with God!
As I read this beautiful tribute for Bishop Gumbleton, I, too, felt sad at the loss of this wonderful brother and voice within our church. Then I read, “we now have a powerful saint in heaven whose calls for justice and equality, for compassion and welcome have not died…” Amen! Thank you for the beautiful tribute and for the ways New Ways Ministry continues to educate and promote understanding for LGBT+ persons and concerns, especially within our Catholic church.
I worked as Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton ‘s Secretary. First, I was awed by his sense of fairness.; he hired me, a single mother of six, who did not have a Catholic background. When I did not have a Babysitter, I became awed by his wonderful decency and kindness; he allowed me to bring my daughter to work with me until I could find one. Then, I became awed by the Bishop’s focus; justice and peace for the people in the surrounding communities . And as I grew knowledgeable of his world -wide actions and endeavors for justice and peace in many other places in the world, I became awed by how concerned he was. I was awed that Bishop Gumbleton was a very important “white” priest in a poor community. When someone broke into the church and took the computers and phones away, I became awed by his level of forgiveness. I was appalled that “they” could break into a church which offered so much help to the needy! But he said, ” They only see this as a building with stuff in it”. When he stood up for LGBT+ persons, and out against priests who have molested children, I realized how awesomely, tough he was. When I became his friend, I was awed by how wonderfully, human he was.