New Primer on Catholic LGBTQ+ Comfortability; and Other News

Here are a few items you might find of interest:

Pearlette Springer

1. Dr. Pearlette Springer, an Associate Member of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, has written an excellent primer on LGBTQ+ issues for church people, and published it on the Sisters of Providence website.  Entitled “Catholic and Gay,” the webpage includes a glossary of terms, a survey for people to gauge their level of comfortability in discussing LGBTQ+issues, and a reflective prayer.

Xorje Olivares

2. In a column for The National Catholic Reporter. Maxwell Kuzma, a Catholic transgender writer (who has written posts for Bondings 2.0), to answer the question “How can left-leaning Catholics fight against online content designed to outrage and radicalize?”  Two of the online Catholic influencers he recommends focus on LGBTQ issues: 1) “Disordered: Responding to Catholic Teachings on Gender and Sexuality,” a limited Spotify podcast series by a creator who uses the name Theo; 2) “Queer I Am, Lord,” a podcast by gay Catholic writer  Xorje Olivares  who interviews other queer Christians about spiritual journeys, working for reform, and painful exclusionary church policies.

3. The Diocese of Münster, Germany, has removed an ecclesiastical judge who decided cases about dissolving marriages because of homophobic remarks the official made online. Katholisch.de reported that the judge, who is a priest of the diocese, “spread homophobic and queerphobic prejudices, such as the claim that gay men are more likely to suffer from mental and physical illnesses. He also wrote about alleged ‘gay subcultures’ found at seminaries” on a website which serves as an online community for conservative priests. The Münster Vicariate General is also responsible for cases from the Diocese of Essen.

Alice Miesnik

4. Alice J. Miesnik, a Catholic lesbian woman from New Jersey, recently published a memoir entitled Another Way: A Journey of Faith, Love, and Identity. According to VillageGreenNJ.com, the book “recounts how she remained Catholic while becoming comfortable in her own skin.” In her younger life, Miesnik spent 14 years in the convent, and she recently retired after working 33 years at Marist High School, a Catholic school in Bayonne, New Jersey, where she served as teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Head of School .  She is an active volunteer in her parish, St. Joseph’s, Maplewood, which is listed on New Ways Ministry’s list of LGBTQ-Friendlly Parishes.

Libby Kercher

5. On the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics website, Libby Kercher, a member of DignityUSA ,shared her reflections on participating in September’s LGBTQ+ Pilgrimage for the Jubilee Year in Rome. Her concluding comment:

“I can say with clarity and conviction that I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit within and among us when we gathered. Christ was there with us in the Eucharist. God holds a special love and care for the oppressed and the marginalized.In that moment,I understood that this journey is not only about seeking acceptance, but about calling forth a Church more loving than it dares to be right now—and trusting that Christ will walk with us through those doors.”

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, November 8, 2025