News That Isn’t News–And That’s Very Good News!; And Other Items

Here are some items that may be of interest:

Matthew Dooley

1. The first news item is news because it isn’t news.  Let me explain.  Upworthy.com recently carried the headline “A Gay Athlete Comes Out At A Very Catholic University And It Changes … Nothing. Bravo, Humans.”  The story that they posted was a video from the University of Notre Dame’s YouTube channel which told the story of how Matthew Dooley, a varsity tennis player at the school, came out as gay, and. . . . .nothing happened. It was treated as a normal story. Matthew, his roommate, and his coach all spoke about the support the athlete received, and then business went on as usual. This “no news” is definitely very good news, as it shows how normalized having an openly gay athlete at a Catholic university has become.

Sr. Marie Magdalene Duong Thi Nguyet of the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception listens to high-risk individuals share their struggles at Kim Long Charity Clinic in Hue, Vietnam, on Oct. 11, 2025. (GSR photo)

2. In Viet Nam, the rate of HIV rates among gay men and transgender people is growing sharply, having increased 7.2% over the past year.  A Global Sisters Report article entitled “Catholic nuns serve on the front lines of Vietnam’s shifting HIV crisis” tells the story of the how a community of nuns, the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, are responding to this trend by not only providing medical and health care but something extra, too.  The article reports:

“The sisters’ approach is simple: be present, listen deeply and treat each person with dignity.

“‘We stay close to them, counsel them and help them remove their shame,’ [Sr. Josephine Huynh Thi Ly] said. ‘We patiently listen to their private struggles so they can heal and no longer feel abandoned.'”exc

Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans

3. Despite the excesses of drunkenness and sometimes lewd behavior, Mardi Gras, the season of celebration before the beginning of Lent, actually has Catholic/Christian origins.  Advocate.com recently published an article entitled “Let the good times roll: the queer history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” which recounts how “queer people have long played a key role in the Big Easy’s [New Orleans’] biggest party of the year.” The article shows how the celebration’s history is “deeply intertwined with that of the queer community.” One example, in the 19th century, when gay sex was criminalized, Mardi Gras was “a time to dress in drag without consequences.”

The LGBTQ+ pilgrimage begins its journey to St. Peter’s Basilica, carrying a rainbow cross.

4. Progetto Gionata, the website of “Jonathan’s Tent,” the organization which sponsored the Pilgrimage of Hope for LGBTQ+ People in Rome last September, continues to post reactions to and analyses of this historic event. In a post entitled “From welcome to recognition. The long journey of LGBT+ Catholics towards the Jubilee 2025,” scholars David Eduardo Vilchis-Carrillo and Giuseppe Giordan state:

“A recurring theme that emerges from the testimonies published by La Tenda di Gionata [Jonathan’s Tent] of those who participated in the LGBT+ Jubilee pilgrimage is the search for recognition rather than acceptance.

“The Jubilee becomes a key moment to publicly state that the objective is not to ask permission to enter, but to seek full recognition of a presence that has always been there.”

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, March 7, 2026