N.Y. Catholic Parishes Work Year Round to Make All Feel Welcome

Though Pride Month is over, in New York City, the “root of the modern pride movement,” several Catholic parishes are working year-round to make the church more inclusive. These churches function as lifelines, symbols of hope, and places where queer Catholics can embrace the fullness of their identities.

The Church of St. Francis Xavier, Manhattan,  is one such parish. In interviews with NBC New York, parishioners described their experience discovering an LGBTQ+-friendly parish. Yago Cuesta stopped practicing Catholicism in the 80s when he came to terms with his sexual identity. After years of longing to rejoin the church, he attended Easter Mass at St. Francis Xavier, and became a regular parishioner. He recounted his development:

“I thought really that I could not be a happy person or a good person being gay. When I became aware of my sexuality that was like, kind of a stop on my journey of faith, because there was a point where I realized, ‘Well, I’m not fully welcome in this community, in this church, the way I am.’ My joining the Church again — and that happened really only six, seven years ago…I came to this church on Easter Day almost randomly and felt immediately welcomed.”

Ellie Crum, who is a member of St. Francis Xavier’s Catholic Lesbians group, recounts how joining the parish helped her reconcile her faith with her queer identity:

“I struggled for a very long time with being able to live authentically as a queer person as well as, like, living my faith fully because oftentimes, given the Catholic teaching and the Catholic Church’s stance on LGBTQ+ marriage and people in general, those tend to be at odds. For a really long time, I struggled with, ‘How do I maintain both of these very authentic identities in my life?’ It wasn’t really until recently, until moving to New York City, where I really became empowered and embraced my full self, right? My faith, my sexual identity, all of who I am. And the Church of St. Francis Xavier had a huge part in that, because when you walk in those doors, it’s not a choice of being queer and Catholic, but living fully as a queer Catholic individual.”

Rev. Ricardo de Silva,SJ, the assistant pastor at St. Francis Xavier, says that the central teaching of the Catholic church is to welcome all, though not everyone applies the rule as thoroughly as they should:

“There is no exclusion [at St. Francis Xavier]. That’s the position of the Church. That’s what the Church teaches in the Catechism of the Church. Sadly, the pastoral application of that hasn’t always been that way. Over the centuries, perhaps millennia, the Scriptures have been used to justify everything: racism, sexism, enslavement. They’ve also been used to discriminate against LGBTQ folk. You know, there’s that famous adage: ‘Even the devil can quote Scripture.’ I think ultimately it’s looking at what Jesus’s program was, right? ‘Love one another as I have loved you.'”

St. Paul the Apostle Church, Manhattan, also has a comprehensive LGBTQ+-ministry. Rev. Paul Raspond, CSP, pastor, says that welcoming everyone “is at the heart of our Out at St. Paul Ministry.” Rospond says that St. Paul is a place where queer Catholics “can give it a go and say ‘Yes, I’m gay, but I’m searching God. I don’t have to have all the answers, but I have the questions and people to walk with me.'”

Perhaps the most visible  advocate for LGBTQ+ Catholics among the clergy is Fr. James Martin, SJ, the editor-at-large of America magazine and founder of Outreach, an LGBTQ+ resource website,. Martin says his advocacy work began in 2016, after the Pulse nightclub shooting, and a lackluster response from bishops around the country. Since then, he has worked to bridge the gap between the church and its LGBTQ members. Throughout his advocacy work, Martin met with Pope Francis several times, and believes the pope “did more for LGBTQ people than all of his predecessors combined.” 

“People say, ‘Pope Francis didn’t change anything.’ Well, actually he came out against the criminalization of homosexuality,” Martin says. “So we have to remember, the Church is universal. In New York, that may seem like ‘Oh, big deal,’ but overseas that is a big deal.”

Martin believes that Pope Leo will continue making strides to include LGBTQ Catholics. “He’s pretty reserved, but he’s open and he’s a good listener. He’s talked about synodality, which means, you know, really listening to people and including them. And I have really high hopes for him.”

Da Silva hopes that the mission of these LGBTQ-friendly parishes in New York can continue to spread: “I just hope that that message of, ‘All are welcome. The doors are open to all. Welcome home. You are loved,’ is shouted from the rooftops, from every rafter of every church ceiling in New York City and beyond.”

—Lynnzee Dick, New Ways Ministry, July 17, 2026

If you are looking for an LGBTQ-friendly parish near you, check out New Ways Ministry’s list of LGBTQ-Friendly Parishes and Faith Communities.

If you know a parish or faith community that should be added to this list (or a place that has become unwelcoming for LGBTQ people, as communities change over time), please let us know by clicking here or by calling (301) 277-5674.

Do you want to start exploring starting a process of helping your parish or faith community to become more welcoming, check out:

New Ways and Next Steps: Developing Parish LGBTQ+ Ministry, by Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director of New Ways Ministry.

If you are interested in workshop for your parish on developing LGBTQ+ ministry, send an email to director@NewWaysMinistry.org.