2024 Bridge Building Award Recipient
Bishop John Stowe, O.F.M., Conv.
Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., was named the Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, by Pope Francis in 2015 and has been a consistent and strong supporter of LGBTQ+ issues in the U.S. Catholic Church.
In addition to leading and participating in numerous LGBTQ+ events, Bishop Stowe supported the Tyler Clementi Foundation statement to protect vulnerable youth and the federal Equality Act, although this act was opposed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He has stood alongside the LGBTQ+ Catholic community by accepting a transgender man as a hermit in his diocese.
Whether it has been through his welcoming call for pastoral ministry, his support for civil protections for LGBTQ+ people, or his advocacy for more compassionate responses from the U.S. hierarchy, Bishop Stowe has moved the Catholic conversation on LGBTQ+ issues in a decidedly positive direction.
Award Ceremony and Reception
Friday, November 15, 2024
7:00 – 9:30 p.m. Eastern US
Social Hall
Trinity Washington University
125 Michigan Avenue, NE
Washington, DC, 20017
Remarks by Bishop Stowe will follow the presentation of the award
Suggested donation to attend: $50; more or less as you are able
Join us in Honoring Bishop Stowe:
About the Bridge Building Award
The Board of New Ways Ministry instituted the Bridge Building Award to acknowledge those individuals who by their scholarship, leadership, or witness have promoted discussion, understanding, and reconciliation between the LGBTQ+ community and the Catholic Church.
Previous Award Recipients include:
Rev. Charles E. Curran (1992)
Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton (1995)
Margaret Farley, RSM (2002)
Mary Ellen & Casey Lopata (2005)
Rev. John J. McNeill (2009)
Rev. James Martin, SJ (2016)