The Word Goes Out

A podcast from New Ways Ministry sharing insights from LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies about the Sunday scripture readings

We at New Ways Ministry believe that LGBTQ+ Catholics bring unique spiritual gifts to the world and the Church: the courage to be truth-tellers, a deep sensitivity to those on the margins, and the vital reminder that we are all wonderfully made.

Each weekend on this podcast, LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies will share their own stories and insights on the Sunday scripture readings, offering a perspective rooted in the truth of lived experience. These reflections reveal the deep faith and spirituality that LGBTQ+ people have discovered and nurtured, even if sometimes in challenging situations. They are an invitation to find God’s word within the reality of our own lives, whether LGBTQ+ or not.

To listen to The Word Goes Out, click the title of the episode you want to hear in the feed below. Or visit the show’s page on Spotify or Youtube.

RSS The Word Goes Out | Episode List

  • A House of Prayer for ALL Peoples August 13, 2026
    How do we respond when the very religious institutions meant to offer sanctuary make us feel unwanted? In this episode, guest contributor Sr. Donna McGartland, OSF—author and contributor to Love Tenderly: Sacred Stories of Lesbian and Queer Religious—reflects on the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Examining the tension between Isaiah's prophecy of a house of […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • Sweat the Small Stuff August 6, 2026
    What if the quietest, most subtle acts of affirmation are where God's transformative power truly resides?In this episode, guest contributor Laurel Potter—theology instructor at the University of St. Thomas—reflects on the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Juxtaposing the grand spectacle of Jesus walking on water with Elijah discovering God in a "tiny whispering sound," Laurel […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • Come to the Water, Receive Without Cost, Break Bread July 30, 2026
    What does it take to sustain our souls when ideological wars and religious rejection threaten to push us to the margins?In this episode, guest contributor Dr. Elsie Miranda—a Cuban-American Roman Catholic Practical Theologian and Director of Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness at The Association of Theological Schools—reflects on the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Drawing on […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • When Life Feels Like You’re Spinning Around and Around July 23, 2026
    How do we find our footing when the dizzying realities of coming out threaten to knock us completely off balance?In this episode, guest contributor Fr. Greg Greiten—a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee who made national headlines when he came out as gay to his parish in 2017—reflects on the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • Prayers of Lament and Hope for LGBTQ+ People July 16, 2026
    What does it mean to pray for a welcoming Church if we are too afraid to name who is being excluded?In this episode, guest contributor Sr. Jane Aseltyne, IHM—a systematic theologian, researcher of gender and the imago Dei, and Sister with the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—reflects on the Sixteenth Sunday in […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • The Groaning In My Soul July 9, 2026
    How do we maintain radical hope when the institutional church continually tosses us between progress and systemic rejection?In this episode, guest contributor Michaelangelo Allocca—a seasoned catechist, retreat leader, and humanities educator—reflects on the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Amidst the tension of celebrating legal protections while navigating painful ministerial exceptions and employment discrimination within Catholic […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • An Easy Yoke July 2, 2026
    What if the boundaries and identities we are forced to fit into are the very things keeping us from living freely?In this episode, guest contributor Cristina Traina—Professor of Theology at Fordham University—reflects on the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Drawing a vivid parallel between the custom-carved wooden yokes of history, modern adjustable hiking backpacks, and […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • The Queer Wisdom of Disorientation June 25, 2026
    What if the moments that completely upend our lives—and our faith—are exactly where we find our true moral compass?In this episode, guest contributor Barbara Anne Kozee—a doctoral candidate in theological ethics at Boston College—reflects on the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Confronting the Gospel’s intense demands to prioritize Christ over family and comfort, Barbara draws […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • Time and Again, the Same Message: 'Do Not Be Afraid' June 18, 2026
    What do you do when the systems around you—whether political or religious—use fear to keep you silent?In this episode, guest contributor Mike O’Donnell—a member of Dignity/Washington and a theology and philosophy teacher—reflects on the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Confronting the Gospel’s recurring command to "do not be afraid," Mike contextualizes this radical call through […]
    New Ways Ministry
  • Finding the Divine Spark Within to Heal Us and the World June 11, 2026
    What if the authority to heal isn't something given to us from the outside, but a divine presence already waiting within?In this episode, guest contributor Hugh Smeltekop—a researcher of queer experience in Catholic higher education and an educator at the University of St. Thomas—reflects on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Drawing from the Gospel […]
    New Ways Ministry