Through the Gates of Glory | | Message From Our Executive Director | | |
Dear Friends,
This week, we celebrate the great feasts of St. Monica and St. Augustine. Monica prayed for Augustine for over 20 years to embrace the Catholic Faith. One can only imagine her life trek: her unceasing, loving prayers, the constant rebuffing of young Augustine, the tears she shed as witnessed by St. Ambrose, and the internal, whispering temptations: God is not helping; He does not care…
This recalls last Sunday’s Gospel of the woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter. Christ not only seems to ignore her but even mock her: the food of the children should not be given to the dogs. She persists and says that even the dogs receive the scraps from the table. Her perseverance is a profound lesson: the obliteration of all pride. She not only accepts but embraces that, in strict justice, God owes her nothing. She cannot demand: you owe me!
Yet, our Loving God permits her and all of us an even more powerful piece of “leverage,” not based on “God should” but instead because “God loves,” infinitely! In other words, God’s infinite Love virtually impels Him to rescue us from sin! Christ dramatically extolls and rewards her because she, a Gentile, progresses way beyond the super educated Pharisees.
Her prayer of facing down God’s silence is effectively God playing “hard to get” so as to purify our Love and make our prayer life stronger, deeper and engender greater holiness. The growth in more humble prayer means her soul will be a more effective instrument of God in the lives of others. It is a loving Mentor toughening us for the wider war of evil in which we live.
The fragility and weakness of the human spirit is first due to original sin. Consequently, the residual effect of pride sneaks into our daily disposition, forming our worldview to expect God to act on our terms rather than His. Prideful prayer expects God to crush human free will so that we can obtain what we think we need. Humble prayer surrenders to the mystery of human love rooted in Christ so that we are instead fueled by graced sacrifice and Christ’s obedience.
Let us pray for the intercession of St. Augustine and Monica, that we grow in deeper trust and unceasingly persevere in prayer to God. This is the source of true healing and peace that transforms hearts. Effectively, God wants to be conquered by Love! Not by a superficial love based on human demands. Instead, by our persevering trust and surrender to that Divine Love that conquers all, heals all, and steers all through the gates of Glory!
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Father Brian Gannon
Executive Director
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Our Call to Love
2026 Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference
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What does it truly mean to be free to love? This was one of the questions that accompanied us during the 2026 Courage and EnCourage Annual Conference, held July 16-19 in Mundelein, Illinois. Under the theme “Chastity: The Virtue That Sets Us Free,” we had the opportunity to deepen our understanding of a truth that touches the very heart of our Christian life: we were created to love, and in Christ, we discover that true freedom does not simply consist in doing what we want, but in learning to love with a heart that is free and fully given.
Throughout these days, we were invited to look at chastity from a profound perspective - as a virtue that integrates our emotions, desires, and sexuality, helping us to live them according to the truth of our dignity as children of God. It is not about denying the desire to love, but about allowing that desire to be purified, ordered, and transformed so that it can become a true gift of ourselves.
The various talks helped us contemplate this reality from different perspectives. We reflected on the beauty of chastity and on our call to love; we explored topics related to identity and sexual development, as well as paths toward healing. The testimonies of members of Courage and EnCourage made it clear that this journey can be lived out concretely, with its challenges and hopes, when we allow God’s grace to transform our stories.
We also had the opportunity to remember that Christian freedom is not something we achieve on our own. The Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Rosary, the Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic adoration, and times of communal prayer held a central place during the Conference. Through them, we experienced once again that Christ does not merely propose a path to us; He walks with us. His grace sustains us in our struggles, lifts us when we fall, and gives us the strength to continue.
The joy of coming together was even greater with the presence of brothers and sisters from Courage and EnCourage who came from Canada, Spain, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil, along with participants from the United States and other places. In the diversity of our cultures, languages, and stories, we were able to experience the richness of belonging to one family. We are united by the desire to follow Christ, to live our vocation faithfully, and to accompany one another on the journey toward holiness.
As has become tradition, our Spanish speaking members had the opportunity to participate in the Conference online. This format allows many brothers and sisters who are unable to travel to Mundelein to be part of this gathering as well. This year, we also took a special step to facilitate the participation of our Brazilian brothers and sisters by offering some sessions with Portuguese translation and a sharing group specifically for them.
As we return to our daily lives, we carry with us an invitation that does not end with the Conference: to discover and live chastity as a true path to freedom. For Christ does not call us to a smaller life, but to a fuller one. Chastity sets us free to love with greater truth, to recognize the other as a gift, and to give ourselves to God and to others with a heart that is increasingly open and available.
May everything we experienced in Mundelein continue to bear fruit in our lives. May the Lord grant us growth in the joy of chastity, the experience of the freedom that comes from living in truth, and, sustained by His grace and by our community, the ability to keep learning each day to love as He has loved us.
This article is translated from our Spanish newsletter.
Check out our social media, linked below, for highlights from the conference!
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| | Anniversaries for Courage and EnCourage | | |
This time every year, we like to acknowledge in gratitude two important dates for this apostolate:
August 27: The Feast of Saint Monica, patron of EnCourage. On this day, we celebrate the beginning of EnCourage in 1987!
September 26: The anniversary of the very first Courage meeting, led by Fr. John F. Harvey, OSFS, in 1980. This meeting took place at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Lower Manhattan (Archdiocese of New York).
Please join us in prayers of thanksgiving for these many years, and for the future of Courage and EnCourage!
| | 2026 Annual Conference Videos - Now Available Online! | | |
We are so excited to share that videos of the speakers at our 2026 Courage and EnCourage Annual Conference are now available on our website! You now have access to 11 separate talks, homilies, and testimonies. Click here to check them out, and be sure to share with anyone you know who wasn't able to join us this year!
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Visit our YouTube channel for lots of helpful content like these resources!
Subscribe, like, and share to spread the word.
| | 2026 Monthly Prayer Intentions | | |
Please join us again this year in praying together as a community for a specific intention each month.
Click here to save or print as a reminder to pray along with us!
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19-20
August: For the EnCourage members, that the Lord may strengthen their faith, and fill their hearts with peace and joy.
| | Courage & EnCourage Online Meetings | | |
We regularly get emails from people looking to attend an online meeting. There are times when an in-person meeting is not available in a diocese (or country) or the location of the meeting is far to travel.
Please let us know if you have online Courage and/or EnCourage meetings and if you’re open and receptive to welcome new members from outside your diocese. A list is maintained at our office and shared accordingly upon request.
Please send information via email to office@couragerc.org. Thank you!
| | Remember to Help Us Keep Chapter Information Up-To-Date! | | |
Do you know if the information for your chapter is accurate on the Courage website? Do you know about a recent change in your chapter? Please take a look at your chapter listing on our website and let us know if there have been any changes. Chapters are organized by state and diocese for both Courage and EnCourage.
You can submit changes directly through our form. Thanks for keeping us informed! Keeping this updated and accurate means that any person who reaches out can find help and support near them.
| | Truth & Love, an initiative of Courage International, is a multifaceted Catholic resource for anyone seeking the tools to support men and women who experience same-sex attractions. | |
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TESTIMONY:
If It is Your Will Lord
(What's Up With Paul Darrow)
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Paul Darrow has spent many years serving the Courage International apostolate as a member via numerous interviews in Catholic media, as well as responding to emails and calls offering his support and friendship. Notably, he was featured in to 2015 documentary Desire of the Everlasting Hills. Paul has been a role model and friend to many! Please take some time to read his latest reflection below:
"When I was being filmed for an EWTN episode of Living Divine Mercy last spring, my voice became increasingly hoarse. I apologized to Michael, the cinematographer, and told him this was not my normal voice. Then a little later, I said something that surprised us both. I told Michael I believed this would be the last interview I would ever give and that I would no longer be a Catholic speaker. When he asked me why I believed this, I sheepishly replied, “I don’t know why, I just do.”
One afternoon several days later, I felt moved to pray in front of the Divine Mercy
painting I had recently purchased for my bedroom wall. But as my eyes were fixed on the image of Jesus and I was about to pray, I was filled with a childlike amazement by the thoughts and visuals that flashed through my mind. I thought about how this image with the words Jesus I Trust in You on a holy card had given me the courage to share my testimony publicly for the first time twelve years earlier. And I reflected on the seemingly supernatural ways I had been saved from injury and death going all the way back to when my mother was planning to end my life in her womb..." Continue reading Paul's reflection here
| Wisdom from Fr. Jaques Phillipe and Bishop Erik Varden | | Recently, Fr. Jacques Phillipe and Bishop Erik Varden spoke during an event at St. Patrick's Church, Soho, London. They offered their wisdom on "Freedom of the Heart." You can find links to their talks below, as well as a brief description from the website. | | | | |
Fr. Jacques Phillipe: Interior Freedom & the Healing of Desire
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,’ Jesus tells us in the Gospel. This talk explores what this "purity of heart" means, and how it is possible to attain it in the daily lives of fragile and wounded people such as ourselves, with a special emphasis on the virtue of hope on this path to freedom.
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Bishop Erik Varden: Chastity, Freedom & the Unity of Life
In this profound, hopeful and deeply human Keynote, Bishop Erik Varden speaks about chastity - an often denigrated or misunderstood virtue - as a virtue of wholeness, a harmoniousness of self, the way to be "of one piece" in a fragmented world. It is not a matter of repression but of the healing and ordering of desire, a process that leads to true freedom, clarity of purpose, and a life unified around the love of God.
| | For Spanish Speaking Members and Friends | | There's a lot going on in the Courage and EnCourage apostolate all over the world! Don't forget that our website can be viewed in Spanish, and that there is a Spanish language newsletter sent out on the same day as this, our English version! | | Gender Identity Discordance* | | Columbia: Factory of Trans Children | | |
This documentary comes highly recommended from friends and family of the Courage apostolate. Recorded in Spanish, this video is auto-dubbed in English. You can also select English subtitles (Settings > Subtitles > Auto-Translate > English). See the film's description below:
"'Columbia: Factory of Trans Children' is an investigative documentary that exposes the advancement of the trans agenda among minors in Columbia and the cultural, medical, and social consequences this could have for future generations.
After generating millions of views, international debate, and even attempts at censorship and legal action to silence its dissemination, this documentary is now being released in open access for everyone."
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Courage and EnCourage and Gender Identity Discordance
While the primary mission of Courage and EnCourage remains supporting people living with the experience of same-sex attractions and those who love them, we thought it could be helpful to our readers to occasionally set aside some space in our newsletter to address this topic. For more resources, on the Truth & Love site, go to Resources > Health & Well-Being > Gender Identity Discordance.
* For an explanation of the expression, "gender identity discordance," and coverage of the subject, see the Handbook for Courage and EnCourage Chaplains starting on page 81.
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Courage and EnCourage Day of Reflection
September 26, 2026
Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia
Join us for a daylong conference on faith, identity, and witness, including men
and women with an experience of same-sex attractions who are faithfully and
joyfully living the call to chastity within the Catholic Church.
Check out the event page for more information, including a link to register!
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Retreat for Courage and EnCourage Chaplains
November 2-6, 2026
Malvern, Pennsylvania (Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
Join Fr. Colin Blatchford for a retreat especially for the chaplains of Courage & EnCourage. The retreat will be led by Fr. Herb Sperger, a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Receive some time for rest and fraternity with fellow clergy who are serving those persons who experience same-sex attraction and those who love them. Register here or email Bonnie with any questions.
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Southern California Courage & EnCourage Retreat
November 13-15, 2026
Diocese of San Bernardino, California
This retreat will be a time of prayer and fellowship for both Courage and EnCourage brothers and sisters and will include daily Mass, Confession, Holy Hours, the Liturgy of the Hours, and inspirational talks.
Check out this Save the Date - registration information coming soon!
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Watch our Events Calendar regularly for updates.
NOTE TO CHAPLAINS: You are encouraged and more than welcome to participate in all Courage & EnCourage events. Please feel free to reach out to the event organizer to see how you can be involved.
| | Disclaimer: Courage does not necessarily fully endorse all of the ideas included in resources that are not produced by Courage, but we still like to share items that we and our members have found to have considerable helpful content. | | | | |
