Cristo tra i Dottori (in English, Christ Among the Doctors) by Giotto di Bondone, c 1311-1320. Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi, Italy. | | Message From Our Executive Director | | |
Dear Friends,
A dangerous adversary can be the potato chip. You often cannot stop at one. It can conquer quickly, appealing purely to pleasure, tantalizing the victim, but provide little nutrition. Its final triumph is mocking us via the classic stomachache. Oddly enough, this is the perennial supernatural battle, to pursue immediate sense gratification, and ignore the long-term consequences. To live instead with the ache, thinking at least there will be the short-term pleasure again! Resignation in the worst sense; a recipe for despair. A further danger is the trigger of someone authoritative encouraging us to munch away on potato chips! Why might we like this? Because it helps absolve us of bad decision making, enjoy quick indulgence, all the while leading us away from good health and instead towards self-inflicted wounds. Such is the never-ending prospect of modern false prophets.
Throughout scriptures, we see false prophets who parallel the potato chip adventure but much more ominously and dangerously: the stakes are eternity. They promise all will be well for someone if they follow a false path. If you merely indulge the senses, you are not hurting yourself; sexually, emotionally or morally. Sin is a shifting concept; what matters most are subjective feelings. God will understand you meant well… A central strategy of a false prophet is to be subtle, manipulative of scripture, and ambiguous so as to give themselves plausible deniability should they be confronted with spreading false teaching or leading the sheep astray. Who are they? While some can be aggressive and bullyish in their speech, others can be very amiable, great smile, a wink and nod, posing as your best friend. The devil assumes this appearance often. They can be on social media, they write books and more. They can go uncorrected by many in authority and thus even more so claim their legitimacy. As Our Lord sums it up: a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They can be professors of theology, they could be a politician and most ominously, members of Holy Orders.
Who are the true prophets? One good sign: those who fully embrace the Catechism of the Catholic Church as Courage International does. The CCC is the wisdom of the Bride of Christ revealing to us how God loves us and how we authentically love Him back. The true prophet, like Jeremiah, like Our Lord Himself, will call us to explicit repentance, remind us of God’s infinite mercy, exhort us to live as the Church has always taught. They will be unambiguous about the holiness, power and great peace of chastity. Like a doctor being straightforward, they thus show they truly love us, respect and deeply care about us. They exhort us to be very faithful to the sacraments and all Church doctrine. The great St. Teresa of Avila, when describing a good spiritual director, placed fidelity to Catholic teaching above even pastoral sensitivity, although such sensitivity is crucial and us priests will be held accountable! Christ is the ultimate Architect and Doctor of human nature; His Divine Wisdom challenges us, but leads us to authentic peace and palpable hope.
The late great Fr. John Harvey, OSFS is emblematic of the true prophet: I love you enough to forgive you, to challenge you, to speak truth to you, especially of the infinite mercy of God. Resignation to the world is despair, resignation to God’s love and mercy is healing, hope enhancing, and the hardy path to glory!!
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Father Brian Gannon
Executive Director
| | | 2026 Annual Conference - Info Coming Soon! | | |
Start looking ahead to the 2026 Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference! Every year since 1989, the Courage-EnCourage family has gathered together annually at different venues to pray together, listen to inspiring presentations and testimonies, and enjoy a wonderful time of joyful fellowship to strengthen the bonds of true Christian friendship!
Our Annual Conference brings together Courage and EnCourage members and Chaplains from around the world. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for new members and Chaplains to be welcomed into our long-established and ever-growing community of over 45 years. Take a look at the dates below and look forward for more information, coming soon!
2026 Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference
St. Mary of the Lake Conference Center, Mundelein, Illinois
Archdiocese of Chicago
Clergy Study Day: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Full Conference: Thursday, July 16 - Sunday, July 19, 2026
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Did you know that members of our EnCourage apostolate from across the globe connect every single night to pray together? You can join them! Click here to learn more about the EnCourage Prayer Call, where EnCourage members phone in to pray specific prayers in a beautiful act of faith and unity. This document outlines exactly how the calls work, and includes testimonies such as this:
“These prayer calls have been a lifesaver for me. It is such a blessing to pray with other families who share our particular cross. We pray for our loved ones, for each other, for the Courage/EnCourage ministry as well as for one of our particular loved ones each day. A lovely way to end each evening.”
Thank you to all who participate and serve in this ministry!
| | Recordings From Atlanta Retreat | | |
Last month, Sister Gilmary Kay, RSM wrote about her experiences at two recent days of reflection, including the Archdiocese of Atlanta's "Made for More" conference. You can now watch two of the talks from this day, by Kim Zember and Fr. John Johnson. It is so inspiring to see how our chaplains and members continue to advocate for the apostolate, which results in gatherings such as this. Want to organize a day of reflection for your chapter/area? Contact office@couragerc.org for help getting started!
Watch Kim Zember's talk here.
Watch Fr. John Johnson's talk here.
| | Bishop Hicks, Friend of Courage, to be Archbishop of New York | | In December, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks (of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois) as the next Archbishop of New York. Bishop Hicks joined us at the Courage & EnCourage Annual Conference in 2024 at Mundelein Conference Center & Seminary to celebrate the Holy Mass for our members. You can watch his homily here. Please join us in praying for Archbishop Hicks and his ministry ahead of his installation on Friday, February 6, 2026. | | |
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| | 2026 Monthly Prayer Intentions | | |
Please join us again this year in praying together as a community for a specific intention each month. Click on the intentions list below 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
| | 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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We are excited to share that the Fr. Harvey Prayer App is now available for all devices! This free app is to remind and encourage the faithful to pray for the opening of the cause for the beatification and canonization of Fr. John F. Harvey, OSFS (founder and first executive director of Courage International). Featuring a Hail Mary and devotional prayer, the app gives the option to receive daily notifications to remind you to pray.
Download the app for iOS for iPhones here, or from the Google Play Store for Androids here.
As always, you can learn more about Fr. Harvey's inspiring life by visiting this website - we recommend the "A Profile in Courage" documentary! Fr. Harvey, pray for us!
| "Same Sex Attraction in Candidates for the Priesthood" | | |
Linked here is an article by Fr. James McTavish, published in the Gregorianum magazine in August 2025. Read the abstract below for an idea of what this in-depth analysis discusses:
"Comments by Pope Francis in 2024 brought again to the fore the issue of homosexuality and the priesthood. In 2005, the Vatican produced guidelines for admission to seminary and ordination, making a distinction between same sex attraction that is transitory or deep-seated. Although not utilized by many professional medical bodies, these terms are still useful at a practical level. This article will discuss the implications and application of the Vatican’s teaching, underline the importance of chastity and the universal call to holiness, present some issues relating to safeguarding and emphasize the need for careful discernment of all candidates to priesthood."
| | Continuing the Spirit of Advent... | | |
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Visit our YouTube channel for lots of helpful content like these resources!
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| | 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! | | |
Courage Men's Retreat
January 30 - February 1, 2026
Southern Connecticut
Check out the events page! If interested in attending, email office@couragerc.org.
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2026 Courage and EnCourage Annual Conference
July 16-19, 2026
Mundelein, Illinois (Archdiocese of Chicago)
Save the date! More information to come in the new year!
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Sexual Integration & Redemption Course
February 8-13, 2026
Black Rock Retreat Center, Quarryville, PA
"The Theology of the Body Institute is excited to partner with Desert Stream Ministries for a unique and immersive healing and training opportunity. In this five day retreat, you will experience a compacted version of the Desert Stream Ministries flagship 'Living Waters' program — an opportunity to apply the content of Theology of the Body personally and practically."
Learn more about this event here!
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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. | | | | |
