Fr. Gaitley's presentation at the conference, "St. Thérèse: The Way of Merciful Love," will summarize the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, which gives hope to all “Little souls,” not only that we can become saints but great saints. We will discover why St. Therese is one of the most popular saints in the history of the Church. Related content can be found in Fr. Gaitley's book, 33 Days to Merciful Love.

Purchase 33 Days to Merciful Love

David Prosen, who previously co-authored Mom ... Dad, I'm Gay , will be speaking this year to EnCourage members, drawing content from his new book, Accompanying Those with Same-Sex Attractions: A Guide for Catholics, published by Our Sunday Visitor, with a foreword by Fr. Bochanski. David speaks, from personal experience, about what a person with same-sex attractions finds most helpful from family and the Church: truth, authentic love, and hope. This book is an excellent resource for clergy members and others involved in ministry, as well as for family members.

You may recognize David from his appearance in the film, The Third Way: Homosexuality and the Catholic Church . He has also written and spoken extensively on the topic of same-sex attractions from a Catholic perspective. You can learn more about him at DavidProsen.com.

Fr. Bochanski preached the homily for the EWTN televised Mass on Friday of Fifth Week of Lent. Father encourages us, in spite of any failings in our Lenten observances, to open ourselves to fully receive the grace and mercy available to us in the salvation Jesus won for us through His Passion. "Don't keep Him at the door, out of shame or out of pride, but … let Him in—all the way in—so that He can make His home with us."

View Fr. Bochanski's homily

United States

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According to a story in the Rhode Island Catholic, "after much prayer and discernment," Fr. James Ruggieri wrote Bishop Thomas Tobin to request permission to host a Courage chapter. With the Bishop's approval, the chapter has been launched. Fr. Ruggieri explains, “As Catholics, we need to present a new script that is valid and resonates in people’s hearts. … It’s being willing to talk with people, walk with people, and encourage people. I think we’ve been too silent on this topic, and we’re losing people, especially young people who are questioning their sexuality and feel like there is no place for them in the Church. … We need to change the narrative.”

Read entire article on Courage in the Diocese of Providence

Providence Courage chapter page

Courage member, Paul Darrow, was recently interviewed for the CNA Newsroom podcast remembering Mother Angelica. Paul talks about how, in the midst of his "glamorous" gay life, he had a providential encounter with Mother Angelica on EWTN, which was pivotal in his return to Jesus Christ and the Church. "I've never been happier in my entire life; I've never felt more loved in my entire life. … And it's all thanks to Mother Angelica, and God, of course."

Listen to Paul's story starting at 16:42

CatholicPhilly.com covered Courage member, Karl Miller's, February parish presentation in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia about his experiences as a man with same-sex attractions.

"Miller’s path to becoming a Courage speaker was a long and painful one. Raised in a devout Catholic family, he knew something was different when boys started talking about girls and he found that he didn’t have the same feelings." Karl then describes his experience years later, after he was drawn back to Christ and His Church, "It was harder to tell people that I was a gay man living the truth of the church than to tell people I was gay. … I lost friends."

Read Karl's entire "story of redemption"

Fr. Bochanski's appearance on Women of Grace last week highlighted the challenges faced by EnCourage members as they seek to keep their families intact while also keeping the Faith. Father's insights focused on the parallels between the women at the foot of the Cross and EnCourage parents:

"These women are there because they are disciples, but their sons … [who were] apostles … are nowhere to be found. They're in that moment of trying to be with Jesus, stay faithful, and really feeling that pain and worry of why their boys aren't with Jesus, why their children have been separated from Him in that most important moment."

Written by one of our EnCourage fathers, this series of reflections on the Sorrowful Mysteries connects the sufferings endured by Jesus with common situations experienced by our EnCourage members.

EnCourage Sorrowful Mysteries

You may subscribe to the Spanish Courage newsletter by clicking "Update Profile" at the bottom of this email and checking the box for "Boletín en español (Courage-Latino)." If you know of any Spanish-speaking people who would be interested in subscribing, please tell them to send an e-mail to  [email protected], including their full name, city, and country.

Also be sure to check out Courage's Spanish site at Couragerc.org/español.

This day of presentations for priests, deacons, and seminarians includes talks on the following foundational topics as they relate to same-sex attractions: