Original image of Divine Mercy by Eugene Kazimierowski (1934)
painted under the direction of Saint Faustina Kowalska and her confessor Blessed Father Michael Sopocko
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Message from Our Director
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Dear Friends,
This month the Church honors two twentieth-century Polish saints whose impact has spread well beyond the borders of their native land: Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (October 5), and Pope Saint John Paul II (October 22). Many of you have read Divine Mercy in My Soul, the diary of Saint Faustina, who recorded the visions and conversations with Our Lord that she experienced between her entrance into consecrated life in 1925 and her death in 1938. Saint John Paul was one of hundreds of millions who have been deeply influenced by the profound message of Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina communicated to the world, and the last day of his earthly life was the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.
It is very easy, I think, to misunderstand the mercy of the Lord. At times, we might think that mercy is something that must be earned: if I just pray enough, or do enough penance, I can convince God to forgive me. Or we can be deceived that God's mercy is unattainable: this time, I've gone too far, or sinned too much, and I have to figure things out on my own before God will have me back. It can even seem that I have to trick God into being merciful: as long as I can hide or distract his attention away from my sins, I might be able to obtain His mercy before He notices that I'm not actually worthy of it.
Of course, Divine Mercy is a free, gracious gift that flows from the heart of the Savior, and can't be earned. There are no limits to God's mercy: over and over the Word of God reminds us that "His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136) and that "every sin ... will be forgiven," as long as we do not reject forgiveness (cf. Matt 12:31). And the Act of Faith reminds us of the truth that God "can neither deceive nor be deceived," so there can be no tricking God into being merciful. His omniscience is as perfect as His mercy.
In fact, God's perfect mercy flows from His perfect knowledge. When someone offends me, all I tend to see is the offense, my hurt, and my desire for justice. When I offend God, all I tend to notice is my guilt and my shame. But the perfect omniscience of God sees everything! He sees and understands, not just the sin I have committed, but all the reasons that it happened. He knows all the habits I have formed, all the assumptions I have made about myself and others, all the things I've done and that have been done to me or around me, that go a long way to explaining what happened. He comprehends, not only my guilt and shame, but my weaknesses, and my desires to do what is right, and the concupiscence that makes it easy and attractive to do what is wrong. He hears and knows all the prayers I have said, and all the prayers that have been said for me. He knows me perfectly, and He loves me perfectly because He knows me, not because I'm fooling Him.
Saint John tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and Saint Paul says that "love is patient and kind ... love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor 13:4,7). This is what Divine Mercy is and does. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is not only a description of God's love and mercy, but also an examination of conscience for each of us. The Lord's new commandment is "that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). The key for us in this regard is to pursue our Goals together relying on the help of Divine Grace and Divine Mercy. When we are "pure of heart" (as well as soul, mind and body), we "shall see God" (Matt 5:8), and we shall see what God sees when He looks at us and at our neighbor. We will be able not only to receive Divine Mercy, but to bear witness to It in our lives, and to share It with our brothers and sisters, even those who have offended us.
May the "Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us" be a source of inspiration and confidence as you pursue the Goals of our apostolate in your daily life, and grow in knowing and being known by the Source of that great gift of Divine Mercy.
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Father Philip G. Bochanski
Executive Director
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News
- New Online Chat Groups are Open!
- Join us for Online Rosary on Wednesdays in October
- Sharing the Good News About Courage in Peru
- Chaplain Introduces Courage to Local Catechists
- New Chapters
General Resources
- Conference Videos Ready for Viewing!
- Member Survey of Favorite Spiritual Reading
Courage
- Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity
- Mary Magdalene Selected as Patroness for Courage Women
- More on Authentic Male Friendship on the Courage blog
EnCourage
- "How to Start Restoring Strained Relationships"
Courage Internacional — For our Spanish-Speaking Members and Friends
- Courage Provides Insights in Spanish on FORMED
- October Newsletter in Spanish
Pastoral Resource
- Same-Sex Partnerships that Avoid Sexual Intimacy?
Events
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New Online Chat Groups are Open!
Join today to stay connected with Courage and EnCourage family
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We invite all Courage and EnCourage members to participate in our new online chat groups! Chat groups are a great way to remain connected with your brothers and sisters in Christ — you can share stories, anecdotes, and prayer requests; ask questions; and, most importantly, support one another in living out the goals of Courage and EnCourage.
We are moving away from our current online forum to an external chat group which will allow all our users to more easily interact with and support one another.
If you are already in our Forum, please visit your forum(s) for a join link. If you have not already received an email or notice from us about it, watch your inbox for more information about how to join us in our new space.
If you are not a part of our online community but wish to be, click here to register and join us in our new chat group(s)!
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Join us for Online Rosary on Wednesdays in October
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Given that October is the month of the Holy Rosary, our staff at Courage headquarters has been gathering to pray the Rosary each day. Our prayers are offered for the intentions of all members of the Courage and EnCourage family. On the remaining Wednesdays in October, you can join us via Facebook Live. Please pray with us wherever you are, and know that you are with us in spirit!
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Stay in touch with us via social media
for the latest opportunities, news, resources, and inspiration.
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Sharing the Good News About Courage in Peru
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During the last week of September, our director, Father Philip Bochanski, and our Spanish coordinator, Rosanna Goñi, traveled to Peru to help conduct a course called "Accompanying Persons with Same-Sex Attractions, in the Light of Truth and Mercy" in response to an invitation by Archbishop Javier del Rio of the Archdiocese of Arequipa. Pictured below is Father's morning presentation, in Spanish, to over 120 priests. In the evenings, there were close to 600 laity, religious, and seminarians in attendance.
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Albums of photos of the event on the archbishop's Facebook page: here and here
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Chaplain Introduces Courage to Local Catechists
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At a recent retreat for catechists in the Southwest Urban Deanery of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Father Richard Samour presented a workshop entitled "Sexuality in God's Plan and the Courage Apostolate." Father Samour is the chaplain for multiple San Antonio Courage and EnCourage groups in both Spanish and English as well as for an online Spanish Encourage group. He was pleased to have this opportunity to present the teachings of the Church about same-sex attractions with clarity and charity to an audience of nearly 300 clergy, religious, directors of religious education, and catechists.
Because of their experience in our apostolate, Courage chaplains are specially equipped to share their insights with others who are eager to learn how to strike the balance of being supportive of those who face the challenges of living with same-sex attractions without condoning choices that are opposed to God's plan. Keep us posted on what you are doing in your own diocese to spread the Good News.
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Courage & EnCourage around the world
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Conference Videos Ready for Viewing!
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The main talks from the 2022 Annual Courage & EnCourage Conference have been uploaded and are ready for your viewing. They are full of rich content to help us cultivate our spiritual lives, which is a central part of the goals of both Courage and EnCourage. Also included are the homilies from the Masses and the short videos shown throughout the conference about the spiritualities of a few key religious orders.
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Canon Matthew Talarico's keynote presentation
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Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity
Beautiful and profound insights from monastic sisters
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Christ the Bridegroom is a Byzantine Catholic women's monastic community located in rural northeastern Ohio. They produced a marvelous multi-faceted reflection on the gift of chastity that applies not just to those who have taken a vow of celibacy, but to everyone.
Chastity is not merely about sex: it’s an attitude toward life, a posture that receives all good things as a gift and refuses to grasp. In this video, we journey through what chastity looks like in several areas: creational chastity, intellectual chastity, emotional chastity, sexual chastity, and spiritual chastity. This video is an invitation to open yourself to receive the gift the Lord desires to pour into your heart.
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Subscribe, like, and share to spread the word.
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Mary Magdalene Selected as Patroness for Courage Women
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By Julie A. on behalf of the women of Courage:
You may be aware that the patron saints of the EnCourage apostolate are Saint Monica and Saint Augustine, and the patron saints of the Courage apostolate are Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions. While the women of Courage love and venerate these saints, we were excited by the invitation to add a patroness of our own as we have regular meetings and retreats just for the women. …
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More on Authentic Male Friendship on the Courage blog
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The final installment of the four-part series on "Seven Characteristics of Authentic Male Friendship," written by a Courage member, has been posted on The Upper Room blog. Here's an excerpt from Part 2:
[E]nduring friendships didn’t just happen overnight and I discovered some common characteristics, seven of them actually, that I think can make and sustain great relationships with other guys. These characteristics, I think, apply to all men, not just those of us who experience same-sex attraction. The reality is that all men need good friendships with other men — just like they did when they were boys. So …
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The Upper Room blog is where Courage and EnCourage members and chaplains share their stories of God's work in their lives. Go to CourageRC.org > Resources (dropdown) > Blog. Subscribe by clicking "Update profile" at the bottom of this email.
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"How to Start Restoring Strained Relationships"
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Many EnCourage families are finding themselves divided like never before, not only about their loved ones' choices related to their same-sex attractions or gender identity discordance, but about politics, approaches to COVID-19, and more. Therapist, Alison Ricciardi, founder of CatholicTherapists.com, offers sound guidance on how to use "buffers and bridges" to reestablish the connection with loved ones.
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For our Spanish Speaking Members and Friends
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Courage Provides Insights in Spanish on FORMED
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Rossana Goñi-Cuba, the Spanish coordinator for Courage Internacional, was featured in two episodes of FORMED Ahora (FORMED Now):
These videos are available for free to those who belong to one of the thousands of parishes that have subscriptions to FORMED and to those who have individual subscriptions.
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October Newsletter in Spanish
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Same-Sex Partnerships that Avoid Sexual Intimacy?
Fr. Bochanski writes on the inadvisability of such relationships
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Father Philip Bochanski, Executive Director of Courage International, was invited to make a contribution to Fidelitas: Journal of The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (Canada), which he titled "Embracing the Challenges of Friendship: A Critique of 'Making Room for Siblings in the Spirit'." His essay is a response to an essay by Brett G. Fawcett. Father writes:
Like many faithful Catholics, Brett Fawcett, has read carefully the Responsum ad dubium that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published in 2021, explaining why the Church cannot provide rituals of blessing to solemnize same-sex unions between people who share a sexual relationship like that of married spouses. …
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In his essay, "Making Room for Siblings in the Spirit," Mr. Fawcett … suggests that the fact that the CDF does not mention emotional relationships between people who experience same-sex attractions, and are together for that reason, but who are committed to avoiding sexual intimacy with each other, may mean that blessings for these couples are permissible. His essay then discusses the forms that such a blessing could take, and advocates for their adoption.
Although it is certainly well-intentioned, Mr. Fawcett’s proposal is ill-advised. Faithful people who experience same-sex attractions can and should find strength and consolation in strong, disinterested friendships, with God, with others who share their experience, and with those who do not. But the idea that consecrating an exclusive relationship between them is contradicted by the Church’s understanding of the human person, of human sexuality, and of the nature of human relationships. …
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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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Samson Healing Retreat for Men
November 3–6, 2022, in Hammonton, New Jersey
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Spanish Courage & EnCourage Day of Recollection
November 5, 2022, in Los Angeles, California
The entire event will be in Spanish.
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Courage Latino Encuentro (in Spanish)
November 18-20, 2022, in Mexico
Save the date!
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Courage & EnCourage West Retreat
December 9-11, 2022, in Los Angeles, California
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Courage Men's Retreat
January 27-29, 2023, in Stamford, Connecticut
Save the date!
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Courage & EnCourage South Retreat
March 24-26, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama
Save the date!
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Photo credits
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Divine Mercy by Eugene Kazimierowski (1934) under the direction of Saint Faustina Kowalska and her confessor, Blessed Father Michael Sopocko. On Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.
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Mary Magdalene by the Cross by Matthias Wulfraet (17th century) on Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.
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Men laughing by green valley by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash.
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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.
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