Being gay and having a relationship with Jesus Christ are not incompatible. This is the message of a new support group for students at the St. Thomas More Newman Center.
The group reaches out to students who identify as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender and Catholic.
Ed Koharchik, a seminarian with the Paulist Fathers and pastoral associate at the Newman Center, said he formed this group because being GLBT and Catholic holds unique challenges.
“The group will focus on understanding the teachings of the church and how that incorporates into moral decisions,” Koharchik said.
The group will address the types of issues that arise in the news, morality in general and the body of church teachings, Koharchik said.
“So many gay people end up leaving the Catholic Church because they feel condemned or rejected,” Koharchik said. “But we will focus on how to accept one’s sexual orientation and integrate it with faith.”
Nick Harrod, a senior in agricultural education and Spanish, said he first learned about the program in a church bulletin and decided to be a part of it.
“The fact that there is an active outreach by the Catholic Church to welcome GLBT individuals is amazing, because it hasn’t happened in the past,” Harrod said.
Harrod said this group is especially important in light of recent events such as Pope John Paul II’s ban on gay marriages and the Catholic Church sex scandal.
“There is a lot being said that is the opposite of what we believe, so promoting positive relations in spite of those things is important,” Harrod said.
The first meeting of the support group will be at 7 p.m. today at the Newman Center.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is to meet and greet and set the groundwork for a place where people can come to have discussion and discourse about what it means to be gay and Catholic,” Harrod said.
Harrod said all individuals are invited to attend the meetings.
“It would be wonderful for friends, roommates or siblings of GLBT individuals to attend. Everyone can learn,” Harrod said.
Jonathan Boland, a senior in psychology, is the founder of Queer Christians, another organization committed to promoting the integration of faith with GLBT individuals.
“We seek to provide a safe space where young adults who identify as Christian and gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender can gather and express their love for Christ,” Boland said.
The group was formed in February and meets every Tuesday in the Multicultural Center.
“We meet for Bible study or open discussion,” Boland said. We also lead a quarterly discussion series that educates people on what the Bible really says about same-sex relationships.”
