Put Out into the Deep
May 6 2025
In this week’s newsletter, a conversation among evangelists about how Church teaching is used in accompaniment.
Semaphores! and Metaphors!
As part of BCF’s work consulting with diocesan leadership, we get to hear the insights of people with decades of experience in evangelization. We were at a meeting at a chancery recently when one such seasoned ministry leader said,
“I want our people to really know Church teaching. Because I’ve noticed that when people aren’t confident that they know what the Church teaches, that’s when they resort to rigid, black-and-white thinking—it feels safer.”
Much of BCF’s work involves connecting Catholic doctrine to LGBT/SSA+ people’s real experiences and questions. We believe good pastoral care happens when Catholic wisdom connects with seekers’ knowledge of their own individual lives. So this insight stood out to us!
Have you ever tried to accompany someone in their journey of faith, but then Church teaching comes up? How did that affect your ability to witness to the joy of the Gospel?
When explaining and exploring it, have you ever felt like doctrine was...
What would it be like to trust that Catholic wisdom is the skin you live in—a reality so intrinsic to your identity that it comes with you wherever you go and whomever you accompany?
This is one way of picturing the confidence BCF seeks to give those who evangelize and catechize gay people. When you know how gay people come to flourish in the Church, you can navigate complex pastoral situations with trust, confidence, and a spirit of adventure. That’s why we say:
Put Out into the Deep!
Your Prayers and Ours
For friends of BCF who recently welcomed a new baby!
Eve & Keith