Since launch, we’ve developed three basic types of work that we offer: consulting, training/events, and retreats. Each area is best for a different kind of audience or institution, so we want to give you this brief introduction to how we understand each kind of work.
Consulting is best for dioceses and larger institutions who want to explore their own vision for LGBT/SSA+ ministry and outreach.
BCF works with diocesan and other institutional leadership teams to help them articulate what they are seeing on the ground, and what their vision is for ministry in this area. We share our observations of where gay people are encountering the Church, what helps them grow in discipleship, and how various styles of ministry meet (or fail to meet) the needs of gay people coming from diverse experiences.
Through facilitated discussion, we discern a vision that reflects the real aspirations of diocesan leadership and suggest paths to implementation. We offer self-assessments for potential leaders, and ongoing coaching as new questions arise.
If you work in a chancery or other large institution, you might want to know more about Consulting.
Training/Events are best for parishes, schools, and other smaller institutions who want to start better conversations about LGBT+ topics.
Through presentations, workshops, and guided discussions, we build confidence among Catholics responsible for the care of souls. Our Journeys curriculum explores LGBT/SSA+ people’s journeys of faith, and the ways mentors can best guide gay people and their loved ones.
The full Journeys curriculum covers
- Starting Points: the four most common lenses through which Catholics approach LGBTQ+ questions
- Walk and Discern: the stages by which gay people integrate faith and orientation
- Inroads and Obstacles: evangelizing gay people—what works and what just gets in the way
- Doctrine and Discipleship: connecting Church teaching to on-the-ground pastoral experience
Individual talks and workshops might cover
- Personal stories of discipleship
- Cultural competence in evangelization: finding the inroads to faith in gay people's experiences
- Confidence in catechesis: connecting doctrine to individual experience
- Fiducia supplicans and Dignitas infinita: what recent Vatican documents say and don’t say
- Pastoral care of same-sex couples
- How do I talk with my kids or my peers about LGBT “hot topics”?
We often weave these events together into a “BCF Mission Week,” which links several events in one geographical area, including a devotional event for the LGBT+ community like Adoration or evening prayer.
If you are a pastor, educator (elementary through seminary!), parent, OCIA leader, catechist, youth minister, spiritual director, or campus minister, you might want to know more about Training and Events.
Retreats are best for LGBT/SSA+ Catholics seeking to grow in faith and mission.
Confident Witnesses is a mission formation program for gay, same-sex attracted, and queer Catholics who embrace Church teaching in full. Through study, prayer, fellowship, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring, Building Catholic Futures builds up LGBT/SSA+ people to share their own stories, walk with others, and serve their communities from the heart of the Church.
If you are a pastor interested in fostering gay discipleship, or a gay/same-sex attracted Catholic wondering how you can serve others, you might want to know more about Confident Witnesses.
Starting the Conversation in Catholic Schools
On Wednesday, October 29 from 8:00 - 9:30 PM Eastern Time the Without Exception Network will host Eve for a presentation on starting better conversations in Catholic schools, especially ones that nourish the faith and witness of LGBTQ+ students.
Please email [email protected] to reserve a spot. The Zoom link will be released to participants 30 minutes before the event. This event will not be recorded.
Prayer requests from our community
Pray that I can heal from a sense of loneliness and learn to trust in God's plan for my life.
Not to give up!
Please pray that God continues to open the hearts and minds of those who are resistant to this ministry.
Pray for my family: unity and peace!
Thank you all for your prayers for one another. We remember the words of St Paul to the Philippians: "The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."