A Short film that encourages the full acceptance of LGBT individuals in the Catholic Church
A new video has been released entitled LGBT Catholics: OwningOurFaith.
This short film eloquently and clearly depicts the struggles LGBT Catholics endure on a daily basis. Through the personal stories of LGBT Catholics, their parents, grandparents, and friends, the video calls upon the experience of the people in the pews and in doing so, evokes emotion and the need for change.
OwningOurFaith is dedicated to achieving the full acceptance of LGBT persons in the Catholic Church.
The film also addresses Pope Francis’ calling for bishops to seek input from Catholics about how the Church should respond to difficult questions on modern family life. The Ordinary Synod of bishops is set to discuss “family” in the context of contemporary life in October 2015. The video focuses on three themes:
- Sexuality & faith
- LGBT people are gifts to the Catholic Church; and
- The idea that “All Are Welcome” and loved by God.
The brainchild of the project, Michael Tomae, was inspired to act after his volunteer work with Covenant House, a homeless shelter for youth. Many of these young adults were disowned by their Christian families because of their sexuality or gender identity. Tomae was inspired to start a larger conversation, with the primary focus being that one’s faith is not fully wrapped up in one’s sexuality. Tomae reached out to members of the vibrant LGBT community at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, a Catholic Church in Manhattan, and together they brought the project to life.
This led to the formation of OwningOurFaith. The goals of the film are simple:
- Encourage full acceptance of LGBT people in the Church
- Offer a message of love and hope to those who feel they don’t belong in the Church
- Explore the ways in which LGBT people are gifts to the Church
- Promote an open and accepting dialogue among Catholics across the world.