The Welcome Table
Catholic LGBTQ Community.
You Are God's Beloved Child
The Welcome Table Catholic LGBTQ Community includes LGBTQ people who are active, struggling, and former Catholics, as well as families and allies. Led by the Holy Spirit we work to create a space of genuine hospitality and openness where questions may be asked, experiences shared, wounds healed, and spiritual lives deepened without fear of judgment based on one's sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Welcome Table is a community where we can bring our whole selves to God and each other as gifts to share in love.
We are so glad you found us! Peace and courage surround you.
The Welcome Table
Featured LGBTQ Events and News
Documentary
“Wonderfully Made - LGBTQ+R(eligion)"
Description:
Have you ever experienced a queer image of God or queer icon of a holy person? LGBTQ Catholics are constantly surrounded by messaging that we and our relationships can't be holy and we absorb this from birth through our families, parishes, and schools. It permeates Catholic culture both in what we hear and see, and in what we do NOT hear or see.
But there are theologians, ministers, artists, and others who are working hard to put out a very different message: thatALL creation is holy, made purposely and lovingly by God, each creature incarnating a piece of the incomprehensible Mystery that is the Eternal. People like director Yuval David and executive producer Mark McDermott, a married couple (the latter a Catholic) who worked for five years to produce thedocumentary "Wonderfully Made: LGBTQ+R(eligion),"recently shown by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Baden, PA. To the left you will find the trailer for this incredible film, as well as links to the full movie and queer depictions of Jesus that resulted from the project.
AMERICA MEDIA LAUNCHES NEW PODCAST:
THE SPIRITUAL LIFE WITH
FR. JAMES MARTIN, S.J.
What is prayer and how can we pray? How do I know if God is responding to my prayers? What does it mean to live a spiritual life? “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.,” focuses on how people experience God in their prayer and their daily lives. The show combines practical wisdom with deep reflections from spiritual masters like Joyce Rupp and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, and well-known seekers such as Stephen Colbert and Whoopi Goldberg–all tracing the mystery of God’s activity in their own lives. Current episode with Pete Buttigieg.
A Catholic bishop and a Jewish candidate for NYC mayor go to immigration court
Article excerpt: "On Friday, June 20, World Refugee Day, Bishop Pham went to court. He led an interreligious delegation of clergy to the immigration courts in a federal building in downtown San Diego. According to the Times of San Diego, agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement “scattered,” and no one was detained, which immigration lawyers had expected to happen.
'Like the story of Moses and Exodus, the Red Sea parted,' one observer said."
Missouri Priest Displays Unique Courage in Support of Transgender People
By Francis DeBernardo / February 7, 2025
Executive Director, New Ways Ministry
Article excerpt: "...Fr. Mitch Doyen, the pastor of St. Josephine Bakhita parish, St. Louis... recently testified in the state legislature against two bills which would renew Missouri’s current ban on puberty blockers for transgender youth. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the priest told the lawmakers that he believes in a loving God “who has fashioned each human person as a unique reflection of God’s love in the world.” He continued:
'I am not afraid to imagine a world more profound than male and female. And I trust the parents, the families, the doctors, the counselors — all who love our transgender youth — to make these decisions more than you.'”
Cardinal Gregory’s Apology to LGBTQ+ Catholics Is a ‘Watershed Moment’
By Francis DeBernardo / January 30, 2025
Executive Director, New Ways Ministry
Article excerpt: "'I apologize not only for those whose past actions have scandalized and wounded these men and women. I apologize for my own lack of courage to bring healing and hope, and I ask forgiveness.'
Earlier in the service, the cardinal stated:
'There is no room for religious bigotry that is largely fueled by lack of knowledge and ignorance on the part of peoples who may call themselves religious but whose behavior violates the basic tenets of most of the great faith traditions of the world.'"
Canadian Court Upholds Expulsion of Anti-Trans Catholic H.S. Student
By Francis DeBernardo / February 3, 2025
Executive Director, New Ways Ministry
Article excerpt: "...Alexander appealed the decisions to the school board’s suspension and exclusion appeals committee, claiming that though he may have offended transgender students, he did not cause them any harm. Contrary to those claims, the appeals committee found that Alexander 'had engaged in gender-based harassment by referring to transgender students who used the bathroom of their choice as ‘perverted,’ and calling them ‘predators.’
The Renfrew County Catholic school board ultimately denied his requests for reinstatement, prompting him to seek judicial review of those decisions in the Ontario Divisional Court. Alexander argued that he was a victim of “faithism” which he defined as experiencing discrimination based on his religious beliefs. He claimed that the school board failed to accommodate his right to express his religious beliefs on gender and sexuality, namely that God created human beings as immutably male or female.
The three-member Divisional Court rejected Alexander’s argument and deemed his suspension and exclusion to be reasonable. They emphasized that the school board made its decisions based on his behavior, not his beliefs, stating:
'While individuals are entitled to their religious beliefs, opinions and views, what they are not entitled to do is act in a manner that disrespects, discriminates, insults, denigrates, harasses, bullies or otherwise creates an unsafe environment for anyone in the school.'”