The Welcome Table
An Inclusive Spiritual Community for Seekers, Doubters, and Believers
You Are God's Beloved Child
Mission and Opportunities
The Welcome Table inclusive spiritual community includes LGBTQ and other marginalized people who are active, struggling, or former Christians, as well as families and allies. We are committed to bringing our whole selves to God and each other as gifts to share in love.
Catholic teaching on our common human dignity, the unconditional, limitless, and intimate love of Jesus found in the Gospels, and the primacy of the individual conscience as formed in relationship with our Creator, the Word of God, and tradition, are the foundations on which our community stands.
Those interested in cultivating their relationship with the Divine in a safe space will find information about spiritual accompaniment with Vicki Sheridan, MDiv, certified spiritual director, here.
Want online events and resources like the ones below sent directly to your inbox monthly? Sign up here.
Featured Events and News
Gatherings
Women of Dignity Spring 2026 Retreat
Join the Women of Dignity for the Spring 2026 Retreat, Rivers of Grace: Honoring the Flow, Crossing Thresholds, May 29–31, 2026, at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin.
Nestled on wooded grounds with an accessible lakefront, Siena is a sponsored ministry of the Racine Dominicans, inspired by St. Catherine of Siena and grounded in a mission of truth and justice. Facilitated by Marilyn Bugenhagen, Ph.D., President of Resonate & Thrive Associates LLC, this retreat offers space for reflection, connection, and renewal.
Check-in is Friday, May 29 from 3–5 PM with dinner at 5 PM; the retreat concludes Sunday, May 31, with the program ending at 11 AM, lunch at noon, and departure by 3 PM. The cost is $330, which includes the program, two nights of lodging, and six meals ($314 if not staying for Sunday lunch).
Registration closes April 23, 2026.
Colombian Cardinal Washes Feet of Trans Sex Workers
by Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, April 10, 2026
In the News
Article Excerpt: “This is the second year in a row that Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio performed the traditional ritual action imitating the servant-leadership of Jesus at the Last Supper. When the ritual was added to the Holy Thursday liturgy after the Second Vatican Council, originally only men were chose for foot-washing, but with the passage of time, women were included in this symbolic action in many places. Pope Francis had expanded the category of participants by washing the feet of prisoners and homeless people…
According to a them.us, the cardinal, who was appointed by Francis, went to the Santa Fe neighborhood of the capital, a police-supervised “tolerance zone” for sex work to perform the ritual. The news article also reported that the cardinal used the occasion to speak out against discrimination, saying:
“What societies do through discrimination is fracture. They create a kind of caste system that has long since been abolished and has no place in society. We are all accepted in the House of the Lord.”
Aparicio initiated the tradition last year to honor Sara Millerey, a trans woman who had recently been murdered.”
Online Events
Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones Assistant Professor of Theology and Africana Studies
MY MADONNA CRIES:
Black Theology, Grief, and Resurrection Hope
In this lecture, Rev. Dr. Adkins-Jones thinks through the significance of the Black Madonna as Mater Dolorosa. She explores the theological significance of grief, legibility, and loss as necessary reminders of the risk of loving others, while offering the resources of Black Mariology for the sacred work of cultivating care and giving life in a world committed to death.
Thursday, April 30 5:30 - 7:00 p.m
Location: Boston College, Theology and Ministry Library Auditorium, Brighton Campus Attend in person or virtually
Spiritual Growth
Welcome! This website is designed to support and inspire people who are filled with spiritual longing and interested in deepening their spiritual lives. Whatever your beliefs or doubts, you are welcome here. Find information about contemplative prayer practices, exploration of different faith traditions, online spiritual practice, reading suggestions, and ways to stay grounded while pursuing spiritual growth. If you dream of a God more beautiful than anything religion has shown you, I promise you your dream is true.
Visio Divina
“Visio divina is a form of divine seeing in which we prayerfully invite God to speak to our hearts as we look at an image. While lectio divina is a traditional way of reading a text with the ear of the heart, in visio divina, lectio’s visual cousin, we look at an image with the eye of the heart. As we gaze, present to an image without any particular agenda, we allow it to speak to us in words or wordlessly with a divine voice.”
Instructions for Visio Divina.
Read an article about Visio Divina by Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler of Contemplative Outreach.
Experience a Visio Divina exercise.
Some examples of Visio Divina images.
Watch a recording of a centering prayer meeting that includes a visio divina.
Take Action
Showing Up for Racial Justice: A home for white people working for justice
“White Christian nationalism creates theological justification for xenophobic, homophobic, and misogynistic laws and attitudes. It is also powering the genocide in Gaza, war in Iran, the climate crisis, and racist ideologies like the Great Replacement Theory.
Luke 10 Congregations is a 9-month-long program to train congregations to fight Christian nationalism and show up for justice. As a part of a national cohort, congregations will study together to deepen their understanding of Christian nationalism’s relationship to poverty and racism, and then develop plans for how to faithfully respond in their own communities. The second Luke 10 Congregations cohort concludes soon, and the deadline to apply for the third cohort is June 1, 2026.”
Book Club Suggestion
Drawing on more than twenty years of advocacy, personal experience, and spiritual reflection, Bethany’s work centers on helping queer individuals, families, and allies move beyond survival toward a fuller, more joyful life grounded in self-acceptance and community.
Her new book, Queer Joy: A Mosaic of Self-Love, Community, and Resistance, invites readers into an interactive journey of healing and celebration. Challenging the narrative that queer lives are defined primarily by struggle, Bethany explores how joy can be cultivated through self-love, chosen family, and collective liberation. The book includes practical tools, reflection prompts, and discussion questions, making it especially well-suited for small groups, adult education, and conversations among parents, caregivers, and allies seeking to deepen their understanding and support of LGBTQ+ people
Bethany Meier-Evans (she/they) is a lifelong LGBTQ+ advocate, interfaith minister, and host of the Joyfully Queer Podcast.
Watch
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (L.W. v. Skrmetti).
The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact.
With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice.
Podcast
The Spiritual Life Podcast - Fr. Jim Martin, SJ Guest: Fr. Bryan Massingale
America, February 24, 2026
The Gender Accompaniment Project
Developed by McGrath Institute for Church Life Professor Abigail Favale, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Genesis of Gender, The Gender Accompaniment Project is a ten-part series featuring the stories of Christians who experience a sense of discordance with their gender.
Blending personal testimonies with thoughtful commentary from experts in theology, psychology, and medicine, The Gender Accompaniment Project illuminates forms of accompaniment rooted in Christian anthropology and models how to speak about gender with both compassion and depth.