Without Exception Newsletter
October 2025
On Wednesday, October 8 from 8:00 - 9:30 PM Eastern Time we will host Dr. Tim Uhl, an experienced leader in Catholic education and host of Catholic School Matters, to discuss his book Orchestrating Conflict: Case Studies in Catholic School Leadership.
This event will begin with a conversation between David and Tim, followed by time for community deliberation on a number of real-life case studies involving LGBTQ+ students. Please extend the invitation to your circle of educators and leaders.
Registration deadline is Tuesday, October 7. The Zoom link will be released to participants 30 minutes before the event. The event will not be recorded.
This section is an open forum for members to share reflections or responses connected to our mission.
🚩Please respect the privacy of the authors. These reflections are intended only for the private forum of our network. Public sharing or reprinting is not permitted without permission.
✅ Anonymous (Somewhere USA)
I will quite likely never write a book about my particular faith journey. Though I serve in an official diocesan capacity and also have parish assignments, it is in my role as husband and father to three young adult children who identify in the LGBTQ+ community that I have been taught, “It is not your story to tell.” I have come to understand that while I so much want for them to feel included in our church, they will do so in their own time, in their own way, not being held up as models for inclusion by way of my professional commitment to pastoral care.
The accompanying photo was taken during a recent family cookout. The tower of stacked blocks came about as members of our family and their significant others took turns pulling and repositioning the blocks higher and higher. While the conversations continued, this activity was taking place, and each choice one person made impacted those who followed.
Our son took the picture that day as his partner and I both commented on the height we had all achieved. When he sent it to me days later, I first laughed at the picture. It is so high, you cannot see me, only the tower. But the more that I thought about it, I think the picture aptly describes my relationship between our faith and the role it plays in our life. Whatever love, support and encouragement I provide to our family is deeply rooted in our faith, as followers of Christ. I believe being supportive—and not in front—is more in keeping with our family story.
- On October 7 the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in Chiles v Salazar. This case challenges the ban on conversion therapy in the State of Colorado. You can read the backgrounder here, but you may also find it interesting to read this amicus brief filed on behalf of five Catholic educators.
- Amid the marginalization, scapegoating, and targeting of trans and non-binary persons, it is important to spend time together in prayer and solidarity. Rooted in the Ignatian values of cura personalis and accompaniment, Camino warmly invites you to join us every Monday night at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on Zoom. This is an opportunity to hold one another in God’s presence, pray for healing and justice, and strengthen one another with simple fellowship. It is a space where you can come exactly as you are. Whether you stay for the full time or just drop in briefly, your presence is a blessing. Together, we can nurture compassion, resist division, and be a sign of God’s inclusive love for trans and non-binary persons and their friends and allies. Please consider joining us, and invite a friend who might need encouragement.
- A team of theologians and writers (Jason Steidl-Jack, Gael Pardoen, Nicolete Burbach, and Seandor Szeles) is collecting 25-40 personal essays (800-1,500 words) for a book tentatively titled Faithful Loves: Stories of LGBTQI+ Catholic Families. The editors are seeking stories of LGBTQI+ Catholic families. For the collection, this team is seeking personal essays about faith lived out in relationships, service, and spiritual life. Essays will focus on families rather than individuals and highlight their impact on the broader community. While much of the discourse on LGBTQI+ Catholics focuses on theological debates, the hope is that this collection will provide a much-needed counterbalance, celebrating personal experiences of joy, resilience, faith and belonging. The editors hope to highlight a diverse collection of stories to include international, inter-religious, and gay and lesbian couples as well as couples that include trans individuals. In the spirit of a global church, the team is particularly interested in hearing from diverse racial, class, geographic, gender, and Catholic contexts. Interested contributors can email the team at faithful.loves@outlook.com. Please include your name, age, gender identity, location and context, and what it is about your story that the church needs to hear.
- The Boston College Roche Center for Catholic Education is excited to announce an opening of the application for the next Catholic Leadership Cohort (CLC ‘28). This Master’s Program in Educational Leadership and Policy is offered from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the #1 Catholic Education Department in the country. Aspiring or emerging leaders are invited to apply to this program. More information about the Catholic Leadership Cohort is available through this prospectus or the CLC website.
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- Outreach will partner with Saint Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago to host a regional gathering of LGBTQ Catholics, their families and those who minister to them on Friday evening, Oct. 24, 2025. The event will include a prayer service inside the church and a social gathering to promote networking and to share in a dialogue about attributes that make parishes welcoming to LGBTQ people. The event is part of Outreach’s goal of hosting events online and in various locations throughout the United States. The Chicago event will kick off a number of gatherings and consultations ahead of Outreach 2026, which will take place at Georgetown University next June, focused on the theme, “Walking Side by Side: Celebrating Five Years of Outreach.” To register for the Chicago event, complete this form, and for more information, email Jack Consolie at jconsolie@americamedia.org.
- The annual Interfaith Weekend Retreat for LGBTQ+ Persons, Allies, and Family Members will be held on the weekend of November 7-9, 2025 at the Feliciana Retreat and Conference Center in Norwood, Louisiana. Those who belong to historically marginalized groups, which includes members of the LGBTQ+ community, are presently experiencing high levels of uncertainty, fear, and stress due to the political climate. Many are struggling to maintain some sense of hope for the future in order to survive. How can we get to that space within these stormy times? What do our wisdom figures say? For members of the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones who are living through these challenging times, how can we move together as people of hope? How can we embrace loving kindness and compassion? How can we take action based on this hope? This annual retreat will provide a wonderful opportunity to dive into these important questions together as a beloved community. The facilitators are Sr. Rochelle Perrier, Brad Leger, and Fr. Buddy Noel. Registration deadline is October 22, 2025. Please email Brad for more information: brad@balconsulting.org.
- Building Catholic Futures is planning their next Confident Witnesses retreat (dates and location still TBD). The retreat equips people who identify as LGBT/SSA+ to become the mentors and witnesses who serve our Church's needs. Retreatants will discern the ways their experience can be a gift to the Church, explore the challenges of leadership in this area, and connect their own stories with broader conversations about the mission of the Church. An interest form is available here.
