Story Type: LGBTQ+ Story

By Sister Estela Gomez — “Centered in God and the Spirit of Catherine McAuley, what critical conversations and collective responses are we invited to explore now?” We Sisters of Mercy are currently reflecting on this question as we prepare to gather in the spring for our next direction-setting meeting. At a similar meeting in 2017, we committed to engagement in education and dialogue around the subject of gender identity and sexual orientation. The question before us now invites us to consider the challenges more deeply, beyond what we’ve already been doing.

By Carolyn Shalhoub, Mercy Associate — In 2017, at a direction-setting international meeting, the Sisters of Mercy committed to education and engaged dialogue on gender identity and sexual orientation. How farsighted it was for the sisters to set out on this particular journey. Catherine McAuley would be proud.

By Sister Eileen Campbell — Ever since I can remember in any of my ministries, I’ve known LGBTQ+ people who are alienated from and harmed by our church and society. They have been deeply traumatized, and unable to be who they are without judgment, alienation and cruelty. It should go without saying that people who are being true to who they are as LGBTQ+ individuals shouldn’t be subjected to such treatment in any part of our society, let alone our church, but they are and their pain cries out for healing.

By Sister Mary-Paula Cancienne — We live in upheaval. Among the questions we must ask are, what does it mean to be human, how should we act, and what is our vision for society? Human sexuality and gender identity issues are among the questions our society must face with an openness to new insights and with a commitment to lifelong learning.