New Ways Ministry
Formation | 1977 |
---|---|
Purpose | Inclusive Catholicism |
Headquarters | Maryland |
Founder | Jeannie Gramick |
New Ways Ministry is a ministry of advocacy and justice for
History
New Ways Ministry was founded in 1977 by Sr.
It adopted its name from the pastoral letter of Bishop Francis Mugavero of the Diocese of Brooklyn, "Sexuality: God's Gift". Written in 1976, the letter addressed gay and lesbian Catholics, as well as the widowed, adolescents, the divorced, and those having sexual relations outside of marriage, stating: " ...we pledge our willingness to help you ...to try to find new ways to communicate the truth of Christ because we believe it will make you free."[3] These sentiments inspired the pastoral efforts by the co-founders to build bridges between differing constituencies in Catholicism.[4]
In 1975, Nugent left the Archdiocese and joined the staff of the Quixote Center in Maryland. In 1977, he joined the Salvatorians,[5] that same year he founded New Ways Ministry with Gramick. "We knew it was risky," he told the St. Petersburg Times in 1999, "because Catholics weren't talking and writing about sexuality."[6]
Nugent served as a consultant for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on its 1997 pastoral document on homosexuality, "Always Our Children."[7]
Mission and work
New Ways Ministry advocates for acceptance of LGBT people among Catholics and among the general population.
Partnerships
New Ways Ministry partners with Equally Blessed,[9] a coalition of Catholics who support full LGBT equality, and the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics.[10]
Criticism
In 1984 Cardinal James Hickey barred the organization from the Archdiocese of Washington because of its dissent from traditional Catholic teaching on the issue of homosexuality, which condemns sexual activity between people of the same gender.[11] The same year, the Vatican ordered co-founders Nugent and Gramick to resign from New Ways Ministry. Both continued publishing, speaking, and ministering around gay and lesbian issues within the Catholic Church until 1999.
That year, the
In 2010, Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), stated New Ways did not present an authentic view of Catholic teaching. Instead he insisted that it "confuses the faithful about the Church’s efforts to defend traditional marriage and to minister to homosexual persons".[14] In March 2011, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops affirmed George's statement and reiterated "...that in no manner is the position proposed by New Ways Ministry in conformity with Catholic teaching and in no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church or to identify itself as a Catholic organization."[11]
Nugent's death
Nugent retired in June 2013, and died of lung cancer at the age of 76 on January 1, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, location of the US Province of Salvatorians.[6] Some of Nugent's papers are in the Special Collections of Marquette University.[15]
Pope Francis
In 2015, a group of 50 LGBT activists and pilgrims were given first row seating at a Wednesday papal audience in St. Peter’s Square, Rome.[16]
In 2021,
In October of 2023, Pope Francis received Sr. Jeannine Gramick and three other staff from New Ways Ministry in the
See also
- Outreach Catholic
- LGBT-welcoming church programs
- DignityUSA
- Mary Hunt
- Donna Quinn
- Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism
- Courage International
- Joel 2:25 International
- Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination
- On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons
- Dissent from Catholic teaching on homosexuality
References
- ^ "About". New Ways Ministry. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ "Co-Founders of New Ways Ministry". Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ^ Mugavero, Francis J. "Sexuality: God's Gift". Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "History". Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ^ "Father Robert Nugent, embroiled in gay-ministry controversies, dies", CNS, January 2, 2014[dead link]
- ^ a b c Woo, Elaine. "Father Robert Nugent dies at 76; priest who supported gays, lesbians", The Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2014
- ^ Eckstrom, Kevin. "Fr. Bob Nugent, silenced for his work with gay Catholics, dies at 76", RNS, January 3, 2014
- ^ "Interview: Sister Jeannine Gramick on being censured by the Vatican, 50 years of ministry and her hopes for LGBT Catholics". America Magazine. 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ DeBarnardo, Francis (2013-07-27). "Equally Blessed Pilgrims Bring LGBT Faith Witness to World Youth Day". New Ways Ministry. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ Doerfler, Grace (2021-11-26). "Global Network of Rainbow Catholics Seek Bishops Opposing Ghana Criminalization Effort". New Ways Ministry. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b c "US bishops reaffirm: New Ways Ministry not a Catholic organization", Catholic World News, March 17, 2011
- ^ Notification of the CDF, May 31, 1999
- ^ Nugent, Robert. "The Silenced Monk, America, May 15, 2006
- ^ "New Ways Ministry not approved by Catholic Church, Cardinal George states", Catholic News Agency, February 14,, 2010
- ^ Rev. Robert Nugent Papers", Raynor Memorial Libraries
- ^ Pullella, Philip (February 18, 2015). "Gay Catholic group gets VIP treatment at Vatican for first time". Reuters.
- ^ Fraga, Brian. "Pope Francis thanks New Ways Ministry in recent correspondence", National Catholic Reporter, December 8, 2021
- ^ Editor, Robert Shine, Managing (2023-10-17). "Pope Francis Receives Sr. Jeannine Gramick at Vatican". New Ways Ministry. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
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External links
- New Ways Ministry website
- New Ways Ministry Records
- Notification of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, May 31, 1999
- "USCCB President Clarifies Status Of New Ways Ministry", Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Feb. 12, 2010
- "Statement on New Ways Ministry", Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore, March 12, 2012
- Vatican - official website full Catechism