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| Fr. Paul Check, director of the Courage Apostolate speaks with catechetical leaders in the Diocese of Madison during the 2013 Catechetical Convocation in Madison. During the convocation, Father Check spoke on the Church’s teaching concerning people with homosexual tendencies. (Contributed photo/Lindsay Becher) |
MADISON — Catechetical leaders from across the Diocese of Madison recently met to discuss and explore the topic of same sex marriage.
This event at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison was co-sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis and Madison Diocese Religious Education Organization (MDREO). It was exclusive to parish catechetical leaders, Catholic school principals, and priests in the Diocese of Madison.
“Since our young people — and indeed all of our people — are inundated with information on this topic of same-sex-attraction and the proposal to redefine marriage, all of us as Catholics need to be very familiar with these topics so we can bring the love and truth of Jesus Christ to those whom we meet,” said Patrick Delaney, director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Madison.
“Our catechetical leaders need to be prepared to respond to those who express some level of personal difficulty with this struggle, and to those who merely have questions about it,” Delaney added.
One of two keynote speakers in the morning was Fr. Paul Check, director of the Courage Apostolate. Courage ministers to those with homosexual or same-sex attractions.
A witness speaks
Before Father Check spoke, a “witness to the question of homosexuality” spoke to the crowd of educators.
He spoke about his struggles with same-sex attraction.
The witness talked about growing up as a cradle Catholic and that having same-sex attraction was “never part of the plan for my life,” calling it his “cross that I have to bear.”
He spoke about his struggles with society’s definition of “what it means to be a man” and having to deal with issues and jealousy, self-esteem, and body image along with a fear of “not being adequate.” He feels these played a role in his same-sex attraction.
As his struggles continued into college, he also spoke about becoming closer to God and communicating with a local Courage group. He said God “planted the seeds of healing” inside of him.
He says he knows he is in a life-long healing process, saying he “didn’t choose to be gay . . . he chose to be Catholic.”
He is now engaged and will be getting married in the Church.
The question of homosexuality
Father Check thanked the witness for his willingness to tell his story. He said he prefers to have a witness speak before he talks to put a “face on the question” of homosexuality.
Father Check called it a very “personal,” “controversial,” and “complex” question.
He said the best way to answer it is to “love your neighbor as yourself,” but one needs to find their “self” before one can love his or her neighbor.
He added Catholics need the “face and voice of another person to understand who I am . . . to show my life has meaning.”
Father Check also emphasized to “love your neighbor” means to separate the person from the inclination, from the act. The “person” is always good, whereas the inclination and act, when it comes to homosexuality, is disordered.
He later said understanding the question of homosexuality and healing will come when everyone accepts the virtue of chastity as “part of the Good News.”
Marriage and society
The second keynote speaker of the morning was Eloise Anderson, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
Being a Catholic, she said she was happy to talk to the group of catechetical leaders.
Anderson shared statistics and her viewpoint on the importance of the family in society.
She said the decline of marriage in the country is an “experiment” that has been going on since the 1960s, with the rise of birth control and no-fault divorce, as well as single parenthood.
She said marriage is supposed to be “generational,” combining two families and extending them into the future.
She added marriage is a “universal part of the human experience . . . man was not meant to be alone.”
Anderson said strengthening marriage would mean a more stable economy, stating government grows when families become weaker.
She used the example of a single mother who needs the government’s assistance to help raise her child, saying the mother “married the government.”
She also added men need to get involved in the family again, saying, “It takes two.” She said men need to learn their role in raising a family and being fathers to their children.
She warned the audience if the marriage “experiment” continues, most of the country could resemble what inner-cities across the country look like, with high crime, violence, and drug use.
The day ended with an afternoon talk by Alice Heinzen, co-director of the Office of Marriage and Family in the Diocese of La Crosse. She spoke on “Sharing the Truth about Love with a Heart of Christ,” about how to defend the natural constitution of marriage.
More information and resources to address these issues are available at the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis page on the Diocese of Madison website at www.madisondiocese.org/oec