"Gay retreats"

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FaithBuild18

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I was told today by a pro-gay student on campus that the Catholic Church nearby is holding a “gay retreat.” He didn’t know what it was though.

I’m just wondering, if a Catholic Church were to hold such a retreat, what do you think it means? The Church is heavily influenced by the Newman Campus Ministry. Being a college group, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was an event to “celebrate” homosexuality. But I can’t believe a Catholic Church would do something like this. Is it more likely that these retreats are to help people who are struggling with homosexuality overcome their inclination?

I know the obvious response is “ask somebody at the Church,” which I probably will eventually. But before I make myself look like an idiot, I’m just wondering if these kind of things are normal, and if so, what they are.
 
Assuming your intuition is correct and they speak some sort of message of acceptance of their lifestyles, they are indeed not normal, and they are gravely sinful to support. This is not something that should happen.
 
superamazingman said:
Assuming your intuition is correct and they speak some sort of message of acceptance of their lifestyles, they are indeed not normal, and they are gravely sinful to support. This is not something that should happen.
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Well I don’t really want to say it’s my “intuition.” I honestly have no idea at all. I generally prepare for the worst.

The conversation with this student was pretty depressing overall. (The most depressing part being that he is a Catholic.) I’m not even 100% sure if he was correct and that this parish is indeed holding a retreat. That’s why I just want to know if these things are common and if so, what they are.
 
A “gay retreat” could also be an event for homosexual people seeking to live our their lives in a way that is pleasing to God. The only way to know is to ask.
 
FaithBuild18 said:
Well I don’t really want to say it’s my “intuition.” I honestly have no idea at all. I generally prepare for the worst.

The conversation with this student was pretty depressing overall. (The most depressing part being that he is a Catholic.) I’m not even 100% sure if he was correct and that this parish is indeed holding a retreat. That’s why I just want to know if these things are common and if so, what they are.
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I don’t blame you for preparing for the worst. Even the advertising as “gay retreat” makes me expect the worst right away. If it was something else other than a chance to validate these people in their lifestyles, I would expect it to be called something else.
 
superamazingman said:
Assuming your intuition is correct and they speak some sort of message of acceptance of their lifestyles, they are indeed not normal, and they are gravely sinful to support. This is not something that should happen.
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Agreed, and if it were in any way an event intended to celebrate an active homosexual lifestyle within the Church (which is unconceivable) the Bishop should just stop by and excommunicate them all at once!😃
 
Allegra said:
A “gay retreat” could also be an event for homosexual people seeking to live our their lives in a way that is pleasing to God. The only way to know is to ask.
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Quite true. I have heard little of this here but I have come across this “theme” and from what little I have heard such activities are designed to help gays who do indeed have a measure of faith live a life of celibacy rather than living out the sin of homosexuality. Could be wrong but mambey somebody should contact those running the retreat to find out more.
 
Allegra said:
A “gay retreat” could also be an event for homosexual people seeking to live our their lives in a way that is pleasing to God. The only way to know is to ask.
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This is probably what it is.
 
I honestly think it’s a retreat for homosexuals to come to be closer to their faith and to offer them advice on how to live their lives in a Christian way. There’s nothing about it that sounds wrong to me, good for the church if they’re reaching out to the homosexual community. They really need to be reached out to.
 
FaithBuild18 said:
I was told today by a pro-gay student on campus that the Catholic Church nearby is holding a “gay retreat.” He didn’t know what it was though.

I’m just wondering, if a Catholic Church were to hold such a retreat, what do you think it means? The Church is heavily influenced by the Newman Campus Ministry. Being a college group, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was an event to “celebrate” homosexuality. But I can’t believe a Catholic Church would do something like this. Is it more likely that these retreats are to help people who are struggling with homosexuality overcome their inclination?

I know the obvious response is “ask somebody at the Church,” which I probably will eventually. But before I make myself look like an idiot, I’m just wondering if these kind of things are normal, and if so, what they are.
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I have sincere doubts that a conservative organization like a Cardinal Newman center would be advocating for a retreat to promote the homosexual lifestyle… and I also sincerely doubt that the official title of the retreat is the “Gay Retreat”. Nonetheless, one cannot know without asking, and it wouldn’t be imprudent to voice this query to the church in question to be assured that the motivation is in keeping with divinely revealed truth.
 
Actaeon said:
I have sincere doubts that a conservative organization like a Cardinal Newman center would be advocating for a retreat to promote the homosexual lifestyle… and I also sincerely doubt that the official title of the retreat is the “Gay Retreat”. Nonetheless, one cannot know without asking, and it wouldn’t be imprudent to voice this query to the church in question to be assured that the motivation is in keeping with divinely revealed truth.
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Is Newman really a conservative organization? I’ve seen students who are in Newman also sell rainbow coloured ribbons for the immense amount of gay-pride that our campus has. It was actually seeing that that led me to decide to stay away from the organization.

I have no idea what the retreat is actually called. Like I said, that’s just what this student told me.

I’ll investigate further.
 
FaithBuild18 said:
Is Newman really a conservative organization? I’ve seen students who are in Newman also sell rainbow coloured ribbons for the immense amount of gay-pride that our campus has. It was actually seeing that that led me to decide to stay away from the organization.

I have no idea what the retreat is actually called. Like I said, that’s just what this student told me.

I’ll investigate further.
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Yes, the Newman center is a conservative organization GENERALLY speaking. SOME students or even administrators involved may be injecting their personal opinions in their actions, but the organization itself is a strong advocate of orthodox catholic spiritual life on campuses around the nation.

Certainly investigate though, and if you find that this retreat IS something abusive, you should report it to the bishop (if it is being sponsored by the parish) or to the next highest level of the Newman Center organization (if it is being sponsored by the Newman Center).
 
I hope the OP will let us know what this is. Obviously no Catholic Church organization can support homosexual behavior, much less promote it. Such an action would be gravely illicit and need to be addressed.
 
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