New York City Catholic Church’s ‘Catholic Lesbians’ Group Promotes LGBTQ+ Inclusion
The Catholic Lesbians group (TCLG) at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan is currently on trend after its open LGBTQ welcoming ministry and its efforts to create a well accepted community for Catholic women who identify as lesbian.
On the other hand, the church’s official website makes it known that, the group began in 1995 after some of the gay parishioners had already started gathering for prayer. Today, the ministry has recorded a total of about 300 members and meets regularly for prayer, fellowship and discussions about faith and life within the Catholic Church community.
TCLG group further describes itself as a community where the members believe there is no conflict between being a Catholic and being queer. Its activities also include discussions about women’s roles in the Church and advocacy for greater participation of women within the Catholic leadership.
The ministry became widely known and received much attention after ABC News featured the parish in a 2024 report examining LGBTQ+ Catholics and their experiences at St. Francis Xavier. The report highlighted couples and parishioners who described the church as a place where they felt able to practice their Catholic faith while openly identifying as LGBTQ+.
Discussion around the news also touched on Pope Francis and the Vatican’s December 2023 declaration, Fiducia Supplicans. The said document also allowed priests to offer certain pastoral blessings to people in irregular situations, including same-sex couples, provided that such blessings were not presented as a marriage ceremony or as an approval of same-sex marriage.
At St. Francis Xavier church, the parish’s approach toward the LGBTQ+ Catholics has been described as part of its broader emphasis on welcoming and inclusion. Church leaders have clarified that, the goal is to provide people with a place where they can pray, build friendships and explore their faith.
FINALIZING; The Catholic Lesbians group therefore represents a distinctive expression of LGBTQ+ Catholic ministry within New York City. Its existence also reflects an ongoing conversation within Catholicism about how pastoral welcome, LGBTQ+ identity and traditional Church teaching intersect.
