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Note: Spirit and Truth is not a ministry of the Parish or Catholic Gators. However it is partnered with us and recieves pastoral guidance and oversight by the pastoral leadership of the Parish.
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Spirit and truth: Gender and sexuality
God loves us all; let there be no doubt, there are no exceptions.
No matter who you are or what you've done; no matter what you think or what you feel; no matter what your experiences have been in your famililes, the world around you or with members of Christ's Church, the love Christ has for you is overwhelming, neverending, and unconditional. You are loved as you are, and called to become Saints.
Watch below as Jesus speaks to the woman of Samaria reflecting the Biblical passage Jn 4:4-42.
When the woman says, "You picked the wrong person," Jesus replies saying, "I came to Samaria just to meet you."
The woman rejects Jesus' help because she waits for the Messiah without realizing that He sits before her. She misses the living water before her because she puts up her defenses and won't allow Jesus to love her.
For those who experience same-sex attraction, gender discordance, or who question their identity in other ways, it can be difficult to recieve Gods love and see yourself as God sees you.
Once the woman opens up to Jesus, he instructs her that the most important aspect of worship will be that it is done in spirit and truth. -
Who We Minister To
The goal of Spirit and Truth is to create Catholic community within the Church, for those who are experiencing same-sex attraction or gender discordance. This exclusivity allows for the group to be a space where people feel more comfortable sharing their experiences and where we can maintain confidentiality.
We know that these feelings can be confusing. If you are questioning your gender or sexuality in any way, please feel free to come and find community with the Spirit and Truth ministry!
If you are someone who wants to support this ministry, we may have opportunities for you to serve in the future and would love to hear your ideas and questions. -
What We Do
Our mission for this ministry is to cultivate a community within the community of the Church, in which those with same-sex attraction or gender discordance can find others with similar experiences and faith who are seeking to live according to the teachings of the Church in all areas of life, especially those relating to gender, sexuality, and marriage.
We will do this through having weekly Christian book studies in Gainesville, FL. New members will be permitted to join as we begin reading each new book, Sessions will be 4-6 weeks lasting 90 minutes each.If you are interested in joining our next session, please fill out the "Contact Us" form below by Friday, September 8 for our sessions starting later on in September.
We look forward to hearing from you! -
Contact UsUse the form to reach out if you are interested in signing up for a book club! If you have other questions feel free to send us an email at [email protected].
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Resources
If you are interested in learning more about gender and sexuality and the Catholic Church, here are some resources. Something to keep in mind as you explore, sometimes it can seem like the way the Church and those who explain her teaching are taking the long way around. It may seem like people are dancing around the issues of gender and sexuality, which can be quite frustrating when striving to understand what the Church has to say. That being said, we must keep in mind that the Catholic worldview makes the most sense when we have a wholistic picture. Therefore, if you are learning something new even if you don't think it applies directly to what you seek to understand, I highly encourage that you continue searching.
"Theology of the Body — The missing piece in my understanding of gender and sexuality" is a blog post written by a Catholic Gators student looking at a personal witness of the impact of the Theology of the Body in her own life. She describes how her journey seeking to understand Catholic morality of gender and sexuality
Eden Invitation is a Catholic organization that holds virtual books studies as well as in-person retreats and encounters for those experiencing same-sex attraction and gender discordance as well as those questioning their gender or sexuality. They also have an interesting blog on the faith and gender and sexuality!
Theology of the Body (TOB) s a collection of Audiences from St. Pope John Paul II that explores the theology revealed to us by our bodies. It provides great insight into why the Catholic faith teaches what it does about the morality of sexuality and gender. It's long but worth the read if you're willing to parse through it. You can find it online for free or as a paper copy.
It is a little dense, so if reading I recommend reading a book by Christopher West that breaks it down a bit in Theology of the Body for Beginners. Fr. Mike Schmitz also discusses TOB through the lens of looking at the morality of same-sex attraction in his book Made for Love.
Or, if you would like a ten minute overview of TOB, you can check out this video by Fr. Mike Schmitz called "Why God Gave us Bodies."
Love and Responsibility is another book that Pope JP II wrote as a cardinal, and it discusses how to live out those concepts explained in the Theology of the Body and why it is important.
St. Augustine's Catholic Church also offers classes on Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility taught by Ashley Hemingway, our business manager. If you would like to learn more about how to join these classes you can reach out by emailing Ashley at [email protected].