NJ participants ‘deeply touched’ by Outreach Conference for LGBTQ Catholics
“It was a sacred space where all were truly seen and welcomed for who they are — fearfully, wonderfully made children of God,” said Barbara Maddox about the Outreach 2026 Conference. Maddox, who is co-lead of the You Are Mine ministry for parents of LGBTQ Catholics at the Church of the Little Flower in Berkely Heights, was one of five participants from the Archdiocese of Newark who attended the conference, held at Washington DC’s Georgetown University June 19-21.
Founded in 2022, Outreach is a ministry that “celebrates and elevates” the experiences of LGBTQ Catholics in the life of the Church. It is part of the America Media apostolate of the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits.
Founder of Outreach, Father James Martin, summed up the ministry and the weekend’s purpose in his homily during a June 19 Mass at the conference. “What does it mean to be an LGBTQ Catholic? … The answer will be different for each person. As Thomas Merton wrote, ‘For me to be a saint means to be myself.’ The journey to discover yourself in God is a lifelong one. But wherever you are on that journey, we hope you feel welcome here this weekend and, more broadly, in the Church,” he said.
Becoming persons of hope
The three-day conference, which also marked Outreach’s fifth anniversary, addressed topics such as same-sex attraction, working with parish ministers, the virtue of chastity, and the call to service that is at the heart of the Gospel.
Speakers included Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Father James F. Keenan, S.J., Vice Provost of Global Engagement at Boston College, and Craig A. Ford, Jr., visiting assistant professor of Christian ethics in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
Around 450 people participated in the event, including clergy and lay Catholics working in diverse fields such as the arts, education, social work, and parish ministry.
“I find the Outreach community and your participation in this weekend deeply, deeply inspiring,” said Kerry Alys Robinson in her keynote address, lauding the ministry’s sense of faith, joy, and generosity. Citing examples like Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta and Bishop Pirade Taban, who sought to bring peace to warring tribes in South Sudan, Robinson encouraged conference participants to model their lives on their “moral heroes and heroines.”
“Be a person of hope,” she said. “Be a beneficial presence in the world.”
Each person a ‘singularity’
Participants were warmly received by Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, who during the Saturday evening Mass, expressed sorrow for wounds of “judgmentalism and exclusion” which he said had wounded many in the LGBTQ community. In his homily, the cardinal referred to the day’s Gospel reading in which Jesus speaks about the infinite worth of each person:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
-Mt 10:29-31
Cardinal McElroy referred to this passage as he cited a report issued by Study Group 9 as part of the 2024 Synod on Synodality:
“In its anthropology, the report is pathbreaking: ‘Every person is a singularity whose wholeness and uniqueness is constituted in relation to the other, to society and to culture.’ This focus on singularity reflects the preciousness spoken of in today’s Gospel about the sparrow. How much greater is each of us in our singularity in the eyes of God, who understands the folds of our heart and revels in the diverse beauty of our humanity. Seen in this light, the call to holiness is a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ which envelops the whole of our lives and calls us to walk together in the life of the church — unique yet formed together in Jesus Christ.”
An energizing weekend
Outreach 2026 participants from the Archdiocese of Newark felt hopeful and rejuvenated after the conference.
“I was deeply touched by the strong sense of community, support, and encouragement we received at the conference,” Barbara Maddox said. “Cardinal McElroy’s homily gave much needed hope to those who have felt excluded from the Church. The thoughtfully planned liturgies and music, inspirational speakers and panelists, and opportunities to meet other LGBTQ Catholics, family members, and allies, epitomized the compassion, sensitivity, and respect the Church is called to extend to all its members.”
You Are Mine ministry co-lead John Maddox added, “This was our fourth conference, and you could feel the sense of momentum. The number of participants has steadily grown — this was a sellout with a long waiting list, and the buzz before and after the sessions and over meals was electric with lots of great ideas shared. The needs and willingness to address them are definitely there.”
“It was good to see so many people seeing how best to live out their faith in their lives. They left knowing they are not alone in this desire,” said Father Timothy Graff, the Archdiocese of Newark’s Liaison to LGBTQ Communities.
For Father Martin, the sense of energy generated by the conference ultimately comes from its call to holiness and mission, as he explained at the end of his opening homily:
“So what does it mean to be an LGBTQ Catholic? It means to know that you are a beloved child of God. It means to know that nothing is impossible with God. It means to work for right and for justice at all times. It means to have patience with the Church but also to move forward in peace. And it means to let your heart be deeply moved by all who feel troubled and abandoned and to love them with all your being. What does it mean to be an LGBTQ Catholic? It means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
To learn more about resources and support for LGBTQ Catholics in the Archdiocese of Newark, contact Lgbtq@rcan.org.
Featured image: Participants listen to a presentation during the Outreach 2026 Conference in Washington, DC for LGBTQ Catholics. (Photo by Outreach/Kevin Christopher Robles)
