Our Vision: Setting the Table
The Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry (CALGM) is an association of diocesan, parish and campus-based ministries and those involved in these ministies. CALGM reflects the Catholic Church's commitment to pastoral concern and support for lesbian and gay Catholics, their parents, families and friends. These ministries, under the leadership of bishops, pastors and other pastoral leaders, seek to apply Church teachings regarding the integration of sexuality and spirituality1 and the recognition of the dignity, respect and inclusion of gay and lesbian persons in the life and mission of the Church.2
1"Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994)
2"Homosexuals, like everyone else, should not suffer from prejudice against their basic human rights. They have a right to respect, friendship and justice. They should have an active role in the Christian community." (Live in Christ Jesus, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1976)
Formation
The National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM) was formed in 1994. At our annual membership meeting in Long Beach in 2008, our name was changed to the Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry. The new name reflects the growing involvement of members outside the United States, and also the reality that diocesan ministries are less common than parish or local ministries.
Goals
- Fosters ministry with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual Catholics, their families and friends
- Serves as a network of communication regarding Catholic LGBT ministry
- Provides educational resources and conscience-formation materials
- Provides models of ministry and training
- Encourages the participation of lesbian and gay Catholics within the Church
- Communicates with other Catholic organizations, especially the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Membership
CALGM includes people involved in gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual ministries, ministries to their spouses, parents, and families, and ministries to transgender and transsexual persons. The organization also includes those who support these ministries in other ways.
The Association recognizes that each ministry is a unique response to particular needs. Therefore these ministries take many different forms. They can be diocesan, parish-based or campus-based. They can reach out to gay and lesbian Catholics, or work primarily with their parents or spouses. Some ministries focus on educating the wider Catholic community about relevant issues. All these ministries share in common a desire to welcome GLBT Catholics into the Church and to support their families and friends.
Contact Information
Our office is located at 1798 Scenic Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709. Click on the CONTACT US tab to send us an e-mail message. We'd love to hear from you!
2009-2010 Board of Directors
President - Dr. Sheila Nelson - St.Cloud, MN
Sheila earned an MSW from St. Louis University and a PhD in Sociology from Loyola University, Chicago. She is an Associate Professor in Sociology at the College of Saint Benedict (Saint Joseph, MN) and Saint John’s University (Collegeville, MN) where among other courses, she teaches Family and Society, and the Sociology of Sex & Gender. She is involved with the school’s GLBT Faculty/Staff Group, PRiSM (the student gay-straight alliance), and Campus Ministry. She is an active member of her parish where she coordinates the BeFriender Ministry Program. As a lesbian Catholic, she is committed to making the church more welcoming of GLBT persons, and to helping GLBT Catholics realize that there IS a place for them in their church community.
Vice President - Rev. Ken McGuire - West Hills, CA / Lake George, NY
Ken grew up on a farm in Ohio, and served in the US Air Force for four years. At Ohio State University, he earned a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology. Ken also has three master's degrees, including one in theology. He was a convert to Catholicism at the age of 23, and was ordained at 38 in 1968 and has served mainly in campus ministry at Ohio State, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Ken has been a pastor and has done other parish work as well as research development. Assignments have been literally from coast to coast but now, he is officially retired or, as they call it, in "Senior Ministry Status." Ken's current work is cultural orientation for international priests and sisters who come to work in the U.S. and for the past two years, he's organized retreats for gay priests. Ken has also written several articles and a book, People, Promise and Community: A Process for Developing Small Communities of Faith.
Secretary - John Montague - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
John has organized Days of Reflection for Catholic parents over the past three years, and was on the team that established the monthly healing service for people affected by HIV/AIDS at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Toronto. He has an M.Div from Regis (Jesuit) College in Toronto, and has written Psalms from the point of view of a gay Catholic.
Treasurer - Rev. Michael Zampelli, S.J. - Santa Clara, CA
Father Zampelli is the Paul L. Locatelli University Professor at Santa Clara University in the Department of Theatre and Dance where he has been teaching since 1998. A theatre historian and director, Michael has been very active in pastoral ministry to LGBTQ Catholics in the Diocese of San José (SCU and the Emmaus Community) and with Dignity/San Francisco. Michael has been a Jesuit since 1982 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1993. Currently, he serves CALGM as Treasurer.
Vice President for Conferences - Amity Buxton -Oakland, CA
Amity Pierce Buxton, Ph.D. wrote, The Other Side of the Closet: The Coming-Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families and founded the Straight Spouse Network to support straight spouses, current or former, of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender partners and mixed-orientation or trans/nontrans couples. She serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Bisexuality and Journal of GLBT Family Studies and on the Straight Spouse Network Board of Directors and was a board member of the Family Equality Council (FEC) for six years. She is also a member of the American Psychological Association and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Dr. Buxton provides informal counseling to spouses and couples worldwide in person, by phone or email, and in her San Francisco Bay Area support group. She lectures and conducts workshops here and abroad and continues to publish journal articles and book chapters on issues of and effective counseling strategies.
Membership - Fred Weber - Menomonee Falls, WI
Fred is active in gay/lesbian ministry at the parish level. He and his wife have also participated in meetings of PFLAG and a local high school Gay/Straight Alliance presentation. He became a Catholic on April 14, 1962, being a product of the 2nd Vatican Council, so to speak. Fred is married to Carol and they have three children. When their youngest, Michael, was 16 years old, they became aware of his struggles with his sexuality. At the time they were shocked and dismayed; however, they said he would always be their sonand they would love him. It has been a journey for Fred and Carol from private acceptance to public affirmation and on to advocacy. Two years ago, Michael's godmother, Ann Castiglione, with Michael, Fred, and Carol's involvement, started a ministry at their parish, Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Menomonee Falls, WI, named Gay & Straight in Christ.
Le Martin - Memphis, TN
A mother of three sons and active parishioner of the same parish for 38 years. After a divorce I fell in love with a female friend of over 38 years. During the last 23 years I completed a master's degree in social work. After graduation I worked in an organization for persons living with AIDS. Later I worked for a subsidized senior citizens' high rise. My life and my love of my life partner have deepened my ability to love and my active commitment to the church. We frequent Kirkridge, PA's retreats for rainbow people and lesbians of faith we attend the monthly potluck of the diocesan ministry for GLBT people.
Father Leo Tibesar
Father Bob Pierson -Collegeville, MN
Fr. Bob Pierson, OSB, is a Benedictine monk from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN. Since his ordination in 1984, he has served in parish ministry, seminary formation ministry, and high school and college campus ministry. He is currently engaged in spiritual direction and retreats at the St. John’s Abbey Guesthouse, where he continues to work with college students and other LGBT folks in the local area. He is a member of the campus LGBTA Faculty/Staff Group and St. Cloud/Central MN PFLAG.
Resource Director - Ex Officio - Rev. Jim Schexnayder- Walnut Creek, CA
Diocese of Oakland (CA). Ex-officio member of the Board. Co-founder of NACDLGM in1994 and first president, Fr. Jim now serves as Resource Director, providing information, resources, training, and referrals to CALGM members.
