Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Kerry WeberSeptember 20, 2011

On Sept. 16, Fordham University held a conference entitled "Learning to Listen: Voices of Sexual Diversity and the Catholic Church." Deb Word, a panel speaker and member of Fortunate Families, shared her experience of raising her son, who is gay.

Kerry Weber

Note: This post and video have been changed to reflect the correct title of the conference. "More Than A Monologue: Sexual Diversity and the Catholic Church" is the title of a conference series. "Learning to Listen" was the first in that series.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Liam Richardson
13 years 8 months ago
A wonderful pro-life witness by this woman's exemplum.
David Harvie
13 years 8 months ago
Unfortunately, it appears that this video has been removed but Deb Word was such a memorable speaker at this first day of the More than a Monologue conference.  Talk about living gospel values by taking in a dozen homeless LGBT youth over the years!  Truly inspring.  I cannot wait for days 2, 3 and 4.  Thank you, Fordham, for initiating this much needed dialogue.
Porter Keller
13 years 8 months ago
I attended this conference and was especially moved by Deb's presentation.   When I attempted to talk to my adult gay son about how God loved him, he quoted Leviticus to me!  Clearly he, like Deb's son, didn't feel any welcome from Mother Church.  Everyone has a place at the Lord's table, regardless of race, home language or sexual orientation, and that message needs to be made clear. 

The latest from america

In a celebration of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Leo XIV reminded the congregation of the importance of family in passing on the faith and ensuring the future of humanity.
Gerard O’ConnellJune 01, 2025
Join the 'Jesuitical' team at the studio and headquarters of America Media in New York City for two days of community, prayer and sharing stories of faith.
JesuiticalMay 30, 2025
Solar panels on the roof of the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican in this Dec. 1, 2010, file photo. The installation had been approved by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. Pope Francis released his landmark environmental encyclical "Laudato Si'" 10 years ago May 24, 2015. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
There are some signs of progress in addressing the questions raised in “Laudato Si’.” There are also intimations of backpedaling, particularly by the Trump administration, regarding the industrialized world’s malign effects on creation.
Kevin ClarkeMay 30, 2025
In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen and Gerry explore the pope’s message to the Vatican workforce and recap Pope Leo’s formal installation at the Basilica of St. John Lateran on Sunday, May 25.
Inside the VaticanMay 30, 2025