Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
In All Things

More Than A Monologue: Deb Word Reaches Out

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.

Show Comments (
3
)
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. 

Most popular

1
Pope Leo XIV: We must 'train others in critical thinking' and 'encounter and listen to the poor'
Gerard O’Connell
2
’The Shoes of the Fisherman’ reveals the lonely life of a pope
John Dougherty
3
Netflix and George Clooney bring fan service to Broadway
Rob Weinert-Kendt
4
Amid immigration raids, Nashville diocese tells Catholics they don’t have to attend Sunday Mass if safety is at risk
Gina Christian - OSV News
5
Pope Leo to diplomats: The church will always speak truth and work for justice
Gerard O’Connell

Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more.

Executive Director – Jesuit Renewal Center for People on the Margins
Jobs
Serve as a Bethlehem Farm Caretaker in Beautiful West Virginia
Volunteer / Vocation
Loyola on the Potomac, A Jesuit Retreat House
Retreat Houses, Retreats
Interspiritual Contemplative Day of Reflection at Holy Family Retreat Center – In Person or Online
Retreats
All My Eyes See: The Artistic Vocation of Fr. William Hart McNichols
Books
See all Classifieds

The latest from america

Pope Leo XIV at inaugural Mass: ‘This is the hour for love’
At his installation Mass, the pope said, "in this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest.”
Gerard O’ConnellMay 18, 2025
Pope Leo XIV: We must 'train others in critical thinking' and 'encounter and listen to the poor'
Leo XIV said, “the church’s social doctrine is called to provide insights that facilitate dialogue between science and conscience, and thus make an essential contribution to better understanding, hope and peace.”
Gerard O’ConnellMay 17, 2025
Spanish Legionnaires carry a large image of the crucified Christ in the rain April 18, 2019, outside a church in Málaga, Spain, during a Holy Week ceremony. (CNS photo/Jon Nazca, Reuters)
Spain’s Holy Week confraternities celebrate the Jubilee year in Rome
Spain’s confraternities often make headlines in the foreign press as their Holy Week processions have become a tourist attraction, demonstrating the complex reality of their fame.
Bridget RyderMay 16, 2025
Jesuit superior general reaffirms Jesuits’ availability to Pope Leo XIV
Beyond a simple affirmation of the pope’s authority, the letter by Arturo Sosa, S.J., called attention to its particular place of importance in the life of the Jesuits.
Noah Banasiewicz, S.J.May 16, 2025