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My Prayer for Pentecost by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB

The Holy Spirit embodies the life force of the universe, the power of God, the animating energy present in all things and captured by none. On this great feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit of God, I invite you to pray with me: May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit bring fire to…… Continue reading My Prayer for Pentecost by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB

Pentecost: the earthquake that shakes the human heart

On 22nd May 2015, people in Kent were woken at 2.52am to a sound like that of a bomb exploding, beds shaking, windows rattling and doors opening, the result of a 4.2 magnitude earthquake originating 13km off the coast, close to the town of Sandwich. The following day my sister, who lives in the county, told…… Continue reading Pentecost: the earthquake that shakes the human heart

MENTAL HEALTH IN LGBTQ COMMUNITIES: Building Resilience

Four members of Quest East Midlands attended this event that was convened by Professor Julie Fish, Reader in Social Work & Health Inequalities and Director of the Centre for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Research at De Montfort University (DMU). The event was part of De Montfort Uni’s “Pride” month that happens each February (to…… Continue reading MENTAL HEALTH IN LGBTQ COMMUNITIES: Building Resilience

Faith, religion and LGBT mental health problems

In 2012, a Gallup poll conducted in the United States revealed that faith, across all the major faith traditions, is associated with greater positive mental well-being. Religion and spirituality can be a source of great strength in people’s lives, instilling a sense of belonging and community and fostering a desire to improve oneself. Unfortunately, for…… Continue reading Faith, religion and LGBT mental health problems

Gender Identity: Choice or Given?

In March the diocese of Shrewsbury hosted a series of talks by the German writer and sociologist, Gabriele Kuby, author of “The Global Sexual Revolution: Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom”. During the course of a three-day visit, Mrs Kuby (above) addressed clergy and lay people of the diocese, calling on them to…… Continue reading Gender Identity: Choice or Given?

Quest Joins EU Christians at Equality March, Gdansk (Poland)

On Saturday May 27th,  I was privileged to join the Gdansk “Equality March”, representing Quest  as part of the European Forum of Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups, meeting here for their annual conference, “Forwards in Solidarity”. This experience was quite different to London’s Pride Parade, in so many ways. First, it was definitely not a heavenly…… Continue reading Quest Joins EU Christians at Equality March, Gdansk (Poland)

Faith in Solidarity: European Forum 2017 in Gdansk. 

Many people of a certain age will recall the central role of Gdansk in the story of Polish resistance to communist rule.  As the  birthplace of the Solidarity movement and the base of its leader, Lech Walesa, it filled our television news screens often enough throughout the 1980’s. As a gay Catholic, I am struck…… Continue reading Faith in Solidarity: European Forum 2017 in Gdansk. 

Film Review: “SILENCE”.

Director: Martin Scorsese. Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Issei Ogata. Certificate: 15. Running time: 161 mins. In Martin Scorsese’s introduction to a special edition of Shūsaku Endō’s Silence [i], he claims that the novel ‘is precisely about the particular and the general. And it is finally about the first overwhelming the…… Continue reading Film Review: “SILENCE”.

Quest in Poland for Conference of LGBT Christians

I am now in Gdansk, representing Quest for a five day annual conference of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups. (The main conference runs from Thursday to Sunday, with a Catholic denominational meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, making five days in all. There will also be a further meeting later, of a Catholic “working group”). Meeting here in…… Continue reading Quest in Poland for Conference of LGBT Christians