EnCourage

The EnCourage ministry welcomes parents, spouses, and other loved ones of people who experience same-sex attractions to join together regularly for prayer and mutual support. Under the direction of a priest chaplain, EnCourage members seek to know God’s will for themselves and their loved ones, and to follow it with charity and patience. EnCourage members meet regularly to support one another towards the goal of staying true to the teachings of the Church while maintaining strong, healthy family bonds.

The Houston Chapter of EnCourage meets once a month in a confidential time and place. For more information, please email encourage@archgh.org.

If you are experiencing same-sex attraction and desire to seek support to live a life of chastity, please check the Courage group details.

To learn more about EnCourage Ministry, check out this Podcast Episode with Fr. Luke Millette, Judicial Vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal.

What is EnCourage?

EnCourage members are parents, spouses, sibling and friends of people who identify as LGBTQ. They are looking for help to keep the faith and keep their family bonds intact.

EnCourage members work together to understand the experiences of their loved ones, and to respond to them with compassion. They know that it is possible to express love for someone even if we can’t support all of their choices or actions. They find spiritual guidance to grow in their relationship with Christ, and community support from other members that helps them remember that they are not alone on this journey.

Five Goals of EnCourage

EnCourage was founded in recognition of the irreplaceable role of the family in attaining an understanding of the experience of same-sex attractions and embracing a life of chastity. As an apostolate of Courage, and flowing from its central purpose, EnCourage provides pastoral care to family members and friends of persons who identify as LGBT.

Here are the Five Goals of EnCourage:

To grow spiritually through spiritual reading, prayer, meditation, individual spiritual direction, frequent attendance at Mass, and the frequent reception of the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist.
To gain a deeper understanding of the needs, difficulties, and challenges experienced by men and women who experience same-sex attractions.
To establish and maintain a healthy and wholesome relationship with their loved ones who experience same-sex attractions.
To assist other family members and friends to reach out with compassion and truth, and not to reject, their loved ones who experience same-sex attractions.
To witness to their loved ones by their own lives that fulfillment is to be found in Jesus Christ through His Body, the Church.

EnCourage Chaplain for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Fr. Houston Okonna, parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Church, currently serves as the chaplain for the EnCourage chapter here in Houston. All EnCourage meetings are led by the EnCourage chaplain.

Counseling Information

Everyone can benefit from therapy, and there is no shame in seeking support. When it comes to finding a counselor, there are many factors to consider. It is also within the right of each individual to determine if a counselor is a good fit for their particular situation or not. The below guide will help offer some tips and questions for consideration when starting up with a new counselor. The counselor guide is available in both English and Spanish.

Catholic Formation on Same-Sex Attraction

EnCourage YouTube Channel

To learn more about these topics, subscribe to Courage International YouTube channel. You'll find a collection of videos that include testimonials, resources for families, and more content to support those wishing to live chastity while experience same sex attraction.

Formed Resources

Gain a truly Catholic understanding of same-sex attraction through multiple resources available on FORMED.

Desire of the Everlasting Hills

This one-hour documentary (produced by Courage) shows three intimate and candid portraits of Catholics who try to navigate the waters of self-understanding, faith, and homosexuality. Click here to access the video.

Day 308: Same-Sex Attraction

The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Fr. Mike guides us through the Catechism’s discussion of same-sex attraction. He highlights that all of the Church’s teachings on sexuality stem from her embrace of God’s intended and revealed purpose for sex. Fr. Mike stresses that this understanding of sexuality is core to our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2357-2363. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy

Encourage Website

For more details, resources, links to chat groups and more, visit https://couragerc.org/.

Follow EnCourage on Social Media:

Facebook: CourageEnCourageRC
Instagram: courageinternationalrc