Coventry: St Patrick's Church hosts LGBTQ+ Vigil Welcome Mass

Source: Birmingham Archdiocese

In an expression of welcome and unity, St Patrick's Church in Coventry recently held an LGBTQ+ Vigil Welcome Mass, inviting all - especially members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families - to come together in worship. Organized by the Coventry Deanery LGBTQ+ group and Parish Priest Fr George Bennett, this gathering embodied the spirit of Christ's message of compassionate love and acceptance.

The LGBTQ+ Group emerged from the Synodal process, where the Catholic Church encouraged listening to the voices of the marginalized. In Coventry, eight participants - some LGBTQ+ individuals, others parents - shared deeply personal experiences of faith and exclusion. Their openness and courage led to the establishment of a diocesan working group, formed at the request of Archbishop Bernard Longley. Comprising priests, a sister, and lay youth workers, this group laid the foundation for what has now become a thriving local community that meets monthly, always welcoming new members.

Fr Bennett described the Mass as a joyful occasion, with 30 to 40 additional attendees joining the usual congregation. "We want everyone to feel welcome in our parish and in the church in general. That is Christ's message to all of us," he said.

Archbishop Bernard said: "It is so important that everyone should feel welcome in the family of the Church within our Archdiocese. Each one of us is a pilgrim of hope along the pathway towards holiness of life, trying our best to fulfil the invitation of Our Lord to "be holy as your heavenly Father is holy". I pray that this initiative will enable us to offer appropriate accompaniment and encouragement, so that the Church's teaching on holiness of life may draw all Catholics closer to Christ."

Bishop Timothy Menezes, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham said: "In my conversations with some members of the group, they find attending Mass in a parish difficult against the backdrop of what they sometimes see to be a Church that does not accept them. This means that they find a Mass at which they know that they are accepted, which is a first step to hopefully full integration in our parish communities."

Following the Mass, attendees gathered to share refreshments and conversation, fostering connections that extend beyond the walls of the church.