St. Stephen Support Groups

Support groups are in the process of being developed at the parish level.  If interested in helping with the process, contact Sister Clarice Faltus at 861-4508 or c.faltus@stephen.org. 

Archdiocesan Support Groups

Widowed and Divorced Catholics of Omaha    http://www.familylifeomaha.org/widowed_divorced.html

A support group of divorced, separated, and widowed persons of all faiths.  This group holds a monthly general meeting, usually with a speaker and other organized activities such as Home Masses, potlucks, a monthly dance, social outing, and other social activities.

Beginning Experience of Omaha

Is a healing ministry.  Trained volunteer facilitators who have experienced death of divorce conduct the sessions.  The following programs are available:

• Adult Coping Sessions: For individuals who are adjusting to the changes in their life because of death or divorce.  Each series has six weekly sessions.  Sessions are offered four times a year.

• Children and Young Adult Coping Sessions: Who Am I Now? for children ages 5 -19 who are adjusting to a divorce or death in their family, whether recently or in the past.

• Beginning Experience Weekend: This weekend experience will help you  gently close that door on your past relationship and open a new door of possibilities Contact Gloria Sole 731-1901, or pick up a brochure in the St. Stephen Family Life Resource Center. 

• Young Adult Beginning Experience Weekend: This weekend is designed to help young adults ages 16 -25 who have experienced the loss of a parent due to death or divorce.  The program assists young adults to work through their own grief and deal with feelings of self worth, guilt and loss.  Two weekends are offered each year.  Contact Pat Seier, 498-0647.  Pick up a brochure in the St. Stephen Family Resource Center.

• Continued Beginnings: Is an annual follow up program for those who have made a BE weekend.  Participants are able to continue positive growth beyond the weekend. Contact Family Life Office 551-9003

 

Always Our Children
Support ministry for Parents of Gay & Lesbian Children

Contact: Jerry & Lucy Furlong
895-6386
Parishioners & Parents

Our Mission Statement
"Always Our Children – A Support Ministry for Parents of Gay and Lesbian Children”  offers parents a safe place to share. . . an opportunity to receive the support of other parents who have already struggled to accept the homosexual orientation of their child. . . a place of compassion for those beginning the journey of acceptance. . . and an environment of trust and confidentiality where participants can speak freely and frankly without fear.

We will meet with interested parents in our home – initially at a time determined convenient.  If any attendees decide they would like to continue meeting, or if a group of parents is eventually formed, we will consider meeting on a regular basis.

What We Hope To Do
Provide a safe, confidential and non-threatening opportunity for story-telling and the sharing of personal experiences.

Through this sharing process – help alleviate the doubts, confusion, helplessness, anger, anxiety and other negative emotions that can be so destructive of family love and relationships when a child “comes out.”

 With “Always Our Children” and other Church documents as resources, discuss the Church’s position on homosexuality.  We will distinguish between orientation and behavior. We will stress the pastoral aspects of positive Catholic writings as they apply to the dignity of the gay/lesbian person, the fundamental nature of the homosexual orientation, the critical need for parental and family love and support, the unconditional love of God and the Church’s guidance on social justice and pastoral issues affecting the gay/lesbian person.

 As the interest of individuals or the group seems to dictate --suggest/discuss materials (books, videos, audio tapes) and resources (including Catholic authors, moral theologians and the personal experience of parents) that offer historical, moral and pastoral perspectives on homosexuality.

What We Will Not Do

• Teach / preach

• Advocate for legislative action/causes.

• Promote therapies aimed at changing orientation.

• Be judgmental in the discussion of pertinent topics or material.

• Attempt to influence the moral decisions of others

A Personal Testimony—The Need:  Our son is gay.  So is an estimated 10% of the population.  Even if you halve this generally accepted estimate and apply the demographic to our parish, it means St. Stephen the Martyr has a minimum of 500 gay or lesbian parishioners.  Given the age profile of our parish, a homosexual orientation, where it is present, is obviously not yet evident or understood in some of our young people. But it will be.  There is no logical reason for our parishioners to defy the averages.

Youth not withstanding, there are people hurting in our parish right now.  Young (and not-so-young) people are struggling with questions, fearful their secret may be discovered and they might lose the love and acceptance of their family.  Parents are experiencing marital tensions –full of heart-rending anxieties, doubts, questions, anger and deep fears about their child’s safety, future happiness and even eternal salvation. And, finally, other family members are questioning how to respond to a situation that carries the potential to cause severe and lasting harm to family relationships.

It is not just the gay or lesbian person we must count.  Include moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. – and you begin to realize the extent of the pastoral impact when a child says, “Mom, Dad – I’m gay.”  While our own situation may not be the norm, our son’s gayness bears directly on 15 other family members registered in

St. Stephen’s.  Perhaps a family multiple of 4 or 5 would be more typical for our population of 500 – and we see more clearly the need for this type of ministry. 

Homosexuality could personally affect 20% or more of our parish members.

And one last consideration: This is a need to-date unaddressed by our local Church – a fact painfully clear in our personal experience.

In response to the encouragement of the Second Vatican Council and the urgings of the American Bishops in “Always Our Children,” our interest is to begin a parent support ministry in St. Stephen the Martyr parish for parents of gay and lesbian children.