CINCINNATI CALLING

Just came back from the heartland where I spent a day at Xavier University, a terrific private Jesuit school. I was there to talk about how schools like this one can try to minister to their gay and lesbian students. Jesuits have always tried to combine their educational mission with social justice, and so it’s only fitting, I think, they should be trying to pioneer a conversation on this difficult topic. I’ve also been lucky enough to talk about this subject at Notre Dame, Boston College, Marquette University, and Georgetown – and I’ve left all of them feeling immense hope for the Church’s mission for its gay members. For those who think these issues shouldn’t be discussed in a Catholic context, I can only refer to the Holy See’s official position (from a 1986 letter from the Vatican) that “the phenomenon of homosexuality, complex as it is and with its many consequences for society and ecclesial life, is a proper focus for the Church’s pastoral care. It thus requires of her ministers attentive study, active concern and honest, theologically well-balanced counsel.” That was the spirit of the meeting – one in which one could feel the ground shifting under our feet. Xavier now has a student-faculty group called the Xavier Alliance, a gay-straight social group, pioneered by the kids. Among the most impressive is the founder of the group, and his partner, who joined me for dinner later. Here’s a junior, 21 years old, openly gay, intelligent, brave, and Catholic. His boyfriend – they’ve been together monogamously for three years (with a brief hiatus for four months) – is 26. Their love for one another is palpable just being around them. It’s at moments like this that I realize the silliness of my somehow being a role model for them. In fact, they are a role model for me – the first gay generation to overcome their early pain soon enough to have a full and love-filled life. That’s why some of us are doing what we’re doing. We’re doing it for the kids who are only now showing us how to live – and the generations yet to come who will startle us even more.