About Us
History of Ministry and Outreach to
LGBTQ Catholics in the Diocese of San Bernardino
In the late 1990s, several parents with LGBTQ children approached Bishop Gerald Barnes to express a variety of concerns – how to deal with their feelings after their children came out to them, what to think about Church and biblical teachings, fear and worry for their child’s safety, and how to encourage their children to continue practicing the Catholic faith. To empower the mutual support of parents, Bishop Barnes founded the Bishop’s Commission for Ministry to Families with Gay and Lesbian Catholics (MFGLC, for short).
Composed of a variety of persons, including Sr. Mary Frances Coleman, liaison between the commission and Bishop Barnes, MFGLC hosted Masses and support groups for family and friends of LGBTQ Catholics. They gathered monthly with Fr. Martin Diza at the Dominican Parish, St. Andrew’s, in Riverside, and in the home of one of the commissioners. They organized listening sessions to be held in each vicariate throughout the diocese.
Members of the MFGLC visited various parishes where people could ask questions and share their questions, disappointment, pain and anger, fear and frustration, and their experience, strength and hope with others. They spoke of very difficult situations when they were not well received by parish priests, staff, and parishioners. They encountered many who viewed LGBTQ persons and their families as people who broke the laws of the Church and who had to be chastised and made to feel shame and guilt. Often, they met people who said followers of Jesus Christ are called to “hate the sin but love the sinner.” The diocese, under the leadership of Bishop Barnes, was ready to listen.
Eventually, Fr. David Fitzgerald succeeded Fr. Diaz, and he invited participants in the ministry to come to Saturday evening Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. Shortly after, invitations were extended to every parish in the Diocese.
When Fr. Fitzgerald departed the diocese, Sr. +Cathy White was appointed diocesan liaison, followed later by Maria Echeverria and then Fr. David Andel. MFGLC met quarterly in different parishes for a weekend Mass and potluck, which gave parishioners an opportunity to learn more about the ministry. During the COVID years, MFGLC met online every month in order to offer support to family members who struggled and had questions about their LGBTQ child.
In 2023, the ministry changed its name to Embrace: A Catholic LGBTQ+ Ministry, with the mission statement “The Bishop’s Commission of the Diocese of San Bernardino listens to, accompanies, and supports LGBTQ+ persons and their families, friends, and allies on their faith journeys. As missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, we affirm that all are children of God, created in God’s image, members of the Body of Christ, and welcome in the Catholic Church.”
Embrace continues to be a diocesan commission of Bishop Rojas and a diocesan ministry reaching out in support of parents and families with LGBTQ relatives. The ministry is hosted in a couple of parishes in the diocese and is actively reaching out to Spanish-speaking families who sometimes have a greater struggle in speaking publicly about an LGBTQ child.
Bishop Barnes
a commission that aims to support church members who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).
It provides support for family members and for LGBT people.
The committee is to “help us understand how to be more inclusive, how to reach out,”
“It isn’t meant for carrying any kind of agenda. Other than,
we are family. We are one.”
