Catholic Medical Quarterly Vol 76 (2) May 2026
COURAGE
What is Courage?
Garrett Johnson
Many years ago, I discussed the psychology of
same-sex attraction with a group of men who were following the teachings
of Fr John Harvey, founder of Courage. It was clear to me that they were
striving for holiness and were greatly helped by this apostolate. It has
been puzzling that Courage never gets a mention from the likes of Fr James
Martin. It was therefore great news to hear that Pope Leo has recently met
with Courage and the meeting
went so well. Editor
“This places upon the Ministers of the Church a serious responsibility to teach clearly what the Church holds on the immorality of homosexual activity. Unless the leaders of the Church repudiate these false views, the faithful will continue to be confused, and this will be to the advantage of the false prophets.”
On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons
On September 26, 1980, Fr. John Harvey, OSFS, and a small group who experienced same-sex attraction (SSA) began having meetings to achieve this stated goal of The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. Their goal was to help persons who freely chose this path to live a life of chastity in accordance with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on homosexuality. Those small meetings grew. The apostolate eventually spread to its current presence in sixteen countries. The main mission of Courage is the same as that of The Church: to help us become other Christs on earth and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. The Apostolate serves us who have lived LGBTQ+ identities and are trying to leave them associated with our varied crosses.
At the time I joined the apostolate, two of the ways my SSA manifested itself were my discomfort with physical touch with other men and my inability to receive love. During my first year attending meetings, my discomfort in both areas slowly diminished. Near the end of that year, I attended the yearly Courage and Encourage Conference. At the end of this conference, a friend I'd made sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulder in a friendly way. I felt the discomfort diminish and have since become much more comfortable in this area. At the start of the next year’s Conference, I attended the healing service on the first night. I allowed the priest at the service to pray over me. I began to weep and fell forward into his arms. I felt like my father was holding me.
I believe this played a part in healing my relationships with my father and brother. God works powerfully in the lives of those persons served by Courage if we allow Him to by doing our small part of carrying the crosses He invites us to.
Each of us is given a cross, unique yet similar to those of our brothers and sisters in the Apostolate. Courage helps us with our shared struggles. Many struggle with acting out sexually by hooking up or using porn. Others with romantic same-sex relationships. These issues often overlap. Chaplains face a variety of struggles and personality types they must minister to. Courage offers us spiritual formation and fellowship with like-minded companions who want the Church’s support, sometimes to varying degrees. We can openly share and learn how to form healthy nonsexual friendships and reclaim our true identity as sons and daughters of God, not defined by our actions or attractions. This can be an overwhelming challenge for us who have lived feel-good lives.
The world urges us to pursue comfort and pleasure. Many, like me, have tried living this way. Though enjoyment can be found in the identities we have lived, something remains missing that hookups and same-sex relationships cannot provide. When we come to this realization, the Holy Spirit stirs our conscience. Deep down, we know something is lacking. Many, including myself, find Courage at this point. We are the ones for whom Fr. John Harvey, Terrance Cardinal Cooke, and Fr. Benedict Groschel, CFR, created the Apostolate. About six months after meetings began, in Spring 1981, the five goals of Courage were created by the founding members (see couragerc.org). Later, the 12 steps of Courage were added, each step connected to one or more of the virtues. These help all who are served by the apostolate get on the path to sainthood by pursuing the virtues each step entails. They are especially helpful for those whose sexual acting out and search for same-sex relationships had become addictions. The Goals and Steps together form our plan of life as members and remind us that the goal of Courage is to form us into men and women of virtue. This path is not easy, and our founders understood that. The chaplains meet us where we are, walk with us in our messy lives, but don’t leave us there, and call us to discipline and self-denial.
Fr. James B Lloyd, CSP, one of the chaplains of the Apostolate in NYC, was known to ask prospective members, "Are you ready to suffer?" Fr Benedict Groschel wrote in the introduction to Fr. Harvey’s book The Homosexual Person, "True love has to be tough at times because it seeks something for the Beloved that is beyond appearances and far more radical than the needs and hungers of the passing moment." And in the same book, Fr. Harvey states, “Without repeated emphasis on the importance of prayer and the practice of an ascetical plan of life, Courage can easily deteriorate into just another social club.” This is the reality that those of us who choose to join Courage say yes to.
The Courage way is not easy, nor is it meant to be. I sometimes complain about my temptations. “It isn’t fair. Why doesn’t God take these away?” Bishop Eric Varden, in episode 25 of The Desert Fathers in a Year podcast, says temptation helps us mature as Christ-bearers. A “temptation isn’t necessarily a curse. It can be a summons to battle, an exodus at last from noxious dependencies or from self-centeredness. If we pray, let us not enter into temptation, that might be tantamount to saying let us not grow up. We prefer to stay children.” Saying yes to Courage means accepting the cross Christ gives, not lightening it by sexual activity, romantic relationships, or workarounds like spiritual friendships, cuddling, or sexless unions. These activities say, “I’ll carry the cross, but only if it’s cushioned.” That isn’t the Courage way.
Courage is for those of us ready, in varying degrees, to accept Christ’s teachings on life and support each other. While we can commiserate over struggles, we do not wallow or encourage the use of numbing agents like masturbation, overeating, drinking, or materialism. Such things cushion our cross, making it no longer a cross.
Our crosses draw us closer to Christ. He gives each of us a load to bear. Without it, we won’t make it. The world, and some in the Church, urging us to identify as LGBTQ+ or act accordingly - even in subtle forms like spiritual friendship - rob us of our way to heaven. They invite mediocrity, not the greatness Pope Benedict XVI called for. Suffering through a chaste and sometimes lonely life is the cross I’m invited to carry, and Courage helps all who choose this path. Life won’t be easy, as Christ’s wasn’t. But through the Apostolate, I’ve gained lifelong friends and now stand with all who embrace this life. With our Chaplains, spiritual directors, and individual plans of life, we are, as Col 1:24 says, “completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body,the Church.” That is the Courage way.
If you’re up for the challenge, join us at couragerc.org.