Acceptance Sydney - Liturgy, Witness and Fellowship

Acceptance is a faith community existing for over five decades, supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Catholics, their family and friends.

By providing a safe, spiritual and social environment, through Acceptance, many GLBT Catholics have found reconciliation with their faith and sexuality.

The celebration of the Sacraments is central to our lives as Catholics. The Eucharist is a focal point of theAcceptance ministry through active participation in a weekly parish Mass.

In addition to this, Acceptance promotes social justice, fellowship and a Catholic identity for GLBT Catholics their family and friends

In a time when many homosexual and heterosexual Catholics are turning away from the Church, Acceptance's mission is to affirm the authenticity and dignity of GLBT Catholics in our church through liturgy, witness, and fellowship.

Liturgy:

Our Liturgical celebrations are central to the Acceptance ministry, these include

• Active participation in the Friday Night Parish Mass at St Joseph's Church Newtown;
• Celebration of Masses in private homes throughout the year;
• Coordinating and encouraging participation in Reconciliation services;
• Our Choir regularly singing at weekend parish Masses and special parish events; and
• Providing alternate spiritual experiences such as retreats, prayer nights and discussion groups.

Witness:

Acceptance strives to put our faith into action, we do this by

• Organising a Mass to coincide with World Aids Day each December;
• Raising funds for Stanford House (providing crisis accommodation and support for people with HIV/AIDS);
• Assisting access to GLBT friendly parishes and priests;
• Providing links to a wide variety of resources via our website;
• Promoting our existence to the general GLBT community at Mardi Gras events such as Fair Day and The Parade;

Fellowship:

Opportunities for fellowship occurs during the many activities of the group, such as

• Sharing a small supper after Friday Night Mass;
• Having a BBQ lunch following each Home Mass;
• Linking in with other GLBT social group activities such as the regular Polly's social dances and mid year Pink Mountains activities;
• Organising regular Acceptance activities
• Fund raising nights such as the annual Trivia and Dance Night;
• Maintaining contact with members through regular emails, Facebook updates and the webpage.

You are warmly invited to participate with Acceptance activities.

Please join Acceptance members and friends on Friday night as we attend the 8 pm parish Mass at St Joseph's Catholic Church, Newtown.