October 3, 2025
The Queer Catholic Group Trying to Reclaim the Church
By Nic Wong
At a time when our politics is openly hostile to LGBTQ+ rights, communities like New Ways Ministries are offering a vision of religion not as judgment but as sanctuary.
Sitting on the border of Maryland and Washington, DC, on a suburban street shaded by lush green trees, lies a small two-story ministry. As both a physical and digital sanctuary, New Ways Ministry works to educate Catholics of all identities on LGBTQ+ advocacy. From religious leaders seeking to expand their knowledge on LGBTQ+ individuals to LGBTQ+ individuals seeking security within their faith, this ministry is among the underrepresented religious groups aiming to educate, advocate and equip leaders to build bridges between the church and civil society. Queer Catholics and their allies are reshaping the church from within by reclaiming values that are, as Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry says, “at the heart of the gospel message.”
Religion has been weaponized against LGBTQ+ people in the United States for years, a trend that continues today with figures like JD Vance. The vice president has used theological concepts like ordo amoris, or the idea of a “rightly ordered love,” to justify anti-immigrant policies, arguing that Americans owe moral duties to their own families before “outsiders.” This thinking led to criticism from both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, who insisted that Christian love must be universal and must apply to all individuals, especially those of marginalized communities.
But what does it mean when queer Catholics and their allies inside the church start using that same institution to fight back, not by leaving it but by reshaping it from within? At a time when our politics is openly hostile to LGBTQ+ rights, religious communities are offering something quietly radical: offering a vision of religion not as judgment but as sanctuary.
