Resources

If you are interested in learning more about gender and sexuality and the Catholic Church, here are some resources. Something to keep in mind as you explore, sometimes it can seem like the way the Church and those who explain her teaching are taking the long way around. It may seem like people are dancing around the issues of gender and sexuality, which can be quite frustrating when striving to understand what the Church has to say. That being said, we must keep in mind that the Catholic worldview makes the most sense when we have a wholistic picture. Therefore, if you are learning something new even if you don't think it applies directly to what you seek to understand, I highly encourage that you continue searching. 

"Theology of the Body — The missing piece in my understanding of gender and sexuality" is a blog post written by a Catholic Gators student looking at a personal witness of the impact of the Theology of the Body in her own life. She describes how her journey seeking to understand Catholic morality of gender and sexuality 

Eden Invitation is a Catholic organization that holds virtual books studies as well as in-person retreats and encounters for those experiencing same-sex attraction and gender discordance as well as those questioning their gender or sexuality. They also have an interesting blog on the faith and gender and sexuality!

Theology of the Body (TOB) s a collection of Audiences from St. Pope John Paul II that explores the theology revealed to us by our bodies. It provides great insight into why the Catholic faith teaches what it does about the morality of sexuality and gender. It's long but worth the read if you're willing to parse through it. You can find it online for free or as a paper copy.

It is a little dense, so if reading I recommend reading a book by Christopher West that breaks it down a bit in Theology of the Body for Beginners. Fr. Mike Schmitz also discusses TOB through the lens of looking at the morality of same-sex attraction in his book Made for Love.

Or, if you would like a ten minute overview of TOB, you can check out this  video by Fr. Mike Schmitz called "Why God Gave us Bodies."



Love and Responsibility is another book that Pope JP II wrote as a cardinal, and it discusses how to live out those concepts explained in the Theology of the Body and why it is important.

St. Augustine's Catholic Church also offers classes on Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility taught by Ashley Hemingway, our business manager. If you would like to learn more about how to join these classes you can reach out by emailing Ashley at ashley@catholicgators.org.