My Primary Purpose in the Catholic Church

Last updated on: October 16, 2023 at 10:42 am by Julie Nichols

My Primary Purpose in the Catholic Church 2023-10-16T10:42:52-05:00 Julie Nichols

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Good Morning,

Morning Coffee always seems to ignite my writing. Today is no exception. After seven years of becoming Catholic out of conservative Anglicanism, I realize what my primary purpose is in the Catholic Church. This is to save as many Catholic Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ lives and families as I possibly can. To be honest, there are times I want to bolt out the door. My family will not allow it; my friends will not allow it; and believe the Lord will not allow it. I attached the article here, “How to Avoid Converting the Catholicism” mostly in jest more than anything else. How to Avoid Converting to Catholicism, in 8 Easy Steps (churchpop.com)

I have asked God many times why me? Why do you want a chronically-ill, middle aged lady, with Parkinson’s Disease to face such a difficult task? Well, for one, as an Educational Therapist, I have accumulated and developed specialized skills and credentialing over many years in the areas of Neurodiversity, disabilities, and other brain-based variances like the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Two, I have first-hand, long-term familial experiences in these areas. Three, I have an obsession, a nerdy interest (sometimes unwanted) with Church history and the Church hierarchy, and a lay Catholic certification from theology school. I do not want to admit that religion is a superpower of mine, but I have been told by others that is it. I only have one use for it now, to help these almost unreconcilable issues become issues of Life and Human Dignity, not behavior. I serve in ministry through writing, council of Catholic families, and advocacy. Sometimes I do not like what I do, and other times, I love it. The times of pain are strictly due to the way I am treated over what I do in ministry and for no other reason.

All of these skills and credentialing I listed above combined with long-term life experience places me in a unique and even solitaire position to write about these matters in the Catholic Church. I do not know anyone else like me, but I sure would like to meet another individual like me because doing this alone is very taxing and the single most difficult thing I have ever done. If it had not been for Pope Francis’s reforms, other Jesuits like Father James Martin, and other like-minded Catholics, I would not be able to stand in the ministry of saving as many Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ lives and families as I possibly can.

When I say “saving,” I mean saving actual lives from widely discredited practices such as gay conversion therapy, reparative therapy, and threats of eternal damnation which have been proven to harm and endanger Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ people and their families. I also mean reconciling Catholic families. For when these kids are rejected in various ways, it not only increases the risk of suicide and other damage, it also decimates the Catholic family.

The Catholic Church is at a real turning point, especially after the Synod and Pope Francis opening the doors for same-sex unions. For the naysayers, I can tell you that this is a life issue, and it’s about keeping the Catholic family intact in the Church, not about “Who is doing what in whose bedroom” which is only the family’s business.

Those who are so disgruntled with Pope Francis’s reforms, let me ask you this. Would you rather endanger someone’s life and well-being or accept people for the way they are? This is the choice; this is the bottom-line. No longer is this about sexual ethics. It’s about the Right-to-Life and Human Dignity.

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