Lay Ecclesial Minister Speaker Series 2024

The event is in-person at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, 2701 Chicago Boulevard Detroit, Michigan 48206. It takes place on Thursday, November 7th, 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

The recent document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Dignitas Infinita, reminds us that all persons are to be treated with respect and compassion, including those who experience confusion about their sexual identity. At the same time, the DDF decries gender ideology as an offense against the dignity of the person, due to its denial of sexual difference and its rejection of the meaning and significance of the body. This nuance also reflects the language used by Pope Francis to encourage care and accompaniment of marginalized persons while rejecting ideologies. This talk will focus on how to minister with compassion and truth to individuals who are experiencing confusion about their sexual identity and their families without endorsing harmful ideologies.

Theresa Farnan, Ph.D., is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center focusing on the challenges of gender ideology as part of EPPC’s Person and Identity Project. She is the co-author of two books, Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late and Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? She has taught at St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and has worked with the diaconate formation program for the Dioceses of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. She served as a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth and is a member of the Catholic Women’s Forum Advisory Council. She serves on the Ethics and Public Policy Committee of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. She has lectured widely on the gender ideology, Catholic education, theology of the body, the personalism of Pope John Paul II, the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the vocation and dignity of women. She hosted St. Thomas Aquinas in Today’s World on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). She received her master’s degree and her doctorate in Medieval Studies from the University of Notre Dame. She and her husband, Michael, have ten children.

Host or Publisher Institute for Lay Ministry - Sacred Heart Major Seminary