AGLO History

Faith and Community

On June 5, 1988, a small group of LGBTQ+ Catholics celebrated their first mass as a newly organized ministry of the Archdiocese of Chicago, especially created to reach out to Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. It was no coincidence that the new ministry was called the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach—AGLO—reflecting the light of Christ’s love, offering its affirming promise to people long forced to live in shadows, not unlike the first Christians. Established in the years following the Second Vatican Council, AGLO’s mission was, and is, one of outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, to welcome them home to the love of Christ—and in so doing, help them to “be Christ to one another.” 

One body in Christ

AGLO arose from Dignity/Chicago, 15 years after that first semi-official organization for LGBTQ+ Catholic Chicagoans was formed. Following the Vatican’s 1986 publication, “The Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,” the Archdiocese denied the use of church facilities to all who were not in full communion with Catholic teaching, which left Dignity/Chicago seeking a new home. 

This directive presented Chicago’s archbishop at the time, the beloved Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, with a heartfelt dilemma. As archbishop, he was duty-bound to obey orders from the Vatican, but he also felt his pastoral responsibility to offer the embrace of God’s love to a group of God’s children long treated as undeserving. After severing any ties with Dignity, Cardinal Bernardin worked for more than a year to develop an arrangement that would satisfy the Vatican’s order while maintaining an outreach to the LGBTQ+ community. His solution was AGLO, which was formed as a supra-parochial organization and relied on its founding six parishes—Holy Name Cathedral, the former St. Sebastian, St. Clement, St. Teresa of Ávila, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Immaculate Conception—and the Catholic LGBTQ+ community for support of its ministry. Through Cardinal Bernardin’s commitment and steadfast efforts, the new LGBTQ+ ministry was established and celebrated its first liturgy in June, 1988.

Triumph over loss

Less than three years later, AGLO was endured the loss of its first home when St. Sebastian Church was destroyed in 1991 by a late night electrical fire. The Archdiocese, already consolidating parishes, chose not to rebuild St. Sebastian, and AGLO found itself without a permanent home. Mass was celebrated in the gymnasium of St. Sebastian’s school, until the parish was finally closed. Generous parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel offered AGLO a new home in their church. Located on a beautiful campus in Chicago’s LGBTQ+ friendly Lakeview neighborhood, Our Lady of Mount Carmel remains our home today. AGLO expresses our deep appreciation and gratitude to our founding advisor Fr. Pat Lee and Fr. John McGivern, OLMC’s pastor today and the staff and parishioners of OLMC for their continued hospitality.

AGLO was tested in other ways in its early years. The outbreak of AIDS in the 1980s and ’90s struck hard at the organization, claiming many of our members. Founders lost to the disease during those years included Bill Seng and Paul Govea, the first co-directors. During that time, we also lost Father Jim Noone and Father Ken Heavey, members of the first ministry team. AGLO stands as a living memorial to the men and women whose vision, faith and devotion allowed AGLO to endure and flourish.
 

But AGLO’s members responded to the AIDS crisis with generosity of spirit and resolve. While the AIDS epidemic has remained a trying chapter in our history, it has also allowed us to witness and practice a core Christian belief: bridging our shared humanity to reach out and help the afflicted, and to offer them (and thus, ourselves) a hope beyond mortal life and death.

AGLO has been blessed over the years with a group of dedicated presiders. These priests come from local parishes and religious congregations to continually give of their time and talent to make our most important activity possible. During the COVID pandemic shutdown, these presiders helped AGLO maintain its weekly Mass schedule online.

Our mission continues

Our Social Life activities play an important role in the life of our community; they strengthen the bonds of friendship and further reaffirm our sense of community and inclusion for all our members, creating an overall positive and affirming experience of fellowship in the spiritual and social aspects of our members’ lives.

An integral part of AGLO’s activities is our outreach program. Through this program, we offer our members different ways to engage their faith by giving of their time, talents and treasures. AGLO partners with organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other Catholic organizations to further the reach of the church. Through generous donations AGLO has supported AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Angel Outreach, Bonaventure House, Broadway Youth Center, Howard Brown, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Children’s Memorial Hospital HIV/AIDS Program, Franciscan Outreach Soup Kitchen, Holy Name Cathedral Roof Repair, Lakeview Pantry, The Legacy Project, The Night Ministry, ONE Northside, Open Hand, Soles for Souls, Stand Up For Kids, and many more. 

AGLO continues to cultivate and maintain a positive and supportive working relationship with the Archdiocese of Chicago. Following our 25th Anniversary in 2013, Cardinal Francis George asked that AGLO send a delegate to serve on the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council or APC. The APC is a consultative body to the Archbishop of Chicago, is broadly representative of our local Church, and draws members from the laity, religious and clergy. Cardinal Blase Cupich has continued this positive and supportive relationship, including through the APC.

AGLO is proud of its many accomplishments. Every step forward only leads to the realization that there is more to be done. Our ministry seeks to fulfill our mandate to serve God’s people, offer hope to people who may see little reason for hope, and thus help bring to fruition the promise of Redemption which Jesus Christ offered to every member of the human family.