A Catholic response to gender ideology

Clergy and those directly involved in ministry recently attended a conference entitled “A Catholic Response to Gender Ideology” sponsored by the diocese.
 
The three-day conference, held at the University of Mary in September, welcomed guest speakers who addressed the medical, psychological, philosophical, theological, pastoral and legal perspectives related to gender ideology. Gender ideology can be referred to as a set of roles or socially constructed concepts in a particular culture that are associated with gender.
 
A combination of local and national speakers filled the schedule. The objective of the conference was to present the issues involved and discuss ways to prepare a proactive, truthful and compassionate Catholic response to gender ideology when issues arise.
 
The conference began with a presentation provided by Dr. Ann Brodeur, professor of history at the University of Mary. Her talk titled “What is Gender Ideology and Why do U.S. Dioceses Need to Be Prepared to Respond to It?” gave a general overview of the topics at hand. She distinguished gender versus sex—gender being an awareness and sense of one’s self as male or female and sex being the chromosomal makeup of a person’s body determining male or female.
 
Dr. Brodeur also gave the audience a sense of how to understand the new gender landscape. Gender dysphoria—identifying as the opposite of one’s sex—is not a new concept. However, gender ideology is the social and political movement that has brought it into the forefront.
 
The second day of the conference offered a full day of speakers—both local and from across the U.S.
 
Deacon Patrick Lappert, MD, plastic surgeon and deacon serving in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, addressed the topic of transgender surgery and Christian anthropology. Dr. James Link, Bismarck clinical psychologist, talked about what the practice of psychology tells us about gender identity. The philosophical and theological issues were addressed by two professors at the University of Mary—Dr. Chris Collins and Dr. Donald Bungum.
 
Providing the pastoral perspective was Fr. Philip Bochanski, executive director of Courage International. This Connecticut-based organization is an approved apostolate of the Catholic Church that counsels men and women who experience same-sex attractions and who have made a commitment to strive for chastity. Father Bochanski also addressed the issue of gender versus sex reminding the audience the role of pastoral care is assisting people who experience confusion regarding their sexual identity as it links their body to their soul.
 
The final day of the conference brought the topic back to the pastoral perspective from Bishop Kagan and the legal situation facing Catholic institutions from speaker Helen Alvaré
 of George Mason School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.
 
The topics covered aimed to equip participants to be catalysts for advancing the discussion and preparing to respond to gender ideology issues. This constantly evolving topic will require a proactive, truthful and compassionate Catholic response sooner rather than later.
 
—Staff report