Mission Statement

Fortunate Families, a Catholic Family, Friends & Allies Ministry, supports LGBTQ+ siblings by facilitating respectful conversation with bishops, pastors and Church leadership, through sharing personal stories and by working to establish intentional Catholic LGBTQ+ Ministry Sites in dioceses, parishes, educational institutions, and communities.

Through accompaniment and bridge-building we seek to celebrate and safeguard the dignity of LGBTQ+ children of God.

 History Highlights

1992

March   Eight religious and lay ministers, including Casey & Mary Ellen Lopata, parents of a gay son, from Rochester, NY  begins meeting regularly and eventually becomes Catholic Gay and Lesbian Family Ministry (CGLFM).

November   CGLFM facilitates a meeting of Rochester Bishop Matthew Clark and gay and lesbian Catholics and their family members to discuss the 1992 Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith letter, “Responding to Legislative Proposals on Discrimination Against Homosexuals.”

1994

July   National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian & Gay Ministries (NACDLGM) (Now: Catholic Association of Lesbian and Gay Ministries -CALGM) is founded at a meeting of representatives from thirteen dioceses. The Lopatas are among the 28 founding members. In 1995 Mary Ellen Lopata is elected to the first board of directors, serves on the executive committee from 1997-2003 and as president 2001-2. Since 1998,Casey has served on the Pastoral Resources Committee.

October   The Lopatas attend and become charter members of the Catholic Parents Network.

December   The first issue of the  CGLFM Newsletter is published by Casey Lopata.

1995-1996

The Lopatas are consulters to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Marriage and the Family on  Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children –AND—Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers, issued in September 1997.

1998

September  The Lopata's chair the annual NACDLGM conference. Held in Rochester, the theme is “Imaging Justice.”

2001

July   Seeds of Hope: Compassionate Ministry with Gay and Lesbian Catholics and Their Families—A practical resource manual published. Edited by Casey Lopata.

2002

August     More Seeds: A supplement to Seeds of Hope published. Edited by Casey Lopata.

2003

October     Fortunate Families: Catholic Families with Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons, by Mary Ellen Lopata with Casey Lopata, published. (Trafford Publishing)

2004

April   The Lopata's leave CGLFM and start Fortunate Families

December   Fortunate Families becomes a not-for-profit corporation.

2005

January  Fortunate Families adopts by-laws and elects its first board of directors: Mary Ellen Lopata (President), Tom Ferrarese (Secretary/Treasurer), James Buckheit, Jean Kearse, Casey Lopata, William Pickett, and Rosalie Muschal-Reinhardt.

May   Fortunate Families, Inc. files 501(c) (3) application.

2006

 Received 501(c)(3) exempt ruling from IRS.
 

2014

 The Lopatas retire from the Fortunate Families Board of Directors.

2017

October  Stan "JR" Zerkowski is hired as first Executive Dorector

WE HAVE SUSPENDED OUR HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS because militant groups have used information found here to harass and promote misinformation -  stating things that are patently untrue to undermine and cause chaos. 

 
Vision Statement (click here)