Same Sex Attraction
God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. And God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply"
Genesis 1:27-28
Step 1: Watch the Video
This video features Rev. Paul Scalia, experienced in pastoral care of persons who experience SSA, talking about marriage to a group of teen boys in a classroom setting. Following that talk is testimonial from a member of Courage International.
An introductory overview of the Tough Topics Same Sex Attraction Program
Source List
Episode 1: Same-Sex Attraction: What Do Nature and Reason Say?
Very Rev. Paul Scalia
You Can’t Love Another Person Apart From Truth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUXqgpbua9k
© 2022 St. Michael the Archangel High School, www.saintmichaelhs.org
Episode 2: Testimonial: What Does Experience Say?
Desire of the Everlasting Hills
https://everlastinghills.org/movie/
© 2022 Courage International Inc. www.couragerc.org
Biographies of Featured Speakers
Fr. Paul Scalia
Fr. Paul Scalia was ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest in 1996, when he finished his master of arts degree at the Angelicum in Rome. He is now Episcopal Vicar for Clergy in the Diocese of Arlington and Pastor of Saint James Parish in Falls Church, Virginia. He founded the Arlington chapter of Courage, an apostolate that counsels men and women with same-sex attractions in living chaste lives in fellowship, truth and love. He served as its chaplain from 2004 to 2011 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Courage International, from 2010 to 2018. He remains a member of the Board.
Step 2: Review Important Principles
After watching the video, give teens a chance to comment or ask questions. Go over the following together.
Created Beings: Human sexuality is designed for procreation and unity together.
Health: Children benefit from the union of their parents.
Honesty: Same sex attraction does not define a person.
Charity: You can’t love another person apart from truth.
“We don’t want to think of people just in terms of categories: black, white, Hispanic, gay, bi, trans, or whatever else. We want to think of people as persons. Talk about people who have these experiences."
-Rev. Paul Scalia
Step 3: Practice Role-Play
Scenario #1: Messing with Marriage
You are at your grandfather’s funeral and your cousin Stan from out of town, whom you haven’t seen for years, greets you and introduces you to his “partner” Rick.
Scenario #2: Labeling Limitations
You are on your high school Year Book Committee working with the main photographer, a male student. While working together you point out that there are a lot of pictures of another classmate, Jeff. The photographer peer explains, “That’s because I have a crush on him.” You seek clarification with, “You mean you admire him?” But he answers, “No, I mean I’m gay.”
Scenario #3: Misleading Movie
A classmate tells you about his new favorite show which features a homosexual couple.
“We are created by God in love, for love, and for eternity. Our identity is a created son or daughter of God.” -Mary Hasson
Download the program materials and distribute to participants. The materials include the important principles and the complete role-play scenarios for participants to review and put into practice.
Best Practice:
Allow 2 hours: one hour for video, one hour for role-playing.
If parents are present, arrange the room so that the focus is on the youth
(i.e. youth seated in the front, parents in the back)Present Tough Topics Video Program
Invite the youth to share any initial reactions
(i.e. How did you feel about that? What struck you? Did you learn anything new?)Break into small groups to act out the scripts
Invite the youth to share personal experiences and collaborate on how the conversation could unfold in light of the material learned
Conclude with prayer
(we recommend this prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta)Consider following up with a related service project
St. Teresa of Calcutta
Public Domain
A Prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910 - 1997 AD)
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.
Recommended Age:
13+ years old, defer to parent’s judgement. A segment of the video program contains strong and explicit material unsuitable for pre-teens.
Prerequisite: Some sex ed covered by parents.
Helpful sex ed resources: The Birds and Bees Online Program, Cana Vox Tips, PUREly YOU!, Theology of the Body for Teens, Sexual Wisdom for Catholic Adolescents
See other age appropriate recommendations in Raising Children of Light.
Additional Resources:
For resources to assist those with same-sex attraction: Truth & Love, https://truthandlove.com
For pastoral care for families and friends of people who experience same-sex attractions and/or gender dysphoria: https://couragerc.org/for-families/
For three intimate and candid portraits of Catholics who try to navigate the waters of self-understanding, faith, and homosexuality, watch Desire of the Everlasting Hills https://everlastinghills.org/movie/
For a video by Jason Evert on Homosexuality, Gay Marriage, and Holiness: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLrRfwpvERU&t=3s
Age appropriate for 13+
For science-based arguments in support of supernatural truths, view free videos such as "The Remarkable Evidence of a Transcendent Soul," and "Science, God, and Creation," available at www.magiscenter.com/videos
For parents of younger children: CanaVox https://canavox.com/videos/helping-our-children-navigate-gender-ideology-the-elementary-yearsmature/
For young children 3-7 years old, Philo and Sophie: Philosophy for Children by Healing the Culture www.philoandsophie.org
For classic philosophical principles: Ten Universal Principles: A Basic Primer on Respect for Human Life, https://healingtheculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TEN-UNIVERSAL-PRINCIPLES-TUP-prolife-flyer-2022.pdf
For information on the universal definition of marriage: Dissenting Opinion, Obergefell v. Hodges Nos 14-556,14-565,14-571,14-574 U.S. (2015) supremecourt/opinions/Obergafell.pdf
Excerpts from Chief Justice Roberts dissenting with Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas joining (pages 4-7):
And a State’s decision to maintain the meaning of marriage that has persisted in every culture throughout human history can hardly be called irrational.
As the majority acknowledges, marriage “has existed for millennia and across civilizations.” Ante, at 3. For all those millennia, across all those civilizations, “marriage” referred to only one relationship: the union of a man and a woman. (p.4)
This universal definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman is no historical coincidence. Marriage did not come about as a result of a political movement, discovery, disease, war, religious doctrine, or any other moving force of world history—and certainly not as a result of a prehistoric decision to exclude gays and lesbians. It arose in the nature of things to meet a vital need: ensuring that children are conceived by a mother and father committed to raising them in the stable conditions of a lifelong relationship. (p. 4,5)
The human race must procreate to survive. Procreation occurs through sexual relations between a man and a woman. When sexual relations result in the conception of a child, that child’s prospects are generally better if the mother and father stay together rather than going their separate ways. Therefore, for the good of children and society, sexual relations that can lead to procreation should occur only between a man and a woman committed to a lasting bond.
Society has recognized that bond as marriage. (p.5)
In his first American dictionary, Noah Webster defined marriage as “the legal union of a man and woman for life,” which served the purposes of “preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, . . . promoting domestic felicity, and . . . securing the maintenance and education of children.” (p.6,7)