What is Dignity-Integrity?

As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed persons of faith, together with our families and friends, we form a small faith community with regional and national connections in the struggle for justice in church and society. Dignity-Integrity/Rochester was chartered in 1975 as the first combined chapter of the national organizations of Dignity/USA (Roman Catholic) and Integrity, Inc. (Episcopal).

Many of us call D-I home, feeling unwelcome, unsafe or unaffirmed in our home churches. All of us belong as a prophetic challenge to those in authority and as a ministry to those who have felt wounded or abandoned by organized religion. Our fellowship is a vital witness to all that our lives and loves are whole and holy.

Where Do We Worship?

We meet at St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene Church, located at 17 South Fitzhugh Street at the corner of Broad Street in downtown Rochester. Parking is free in the lot next to the church unless there's an event at the Blue Cross Arena. On-street parking is free on weekends. Although independent of "2-Saints," we maintain a special relationship with this church and its members, supporting each other in ministry and often celebrating special events together.

A coffee hour follows each of our worship services.

Social

Dignity-Integrity has a number of social activities throughout the year:

• Every Sunday we hold a coffee hour social, and you can always find a group or two going out to dinner afterwards.
• Once a month we hold a potluck dinner, usually centered around a theme.
• Throughout the year we host various picnics, cabin parties, and a dinner dance.
  

Local Affiliates

D-I/R is a member of Interfaith Advocates for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People (IA), providing a united witness to the wholeness and holiness of our lives as queer people of faith. Formed in 1991, IA works to increase awareness, understanding and inclusion of LGBT people within local congregations and by the larger community.

Our long-time colleagues, Fortunate Families, help families with LGBT daughters and sons share their stories. While learning about the Roman Catholic Church's teachings and pastoral responses to their families, this progressive organization empowers our parents who yearn for a more welcoming church and society, providing strategies for making their faith communities and their world safer and more just for their children.

For more information visit their website at www.fortunatefamilies.com

National Organizations

Integrity, Inc.

Integrity is a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Episcopalians and our straight friends. Since our founding by Dr. Louie Crew in rural Georgia in 1974, Integrity has been the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of GLBT persons in the Episcopal Church and our equal access to its rites. However, advocacy is only one facet of our ministry. At the national level and in local chapters and diocesan networks throughout the country, the primary activities are: worship, fellowship, education, communication, outreach, and service to the church.

Through Integrity's evangelism, thousands of GLBT people, estranged from the Episcopal Church and other denominations, have returned to parish life. Although the Episcopal Church has made tremendous strides toward inclusiveness, it still has a long way to go. Unfortunately, in too many parishes and dioceses, prejudice and oppression are still the norm. Whatever your sexual orientation, Integrity needs your support and membership.

Visit the Integrity website at www.integrityusa.org

Dignity/USA

Dignity/USA is the largest and most progressive national lay movement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, our families, and our friends. In local chapters across the United States, we worship openly with other GLBT and supportive Catholics, socialize, share personal and spiritual concerns, and work together on educational and justice issues. We believe that God created us, Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism. As GLBT Catholics, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty to live the sacramental life of the Church. We believe that we can express our sexuality in a loving, life-affirming manner that is in keeping with Christ's teaching.

Begun in 1969 in Los Angeles under the leadership of Fr. Patrick Nidorf, O.S.A., in 1973 Dignity became a national organization. Its office is in Washington, D.C., and it now comprises about 75 chapters throughout the United States. Run by an elected Board, individual members and chapters have a voting voice in Dignity's policies and agenda, gathering at periodic regional conferences for networking, fellowship, support and prayer.

On a nationwide basis and through its local chapters, Dignity:

• advocates for change in the Church's teaching on homosexuality
• provides educational materials, speakers, and other resources to Catholic parishes, gay ministries, and other interested groups
• maintains on-going dialogue with Catholic bishops
• represents gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Catholics in the media
• presents positive testimony from a Catholic perspective on civil rights legislation
• publishes a quarterly journal and monthly newsletter
• is a founding member of Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR), a network of diverse groups seeking change within the Church (Call to Action, New Ways Ministry, National Coalition of American Nuns, Catholics Speak Out, Women's Ordination Conference, Spiritus Christi, et al.)
• networks internationally with gay Catholic groups, including assisting in the development of new groups in countries such as South Africa, Poland, and Colombia
• sponsors a Committee for Women's Concerns
• supports an AIDS ministry
• and offers many other services

Visit the Dignity website at www.dignityusa.org

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