Courage International
An approved Roman Catholic apostolate offering peer support and pastoral accompaniment to people who experience same-sex attraction and to their relatives and friends.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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History
Courage International emerged from the Catholic pastoral work of John F. Harvey, O.S.F.S., who had studied and written about homosexuality since the 1950s. Harvey's early writings used pathological explanations of homosexuality and defended the Catholic moral prohibition on homosexual acts. His views developed over time, including a later position that Catholic pastoral practice should discourage heterosexual marriage for both gay men and lesbians when such marriages were entered into as an attempt to resolve same-sex attraction. From 1978, Harvey led retreats for Catholic priests and other men who experienced same-sex attraction. In 1979 he proposed a fellowship modeled partly on Alcoholics Anonymous and on existing twelve- or fourteen-step groups. The first Courage meeting was held in September 1980 at St. Joseph Church in New York City, with Harvey and five male participants. The ministry was designed to provide a priest-led setting in which members could discuss their experiences, pray, develop friendships, and pursue abstinence from same-sex sexual activity in accordance with Catholic teaching. Courage expanded during the 1980s. It had seven chapters in North America by 1987 and subsequently became one of the most durable Catholic organizations promoting a chastity-based response to same-sex attraction. Its growth occurred in the context of major Catholic debates over homosexuality, including the 1986 Vatican document On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. Harvey published The Homosexual Person: New Thinking in Pastoral Care in 1987, defending the Vatican's framework while distinguishing Courage's goal of lifelong chastity from Protestant ex-gay programs that sometimes presented heterosexuality as an intended endpoint. The apostolate later developed EnCourage, a ministry for relatives and friends of people who identify as LGBT. Courage chapters generally require diocesan permission and are supported through a combination of donations, local activity, and assistance from Catholic dioceses. The Archdiocese of New York and the Archdiocese of Bridgeport have been identified as institutional supporters. In 2006, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recommended Courage in its publication Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination. Catholic reporting in 2013 described the ministry as having a presence in roughly half of U.S. Catholic dioceses, alongside chapters or related activity in other countries. The organization has consistently faced controversy over its language and methods. Courage leaders state that they do not offer conversion therapy and instead provide a voluntary peer-support program centered on Catholic teaching and sexual abstinence. Critics respond that the practical effect is to require lifelong celibacy from gay and lesbian Catholics and that the apostolate's historical descriptions of homosexuality have been harmful. Its association with Joseph Nicolosi and the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality further connected it in public discussion with orientation-change efforts, even as Courage described its own objective differently. DignityUSA, New Ways Ministry, and other LGBT-affirming Catholic voices have criticized Courage's theology and pastoral strategy. In 2014, a DignityUSA executive described the organization as spiritually dangerous. In 2015, the Southern Poverty Law Center included Courage among prominent ex-gay or anti-LGBT organizations, while the National LGBTQ Task Force argued that the broader ex-gay movement was presenting its message in more pastoral language. A separate dispute arose in France in 2016 when three civil-society organizations objected to Courage meetings in a municipal building and characterized its teaching as discriminatory and humiliating. Courage remained active into the 2020s. In February 2026, the apostolate said that representatives had met Pope Leo XIV and discussed its work with people experiencing same-sex attraction and with their relatives. The ministry's continuing role is shaped by the Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality and by unresolved debate over whether its chastity-centered pastoral model constitutes legitimate religious support or reproduces the harms associated with conversion-oriented counseling.
- 2026
Representatives meet Pope Leo XIV
[1]Courage reported a meeting with Pope Leo XIV concerning its pastoral work and its support for family members.
- 2015
Courage appears in an SPLC report
[1]The Southern Poverty Law Center included Courage among ten prominent ex-gay or anti-LGBT organizations.
- 2006
USCCB recommends Courage as a ministry
[1]The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recommended Courage in its publication Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination.
- 1987
Courage reaches seven North American chapters
[1]The apostolate had expanded to seven chapters in North America and was becoming a significant Catholic chastity ministry.
- 1980
First Courage meeting
[1]The first meeting was held at St. Joseph Church in New York City with Harvey and five other male participants.
- 1979
Proposal for a twelve-step-inspired fellowship
[1]Harvey proposed a support organization modeled in part on Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery fellowships.
- 1978
Harvey begins retreats for people experiencing same-sex attraction
[1]John F. Harvey began leading retreats for Catholic priests and other men who experienced same-sex attraction, creating the pastoral context from which Courage developed.
Products and positioning
A Catholic, priest-led fellowship and pastoral-support ministry for people who experience same-sex attraction and seek to live according to Catholic teaching, with a parallel support network for relatives and friends.
Peer support and pastoral ministry · 1980
Courage support groups
Local, generally priest-led groups provide fellowship, prayer, discussion, and mutual accountability for people who experience same-sex attraction and seek to live according to Catholic teaching. The model emphasizes chastity, sacramental life, and community rather than a commercial product or clinical treatment.
Family and friends ministry
EnCourage
EnCourage is the related ministry for relatives and friends of people who identify as LGBT. It offers a Catholic setting for prayer, discussion, education, and support while addressing family relationships and Church teaching.
Religious education and events · 1978
Retreats and educational materials
Courage's broader activities include retreats, conferences, talks, and written or digital materials concerning Catholic teaching, chastity, pastoral care, and fellowship for people experiencing same-sex attraction.
Controversies
2016
French objection to municipal meetings
Three French organizations protested the use of a municipal building for Courage meetings, criticizing its terminology about LGBT people and its presentation of chastity through a twelve-step framework.
2015
Inclusion in Southern Poverty Law Center anti-LGBT report
The Southern Poverty Law Center categorized Courage among prominent ex-gay and anti-LGBT organizations. Courage's inclusion became part of the public dispute over whether its chastity-centered ministry should be understood as pastoral support or as a form of conversion-oriented advocacy.
Brand decisions
1980
Adopt a peer-support and twelve-step-inspired modelStrategyBackground
Harvey sought a structured fellowship for Catholic men and others experiencing same-sex attraction, drawing on models associated with Alcoholics Anonymous and related support groups.
Action taken
Courage organized priest-led meetings focused on fellowship, prayer, accountability, and abstinence from same-sex sexual activity.
Aftermath
The model became the foundation for the apostolate's subsequent chapters and international identity.
- Create a family and friends ministryStrategy
Background
The apostolate recognized a need for pastoral support beyond its direct membership.
Action taken
It established EnCourage for relatives and friends of people who identify as LGBT.
Aftermath
Courage's work consequently covered both people experiencing same-sex attraction and their families or close supporters.
Sources2 sources
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