New Ways Ministry

New Ways Ministry is a gay-positive ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Catholics, working for reconciliation within the Christian and civil communities. The national organization is primarily based in Maryland. The organization affirms the American Psychiatric Association's statement that homosexuality is not a mental disorder to be corrected.

New Ways Ministry was founded in 1977 by Jeannine Gramick, a Roman Catholic nun, and Fr. Robert Nugent, a Roman Catholic priest. The ministry expanded their existing work of writing and speaking on homosexuality since 1971, with the aim of creating acceptance for gay and lesbian Catholics within the Catholic Church.

New Ways Ministry adopted its name from the pastoral letter of Bishop Francis Mugavero of the Diocese of Brooklyn, "Sexuality: God's Gift". Written in 1976, the letter addressed gay and lesbian Catholics, as well as the widowed, adolescents, the divorced, and those having sexual relations outside of marriage, stating: " ...we pledge our willingness to help you ...to try to find new ways to communicate the truth of Christ because we believe it will make you free." These sentiments inspired the pastoral efforts by the co-founders to build bridges between differing constituencies in Catholicism.

Fr. Robert Nugent died at the age of 76 on January 1, 2014.

New Ways Ministry advocates for acceptance of LGBT people among Catholics and among the general population. In the belief that homophobia and transphobia stem from a lack of understanding, New Ways Ministry focuses on educating families, churches, and communities through dialogue, publications and research, and educational programming. Publications include responses to Vatican Instructions, "Homosexuality: A Positive Catholic Perspective" and "Marriage Equality: A Positive Catholic Approach," and symposia on the issue of homosexuality in the Catholic church have hosted speakers including Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit and Bishop Matthew Clark of the Diocese of Rochester. They also organize Catholics nationally in support of marriage equality initiatives.

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