A group of young Catholics gathered in downtown Chicago to pray the Rosary and publicly defend Catholic moral teaching as Jesuit Father James Martin visited the city for a speaking engagement at Old St. Patrick’s Church.
The Sept. 4 demonstration was organized by TFP Student Action, whose members described the gathering as a Rosary rally of reparation. According to TFP Student Action, the Chicago event followed a similar demonstration held the previous day outside Loyola University Chicago.
Participants prayed multiple Rosaries, distributed literature and carried signs expressing support for Catholic teaching on sexuality and marriage. One sign declared, “We support Catholic teaching & reject Father Martin’s Attempt to normalize homosexual acts,” according to LifeSiteNews.
The demonstrators also chanted messages including, “One man, one woman, the way God made us,” as they sought to draw attention to what they believe are serious conflicts between Father Martin’s public ministry and Catholic moral teaching.
TFP Student Action describes itself as an organization dedicated to defending traditional moral values and promoting Catholic principles on college campuses and in the wider culture.
The rally came amid Father Martin’s Midwest speaking appearances, which have generated both support and criticism among Catholics. Father Martin is widely known for his ministry to Catholics who identify as LGBT and for founding Outreach, a Catholic ministry focused on their experiences within the Church.
Catholic teaching calls Catholics to treat people experiencing same-sex attraction with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” while also teaching that homosexual acts cannot be approved. The Chicago demonstrators focused particularly on defending the latter teaching.
According to LifeSiteNews, reactions from people passing the rally varied considerably. Some voiced support for the demonstrators. One man wearing a Rosary told participants, “Don’t let anybody tell you that you are wrong. Follow the Catholic faith and the Catholic tradition. Don’t get woke.”
Another supporter told the group, “A rosary is our most powerful weapon.”
Others confronted the demonstrators over their message. One man carried a sign reading, “Jesus Loves All Trans People Too,” and accused the group of spreading hate.
A TFP participant responded by invoking Christ’s call to repentance, saying, “It’s out of true love and compassion that we’re out here. Why is the truth hateful in your opinion?” according to LifeSiteNews.
One exchange highlighted disagreement over the authority of Catholic moral teaching itself. According to LifeSiteNews, a woman who identified herself as a lector and parish minister said she was familiar with the Catechism but rejected its teaching regarding homosexual acts.
“That’s what some people believe. I do not have to believe that,” she said.
A TFP volunteer responded, “That is what the Church teaches. So you do not accept the teachings of the Church?”
The Chicago rally also followed a tense demonstration outside Loyola University Chicago on September 3. According to LifeSiteNews, a TFP volunteer said a woman attempted to take another volunteer’s sign and ultimately ripped it before leaving with part of it. LifeSiteNews also reported that Loyola’s student newspaper documented altercations surrounding the group’s presence near campus.
TFP Student Action separately reported that its volunteers encountered hostile reactions during the Loyola demonstration, including damage to signs and a banner.
When Father Martin passed the demonstrators during the September 4 rally, participants addressed him directly.
“Father Martin, we are praying for you and for your conversion,” they called out, according to LifeSiteNews. “Please stop causing grave scandal and confusion amongst the faithful.”
TFP’s own account of the demonstration quotes volunteer Evan Olwell delivering a similar message as Father Martin crossed the street: “Neither an angel nor the clergy can change Christ’s teachings! Go and sin no more!”
The demonstrators eventually moved closer to the building where Father Martin’s presentation was being held and continued their public witness.
The rally concluded with a message emphasizing confidence in Christ and the Church despite the confrontations participants experienced.
“We have confidence in the beautiful words of our Lord Jesus Christ that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the holy Catholic Church,” the group said in its video, according to LifeSiteNews. “Attacks against us will not stop us.”
The demonstration underscored an ongoing debate within Catholic life over how the Church should minister pastorally to people who identify as LGBT while faithfully presenting its moral teaching.
For the young Catholics gathered in Chicago, their chosen response was public prayer — turning to the Rosary while calling for fidelity to the teachings they believe the Church cannot change.
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This guy should be excommunicated NOW why isnt pope Leo doing it
Gay sex is evil and JESUS CHRIST can heal it.
“The last battle between God and SAtan will be over marriage and family.”—Our LAdy of FAtima
So are you with God? OR with Satan?