CourageInternational

Welcome to the official Twitter for Courage Int'l & EnCourage: a Catholic apostolate for persons who experience same-sex attractions and those who love them.

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Remaining faithful to Christ, Charles Lwanga chose integrity over compromise and encouraged his companions to do the same.

For this witness to the Gospel, he was martyred at Namugongo on June 3, 1886.

St. Charles Lwanga & Companions are the patron saints of Courage International.

Pope Paul VI recognized and canonized St. Charles Lwanga & his companions on 18 October 1964 as Holy Martyrs because they poured out their blood for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“God gave these young Christians a special grace to accept death rather than renounce the gift of faith they had just received.”

Courage International offers guidance, community, and support to men and women who experience same-sex attractions, and to loved ones who identify as LGBTQ+.

To find out more, please go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

Original artwork commissioned for Courage International.

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Our June newsletter is here! As we enter the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we invite you to take a few moments to explore the latest news, reflections, events, and stories from the Courage and EnCourage family around the world.

Whether you are a member, chaplain, family member, or friend of the apostolate, we hope these updates encourage you in your journey of faith and remind you that you are not walking alone.

Through prayer, friendship, and the grace of Christ, hearts continue to be renewed every day.

Read the June newsletter and join us in praying that all who seek the Lord may find hope, strength, and peace in His Sacred Heart.

Are you seeking a community that understands your story and walks with you toward Christ?

At Courage International, we journey together in faith, hope, and love—encouraging one another to grow in holiness and authentic friendship.

You are not alone.
Come walk with us.

Go to https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.❤️‍🔥

The Sacred Heart reminds us that Christ is not distant. He knows our struggles, our loneliness, our desires, our failures, and our hopes.

Nothing in our lives is hidden from Him, and nothing can diminish His love for us.

This month, spend a few moments each day with Him.

Bring Him your victories and your wounds.

Let Him look upon you with mercy.

Let Him teach you that holiness begins not with perfection, but with trusting His love.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like unto Thine.

https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

James A. Beers was a member of Courage for over 30 years. Our Lord called him home on October 16, 2022.

He is the author of, “Courage, a ministry of hope”

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Some of the most meaningful insights are shared quietly, through lived experience and honest reflection.

Jim Beers, also known as James A. Beers, was one of those voices within the Courage community whose perspective resonated deeply with many.

Though he passed away in October 2022, the wisdom and encouragement he shared continue to inspire thoughtful conversation and personal growth today.

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

It’s a beautiful reminder that we’re not meant to be alone on our faith journey.

The Holy Spirit is right here, ready to guide us into deeper friendship with Jesus.

Holy Spirit guide us!

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

When we know we are loved by Christ, we find the courage to forgive, to persevere, to carry our crosses faithfully, and to love others with greater purity and compassion.

God’s love does not erase the cross, it gives us the grace to carry it with hope.

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUQQR

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Every member’s journey is unique, but many discover the same beautiful truth in Courage: they are not alone.

In these reflections, our members share how friendship, prayer, fellowship, and Christ’s mercy have brought hope and healing into their lives.

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUQQR

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

“Being an EnCourage chaplain has been a great blessing to my priesthood.

It has certainly helped me be more compassionate.

In over seven or eight years I’ve seen people really make a lot of progress and healing their relationships with their kids, but it has helped me to be patient, and to watch as God provides and allows things to happen.”

Fr. Eric Anderson

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

The Lord promises His presence always: not only in moments of peace, but also in the hidden battles of the heart.

To the members of Courage and Encourage: Jesus is closer to you than you may realize.

He sees your efforts, your quiet prayers, and the struggles you carry in your heart.

Even on the days when He feels distant, He has not left you.

He remains close to you.

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

Please consider joining us at our annual Courage & EnCourage conference;
July 16-July 19, 2026,
Mundelein, Illinois.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Today we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord — the moment when Christ returned to the Father, not to abandon us, but to draw our hearts toward heaven.

Imagine what the Apostles may have felt as they watched Jesus ascend: wonder, hope, and perhaps even uncertainty about the road ahead.

Yet before He departed, Our Lord reminded them: “I am with you always.”

Our lives are meant for heaven.

Every act of fidelity, every prayer whispered in weakness, every effort to begin again draws us closer to the Heart of Christ.

Today, lift your eyes toward heaven with hope. The Lord who ascended has not left us behind.

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Today, as we celebrate Our Lady of Fatima, we remember the three shepherd children who encountered something both glorious and frightening.

Imagine what they must have felt — awe, confusion, wonder, even fear — as heaven suddenly touched their ordinary lives.

And yet, Our Lady did not leave them in their fear.

She spoke gently.
She called them to prayer, sacrifice, and trust in God.

Many members of Courage and EnCourage know what it is like to carry both longing and fear within the heart.

At times, the call to follow Christ faithfully can feel overwhelming or lonely.

But Fatima reminds us that God often works quietly through small acts of trust and perseverance.

The Lord does not ask us to have everything figured out.

He simply asks us to remain close to Him whatever the day may bring.

To learn more about Courage International click the link in our bio or go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j.

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Our Blessed Mother gently invites us to bring every burden to her Son through her hands.

Whatever weighs on your heart today, loneliness, temptation, family wounds, fear for the future, or the quiet crosses no one else sees, you do not carry it alone.

Each Hail Mary is an act of trust.

Each mystery draws us deeper into the life of Jesus.

Each decade places our wounds, hopes, and desires into the loving care of Our Blessed Mother.

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Let us lift up a prayer for the Vicar of Christ and his mission to guide God's people with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

For more information about Courage International, please click the link in the bio or send a direct message.

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Courage International's Response to the Synodal Report. (You are welcome to repost our response and the link below to our official press release)

On Tuesday (5 May 2026), the Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod published the final report of Working Group 9, dedicated to “Theological Criteria and Synodal Methodologies for Shared Discernment of Emerging Doctrinal, Pastoral, and Ethical Issues.” As many outlets have already reported, the document contains an unflattering reference to the Courage Apostolate.

Further, an accompanying “Annex” provides testimony from one individual about his negative experience with Courage.

Courage considers this report to be both calumny and detraction against the organization and its members.

Calumny, because the report mischaracterizes Courage’s work.

Courage is not nor ever has been involved in “reparative therapy,” as alleged.

The working group could have clarified this point by simply contacting Courage leadership.

Rather than do so, however, the report presents one person’s experience and opinion as part of an official ecclesiastical document.

Second, it is unjust to our members for the Synod to publicly present Courage meetings and members in a negative light on the basis of one person’s experience.

This individual characterizes the meetings he attended as “secretive and hidden.”

Courage members understand those meetings to be confidential and secure – precisely so that they can speak candidly and vulnerably without fear of someone reporting about them.

Which is what this individual does when he describes people at the meeting as “lonely, hopeless, and often depressed.”

Whether his estimation is correct, we don’t know.

But it’s precisely because people often are lonely, hopeless, and depressed that we bring them together for support and insist on the confidentiality that enables them to speak freely about their struggles.

Courage has suffered calumny and detraction before, but usually from secular outlets.

It is a great sadness and an additional wound to our members to have this false and unjust depiction in a Vatican document.

If synod officials would like to learn more about Courage International, Inc. and its apostolate over 45 years, our chaplains and members would be happy to meet with them.

Contact: Rev. Kyle Schnippel, Chairman of the Board of Directors [email protected]

To go directly to the full press release please click the link below. ⬇️

https://t.co/7W6A76GRxa

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

So many people carry their struggles alone, afraid that if others truly knew them, they would no longer be loved.

But Christ calls us out of isolation and into the light—not to shame us, but to heal us.

Walking in the light does not mean being perfect.

It means learning to live honestly before God, allowing Him to meet us in our weakness, our hopes, our wounds, and our desire to follow Him more faithfully.

And when we do this, something beautiful happens: we discover we are no longer alone.

Even small steps into the light can become the beginning of great hope.

Are you looking for a community that truly understands your journey and supports you in deepening your relationship with Christ?

Join us at Courage International!

Here, we walk together in faith and love, fostering an environment of authentic friendship.

You are not alone—let’s journey together!
Go to: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUQQR

[CourageInternational @RCCourage]

Our prayer is simple:
that our hearts may be filled with the fire, the grace, and the love of the Holy Spirit.

You may feel like your heart is not strong enough, or not free enough.

But the Holy Spirit does not wait for you to have everything together.

He comes precisely to meet you where you are.

Even the desire for something better… even the small turning of your heart toward God…
this is already His work within you.

You are not meant to walk this road alone.
And your story is not finished.

Ask Him, in your own words:
“Come, Holy Spirit. Stay with me. Do not leave me as I am.”

For more information about Courage International please visit our website: https://t.co/6Lh0cBUj1j