My friends Alan and Theresa Yoshioka are writing a book!

I’ve been friends with Alan for a long time, before he became a Catholic.  And now that he’s married to Theresa, we have become friends, too.

They have a wonderful ministry and I hope the powers that be in the Church hear them.  Yes, the Church could do a much better job in ministering to those with same-sex attraction.  I’m so glad they were invited to speak in Vancouver.  Here’s an except of a story in B.C. Catholic about them:

In the eyes of the world, a Catholic with same-sex attraction has two options: live “out and proud” with a homosexual identity, or sit in the pews silent and isolated.

Alan and Theresa Yoshioka say there’s a third alternative: acknowledge your SSA and receive support to live chastely. And they’re helping to reach some of the Church’s most vulnerable members.

The Yoshiokas, who are writing a book about the whole Church being called to support persons with SSA, recently brought their message of hope to the archdiocesan pastoral centre, high school classrooms, parishes, Catholic After Hours, and the Vancouver chapter of Courage/EnCourage.

Courage is the official Catholic apostolate for persons with SSA. Within that outreach, EnCourage is the official Catholic apostolate for the loved ones of persons with SSA. Alan is a member of Courage Toronto, and together the Yoshiokas co-facilitate EnCourage Toronto.

Given that Alan is a former “out and proud” activist who in the mid-1980s wrote Canada’s first campus newspaper column on homosexual and lesbian issues, the couple have a unique perspective on same-sex issues.

After more than 15 years in a homosexual lifestyle marked by promiscuity and rage, Alan first returned to Christianity, then gave up the homosexual lifestyle, and eventually became a Catholic.