HARTFORD, Conn. — An upcoming conference in Connecticut will offers Catholic leaders in medicine and ministry the practical and pastoral tools to reach out to people with same-sex attraction while upholding Church teaching.

The 2018 “Truth and Love Conference” will be held at the St. Thomas Seminary Conference Center Oct. 22-24 in Bloomfield, Connecticut. At the center of the formation event will be the encyclical Veritatis Splendor, written 25 years ago this August by Pope John Paul II.

The theme of the event will be “Proclaiming the Splendor of Truth With Love.” The gathering will look to answer questions about sexual identity and instruct pastoral leaders and medical professionals to care for people with same-sex attraction.

The fourth event of its kind, the conference is an initiative of Courage International, a Catholic apostolate that offers support for people with same-sex attraction who have chosen to pursue a chaste lifestyle. As part of the same organization, EnCourage supports family members and friends of people with same-sex attraction, aiding them in encountering their loved ones with compassion.

Speakers for the event will include experts on natural law, psychology and Christian anthropology. Participants will be given practical resources to compassionately communicate the Church’s teaching on homosexuality.

Presenters at the conference will include Father Philip Bochanski, executive director of Courage International; John Grabowski, theological adviser to the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family and Youth; and Michael Horne, director of clinical services for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.

Testimonies of people with same-sex attraction will also be shared, witnessing to the importance of the Church and friendships that have led them to grow in chastity and sanctity. Testimonies will be heard from Daniel Mattson, Catholic author of the book Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay, and Courage members Paul Darrow and Rilene Simpson, featured in the documentary Desire of the Everlasting Hills.

The first Courage meeting was held in 1980, and the initial group developed the five foundational goals of Courage – chastity, prayer and dedication, fellowship, support and good role models.