12 November 2019
28 October 2019
13 October 2019
24 September 2019
17 September 2019
15 September 2019
MALTA PRIDE 2019 - DRACHMA PRESS RELEASE
Drachma – Gay Pride 2019
We are celebrating fifteen years from Malta’s first
gay pride and the fiftieth anniversary from the Stonewall Riots that was one of
the seminal moments in the history of the LGBTIQ+ movement in the world. Soon
after the gay ‘Pride’ became an annual event in various countries and places
around the world. Such marches constituted an attempt by the LGBTIQ+ community
to have itself counted and respected. The cry then as now was quite simple: We
exist. We are humans. We deserve dignity!
We may think that faith has had very little to do with
the LGBTIQ+ liberation movement around the world. That is not really true. Even
before the Stonewall Riots, in America, the first Catholic and Christian
LGBTIQ+ groups started working for integration of faith and sexuality and
striving for social justice. Dignity USA this year also celebrated its fiftieth
anniversary, and Drachma had the privilege of attending their anniversary
celebrations last July. Over the decades, other similar groups emerged in
America and Europe.
Today, Drachma also belongs to the European Forum of
Christian LGBT Groups established in the mid-1970s, and the Global Network of
Rainbow Catholics (GNRC), established a few years ago as a coalition of 40
groups with thousands of Catholic LGBTIQ+ members from around the world. For
another term Drachma’s representative is co-chair of GNRC and we march with the
GNRC banner for a second year.
We wish other Catholics would join us in this march because we are proud of our faith, proud of our church and proud of who God made us!
Drachma has also played an important role in the local
campaign for LGBTIQ rights. It is the second oldest LGBTIQ+ group in Malta and
has played a very active role in the Consultative Council as Malta enacted
legislation that gave LGBTIQ people rights and equality. Drachma is composed of
two groups, a LGBTI+ group and a Parents Group. Together we bridge-build with
the Church because we believe in dialogue with all faiths and the LGBTIQ+
community.
Drachma is a founder member of the European Network of Parents of LGBTI+ Persons and welcomes parents and friends to march with us today in solidarity with other LGBTI+ families.
Why do we celebrate Pride? We celebrate Pride and we
keep on doing so, because we believe that there are still LGBTIQ persons in our
families, in our neighbourhoods and in our towns that still feel emarginated
and in the periphery. We need to express this hope, especially for those who
cannot be with us today to celebrate our dignity and our humanity. We need to
remind ourselves that more still needs to be done for everyone to feel ‘safe’,
‘loved’ and ‘proud’.
This is our Pride. This is what we celebrate! This is our hope!
This is our Pride. This is what we celebrate! This is our hope!
30 August 2019
29 August 2019
Drachma's Pride 2019 event
On the occasion of Pride 2019, Drachma will be organising this event on Thursday 12 September 2019.
It
has been fifty years from the Stonewall Riots that were a pivotal
landmark in the long struggle for LGBTI+ persons rights and dignity. We
may be tempted to think that this milestone was completely 'secular'
and possibly even allergic to faith.
This
could not be further from the truth, for months before the Stonewall
Rights, individual Catholic LGBT persons began what today is one of
America's largest Catholic faith LGBTI+ movement: Dignity USA. Over the
decades, LGBTI persons of faith around the world worked hard to create
awareness and safe spaces for LGBTI+ persons. These have included
ecumenical spaces like the European Forum of Christian LGBTI+ Persons,
the Global Interfaith Network and on a Catholic level, the Global
Network of Rainbow Catholics that recently held its third General
Assembly in Chicago.
Malta
has played an important role not just in the field of civil rights, but
also in spaces of faith.
Drachma is also one of the oldest LGBTI+ organisations in Malta, and
will be 15 years old in September. As an organisation rooted in faith,
Drachma has played an important role in the local LGBTI community and in
bridge-building with the local Church. On an international level, it
has been a member of the European Forum for over ten years, and a
founding member of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics and the
European Network of Parents of LGBTI+ Persons.
In
this meeting on the 12 September, we shall be looking into the global
LGBTI+ faith movements and reflect on the role of LGBTI+ persons of
faith in social justice.
All are welcome to attend. The programme is one hour long.
22 August 2019
Programme of Drachma activities 2018/9
LGBTI regular meetings
Friday 6 September 2019
at 19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday 20 September 2019
at 19.30, MXlokk Youth Activity Centre Live-in
Friday, 4 October 2019
at 19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 18 October 2019
at 19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 1 November 2019
at 19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 15 November 2019
at 19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 6 December 2019
at 19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 20 December 2019
at 19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 3 January 2020
at 19.00, at Millennium Chapel, Paceville (Christmas Mass)
Friday, 17 January 2020
at 19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 7 February 2020
at 19.30, Villa Psaigon Dingli
Friday, 21 February 2020
at 19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 6 March 2020 at
19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 20 March 2020 at
19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 3 April 2020 at
19.30, University Chaplaincy
Thursday 16 April 2020
at 19.00, University Chaplaincy (Easter Mass)
Friday, 1 May 2020 at
19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 15 May 2020 at
19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 5 June 2020 at
19.30, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 19 June 2020 at
19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 3 July 2020 at
19.30, Mount Saint Joseph, Mosta
Friday, 17 July 2020 at
19.30, Gudja Parish Centre
Friday, 4 September
2020, University Chaplaincy
Friday, 18 September
2020, MXlokk Youth Activity Centre
LGBTI community-building activities
31 August 2019,
20.00-24.00: Night Hike Dingli
20-22 September 2019 at MXlokk
Youth Activity Centre: Live-in
30 November 2019,
18.00-22.00: Bowling activity
7-9 February 2020 at
Villa Psaigon, Dingli: Live-in
19 April 2020,
09.00-16.00: Easter Hike
25 July 2020,
18.00-22.00: Summer BBQ
18-21 September 2020 at
MXlokk Youth Activity Centre: Live-in
LGBTI moments of recollection
11-13 October 2019: LGBTI
and Parents weekend: MSJ
20 December 2019: Christmas
Vigil and meeting for LGBTs: Gudja Parish Centre
10 April 2020: Good
Friday Meditative meeting: Loretu Chapel, Gudja
30 October – 1 November
2020: Retreat LGBTI: MSJ
Drachma Parents at Mount Saint Joseph, Mosta
at 19.30
Thursday, 19 September 2019
Thursday, 17 October 2019
Thursday, 21 November 2019
Thursday, 19 December 2019
Thursday, 16 January 2020
Thursday, 20 February 2020
Thursday, 19 March 2020
(morning: retreat)
Thursday, 16 April 2020 (Easter mass at 19.00: University Chaplaincy)
Thursday, 21 May 2020
Thursday, 18 June 2020
Thursday, 16 July 2020
Thursday, 20 August 2020
Thursday 17 September 2020 (Drachma Foundation Day)
Drachma Parents Reflective meetings at Mount Saint Joseph
Thursday, 19 March 2020: Half-Day Retreat for Parents: MSJ
11-13 October 2019: LGBTI
and Parents weekend: MSJ
Drachma LGBTI and Drachma Parents
12
September 2019, 19.00-21.00: Drachma Pride activity: Birgu
14
September 2019 from 15.00: Malta PRIDE March: Valletta
21
September 2019: MXlokk Youth Activity Centre: Joint LGBTI and Parents Summer
BBQ
11
October 2019, 20.30-22.00 at MSJ: Joint meeting on Drachma Strategies
12
October 2019, morning: MSJ Clean-up
Saturday
26 October 2019, 17.00-19.00: at MSJ: Annual General Meeting
Friday, 3 January 2020
at 19.00 at Millennium Chapel, Fr Kevin Schembri: Christmas Mass
Thursday,
16 April 2020 at University Chaplaincy at 19.00, Fr John Berry: Easter
Mass
Saturday,
26 September 2020, 17.00-19.00, at MSJ: AGM (and elections)
International Day Against Homophobia - IDAHO
Saturday,
16 May 2020 at 19.00 at the at the Archbishop’s Seminary Chapel
OR Sunday,
17 May 2020 at 19.00 at the University Chaplaincy
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