LGBTI meeting on 1 November 2019

LGBTI meeting 18 October 2019

LGBTI meeting - 4 October 2019

Next LGBTI meeting

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!

Drachma LGBTI first regular meeting 2019/2020

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.

Night hike on 31 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

Invitation to join Drachma as a paid member

You may wish to consider joining Drachma as a paid member. Becoming a paid member allows you to participate more fully in Drachma's work, including the General Meetings, the work of the Steering Committee and Core Teams, but more importantly, you would be supporting Drachma's work financially. All of us here in Drachma are volunteers and this financial help allows us to plan and organise different activities and events that help create a safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ persons and their parents, friends and families that wish to explore more deeply the intersections between faith and sexuality.

The annual membership fee is 5 Euro and the membership year runs through from 1 September to the 31 August of the following year.

If you wish to become a paid member, please download this membership form from the following link. The form is in PDF format that can be filled in digitally when opened with any PDF Reader programme. You should download the form and fill in, save, and then send back as an attachment by email to drachmalgbt@gmail.com.

Should you be unable to fill in the form digitally, you can print it out and fill it by hand and then scan or take a digital photo of the form. You may then send the scan or photo by email.

You may also print the form, fill in and send by post or give it by hand to either of the two Coordinators Joseanne Peregin or Christopher Vella.

The membership fee can be paid by cash, cheque (payable to DRACHMA) or bank transfer. Please read the form for further details.

Should you have any difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact us on this email drachmalgbt@gmail.com or phone 79253875.

Current members of Drachma have received a personalised email with renewal information.