LGBTI meeting on Friday 1 July 2022

 

Meetings in June 2022

 LGBTI meeting on Friday 3 June 2022

Psychotherapist and Counsellor Matthew Bartolo will be leading this session that will be held on Friday 3 June at 7.30 pm at Mount Saint Joseph as part of the regular LGBTI meetings. All are welcome to attend!

Our meetings are open to people of all ages above the age of 18.

Come and have your Say! Synod 2021-2023

Friday 10 June 2022

Pope Francis has started a process to consult the people and Catholic faithful on the way the Church operates and on how people of different sectors within the Church really feel part of the Church.  This is being called the Synodal process 2021-2023.

Drachma LGBTI and Drachma Parents have been invited to give their feedback and to share our stories with senior leaders of the Church in Malta. Drachma Parents have already met Church leaders a couple of weeks ago. 

The opportunity for Drachma LGBTI members will be on Friday 10 June at 5.30pm. Venue is still to be confirmed.

Please click here to register.

LGBTIQ meet the Bishops

Thursday, 16 June, 5.30pm, Seminary Auditorium, Rabat

This is another opportunity to meet our Bishops, Mgr Scicluna and Mgr Galea-Curmi and share our personal stories and struggles. 

It will be open to the LGBT community in Malta and not just to Drachma members. This is being held at the Seminary Auditorium. 

Please click here to register.

LGBTI meeting on Friday 17 June 2022

Drachma Book launch on IDAHOBIT - 17 May 2022

#IDAHOBIT

DRACHMA PARENTS BOOK LAUNCH
‘NAQQAXTEK FUQ IL-PALI TA’ JDEJJA’

(I have engraved you on the palms of my hands) 

Entry to MCAST through Triq il-Baċir Gate 3. 

There is a car park close to the Resource Centre. 

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.8774029%2C14.5066275&z=17&hl=en

On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, as part of the commemorations of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, Drachma Parents, a support group for parents of LGBTI persons, launched the book ‘Naqqaxtek fuq il-Pali Ta’ Jdejja’ in the presence of Hon. Rebecca Buttigieg, Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, among other distinguished guests. The book is published in Maltese.

This is the second publication of Drachma Parents, after its first book Uliedna Rigal was published in 2016. The name of this book ‘Naqqaxtek fuq il-Pala ta’ jdejja’ (I have engraved you on the palms of my hands) is taken from the Book of Prophet Isaias (Is. 49: 16). The members of Drachma Parents believe that this is what God says personally and intimately to each of us. Drachma Parents strongly believe that He does not make any distinction between different races or different sexual orientations.

The subtitle of the book is “What does the Bible say (or not say) about homosexuality?” Indeed, the Bible does not say much about the subject, but the few texts that are said to deal with it are at the very heart of the religious debate about homosexuality.

The book explores the story of Sodom and whether it is about homosexuality at all; whether the Jewish ritual laws found in the book of Leviticus are still relevant today; whether Saint Paul had in mind pederasty (exploitation and abuse of minors) rather than homosexuality.

It is not disrespectful of Scripture to state that these texts, written thousands of years ago, lack a proper understanding of human sexuality. The biblical writers could not possibly know (as science acknowledges today) that what we today call being “gay” or being “lesbian” is a regularly occurring non-pathological minority variant in the human condition. The assumptions found in the biblical texts need to be supplemented by the insights and observations about human sexuality provided by biology, psychology, sociology, genetics, and biblical studies. In the past, the Church has had the courage to change its interpretation on various subjects, basing itself on new understandings and advances made in the sciences and as a result of discernment and experience. This does not mean that we are to dismiss the Bible. The problem is not the Bible; the mistake is how the Bible is, or has been, read.

Each of the five chapters begins with a critical-historical analysis of the biblical text. This is followed by a summary of the main points and a reflection by members of Drachma Parents about the relevant text.

Naqqaxtek fuq il-pali ta’ jdejja is dedicated to Fr John Xerri, O.P., for many years a missionary in Brazil, who gave his unwavering support to Drachma Parents since its inception in 2008, and who sadly passed away in June last year.

The book is of particular interest to LGBTI+ people, their parents, families and friends, teachers, counsellors, other professionals, priests, and catechists.

Naqqaxtek fuq il-pali ta’ jdejja is available from main bookstores, or directly from 

Horizons (+356 21441604) 

or Drachma (+356 99454581/ +356 79253875).

LGBTI meeting on Friday 6 May 2022

 

EASTER ACTIVITIES IN THE DRACHMA COMMUNITY

 LGBTI Way of the Cross reflection                                      on Good Friday                                      15 April 2022

Easter celebration and Get Together                          on Easter Wednesday                          20 April 2022

Next LGBTI meeting

 

In the next meeting we will be meeting Matthew Chircop who will be sharing their experience. You are welcome to attend this meeting!

Lenten Retreat on Saturday 19 March 2022

 

You are cordially invited to attend the annual half-day retreat held on Saturday 19 March 2022 between 09.00 and 14.00 at Mount Saint Joseph Mosta.

The Retreat will be led by Fr Kevin Schembri with the theme: 'Mill-irmied għan-nar'.

To attend please send an email to drachmalgbt@gmail.com and drachmaparents@gmail.com or send an SMS to 99454581 or 79253875. Please indicate whether you will be attending for lunch. 

Attendance with lunch is at €25. Attendance without lunch is at €10.

We look forward to meeting you at the Retreat!

LGBTI meeting on Friday 4 March 2022

 

The next meeting will be held at the University Chapel (not Dar Manwel Magri) on Friday 4 March 2022 at 7.30pm. 

You are welcome to join this meeting, which will include a reflective and prayerful moment, appropriate for the beginning of this period of Lent.

Next LGBTI meeting on Friday 18 February 2022

 

In this workshop led by Simone Ellul, we will use improvisation techniques to deepen skills such as listening, communication and being in the moment, playing games to explore these and other principles. We will work on building trust and will also do some teamwork exercises. This workshop is just an introduction, but it will give us an idea of how certain simple activities and exercises can give us a different perspective and abilities that can then be applied to everyday life.

Next LGBTI meeting on Friday 4 February 2022

 

We invite you to this meeting in which a guest speaker will be exploring the intersections between Islam and the LGBTI reality! You are welcome!