“I told him about Fortunate Families. I told him what I do locally and nationally with parishes, hierarchy, educational institutions, and building intentional LGBTQ+ ministries,” Zerkowski shared in a Facebook post.
“I thanked him for opening the door to LGBTQ+ ministry and explained that it has been and still is a difficult ministry. I told him that his openness has saved lives, I know this firsthand. I mentioned that as the Synod [on Synodality] unfolds in Rome, he’s got a special place in my/our prayers,” he wrote.
Pope Francis’ response, translated into English in a photo Zerkowski posted online, said: “Dear brother, thank you very much for your email. Thank you for your ministry. I pray for you, please continue to do so for me. May the Lord bless you and the Madonna watch over you.”
“I understand fully that this note is not about me. This note is about us and our ministry. It is about you. It is an affirmation from the pope,” Zerkowski wrote. “My personal takeaway? The pope is listening. The pope cares.”
Zerkowski is the author of a memoir titled “Coming Out and Coming Home: A Gay Catholic Man’s Journey from Marginalization to Ministry, with a Few Miracles Along the Way.” Lexington Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv, wrote the foreword.
In addition to leading the diocese’s outreach commission and the LGBTQ+ ministry at St. Paul’s, Zerkowski heads a ministry called Fortunate Families that offers resources and guidance to clergy, parishes, and schools to “discern and begin ministry to LGBTQ+ persons through intentional welcome and LGBTQ+ ministry” within the Church.