How can people experiencing same-sex attractions be faithful Catholics and accept all Church teachings without rejecting one’s sexual identity? In his thesis, Luis M. Ramirez addresses this existential question faced by people experiencing same-sex attractions and who remain in the Catholic Church. The teachings on homosexuality and same-sex marriage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church very clearly prohibit homosexual unions and acts. The question’s complexity and limitations in length required Luis to narrow his discussion to same-sex attraction only. Common practice in gender studies writing uses self-selected identity names, general descriptors like ‘same-sex attracted,’ and non-specifying terms like ‘queer’ or ‘gender variant.’ Respectful to the dignity of those excluded from the narrowed discussion and aware that using the terms ‘LGBT+’ or ‘queer’ could mislead people reading this paper, Luis created the term PESSA(s) to use instead. The term stands for ‘a person/people experiencing same-sex attractions,’ which allowed Luis to address the Catholics being discussed by this paper’s question as Catholic PESSAs. Luis argues in his thesis that PESSAs can be faithful Catholics that follow Church teaching without having to renounce either their sexual or religious identity. To do so, Catholic PESSAs must authentically integrate both of these identities as argued by Luis’ theory of ‘Building Interior Bridges of Identity.’ He developed the theory through study in philosophical discourse on narrative interpretation, social construct theory, and self-understanding. Luis argues that there is both an individual and communal necessity for authentic integration in the Catholic Church.

Luis would like to thank his Capstone Thesis Mentor, Br. William Rehg SJ (Ph.D) — for his guidance and academic insight throughout the creation of his Capstone Paper. Without Dr. Rehg’s philosophical mentorship, Luis would not have been able to develop his philosophical Theory of Authentic Integration between Catholic identity and Sexual Identity for PESSAs. Luis would also like to thank Dean Randall S. Rosenberg (Ph.D), the Dean of the College of Philosophy and Letters — for all his assistance as an academic advisor and in finding graduate school programs in the midst of an uncertain future.