Embrace Family Ministries Holds Second Annual LGBT-Inclusive Pride Mass at San Bernardino Cathedral

Embrace Family Ministries celebrated its second yearly LGBT-inclusive Mass in the Cathedral of San Bernardino. The liturgy featured rainbow-patterned stoles worn by clergy, a choir and band with openly queer members, and families, friends, and couples gathered for a celebration of faith and identity. The event concluded with closing remarks from Francine Bradley, one of the ministry’s organizers from Palm Springs.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

The ministry’s origins trace back to a 2008 encounter with California’s Proposition 8 campaign, when a youth witnessed anti-same-sex-marriage signs after Mass at St. Peter & St. Paul in Alta Loma. That experience sparked a personal journey that later led to involvement with Embrace Family Ministries. After dropping out of high school in 2011, the author returned to church through Confirmation classes, later attending Chaffey College and studying art history, before re-engaging with the Catholic community.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Karla – co-founder of the Gifted & Called ministry, partner of Lisa, and advocate for LGBTQ Catholics.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Lisa – Karla’s partner and active member of the ministry.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Francine Bradley – organizer from Palm Springs who delivered the Mass’s closing remarks.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Embrace Family Ministries – the diocesan ministry that created the Pride Mass and secured the bishop’s endorsement.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Gifted & Called Ministry – a small, intergenerational group of about a dozen members that supports LGBTQ spirituality and welcomes non-Catholics.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

Attendees described a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The author noted “smiling faces” and “rainbow-patterned stoles” as visual symbols of inclusion. The procession featured visibly queer clergy, and the congregation’s response to a lone protester—who began chanting during Bradley’s remarks—was calm and orderly: men from the crowd escorted the individual out without escalation.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

Embrace Family Ministries framed the Mass as a response to a “real need in the diocese,” emphasizing that the celebration was endorsed by the local bishop.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

The Pride Mass demonstrates a growing willingness within parts of the Catholic Church to publicly affirm LGBTQ members. By integrating rainbow symbols into liturgical dress and providing a space for queer couples to share the sign of peace, the event challenges traditional expectations of Catholic worship. The Gifted & Called ministry’s inclusive policy—welcoming Buddhists, Jews, atheists, and non-Catholics—illustrates an expanding definition of spiritual community that transcends denominational boundaries.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• 2008 – Author experiences Prop 8 activism after Mass, prompting personal reflection.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• 2011 – Author drops out of high school, later returns to church through Confirmation classes.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Earlier this year – First Pride Mass held; Embrace Family Ministries promoted the event at Riverside Pride.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

• Current year – Second annual Pride Mass conducted at San Bernardino Cathedral.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"

The second annual Mass signals both continuity and evolution in the diocese’s approach to LGBTQ inclusion, moving from survival to visibility and now to deeper spiritual engagement.

Inside the 2nd Annual LGBTQ-Inclusive "Pride Mass"