Dignity Washington

The Whitman-Walker Foundation invites you to join them in making this moment a reality on Saturday, September 19th at Anacostia Park in Southeast DC. It will be the 40th Annual Walk and 5K to End HIV and your donation will go directly towards lifesaving research services for those most in need in our community, many of whom live with or at risk of HIV, regardless of their ability to pay.

Dignity Washington and Dignity Northern Virginia sponsor its communities to contribute in the walk with a $500 donation. We participate under the name of Jim DePersis who was a long-time member of Dignity Washington and volunteered at New Ways Ministry for a dozen or so years. In addition, his favorite charity was the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center that opened in 1993 and is now simply part of the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Jim was the driving force behind the Dignity Washington’s involvement with the then AIDS Walk. For that reason, we named the team after him following his death in October 2009.

Additional information on how to register for the walk and receive a t-shirt will be provided soon. For general information about the walk and 5K run, use the link. To read Jim’s obituary, use this link.

In my candidate statement this past spring, I said that I believe our “best days are ahead of us. While growth and change may challenge us, they also present an opportunity to expand our reach, deepen our ministry, and ensure that every person knows they are a beloved child of God.”

I stand by those words and want to expand on my vision for Dignity Washington in the upcoming year. I remember the hay days of when we had over 400 people attend Mass at St. Margaret’s in the 1990s. We had a host of committees managing events that provided fellowship in various forms throughout the year. While many of those events have changed in the last 10+ years, we, the community, can have some of those events return to us.

What I want to do is encourage each and every one of you to take a more active role in making a difference for the future of Dignity Washington. It is important to move out of our comfort zone to create changes. I want us to accept a challenge to change the direction of our outreach by going out into other communities. We should boldly spread the word that we are here and ready to provide a spiritual home for those who need us but don’t yet know about us. I want “us” to reach out to our friends and family and bring them to Mass so they can experience what we have to offer. I want us to participate in activities at other Catholic churches to represent Dignity Washington with a face and a hand shake.

We experience success in our community even though our numbers are smaller than before the pandemic. We met the challenge to continue Mass through the dark days of uncertainty because of the coordinated work of a determined group of people. We have a great opportunity to make a difference one person at a time. We need everyone to do her, his, their part to grow our community. And with the grace of God, we can begin to strengthen our numbers and grow our ministries.

We can no longer capitulate to the idea that we are only an aging community with little to offer younger people. Instead, our wisdom is a commodity from which younger people can benefit. As Cardinal McElroy said in our meeting with him in May, he tries different things and see what sticks. That’s my challenge for us.

By the time you read this note, we will have selected our new Communication Coordinator. This person will work closely with the Board of Directors to spread the message of Dignity Washington to the LGBTQ+ and allied communities through social media campaigns and posters in meeting places and on college campuses. The board discussed ways to reach out to organizations like PFLAG and gay and straight alliances to let them know we are here for them and their loved ones. Our Communication Coordinator is young and knows the latest trends to reach people searching for a spiritual community.

I want to reach out to high school and college student groups to “adopt” Dignity Washington for volunteer opportunities. There are tasks these young people can do for the benefit of DW and our community while earning volunteer hours that are most often requirements for many school programs. We should take advantage of examples of brave risk takers at other Dignity chapters like in Philadelphia and Boston where they have seen growth in their communities.

Previously, we had a “Table of Six” where Dignity members would host a dinner at their home and guests who had signed up to participate would bring a side dish to share. Something less complicated would be a Dignity member organize a tour of something of interest or maybe even a lecture given by the Smithsonian or other institutions. Doing so would give us an opportunity to be together in difference spaces, get to know one another better, and possibly meet people to invite to Mass.

In our midst, we have a wealth of knowledge and experience on various subjects that we could share with others. I want you to consider volunteering for one of the liturgical ministries, some of which will require little time commitment on your part but would help us tremendously. It is possible to give back to the community by forming a group of volunteers at a school to help tutor students how to read or do math problems once a week, for example. I am always looking for articles for the Bulletin of interest to the community. If you are a writer, you can contribute by discussing an issue that is relevant to our community.

Overall, we must do something to show we are Christians inside and outside the doors of St. Margaret’s. I hope you consider what you can do and share that with me or a board member to show that Dignity is alive in the greater community.

I encourage you to let me know what concerns you about Dignity Washington and what we do well. With an open-door policy, I hope to move the efforts of the community forward. We can continue a healing and affirming outreach to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer
Catholics, as well as all those who seek a faith community rooted in dignity and inclusion.

Your brother in Christ,

Peter Edwards
President
Dignity Washington

Dignity Washington was part of the fun at the Nationals’ baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. It was a remarkable evening with mild temperatures, a pleasant light breeze, and bright sunshine. At the game were over 25 Dignity Washington members and friends who watched a game that came down to two last outs and a much-needed win for the Nationals. Alas, in the top of the 9th inning, with one strike, the Phillies hit a home run allowing two players to circle the bases, winning the game by 1 run. Better luck next time. At least we received the 2026 Pride Jersey for attending.

Dignity Washington celebrated a meaningful Pride Month with faith, community, and outreach.

On Saturday, June 20th, Dignity Washington members marched proudly in the Capital Pride Parade alongside our friends from WHIMM (Washington Home Inclusive Monthly Mass). Wearing our light blue shirts and rainbow sashes, we made our way from 14th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, celebrating the diversity, resilience, and spirit of our community.

Our Pride Festival booth on Sunday provided an opportunity to connect with many individuals and families who were excited to learn about Dignity Washington. We are following up with those who expressed interest and hope these new connections will lead to many new faces at Mass in the coming weeks. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to staff the booth and share our ministry.

The week also included the Pride Interfaith Service at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where members joined other faith communities in prayer and reflection, and Holy Trinity Catholic Church’s Sixth Pride Mass, which featured inspiring music, a meaningful homily, and fellowship afterward.

We are grateful for everyone who helped make these events such a success. May we continue to celebrate our faith and our authentic selves throughout the year as we “exist, resist, and persist” together.

Special thanks to Larry Ranly for organizing our delegation.

The Pride 2026 weekend began with the Outreach Conference 2026: Walking Side-by-Side at Georgetown University, June 19th–21st, at Georgetown University. Dignity Washington was part of the over 450 LGBTQ Catholics, family members, friends, ministers, and allies from across the country who prayed together, shared stories, attended workshops, and celebrated a Mass with Cardinal Robert McElroy. During the conference, Outreach senior staff (John Consolie, Conor Reidy, and Fr. James Martin) accepted Dignity Washington’s 2024 Veronica and Gerald Colfer Award for their outstanding service to the Catholic LGBTQ community for which they were gratefully appreciative.

Submitted by Jason Carson Wilson

Dignity Washington members gathered with hundreds of people at Connecticut Avenue and Kalorama Road, NW to protest tyranny.

Board member Jim Sweeney joined members Erik Champy, Frank Reiner, Denis Pringle, Jerry Fath, James Bedore, and David Van Den Berg, along with Jason Carson Wilson, beginning the day with coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts before confronting fascism near the Taft Bridge.

Champy and Sweeney organized the group that congregated to call out our government. Those gathered carried signs and shouted call-and-response chants.

“When I say, ‘No!’ You say ‘Kings!’”

East Side: “No!”

West Side: “Kings!”

Weekend traffic responded enthusiastically with everything from honks to cheering and waving from passing vehicles.

In mid-May, Dignity Washington will conduct its 2026 Elections for the Board of Directors and President. An Election Committee has been formed from two members of the current Board and one community member. The Election Committee has worked with community members to identify a slate of candidates for the open Board positions and the position of President. A preliminary list of individuals for the Board and the office of President will be presented at the Board of Directors Meeting on April 8.

Please identify yourself for any Board position by writing to the Office Manager (see below).

NOTE: To be considered for any Board position and/or President AND to be able to vote in the upcoming election, a members must be “in good standings with Dignity Washington.“

If you have any questions, or would like to run for an open position, please contact the Dignity Washington Office Manager.