GBTQ Men’s Retreat-Longing to Belong: A Prodigal’s Search for Community
With Dave Howser and Paul F. Morrissey, OSA
October 22 - 25, 2026
For decades, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Questioning men have been gathering at Kirkridge to build community, sing, laugh, tell stories, remember the departed, share our strength and wisdom, and soak in the beauty of the mountain. This annual retreat is for GBTQ men across the generations who are on a spiritual path. Come as you are!
Using the parable of the Prodigal Son and other sources, this year’s retreat examines the unique search to belong that Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning men experience and explores the various types of relationships that we long for in community. The program contains structured presentations and time for reflection, discussion, singing, and small groups. There will also be ample unstructured time for solitude, walking the land, socializing, and napping.
Cofacilitators this year are Dave Howser, M.Div, LCPC and Paul Morrissey, OSA. Other men will also participate in program leadership throughout the weekend and will help shape the retreat experience.
Leaders
Dave Howser,M.Div., LCPC has led groups, workshops, and retreats for LGBTQ+ people of faith for over 30 years. His passion is meeting people at the intersection of their spirituality and sexuality and draws from a variety of experiences as the resident chaplain on a hospital AIDS unit, a mental health counselor at an HIV/AIDS service organization, a retreat leader with several men’s groups and interfaith organizations, and currently at his psychotherapy and pastoral counseling practice in Chicago, IL. You can find Dave in a canoe, hiking in a forest, camping on a mountain, or rediscovering his Western Maryland Appalachian roots.
Learn more about Dave Howser
Paul F. Morrissey, OSA, is an Augustinian friar and ordained priest. In 1973, Fr. Paul cofounded the Philadelphia chapter of Dignity, an LGBTQ ministry in the Catholic Church. In 1977, he cofounded Communication Ministry (CMI), an international monthly newsletter, journal, and retreat ministry for LGBTQ priests, brothers, and sisters. His ministry has been mainly to the marginalized in society and the Church–those who are dying, those who need counseling, those in prison, and LGBTQ people and their allies. He is the author of three books, Let Someone Hold You: The Journey of a Hospice Priest, an award winning memoir, The…
Learn more about Paul F. Morrissey, OSA