15/17 May 2026 in Albano Laziale (Rome) three days of spirituality for LGBTQ+ Christians, their families and pastoral workers
From the afternoon, from 4 pm, onfriday 15 May to lunch on Sunday 17 May 2026 will take place in Albano Laziale (Rome) on weekend of spirituality for lGBTQIA+ People, their family members and the pastoral workers who accompany them organized byLa Tenda di Gionata. Three days to meet, discuss and walk together through discussion workshops, moments of sharing, training and prayer.
WE WILL MEET:Elisa Belotti, journalist and essayist, he deals with rights and marginalized communities even in the Church; Gianluca Costa, doctor in psychological techniques with training in theology and biblical culture; Luca Lunardon, priest and teacher of ethics of life and relationships at the iSSR of Vicenza; Emilia Palladino, professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; Pino Piva, jesuit and trainer; mgr. Vincenzo Viva, bishop of the diocese of Albano
WHERE: We will meet with over 120 people from all over Italy, on the outskirts of Rome, in Albano Laziale (Ariccia), guests of theSan girolamo Emiliani Reception House Of the Somaschi Fathers(Via Rufelli 14). The structure, surrounded by greenery, has a large garden and internal parking. It's easy to get totrain,car,busAnd also fromfiumicino airportsIsCiampino. Approximately 120 beds are available in double, triple and quadruple rooms. The few single rooms, located in the guesthouse, are reserved for consecrated persons. The stay includes breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Anyone who lives in the city of Rome is invited to participate without staying overnight. I'm coming from friday 15 may from 2.30 pm, starting at 4.00 pm, departures from lunch, 12.30 pm, on Sunday 17 May 2026. To avoid wasting paper unnecessarily, all programmes, prayer and reflection sheets will be available online with QR code on the participants' mobile phones/tablets
THE WORKSHOPS PLANNED FOR SATURDAY 16 MAY 2026: You can participate in the workshops even if you don't stay overnight at the three-day venue, just sign up for the workshop you're interested in and purchase a meal as a contribution to the facility.
| 1. “The Synod and lGBTQ+ pastoral Care” with jesuit father Pino Piva. Father Pino, who participated and experienced the Synod for the Italian Church, will tell us how we came to write numbers 30 and 31 of the summary document of the Italian Synodal Path which directly touch on pastoral issues with LGBTQ+ people. 2. “The fertility of lGBTQ+ Families with the contribution of various testimonies. We will listen to the experiences of LGBTQ+ families, their stories are paths of calls to open up towards new horizons of life, of couples and of family. 3. “The reception of LGBTQ+ issues in the world of Catholic associations” with representatives of the Scout Agesci and Catholic Action associations. We want to know how the associations of the Catholic world are moving in welcoming LGBTQ+ issues and the new indications emerging from the Synod. What training courses are they proposing? What resistances are they still experiencing within them? 4. “The Church that (doesn't) want us” with Elisa Belotti, co-author ofbook of the same name. Journalist Elisa Belotti will guide us through the struggles of a Church still animated by a patriarchal style that does not value the role of women, which does not address current, emerging and indispensable issues, such as sexuality, abuse, the family and queer theology as a horizon of liberation, to lead them into a new evangelical path. 5. "How to welcome LGBTQ+ Christians and their parents” with Gianluca Costa, doctor in psychological techniques. The service volunteers "I trust you" they will tell us about their various and multiple listening experiences supported by the presence of Gianluca Costa, offering us the opportunity to learn from their stories how to "welcome". 6. “The experience of LGBTQ+ deaf people with Don Giorgio del Vecchio (LIS workshop reserved for LGBTQ+ AND NON-LGBTQ+ DEAF people). This workshop reserved for deaf people is an opportunity to learn about this path. An extra gift for the LGBTQ+ reality. |
HOW TO GET THERE: By car or train. To save money, we recommend arriving at Rome Termini with Itabus or Flixbus and continuing with a local train to Albano Laziale station, whichit is fifteen minutes on footFrom the structure.
COSTS: We want everyone to be able to participate. For this reason, the quotas are differentiated based on income. The average fee covers the actual costs of the retreat, the higher ones help support those in difficulty. If you have financial problems, let us know: we will find a solution together. Choose the option that best suits you. The cost remains unchanged, whether you stay three, two or one night, or whether you do not participate in all the meals in the facility this is because they still have to be paid every day so we book the rooms with full board. If you participate in the three-day event without staying overnight, we ask you to purchase at least one meal.
Rates for those who STAY and are members of La Tenda di Gionata:
- 110 euros → for students, unemployed, housewives or incomes up to 700 euros
- 160 euros → for incomes up to 1,400 euros
- 200 euros → for incomes between 1,500 and 2,000 euros
- 250 euros → for incomes over 2,000 euros
Fees for those who STAY and are NOT members of La Tenda di Gionata:
A further contribution of must be added to the quotas above20 eurosFor membership in the associationJonathan's tent(necessary for insurance reasons). In exchange, you will receive a welcome gift package which you will collect at 3days. The fees for those who are NOT members therefore become:110*, 180, 220, 270 euros, depending on income (*only the minimum amount remains unchanged to support students or those without an income).
Quotas for those who do not stay overnight(only the purchase of at least one meal is required for each day of participation):
- 20 euros → 1 meal (lunch or dinner)
- 35 euros → 2 meals (lunch and dinner)
- 50 euros → 3 meals
- 60 euros → 4 meals
HOW TO REGISTER:Fill out the online formByMay 1, 2026. We will send you a confirmation email with payment instructions, if you STAY NIGHT you will pay a deposit of 50 euros; If you do NOT stay overnight, you will only pay the total of the meals chosen. Payment must be made via bank transfer (IBAN provided via email). In case of cancellation byMay 1, we will refund the amount paid, withholding 20 euros for secretarial costs. When registering we also ask you to report any food allergies. Registration will remain open until places are filled.
Everyone is welcome!
For the complete programclick here
For info:tendadigionata@gmail.com
Thecatacombs of San SenatoreThey are located a few minutes - three minutes by car, 15 minutes on foot - from the house of the Somaschi Fathers where we will meet in Albano Laziale. At km 25 of the Appian Way, under the church of Santa Maria della Stella. The catacombs are dedicated to the martyr Senator and contain early Christian, Byzantine and medieval images that tell of a faith lived in silence, often in hiding.
Among these images there is one that is more striking than the others. The bearded face of a very particular saint: a monk,Saint Smaragdo alias Eufrosina, venerated already in life for his goodness. But then, after her death… it was discovered that she was actually a woman who was passed off as a man in order to become a monk. And perhaps it is no coincidence that, a few steps from the place where we will meet, there is also this memory of faith. A memory that remains there... and continues to speak to us.
