Persons with homosexual desires have always been with us; however, up to recent times, there has been little, if any, outreach from the Church in the way of support groups or information. Most were left to work out their path alone.

In 1980, Terrance Cardinal Cooke of New York, aware of and troubled by this situation, asked Fr. John Harvey to form a spiritual support system for Catholics struggling with same-sex desires. With the endorsement of the Holy See, Courage has more than 95 Chapters world wide, and hundreds of persons per day receive assistance from the main office and website. It has become a mainstream Catholic Apostolate helping thousands of men and women find peace through fellowship, prayer and the Sacraments.

With the support of Archbishop Brunett and Bishop Thomas, the Seattle Chapter was formed in 1999 as a lay apostolate of Holy Family Parish with Fr. Philip Bloom as chaplain. Since then, it has experienced significant growth, and has helped to support dozens of men and women in the Archdiocese of Seattle.