Join Us for a Night of Celebration and Community! The Friends of St. Aelred’s annual Spiritual Pride Dinner is back and better than ever! Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 6:00 PM. This joyous event will take place at the beautiful Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Harvard Hall - 140 4th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Indulge in a delicious catered buffet dinner, featuring a variety of entrees and beverages. For those 21 and older, enjoy a selection of libations. (Anyone 18 and older is welcome to attend the dinner.)
This is an interfaith event, and we warmly invite friends and family from all walks of life to join us in celebrating the importance of a supportive faith community for the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s come together for an evening of love, acceptance, and unity.
Meet the Speaker: The Rev. Elyse Gustafson
The Rev. Elyse Gustafson began serving as a priest at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Jacksonville FL. in 2021. Prior to that she served parishes in North Carolina and Virginia and then on active duty as a chaplain in the US Army. Elyse holds an MDiv from Duke Divinity School, and MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and a BA from Wheaton College. She also serves on the boards of the Lighthouse Florida, JASMYN, and the Cathedral District Jax, Inc.
She will talk about some of the experiences LGBTQIA people are still facing, “With marriage equality we thought we crossed the threshold into the world of acceptance. But the application has been uneven, and some places have taken that more seriously than others. It is still a fight in some places.” She will recount the discrimination that she and other gay and lesbian clergy faced in the Diocese of Florida, She is “…glad an event like Spiritual Pride exists” and looks forward to being with us.