A Catholic monk came out as transgender and stated that the church “must deal with” LGBT Catholics.
On May 17, Brother Christian Matson, a Catholic monk in Kentucky, told Religion News Service, “This Sunday, Pentecost 2024 (May 19), I’m planning to come out publicly as transgender.”
“You’ve got to deal with us because God has called us into this church. It’s not your church to kick us out of—this is God’s church, and God has called us and engrafted us into it,” Matson, who holds a doctorate in religious studies, told the Church regarding transgender Catholics.
Matson underwent a transition while in college and, four years later, converted to Catholicism. His goal is that by coming out, important conversations regarding accepting transgender people within the Catholic community will be sparked.
His decision follows the Vatican’s 20-page “Infinite Dignity” document, which attacked gender theory, abortion, and surrogacy as assaults on humanity’s relationship with God.
The booklet was released less than a month ago. Matson was disappointed by the lack of scientific engagement in the Vatican’s position on transgender matters. He has appealed to the Vatican in several letters to encourage officials to engage with transgender people more.
Matson sought counsel from a canon lawyer when he felt called to serve in the Church. The lawyer offered the role of a diocesan hermit, who does not discriminate based on gender.
Despite this, Matson was rejected by various towns before finally finding acceptance in Kentucky.
“People who knew me said, ‘You clearly have a religious vocation,’ and these were all people who knew my medical history,” Matson said.
However, persons in charge of making decisions within communities frequently declined to meet with him.
Bishop John Stowe, a notable champion for LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic Church, received Matson’s letter in 2020 and oversaw his vows in 2022.
“My willingness to be open to him is because it’s a sincere person seeking a way to serve the church. Hermits are a rarely used form of religious life … but they can be either male or female,” Stowe told the RNS.
Matson spent his first year almost entirely in prayer or working at a local theatre until renewing his vows in 2023.
“I don’t have a hidden agenda, I just want to serve the church,” Matson said. “People can believe that or not.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
