catholic monk In Kentucky He has come out publicly as transgender, claiming it is the first time he has done so in his capacity.
Brother Christian Matson, 39, a Catholic hermit in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, made the declaration on Sunday, the diocese announced in a statement on Tuesday. Hermits are a small group of religious people who spend their lives primarily in quiet prayer.
“On Pentecost Sunday, Brother Christian Matson, a self-proclaimed hermit of the Diocese of Lexington, announced that he is transgender,” the diocese said in a statement. The Bible teaches that Pentecost Sunday was the day the Holy Spirit descended on early Christians.
Matson converted to Catholicism in 2010, four years after transitioning while in college, he told Religion News Service (RNS) last week ahead of his announcement. In 2022, Matson took vows of obscurity under Bishop John Stowe of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. Bishop Stowe knew Matson was transgender, the outlet said.
Matson, who is also a Benedictine oblate, had a challenging message for critics of transgender people in the church.
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Brother Christian Matson (left), a Catholic hermit from the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, has publicly come out as transgender. (Jennifer Hart Yonts | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
“You have to deal with us because God has called us to this church,” Matson told RNS. “It’s not your church that’s going to kick us out. This is God’s church, and God has called us and grafted us into this church.”
“If I don’t say anything and allow the church to continue to make decisions based on misinformation, I’m not serving the church.” Matson was raised in the Presbyterian Church. .
Matson claims to be the first openly transgender person in the Catholic Church, but RNS was unable to verify the claim.
Last month, the Vatican released a document discussing the Catholic Church’s position on transgender individuals.
Pope Francis has previously called gender ideology one of the world’s “most dangerous ideological colonizations.” (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The declaration, entitled “Infinite Dignity,” was approved by Pope Francis and states that God created men and women as biologically distinct beings, and no one should try to change that plan or “make themselves God.” The document states that gender reassignment surgery violates God’s gift of human dignity and attempts to play God on the operating table during “sex change surgery.”
Francis has previously called gender ideology one of the world’s “most dangerous ideological colonizations.”
A 2019 Vatican document rejected calls for “official recognition of the right to choose one’s gender,” and in 2021 the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, ordered priests to accept transgender people seeking baptism or confirmation. He instructed them to “refuse until they repent.” ” reports RNS.
“All of a sudden it’s become a lot more difficult to be transgender in the church,” Matson told RNS.
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Some dioceses in the United States have issued strict guidelines that effectively prohibit recognition of gender reassignment. However, some dioceses welcome transgender people.
Matson decided to dedicate his life to his faith, but a 2000 Vatican document stated that people who have undergone a “sex change” are ineligible to marry, be ordained or enter religious life, Catholic News Agency reported at the time.
Matson then sought advice from canon law experts and spent 10 years searching for a suitable religious order to serve while studying in England, before finding himself in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, which was seeking more tolerance for LGBTQ+ people. I contacted Bishop John Stowe. At the time, Matson was also co-founder of a nonprofit organization in New York City called Catholic Artist Connection.
According to RNS, Stowe was open to accepting Matson as a hermit because he was a sincere man who wanted to serve the church.
“Hermitage is rarely used as a form of religious life… but they can be either male or female,” Stowe said. “Because there is no requirement to pursue holy orders or engage in sacramental ministry, and hermitage is a relatively quiet, secluded type of vocation, I didn’t see any harm in giving him this vocation.”
“It was a huge relief,” Matson said. “I was in tears. I felt my hope rekindled.”
Two transgender people march hand in hand and hold a transgender flag during the New York City Pride Parade on June 26, 2022 in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
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In 2022, Matson took his first vows as a parish hermit under Stowe’s guidance, and then renewed his vows in 2023.
“I became a Catholic after my gender transition because of the Catholic understanding of the body, creation and the desirability of the visible unity of the church — the understanding of the sacraments and, above all, Holy Communion,” Watson told RNS.
The Lexington Diocese statement went on to say that “Christian brothers have long sought to commit their lives to Christ in the Church by living according to the gospel teachings of poverty, chastity and obedience.”
“He has always been accompanied by competent spiritual leaders and has been educated in the Benedictine tradition,” the statement continues. “Although he does not seek ordination, he professes a lifestyle that allows him to become financially independent through continued artistic activity and lead a contemplative life in a private hermitage.”
