Catholic monk proudly comes out as trans man
May 24, 2024A Catholic monk in Kentucky has publicly announced that he is a trans man, claiming to be the first in his position to do so.
Brother Christian Matson, a 39-year-old Catholic hermit in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, made the announcement on Sunday, as stated by the diocese on Tuesday. Hermits are a small subset of religious individuals who predominantly dedicate their lives to quiet prayer.
“On Pentecost Sunday, Brother Christian Matson, a professed hermit in the Diocese of Lexington, has made it public that he is a transgender person,” the diocese conveyed. Pentecost Sunday is known as the day the Holy Spirit descended upon early Christians, according to the Bible.
Matson, who transitioned while in college, converted to Catholicism in 2010 and shared his story with Religion News Service (RNS) last week ahead of the formal announcement. In 2022, he took vows as a hermit under Bishop John Stowe of the Diocese of Lexington, who was aware of Matson being trans, according to the report.
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As a Benedictine oblate, Matson shared a bold message for those critical of trans individuals in the church. “You’ve got to deal with us, because God has called us into this church,” Matson told RNS. “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 emphasised the importance of speaking up, saying, “If I don’t say anything and allow the church to continue to make decisions based on incorrect information, then I’m not serving the church.” Matson grew up in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Claiming to be the first openly trans person in his role within the Catholic Church, this claim was unverified by RNS. ‘Yahoo! News’ write.
Recently, the Vatican released a document on its stance concerning transgender individuals. The declaration, titled ‘Infinite Dignity’ and approved by Pope Francis, stated that God created men and women as biologically distinct, and that altering this plan or “making oneself God” should not be attempted. It labeled gender-affirming surgery as a violation of human dignity and equated it to trying to play God during a “sex-change intervention.”
Pope Francis has previously described gender ideology as one of the world’s “most dangerous ideological colonizations.”
A 2019 Vatican document rejected “calls for public recognition of the right to choose one’s gender,” and in 2021, the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan directed priests to deny baptism or confirmation to trans individuals until they have “repented,” according to RNS.
“It was suddenly becoming a lot more difficult in the church to be trans,” Matson told RNS. While some dioceses in the U.S. have strict guidelines against acknowledging gender transitions, certain parishes have been more welcoming to trans people.
Matson was determined to dedicate his life to his faith, notwithstanding a 2000 Vatican document which, as reported by Catholic News Service at the time, declared that anyone who had undergone a “sex-change” was ineligible for marriage, ordination, or entering religious life.
After consulting a canon lawyer and spending a decade searching for a suitable religious order while also studying in the U.K., Matson connected with Bishop John Stowe of the Diocese of Lexington, known for advocating a more inclusive approach to LGBTQ+ individuals. During this period, Matson co-founded a nonprofit in New York City named the Catholic Artist Connection.
Stowe appreciated Matson’s sincerity and desire to serve the church, expressing support for Matson's vocation as a hermit. "Hermits are a rarely used form of religious life,” Stowe explained, noting that hermits can be either male or female and do not pursue priesthood or engage in sacramental ministry. Given the solitary and contemplative nature of the vocation, Stowe saw no reason to prevent Matson from living this life.
“It was an enormous relief,” Matson said, describing his emotional reaction. “I was in tears. I felt my hope revive.”
In 2022, Matson took his first vows as a diocesan hermit under Stowe’s guidance and renewed them in 2023.
“I became Catholic after I transitioned because of the Catholic understanding — the sacramental understanding — of the body, of creation, of the desirability of the visible unity of the church and primarily because of the Eucharist,” Matson told RNS.
The Diocese of Lexington stated that “Brother Christian has long sought to consecrate his life to Christ in the Church by living the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.” The statement added, “He has consistently been accompanied by a competent spiritual director and has undergone formation in the Benedictine tradition. He does not seek ordination, but has professed a rule of life that allows him to support himself financially through his work in the arts and to live a life of contemplation in a private hermitage.”
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