Saints in the Closet: Catholicism's Quest for A Gay Icon

The Saints of the last hundred years have been radical because the Church has started to recognize that Sainthood is attainable for all, even in the lives of lay Catholics. Yet for all the diversity of Saints canonized by the last three popes, there is a population that is notably missing: the first Saints recognized for their same-sex attractions. For all the paths to Sainthood recognized in the last hundred years, it's time that those who are LGBT+ are acknowledged and added to that list.

I grew up hearing Catholic speakers like Jason Everett or Father Mike Schmitz speak hopefully of this future patron, claiming they would be one of the great Saints of the 21st century. But isn't it strange that those who accuse LGBT+ people of reducing themselves to their sexuality would propose a Saint whose primary identity is being a patron of sexuality? A far better approach would be to acknowledge the lives of holy people already revered in the Church who are known for their extraordinary contributions and happen to be people who experience same-sex attractions. These people already exist.

Four common ones are Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Saint John Henry Newman, and Henri Nouwen. Sergius and Bacchus were Roman soldiers martyred together, often venerated as companions with deep emotional bonds. Newman helped revive Catholicism in England and was known for his intense male friendships, including wanting to be buried in the same grave as his friend Ambrose. Nouwen was a profoundly influential Catholic writer in the 20th century and acknowledged his lifelong same-sex attractions in private writings and to close friends. These seem like ideal candidates, yet I've never heard them identified as patron saints for LGBT+ Catholics by the magisterium. The reason is that the Church, by its own doing, has made it nearly impossible to recognize an LGBT+ Saint.

First, two of the individuals on that list were Catholic priests, and the Vatican generally does not support men with same-sex attractions entering the seminary. While the reality is that a significant portion of priests do experience same-sex attractions, the vast majority of dioceses bar these individuals (either formally or informally) from sharing who they are with their parishes. So, to elevate the stories of these two same-sex attracted priests would effectively allow men with same-sex attractions to go to the seminary and priests to be out.

This leads to the second problem, which is that recognizing the sexuality or gender identity of Saints would contradict the current church practice of discouraging people from coming out. While the United States Council of Catholic Bishops concedes that sharing this part of one's life with close friends or family "may" be helpful, it goes on to say that "general public self-disclosures are not helpful and should not be encouraged" (Ministry of Persons with a Homosexual Inclination, 2006). Having a Saint known for this part of their identity would certainly be widespread public disclosure. The Church would seem to be saying, you have to be closeted while you're alive, but we can out you once you're dead.

But the real problem in all of this is that acknowledging LGBT+ Saints means the Church would have to come to terms with its own very queer reality. It would have to recognize the "not negligible" number of LGBT+ Catholics who work in our churches, schools, and ministries (CCC 2358). It would have to acknowledge that some of the most prominent contributors to the Church's art, theology, and leadership through the centuries were part of the very same community that the Church now so harshly condemns. Perhaps the reason why the Church is so harsh on LGBT+ people is that she is afraid to acknowledge this part of herself.

We don't need to find some new "gay Saint," we just need the Church to recognize the real experiences of her members. We know the scandalous lives of Saints Francis, Ignatius of Loyola, and Augustine, and that in no way diminishes our reverence for them. Instead, they remind us that God raises Saints from every walk of life. The Church is likely still a long way from having its first queer Saint, but in the meantime, we LGBT+ Catholics know who those saints are. We see them. We know them. And we ask for their intercession. And we pray for the day when the Church is no longer afraid of her own reflection, but instead recognizes in the stories of her queer children not scandal, but grace.

Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Saint John Henry Newman, and Henri Nouwen: pray for us.

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash