Calendar of Gay / Queer Saints and Martyrs

Catholic tradition honours the remarkable men and women who have contributed significantly to its heritage by recognising them as saints. Secular tradition like to remember specific events or causes by setting aside specific dates for their observance. This page is a start at assembling a calendar of notable dates of importance to our queer Christian community.

For lesbian, gay or trans Christians, it is especially important to understand our history in the Church and our contributions, but these  have often been hidden, or obscured by uncertainties of definition. There is also, very often, a fine dividing line between religious and purely secular importance.  To get around this, I have used some very broad definitions. I use “queer” to denote anything that is clearly not a standard, heterosexual orientation or gender identity. I accept the recognised saints of both the Catholic and orthodox churches, but also some early saints who have never been formally canonized, but received clear recognition by popular acclaim. In the same spirit, I include some modern figures who are receiving widespread popular recognition, but who have not yet been accorded a formal cause for canonization by the Vatican.

I also include some people with specific and clear importance to the LGBT community, without making any claims for their personal holiness. This includes clergy, theologians, and secular figures who were murdered for their queer activism – or just for being queer. I do not however, include anybody still living. There are many notable people who deserve to be recognized as modern heroes, but to include them with the saints would be premature.

I have drawn on the work particularly of Paul Halsall at the LGBT Catholic Handbook (which is no longer being updated), on the continuing work of Kittredge Cherry with her series on LGBT Saints at Jesus in Love, and on my own series at Queer Saints and Martyrs, and a few other on-line sources. Like everything else on these pages, this is a work in progress. In some cases, I have listed names and dates in red italics, without links. These are place holders for people that I have seen suggested elsewhere, that I believe could justify inclusion, but where I still need to do more exploration.

January

Aelred of Rievaulx, Jan 12th

  • Jan 8th
  • Jan 31st
    • Giovanni (John) Bosco, Founder of Boys’ Town?

February

Fr Robert Carter, Feb 22nd

  • Feb 20
    • Marcella Althaus-Reid, “Indecent Theologian”
  • Feb-21
    • Peter Damian?
  • Feb 23rd

March

April

  • Apr 3rd
    • Richard of Chichester
  • Apr 6th
    • St Platonida , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)
    • Saint Notker Balbulus (Notker the Stammerer)? (said to have written homoerotic verse or love letters)
  • Apr 14th

May

Joan of Arc: Interrogation by the Bishop of Winchester (Paul Delaroche, 1797 -1856)

  • May 3rd
    • Waldef

June

Pauliinus of Nola, June 22nd

 

 

July

  • July 3rd
    • Martyrs of the Upstairs Lounge
  • July 21 st
  • July 25th
  • July 28th
    • St Irene , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)

August

  • Aug 3 rd
    • St Lydia , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)
  • Aug 5th
    • St Nonna , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)
  • Aug 13 th

September

    • St Edward II King of England, 1284 -1327 (LGBT Catholic Handbook)

October

  • Oct 2nd
    • St Poplia , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)
  • October 31st
    • Hallowe’en?

November

  • (Nov 16th 
    • Edmund?)

December

  • Dec 1st
    • Blessed Charles de Foucauld
    • John Boswell

 

Moveable Feasts:

  • Kuan Yin +/- Apr-03  (Jesus in Love Blog)
  • Holy Trinity
  • Corpus Christi
  • Thanksgiving
  • Feast of the Holy Family
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