Saints Archives - Page 14 of 16

Ruth and Naomi: Biblical women who loved each other

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec. 16-31, Saints

Love between women is honored in the lives of Biblical figures Ruth and Naomi. The two women are an inspiration for lesbians and the whole LGBTQ community. Ruth’s famous vows to Naomi are often used in weddings — heterosexual as well as same-sex marriages. Few...

John of the Cross: Dark night of a gay soul honored in art and poetry

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

“The Dark Night of the Soul,” a spiritual classic with homoerotic overtones, was written by 16th-century Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross, also known as San Juan de la Cruz. His feast day is Dec. 14. It always near the winter solstice, the longest night of the...

Queer Lady of Guadalupe: Artists re-imagine an icon

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

Our Lady of Guadalupe brings a message of holy empowerment that speaks to LGBTQ people — and angers Christian conservatives. Queer art based on Guadalupe is shown here for her feast day today (Dec. 12). She is an Aztec version of the Virgin Mary that appeared to...

Adele Starr and others: Patron saints for straight allies of LGBTQ people

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

After her son came out in 1974, Adele Starr helped launch the group that became PFLAG, formerly known as Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. She overcame her negative perceptions about homosexuality to become an unflagging champion for LGBTQ rights...

Tibira do Maranhão: First indigenous gay martyr of Brazil

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

LGBTQ activists in Brazil launched a campaign for the sainthood of Tibira do Maranhão, the first gay martyr of Brazil. The indigenous man was baptized and then executed for sodomy by French missionaries on Dec. 8, 1614. Tibira is the first documented case of a person...

Pavel Florensky and Sergei Troitsky: Russian theologian of same-sex love and his soulmate

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

Pavel Florensky was a Russian Orthodox priest and scientist who wrote a groundbreaking theology of same-sex love in the early 20th century. He was executed on Dec. 8, 1937 on false charges as part of a Soviet anti-religious campaign. Florensky (1882-1937) is...

Freda Smith: LGBTQ activist, first woman ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

Freda Smith was a pioneering lesbian pastor, LGBTQ activist and the first woman ordained in Metropolitan Community Churches. She died on Dec. 3, 2019, at age 84 after suffering a stroke. She was known for her memorable sermons and speeches advocating for and...

Charles de Foucauld: Saint of the Sahara had gay connections | Canonized May 15, 2022 by Pope

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec 1-15, Saints

Charles de Foucauld was a French priest and desert hermit in early 20th-century Algeria who had gay connections. He is one of 10 new saints canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022. His feast day is Dec. 1. Sometimes called the saint of the Sahara, he created the...

Oscar Wilde: Gay martyr with complex faith journey recalled in art

by Kittredge Cherry | | Nov 16-30, Saints

Oscar Wilde is a 19th-century Anglo-Irish writer whose reputation as a gay literary martyr and LGBTQ role model often overshadows his spiritual journey as a follower of Christ and Anglican convert to Catholicism. He died on Nov. 30, 1900, after a deathbed conversion....

Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos: Mystical same-sex marriage with Jesus

by Kittredge Cherry | | Nov 16-30, Saints

Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos y de Seña is an 18th-century Spanish priest who wrote vividly of his mystical gay marriage to Jesus. This queer saint was beatified in 2010 and his feast day is Nov. 29. On Nov. 28, 2020, Q Spirit presented a new,...