Historic Saint Paul Catholic Church / Facebook
CV NEWS FEED // Following opposition from a number of Catholics, a church in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, canceled an event that would have limelighted a woman hermit whom the diocese has referred to as a man and identified as Brother Christian Matson, born Nicole Matson.
The event, titled “A Conversation With and About Transgender Persons,” was supposed to take place March 11 at Historic Saint Paul Catholic Church, but pastoral associate Stan Zerkowski announced its cancellation March 10 on Facebook.
“I really thought we had a climate in which transgender persons would be safe at a forum at our parish and a civil discussion with Brother Christian, at which trans persons and those who love them, among many others, could occur,” Zerkowski wrote. “Sadly, that just isn’t the case.”
Zerkowski explained that after advertising the event on social media, the response from a number of Catholics sparked concern.
“The rhetoric by fellow Catholics and supported by one of the ordained on a public Facebook post has been frightening. It has been sickening,” Zerkowski said in the post.
According to the Facebook post, the Catholics were not parishioners at Historic Saint Paul.
CatholicVote attempted to find Facebook comments opposing the event and was unsuccessful. CatholicVote contacted Zerkowski for more information but did not receive a response by publication time.
Zerkowski said in his statement that the pushback related to the event was uncharitable.
“The hateful remarks and utterly disgusting rhetoric hurled at Brother Christian and trans persons have demonstrated to me why the kind of encounter I envisioned was necessary but just cannot be held tomorrow at the expense of safety,” he stated.
Zerkowski emphasized his commitment to his work, noting that he understands the risks of his ministry and that “vocal detractors” do not deter him.
“We will find another way to have this conversation. Stay tuned,” he wrote. “The fact that I am writing this demonstrates the reality that trans persons face: ideologies that demonize, words that are intended to hurt, and the potential of physical harm.”
He urged readers to speak up against rhetoric that vilifies or demeans others.
In May 2024, the Diocese of Lexington issued a statement about Matson, who announced on Pentecost Sunday that she was “transgender”.
“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 stated.
The diocese explained that Matson has sought to live a consecrated life and has been accompanied by a spiritual director.
“He does not seek ordination, but has professed a rule of life that allows him to support himself financially by continuing his work in the arts and to live a life of contemplation in a private hermitage,” the diocese concluded. “Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., accepted his profession and is grateful to Brother Christian for his witness of discipleship, integrity and contemplative prayer for the Church.”
The diocesan statement came two months after the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith published a declaration on human dignity that addressed issues including gender ideology and “sex change.”
“Teaching about the need to respect the natural order of the human person, Pope Francis affirmed that ‘creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift. At the same time, we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created,’” the declaration, Dignitas Infinita, stated. “It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.”
