Catholic monk who lives as a hermit in the Appalachian mountains comes out as a transgender man - and issues defiant message to critics

A Catholic monk who lives as a hermit in Kentucky has come out as transgender in what is thought to be a first for the church.

Brother Christian Matson, 39, who transitioned in college, came out as a transgender man on Sunday, the religious holiday of Pentecost.

The monk, who is based in the Appalachian mountains, made the announcement with the permission of his bishop John Stowe of the Diocese of Lexington, according to National Catholic Reporter.

'You've got to deal with us, because God has called us into this church,' Matson told the outlet. 

'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.' 

Brother Christian Matson, 39, announced that he is a transgender man on Sunday

'My willingness to be open to him is because it's a sincere person seeking a way to serve the church,' Bishop John Stowe of Lexington said. 

'Hermits are a rarely used form of religious life … but they can be either male or female. 

'Because there's no pursuit of priesthood or engagement in sacramental ministry, and because the hermit is a relatively quiet and secluded type of vocation, I didn't see any harm in letting him live this vocation.'

Matson, who also goes by Cole, transitioned from female to male while in college. He became a Catholic in 2010.

His announcement may seem at odds with the Catholic church's stance on transgender issues, which were outlined in its Infinite Dignity declaration in April.

The document asserts its belief that God made men and women biologically different and no attempts should be made to transgress this.

But Matson has been emboldened to come forward thanks to the support of his bishop.

'I can't stand by and let this false and, at times, culpably ignorant understanding of what it means to be transgender continue to hurt people,' he said. 

The announcement is thought to be a first for the Catholic church and was made with permission from Matson's bishop

Matson took his vows to become a diocesan hermit in 2022 and renewed them in 2023, decades after transitioning

'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 took his vows as a diocesan hermit in 2022, overseen by Stowe. The vows include commitments to poverty, chastity and obedience carried out in solitude.

He decided to go public with his experience following some developments within the church that suggested greater tolerance of trans people.

This included a Vatican doctrine in November 2023 which ruled transgender people may be baptized and serve as witnesses at weddings.

An experience where a trans student asked him to pray for their acceptance in the church also encouraged Matson to consider coming out.

Matson refers to his transition as 'medical history' rather than 'a central part of my personal identity'.

Matson insists he has no agenda and just wants to serve the church while being truthful to himself

Matson, seen here starring in an independent film released in 2013, said he felt called to minister to those in the arts following conversion

He said he was called to minister to those in the arts shortly after his conversion, but that he was worried he would face obstacles.

Matson said he consulted a canonical lawyer who advised he would only be ineligible for marriage or priesthood.

He was told, 'there's no problem as long as there's a bishop who will accept you, because there's no distinction by sex and you're not in a community — you're by yourself,' Matson said.

During his search, Matson moved to the UK to pursue a PhD in theology before returning to the US and starting up an arts organization.

 He has several minor film credits to his name on IMDb and was previously Managing Director of Open Window Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Matson and Stowe said they are braced for potential backlash against the announcement.

'I don't have a hidden agenda, I just want to serve the church,' Matson said. 'People can believe that or not.'