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.

The Calendar of Queer Saints and Martyrs for the full year now lists only the most important of the large number that could be included – “most important”:  those widely recognized as saints, and also with good reason to be described as in some sense queer.

The monthly pages provide a more comprehensive listing of queer people in church history, including some lesser figures, some for whom the descriptor “queer” is more speculative, and some who were clearly were not saints. All are important for illustrating some part of queer Christian history.

October

• Oct 2nd
  • St Justina , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)

• Oct 4th
  • Francis of Assisis (Jesus in Love blog)

• Oct 5th
  • SS Benedicta, (6 May) and Galla (5 October), Roman nuns – and lovers? (Queer Saints & Martyrs)

• Oct 7th: Sergius and Bacchus
  • Sergius & Bacchus, Patron Saints of Gay Marriage (Queer Saints & Martyrs)
  • SS Sergius and Bacchus, Roman soldiers, lovers & martyrs d circa 297 ( Jesus in Love Blog)

• Oct 7th: Feast of the Rosary
  • The Rosary for October: Subversive, Queer

• Oct 9 th
  • “Out of the Shadows, Into the Light”: Blessed John Newman and the Soho Masses (Queer Saints & Martyrs)
  • Cardinal John Henry Newman (LGBT Catholic Handbook
  • St Athanasia/ Athanasios of Antioch, Cross-Dressing Saint? (LGBT Catholic Handbook)
  • St Poplia , woman deacon (Womenpriests.org)

• Oct 10th
  • Vida Dutton Scudder, American  Lesbian Saint for Our Times  (Queer Saints & Martyrs)

• Oct 11th
  • National Coming Out Day ( Jesus in Love Blog)

• Oct 12th
  • Matthew Shephard: Nourished by the Blood of a Gay Martyr
  • Matthew Shephard: Modern Gay Martyr (Jesus in Love Blog)

• Oct 13th
  • Alfredo’s Fire: The Self- Immolation of Alfredo Ormando
  • Theodore Beza, Calvinist Theologian

• Oct 24 th
  • Jerome Duquesnoy II , Burned October 24th, 1654 A notable Belgian sculptor, bound to a stake in the Grain Market in the center of Ghent, strangled and burnt on allegations of sodomy (which he strenuously denied) .

• Oct 27 th
  • Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 – 1536), Netherlands. Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and theologian who tried to bridge the gap between Catholic and Reformation impulses – and who is also known for a series of passionate love letters he wrote to  a young monk Servatius Roger, and  allegations of improper advances made to the young Thomas Grey, later Marquis of Dorset, while employed Erasmus as his tutor.
  • Allen R Schindler Jr. (1969 – 1992 ) US Naval Petty Officer, murdered in hate crime killing – a modern gay martyr, killed for not hiding his sexuality during the era of DADT in the US military.

• Oct 29 th
  • St Anna / Euphemianos of Constantinople, Cross-Dressing Saint  (LGBT Catholic Handbook)

• Oct 30 th
  • David Morley, Twice Martyred Gay Barman

• October 31st
  • Hallowe’en?