Catherine

I first came across the “Invitation to the Longing Ones” blog post in 2018 when I was newly wrestling with what my sexual desires would mean for my life as a Catholic woman. The framing within the context of "longing" spoke to my heart like nothing else I'd read about same-sex attraction and being Catholic. I kept the tab open in my phone browser for a long while and reread it from time to time when I felt discouraged about whether I could experience same-sex attractions and still be a good Catholic.

I finally overcame the fear of letting myself be known in this and connected with the Eden Invitation community in 2020. In the years since, the fear of being gay and Catholic has slowly dissolved. Having a community of amazing people surrounding me has taken away the loneliness and shame of thinking I must be the only one.

This community has given me the space to wrestle deeply with my desires, but always with the reminder that, at the end of the day, I am deeply loved by God and I have a place in the Church-- nothing changes that.