Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Lexington, Kentucky and has dedicated himself to ministry and witness on behalf of LGBTQ+ Catholics.
Bishop John was born April 15, 1966 in Amherst, Ohio and grew up in Lorain, Ohio where he attended Catholic grade school and high school before being admitted as a candidate to St. Bonaventure Friary of the Conventual Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Consolation in St. Louis, MO. During his candidacy, he studied philosophy and history at St. Louis University and completed degrees in each in 1990. On August 1, 1992, Bishop John professed solemn vows in the Minorites, and then pursued seminary studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California and received a Master of Divinity and Licentiate in Church History. He was ordained to the priesthood on September 16, 1995.
After serving in various positions in El Paso, including as a pastor, Moderator of the Curia, and Chancellor for the Diocese of El Paso, he was elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation as well as rector of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio. On March 12, 2015, Pope Francis named him the third Bishop of Lexington, Kentucky, where he has served ever since. He received his episcopal consecration from Archbishop Joseph Kurtz on May 5, 2015. He also serves on the USCCB’s committee for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (the bishops’ anti-poverty initiative) and serves as the bishop-president of Pax Christi USA, a Catholic peace and justice initiative.
Within the Catholic Church, many LGBTQ+ individuals may face discrimination, derision, disgust, and even active rejection for employment, education, sacramental participation, and social services due to Church teachings on gender and sexuality. Many priests and bishops are either silently complicit or active contributors to this culture of discrimination, but there are a growing number of advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies, including Bishop John.
Throughout his role as bishop, Bishop John has spoken out in defense and support of LGBTQ+ Catholics, despite condemnation and disagreement from fellow U.S. Bishops. He has been a vocal supporter of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic outreach ministry which focuses on equity, inclusion, and justice for LGBTQ+ people. In 2017, Bishop John offered scriptural reflections at New Ways Ministry’s Eighth National Symposium and subsequently offered interviews in which he expressed respect and admiration for queer Catholics who remain in the Church despite rejection and spoke out against Church firings of LGBTQ+ people. Also in 2017, Bishop John offered support for Fr. James Martin, whose book on LGBTQ issues in the Church, Building a Bridge, left him the victim of right-wing attacks. Bishop John also responded positively to Lexington’s first Pride Interfaith Service in 2017— sending a letter to the attendees in which he joined their efforts of praying for compassion, joy, and resistance to hatred—as well as to Lexington’s Pride celebrations in 2019. For a Bishop to respond positively to a Pride celebration is still a considerable and significant show of support, given that many Catholic priests and Bishops continue to refuse to even recognize the identities of those in the LGBTQ+ community, let alone their celebrations of pride and resistance.
Bishop John has subsequently released statements for Pride every year, offering his support and routinely calling for greater justice and inclusion. Along with offering scriptural and pastoral reflections for New Ways Ministry, Bishop John has also contributed to Outreach Ministry, a Catholic LGBTQ+ pastoral ministry. When the 2020 Outreach Conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop John provided video messages, voicing his support and admiration for the spiritual journeys of LGBTQ+ Catholics. Bishop John also offered an address at the Outreach conference in 2022 in which his message to the LGBTQ+ community was simple: “I love you.” Bishop John has also written a number of articles for Outreach, speaking about the LGBTQ community as an example of “unselfish love” and affirming LGBTQ+ persons’ call to holiness and participation in the Church. Along with attending and contributing theological and pastoral insights to different iterations of the Outreach conference, Bishop John has also led an LGBTQ+ retreat in South Bend, Indiana—cosponsored by Notre Dame’s Gender Relations Center and Campus Ministry—which sought to explore how to integrate faith and sexual orientation.
In 2021, Bishop John joined 7 other bishops in signing a statement, “God is On Your Side: A Statement from Catholic Bishops on Protecting LGBT Youth.” This document was released by the Tyler Clementi Foundation, which is dedicated to working against anti-LGBTQ bullying. The statement recognizes the high rates of bullying, violence, and mental health concerns faced by LGBTQ+ youth and emphasizes God’s love and solidarity. He also joined one other US bishop in signing a letter for Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021 which condemned anti-trans discrimination and violence and recognized the presence, gifts, and blessings of transgender individuals as part of God’s creation.
Bishop John’s commitment to LGBTQ+ justice and inclusion has remained steadfast even in the face of criticism and amidst the largely conservative climate of the USCCB. U.S. bishops frequently applauded actions of former U.S. President Donald Trump when they were aimed at limiting and denying LGBTQ equality. When the Trump administration removed nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ persons in areas of healthcare, homeless shelters, and public schools, and U.S. bishops voiced their approval, Bishop John was one of the few who challenged the government’s actions. Similarly, when US Bishops released a largely condemnatory statement upon the election of former U.S. President Joe Biden in part due to his stance on issues of gender and sexuality, Bishop John was one of the few to criticize his fellow bishops. In 2021,
Bishop John made the courageous decision to endorse the Equality Act, which the rest of the USCCB actively opposed. In defending his stance, he emphatically stated, “How can we take a position against equality?”
Bishop John has not been shy about remaining firm in his pro-LGBTQ stance whenever questioned. In homilies, he has questioned the tendency for some priests to bless weapons but not queer couples, and he has spoken publicly about the need for legal protections for LGBTQ+ couples. He has called for official Church teachings on homosexuality to change, recognizing the language as harmful and othering. When the Vatican released a document voicing openness to blessings for same-gender couples, Bishop John defended the document and acknowledged how meaningful a blessing can be for queer couples.
Bishop John has been a strong supporter of Pope Francis and his vision for synodality, putting this attitude into action by regularly engaging in genuine and compassionate encounter with LGBTQ+ individuals, taking their witness to eart and calling upon others to similarly engage in dialogue with those they may perceive as different than them, with hearts open to change. Through these encounters, Bishop John has demonstrated humility and compassion. In 2021, for example, Bishop John personally apologized to a former church worker who was fired over her same-gender marriage. He has repeatedly and enthusiastically voiced his support for Brother Christian Matson, a vowed hermit in his diocese who came out as transgender in 2024.
Bishop John knew of Brother Matson’s trans identity when he first approached the Bishop about pursuing vows as a diocesan hermit, and Bishop John was immediately open to the idea. Bishop John worked with Brother Matson in planning when and how to come out and released a statement of support when Brother Matson did so on Pentecost Sunday.
With Bishop John’s support, the diocese of Lexington is also LGBTQ-friendly. In particular, Historic St. Paul Catholic Church, a parish in the diocese, has a strong focus on LGBTQ+ ministry, with a dedicated Director of LGBTQ+ Ministry and regular LGBTQ+ families group meetings. Bishop John has been a vocal supporter of the parish and its ministries. Bishop John’s advocacy extends to lawmakers in Kentucky as well. In 2023, Bishop John addressed the Kentucky Council on Churches and urged participants to “act justly and walk humbly” in regards to the LGBTQ+ community: to stop denying healthcare, meaningful work, legal protections, and basic human dignity.
For his record of support for the LGBTQ+ community, Bishop John received New Ways Ministry’s “Bridge Building Award” on November 15, 2024, an award which honors those who have made significant contributions to building bridges amidst the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community.
From his role in individual encounters to national conversations, Bishop John Stowe has proven himself a prophetic voice and leader in LGBTQ+ Catholic inclusion. He has prayed for and with queer individuals as well as fought for their legal protections and rights on local and national levels. He not only speaks of welcome and inclusion, but actively seeks to make his diocese (and beyond) a place where queer people can work and thrive in Catholic institutions, queer kids can be safe from bullying and violence, and trans people can be embraced and celebrated. He serves as an example to his fellow bishops, as well as for all Catholics, of how to advocate for, encourage, uplift, and stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ individuals.
(This biographical statement written by Phoebe Carstens for a Fall 2024 Queer & Trans Theologies class at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.)
Biography Date: June 2025