# Empty Chairs Community: Honoring the Journey of Justin Telthorst

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/empty-chairs-community-honoring-the-journey-of-justin-telthorst
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/empty-chairs-community-honoring-the-journey-of-justin-telthorst.md
Podcast: [Honoring the Journey](https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564)
Published: 2026-02-09T06:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/afp-13455-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978/episodes/96c22ab9-4456-4eac-916c-49013fc04d2c/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978&awEpisodeId=96c22ab9-4456-4eac-916c-49013fc04d2c&feed=Swlbwx2u
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/honoring-the-journey-6751564/episodes/empty-chairs-community-honoring-the-journey-of-justin-telthorst
Duration seconds: 3390

## Resource

This episode of Honoring the Journey is a deeply personal conversation with Justin Telthorst, who shares his journey of coming out as gay at age 25 while remaining within the Catholic Church—a path that defied the common narrative of leaving religion behind. Growing up in a conservative Catholic environment in the Midwest, Justin initially viewed his sexuality as a "cross to bear" and his secret testimony to overcome. After years of internal struggle, falling in love with a man, and experiencing profound peace in that relationship, he faced a pivotal moment: conversations with unsupportive priests led him to leave his dream job at a Catholic nonprofit and begin the painful process of coming out. Rather than abandoning his faith entirely, Justin found his way back to Catholicism after several years, choosing to stay and create welcoming spaces within the church. He now runs a Discord community for LGBTQ+ Catholics, offers one-on-one spiritual direction, and advocates for a theology centered on God's infinite mercy and love rather than rules and condemnation.

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## Transcript

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