Come to our queer Catholic wedding!

The two of us were once just fellow musicians and mutual followers of one another on Instagram. Our first proper conversation was at the onset of the pandemic. Arend (they/them) was hosting virtual interviews with other singer-songwriters and invited Jess (she/her) to have a discussion on songwriting and spirituality. It wasn't long before we began calling weekly, attending each other's virtual events, and slowly and without pretense falling in love. Due to COVID precautions we didn't meet in person until July 1, 2020, when we hugged for the first time and shared our first walk together. Two weeks later, Arend told Jess, "I think I'm falling in love with you," and Jess said, "I think I am too." Moments later, Arend said, "Actually, I am in love with you," and Jess said, "Yeah, I'm already in love with you too." Together, we've had our story featured in a "love-in-the-time-of-coronavirus" CNN article, we've recorded a number of songs, we've fostered creative community, we've lived on a "creative" budget, we've held each other through death and grief, and we've had the courage to come out into our LGBTQ identities. It has been through the love that exists between us and around us that we've seen all these milestones together. Our next milestone is getting married, and we want to draw upon that love around us once again by inviting you to be present. We each come from Christian traditions in our upbringing—Jess Catholic and Arend Protestant—and one of the ideas of a wedding in the Christian context is that it's an invitation for a community to "witness" the commitment we are choosing. And though we may not look it to some, we are a queer couple—Arend being genderqueer and Jess being bisexual. Though our kind of queer still "qualifies" us for marriage by Catholic standards, we hope to help expand the Catholic imagination of marriage, to reflect the holiness and beauty of queer love. Our intention is not just that we would love one another, but that the love we share between us would radiate to our community and our world. We believe that partnered together, we can better work for a more loving and liberated world. These days, we have been particularly moved to action on behalf of the people of Palestine, as we hope for an end to oppression throughout the world (including in Congo, Sudan, Haiti, and many others). We hope that you will join us in this mission of love and liberation by witnessing our commitment to one another. May it encourage, inspire, and empower you in your own work of love.