Not Just Another Martyr, by Garrett D. Johnson

By Garrett D. Johnson, Crisis Magazine, June 3, 2026

Garrett D Johnson was born and raised in Washington DC and raised in a nominally Catholic family in Maryland. He left the Church in his late teens and lived a hedonistic lifestyle that included drugs, gaming, and living as a gay man until coming back to Catholicism in his late 30s.  ….

There are two types of martyrs in our holy Catholic Church: white martyrs, who achieve a “bloodless” martyrdom through a heroic life of self-denial, ascetical practices, and daily sacrifice for Christ; and red martyrs, those who are killed for their faith in Christ. St. Charles Lwanga and his companions, whose feast day is June 3rd, are red martyrs. They are patron saints of those served by the Courage apostolate, who are called to white martyrdom by striving to live according to the Church’s teachings regarding same-sex attraction.