All are invited to faithful witness in Christ

Anna Carter will be a presenter at the 2022 Legatus Summit East, Jan. 27-29 in Amelia Island, FL. She is co-founder and president of Eden Invitation, a support group for people experiencing “same-sex desires” or “gender discordance” but who also accept the teachings of the Catholic Church on faith and morals.

Anna grew up in a Catholic family in the Twin Cities area where she was involved in her parish youth group and “developed a deep love of Christ” in high school. She earned a theology and catechetics degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and went on to work for NET Ministries and as a high school religion teacher.

Her own experience with same-sex desires, tempered by her resolve to live in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church, led her to co-found Eden Invitation in 2017. The group has 250 active members who enjoy community online, participate in book clubs, and take part in an annual retreat in the Atlanta area.

What led you to co-found Eden Invitation?

I have been in ministry since I graduated college. I saw my peers leaving the Church over issues relating to sexual morality; when I taught high school, I’d see students come to class wearing rainbow bracelets and asking questions regarding same-sex desires. There were social groups outside the Church that offered participants fun social activities, so I wanted to offer an alternative for people who followed Christ and were obedient to the Church.

At the same time, while in school, I began wrestling with my own same-sex desires, wondering what to do about them. It has not been easy, but I do know I want to be in the Church.

Why do you call yourselves Eden Invitation?

It’s a name inspired by Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. The idea is that to answer the complex sexual questions of our time, we should do what Jesus did: go back to the beginning in the Garden of Eden, to the meaning of what it means to be human. The Catholic teachings on sex and gender flow from this beginning.

We’re offering you an invitation. We stand firmly for what we believe, and we’re inviting you to join us. You can either accept or reject that invitation.

Whom do you serve?

Most of our membership is in the 20-to-40-year-old age range, about 50-50 men and women. Most are single, but we do have a few who are married or engaged.

You have 700 annual “story calls” a year. What are these?

These are people from all walks of life who contact us to share their stories. It might be a missionary, a person with a master’s degree in theology, a lawyer, or an accountant. It might be someone who left his same-sex fiancé two weeks before or who is considering ‘transitioning.’ They reach out to us to talk. We receive their story and get to know them. Some go on to join Eden Invitation.

What successes have you enjoyed?

I believe our participants come to better understand that they are loved by God and the Church. They discover that they have the opportunity for friendship and mutual prayer with us and can connect with one another. They see that they can stay active in the Church and still live lives of hope and joy.

We can accompany our loved ones who experience same-sex desires or gender discordance, engaging them in charity and truth.

A video of Anna’s story and those of other Eden Invitation members can be viewed on the group’s website, www.edeninvitation.com.