A composer brings music, joy and trans visibility to her church

There are congregations that would brand her a sinner. But here at St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic Church in Boston, Rachel Burckardt gives voice to the angels.

She’s 71, transgender, a civil engineer by day, and a composer of spiritual music by nights and weekends.

While religion has been used for decades to ostracize many transgender people, Burckardt has found that faith drives acceptance in her community. It has been the bedrock on which she has formed her closest friendships, found moral clarity in challenging times and built radically inclusive communities in greater Boston.

Burckardt’s music is not unlike her life. She aims to produce something bright and whole, but what makes it good, she thinks, is an element, maybe a minor chord or note, that hits the ear differently, that gives it depth or sadness.

“It’s kind of like what goes along with some gender ambiguity,” she said. “It starts out off in unison and breaks into these not too difficult, but just unexpected chords.”