Posted on 11/13/2024 11:10:35 AM PST by Ennis85
A beloved music director at a Michigan catholic church was fired after an unknown source informed church officials of his same-sex marriage — sparking outrage from parishioners, with many protesting and some renouncing their membership over the termination.
Fred Szczepanski was canned from his position at St. Francis Church in Traverse City on Oct. 18 after the church officials discovered he had a same-sex marriage ceremony to his longtime partner in Nevada in 2020, according to Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Szczepanski, known by churchgoers as “Mr. Fred,” was confronted by Rev. Michael Lingaur after church leaders received a letter from an unnamed individual about his marriage.
When confronted, he confirmed the marriage and was informed by Lingaur that his services were no longer needed after serving as the church’s music director for 34 years. Szczepanski was also told he could no longer take communion during worship services.
Following his termination, the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh wrote in a statement that Szczepanski’s marriage “jeopardizes a ministerial agreement for employment.”
“A public act of same-sex marriage is a formal recognition that a relationship is more than friendship, and thereby jeopardizes a ministerial agreement for employment,” Walsh wrote.
“While we are all weak sinners, serious sins against chastity require sacramental reconciliation and a firm purpose of amendment, as stated in our act of contrition.”
However, the firing outraged parishioners, leading to multiple shows of protest in support of Szczepanski.
Choir members wore black, left their seats empty, and refused to sing during mass on Oct. 20.
Then, on Oct. 27, supporters of the longtime music director picketed outside the church in protest before carrying signs reading: “Love Not Hate,” “God Includes, Not Excludes,” and “Fired Not Retired.”
“People are hurt, people are sad,
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The lesson here is: “Don’t live a lie.” Particularly when you’re professing yourself as a public Catholic. That only brings scandal to the Church.
I have no pity for the perverts. Faggoty faggots should never be around churches or children.
Prissy mods please delete if you will. I will repost.
A gay music director?!?!?! Now that’s something you don’t see every day.
Outraged at his firing or the gay thing?
Of course not.
Now they want to change Scripture Democratically.
God laughs.
However, the firing outraged parishioners, leading to multiple shows of protest in support of Szczepanski.
The parishioners need some tutoring.
If it were a school, a failing grade.
There was a similar incident at a Catholic church in the Seattle suburbs earlier this year. A female teacher in the church school announced her marriage to another woman and was fired. The same thing happened at another Catholic school near Seattle a few years ago. The Church has done a horrible job in teaching correct doctrine on this issue.
America was a better place when sodomy was illegal and homosexuality was a serious impediment to being granted a position of public trust.
“Rule One: NO POOFTERS” applies ‘way beyond Australian university philosophy departments.
OK, so you're in favor of putting them to death?
True. These and similar firings are still a moral imperative.
OK ... you convinced me ... go ahead and actively recruit LGBTQWTF++++ for all positions of trust. Only drag queens should teach children. Let homosexual scoutmasters sleep with the boys. Lesbians only should be in charge of the girls’ ballet studio. And, of course, transwomen are women ... you should date them.
I totally agree with you. I also have to add, for the leftist moderator's benefit, faggoty faggots shouldn't be in public service or around children.
Fred and his husband could always move to Andy Stanley’s church and be recognized as exemplary followers of Christ, and an example of what all true believers should strive to be like!
Ping!................
The Church has done a horrible job in teaching correct doctrine on this issue.”
While I agree with you, any Christian should be regularly reading the Bible. If they were, it would be obvious to them this is a grave sin.
The Catholic Church in Birmingham had a ‘gay’ music director in 1969, but people only mentioned it in hushed tones, like it was a secret or something................
I agree. And not just the Catholic church, but Protestant churches as well. IMHO, we opened the door to allow gayness to be assumed to be okay when we quit talking about heterosexual sin being sin.
If we could go back in time and every now and then remind people that sex outside marriage (including heterosexual sin) is sin like we used to, we'd stop the slippery slope of gay sex being automatically assumed to be cool. Once we lost the argument over people living together in sexual sin, is was only a matter of time for gays living together to be a constant argument for the church.
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