A longtime music teacher at the New Orleans district recently lost his job when he was revealed to an apparently “unhappy” father that he was a widow of another man, igniting the scandal in the Archdiocese, which was otherwise occupied by an attempt to rebuild their finances in the Federal Bankruptcy Court after his clergy spent a decade.
E -mail In a letter to the Archdiocese -led school from which he was dismissed, Mark Richards explained to the members of the community that he was dismissed because one of the parents reported an obituary to his husband who died of a heart attack in 2023. September
Richards email The letter mentioned how his employment contract In Francis Xavier School, the year, Louisiana, was a condition of morality prohibiting educators to “agree on marriage, in violation of the Catholic Church rules” and “actively engage in homosexual activities”, along with other behavior that confirms a document that does not apply to religion teaching.
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He wrote that he signed every year the condition of a renewable contract and morality required from all the teachers of the Archdiocese, but historically was far from a universally executed – “gaze and gaze, because it was not a big secret that I am gay.” St. Francis Xavier community was convenient enough for marriage with her husband John Messinger that “all at school were very sympathetic and supportive” after his death.
But it changed when his father, after warning the local church officials, complained to the Messinger’s obituary, who was involved in his husband, Richards. He said June 25th. Was dismissed as a music teacher and band director St. In Francis, after 21 years of school, “and this end is the reason I am gay.”
“For the last two years, I have not violated a moral reservation and no one can find any of my behavior with anyone’s misbehavior – not to mention ‘awkward’ – he said he had learned that he had been mentioned as a Messner’s necrologist.
Richards, a new Orlean NBC branch of New Orleans, said Friday. The mail received his condolences to his parents’ condolences, who overthrew him. Parent -organized petition supporting Richards, calling his shooting “illegal” and exalting it as a “lightness and understanding beacon [students’] Life, “had collected about 1,500 signatures, each noted at The Station and The Louisiana News.
One mother Katherine Lee Wdsu said: “I’d like to change the condition of morality.”
“I would like to have a line for homosexuality in the moral condition that educators sign to remove,” Lee said. “Your identity is not your moral. I hope we have a voice.”
A father named Rick Engish said to the station that he believes that the moral condition of the Richards Richard Remand Center is a “human rights violation” that had to be reviewed. “For me, it’s a social injustice right now,” he noted.
Both nola.com and WDSU reported that school administrators had sent e -mail. A letter to St. Francis community, confirming that it did not renew Richards’ employment contract and claimed that he had not provided “a completely accurate description of the employment situation”. However, the administrators said they could not detail, which indicates unspecified legal reasons.
“This decision is final and will not be reviewed,” the school officials say partly. In the letter. “We try to always make decisions that support the Catholic faith training, which are the best interests of our school.”
Meanwhile, Richards had written St. Francis’ parents: “The teaching of my children was one of the joys of my life and I cherish memories.”
Still, when he submitted to WDSU, Richards felt he had betrayed those who chose him forgiveness.
“It’s just a blow to the back,” Richards said. “It’s just the time to stop. The rest of the free world does not think that homosexuality is a big deal.”
St. Francis is one of the many Archdiocese of New Orleans branches, which is expected to contribute to what is expected to be a solution to nine numbers resolved by bankruptcy protection. Submitted by the leaders of the Archdiocese. These officials said the bankruptcy proceedings of Chapter 11, which were mostly sought by the elimination of hundreds of clerks’ porridges to recover 11 chapters.
Since Sunday, the last billing offer has been awarded to the Archdiocese, its branches and insurers to pay from $ 180 million. USD up to $ 230 million However, lawyers representing hundreds of survivors contradict the agreement saying that it is much less than $ 323 million.
Any agreement offered will require support from two -thirds of those who have survived to vote for approval.