The Catholic Sentinel newspaper reported late Tuesday that St. Mary's could face a lawsuit over the decision to rescind the job offer after the candidate "told school officials she planned to marry another woman."
We recently made the challenging decision to withdraw an offer of employment the school had made to an individual due to a conflict with current Catholic teachings regarding same-sex marriage.
St. Mary's Academy is grounded in the Catholic religion. We ask that our faculty and staff support and nurture the Catholic identity, practice, culture and mission on which we were founded.
We understand that others may hold different values, and we respect the right of individuals in society to do so. At the same time, as a Catholic high school we are obligated to follow current Catholic teachings regarding same-sex marriage in our employment practices. The Board of Directors and our founders, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, support this decision.
This is not an easy situation. As with all matters of faith, we strive to live out the values of the Gospel while struggling with the complexities of today's world. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Sisters of the Holy names of Jesus and Mary, I informed the faculty and staff today of this employment decision. Present at this gathering were the leadership of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary as well as Sister Linda Patrick '67. We all recognize that now more than ever, we need to come together as a community so that St. Mary's will continue to be a safe place for all young women. We are proud of the many accomplishments of all of our alumnae and your service back to your local communities.
You will probably read about this in the media and this will be a difficult time for the St. Mary's community. It was important to me that I reached out to you early, and I'll continue to keep you apprised of this situation as needed.
Thank you for your commitment to St. Mary's Academy. We ask for your prayers during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Chris
Christina Friedhoff
St. Mary's Academy President