Dear Rev. Michael Lingaur, Bishop Jeffrey Walsh, and administrators of St. Francis Parish,

We write with concern, heartbreak, and anger in response to the termination of Fred Szczepanski’s employment at St. Francis Parish in Traverse City, MI, due to his marriage to his partner four years ago. Fred has loyally served the parish and its people for 35 years and is widely regarded as an integral part of the community. His termination not only dismisses his service but jeopardizes his retirement, which he had planned to begin in January 2025. This decision undermines magisterial teaching on human dignity, basic human decency, and the parish website’s own claim that “all are welcome.”

Pope Francis has encouraged the Roman Catholic Church to move toward a pastoral and compassionate response to LGBTQ+ people, including those in same-sex marriages. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released the document Fiducia Supplicans in December of last year, which explicitly allows Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples with the understanding that in asking to blessed, the couple asks that “all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit” (31). The document acknowledges that, while the Catholic Church’s position on same-sex marriage is clearly one of opposition, every person is limited and in need of grace, which “orient[s] everything according to the mysterious and unpredictable designs of God” (32). It affirms that when people seek to draw near to God, “God never turns away anyone who approaches him!” (33)

Why should it be, then, that a priest decides to turn someone away on God’s behalf?

In similar cases across the U.S., the reason given for the termination of employees in same-sex relationships is the avoidance of scandal. We note, however, that Fred’s marriage was unknown to most in the parish until the parish made that information public by firing him (as has also often been the case elsewhere). According to local reporting, the parish administration was only made aware of Fred’s marriage via a letter. He and his spouse married out of state and, out of respect for the church, remained discreet about their relationship, even though it is their legal right to be married. Any appeals to the avoidance of scandal are therefore, at best, disingenuous.

Moreover, the Roman Catholic Church’s own doctrine necessitates that every person be treated in accordance with their inherent dignity. Made in the image of God, Fred’s dignity is intrinsic and cannot be erased, though the actions of the parish and the diocese’s refusal to step in violate it. The Gospel makes siblings of us all; treating someone as “other” is impossible when fully appreciating the weight of human dignity. Indeed, Gaudium et Spes, one of the documents with the highest authority in the Roman Catholic Church, implores every person to consider their “every neighbor without exception as another self” (27). This necessitates, according to Gaudium et Spes, that every person be afforded “the right to choose a state of life freely,” “to employment, to a good reputation, to respect,” “to protection of privacy and rightful freedom even in matters religious” (26). In discriminating against Fred on the basis of his sexual orientation, St. Francis Parish and the Diocese of Gaylord have failed to protect these basic elements that the Catholic magisterium holds as fundamental to the respect of human dignity.

Fred has already received an outpouring of support from the community. A protest was held in front of the church last weekend, and many have given monetary support. As a synodal Church and members of the community, we demand that Fred be offered a public apology and reinstatement, with full retirement benefits. The parish administration must also understand that he has every right to not accept either, in which case the parish must still do its best to repair the harm it has caused, financially and socially, in conversation with Fred.

We sign this letter in condemnation of Fred Szczepanski’s termination, and with hope that St. Francis Parish will reverse its course and do what is just.

(Written by Taylor J. Ott, PhD)