Indianapolis Cathedral High School Fires Gay Teacher

The school's board said the archbishop made it clear that continued employment of the teacher would result in the school forfeiting its Catholic identity.

Indianapolis Archbishop Charles W. Thompson. Photo via archindy.org.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - A teacher at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis is out of a job for being in a same-sex marriage. 

The school's Board of Directors issued a statement Sunday, June 23 saying they had to terminate the gay teacher to remain a Catholic school per the instructions of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

“On behalf of Cathedral’s Board of Directors, we write to you about an agonizing decision, made after 22 months of earnest discussion and extensive dialogue with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis about Cathedral’s continued Catholic identity,” the statement read.

The board said Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson made it clear that continued employment of the teacher in a public, same-sex marriage would result in the school forfeiting its Catholic identity, because it employed an individual living in contradiction to the Catholic teaching on marriage.

“If this were to happen, Cathedral would lose the ability to celebrate the Sacraments as we have in the past 100 years with our students and community,” the board continued.

The announcement came after Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School lost their affiliation with the Archdiocese over the refusal to remove a teacher in a same-sex marriage. Cathedral’s statement explained that the situations are different as Brebeuf was sponsored by the Jesuits while Cathedral is affiliated with the Brothers of the Holy Cross.

The Cathedral board concluded its letter in offering prayers and love to the teacher, its students and faculty, Archbishop Thompson, and all associated with the school.

You can read Cathedral’s full statement on their website.

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