You are here: Home » Featured » Mass Lesbian Fired From Position As Dean Of Catholic High School By Springfield Diocese

Mass Lesbian Fired From Position As Dean Of Catholic High School By Springfield Diocese

09/03/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Massachusetts may approve of same-sex marriage, but the Roman Catholic Church does not, and it emphatically does not. This is why Christine M. Judd is no longer the athletic director and dean of students at Cathedral High School. Judd married her wife back in August, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield did not approve. Thus, they did their best to force her to leave. Judd stated of her departure “I was given a choice of termination or resignation. I’m hurt, but I wish the best for Cathedral, its students, the parents, the athletic teams, administration and faculty. I bleed purple.” Purple is the school’s color.

Judd has worked for Cathedral for twelve years. She began there as a science teacher in 1998, and then became dean of students in 2004. In 2007, she became the athletic director. “I married my partner this summer. I was hoping that my loyalty, my professionalism the last twelve years would supersede the current hypocrisy that has already been shown with the Diocese of Springfield.” Regarding the hypocrisy of the diocese, she questioned the probability that there are lay people who work for the Church there who divorce and remarry without an annulment, who use birth control, men who have vasectomies, and people who are pro-choice regarding abortion. All of these are considered to be major ‘no-nos’ in the Catholic Church, but are common among Catholics.

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Mark E. Dupont, emphatically pointed to the fact that Judd resigned, but refused any other comment other than “Because it’s an employment matter, we are not at liberty to discuss the specifics.”

Judd is exploring the possibility of legal action since state law gives her the right to marry, but the diocesan policy does not. “Cathedral has nothing to do with this. This was a diocesan decision. In the end, the timing of this issue really affects the kids. That’s where it has the most effect,” Judd stated. The high school’s website still describes Judd as “one of the key members of the faculty and staff who serve as positive role models for the students.”

Dupont maintains “Without being specific to this matter, it should be clear that all employees of our Catholic schools are made aware of our policies and regulations. This includes language that clearly states that whenever by public example, an employee engages in or espouses conduct which contravenes the doctrine and teaching of the Catholic Church, that employee may be subject to disciplinary action. To do otherwise would be in contradiction to the values we believe in and are teaching in these same schools. So while we certainly want to be compassionate and understanding, we must be true to who we are. We are certainly thankful to Ms Judd for her past service at Cathedral High School and wish her the best in the future,”

Farrand Violette has been named interim athletic director for the rest of the year at Cathedral. Violette is their new football coach, and has past experiences as an athletic director. So far, no one has been named to replace Judd as Dean of Students.

Judd may face problems regarding any legal action against the Diocese since a recent lawsuit resulted in religious groups being able to hire and fire people without regards to any special status such as religion or sexuality.

Source