Posted: Aug. 8, 2014
For 17 years, Colin Collette was, in the words of parishioners, a "phenomenal" music director at a Catholic parish outside Chicago.
The church community knew Colin was gay -- his partner has read scripture at Mass, and they've lived together for five years. Holy Family Catholic Parish has even pitched itself as "welcoming to all."
Two weeks ago, Colin and his partner got engaged on a trip to Rome. Only a few days later, to the shock of those welcoming parishioners, Colin was asked to resign -- and when he refused, he was fired.
Colin describes the church as his life, but now he's lost his job and his calling simply for marrying the person he loves. Church leaders clearly already knew that Colin was gay and in a relationship, making his firing especially unjust and hypocritical.
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Love thy neighbor.