Church Worker Firing Challenges Chicago's Archbishop Cupich to Practice What He Preaches

Sandor Demkovich (left) and Frank Hattula

Sandor Demkovich (left) and Frank Hattula at their wedding ceremony in an Episcopal Church.

A second church worker in Chicago has claimed he was fired for being gay, according to a legal complaint filed against the archdiocese. This firing challenges the Pope Francis-like record of Archbishop Blase Cupich, but presents an opportunity for Cupich to respond well, and lead a new way of being church.

Sandor Demkovich claims he was terminated as St. Andrew the Apostle parish’s music director in 2014 after marrying his male partner, reported The Chicago TribuneAccording to Demkovich’s lawyer, Kerry Lavelle, the pastor, Fr. Jacek Dada, was initially accepting of the relationship though mindful that any “union” opposed church teaching.

Four days after the wedding, described by husband Frank Hattula as a “very spiritual event. . .filled with love and music,” Dada’s thinking shifted and Demkovich was fired during a meeting with the pastor. The music director explained his reaction to the Chicago Sun-Times:

” ‘It’s hurts so deeply. . .I can’t tell you how difficult getting through Christmas and Lent and Easter this past year has been. It’s just been horrible. . .I love the church. I love the music. I love the spirituality.”

Attorney Lavelle summarized the case thus:

” ‘We once again see a pattern of acceptance and inclusion by the parish pastor, and the parish congregation in general, of an openly gay qualified employee suddenly reversed as soon as he enters into a legal marriage.’ “

Demkovich is now appealing to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Illinois Department of Human Rights, in the hopes of regaining his job even with the Archdiocese. The Tribune explained:

“Demkovich alleges in his complaint that the church’s pastor said his ‘union’ was against the teachings of the Catholic Church and also told a choir member that he thought Demkovich and his partner ‘were going to keep this quiet and not make it public.’ In addition, Demkovich said he was harassed about his weight, obesity and diabetic condition to the point that it created a ‘hostile and intimidating work environment.’ “

Another Chicago church worker, Colin Collette, who is also represented by Lavelle, has filed with the EEOC as well. Collette was fired in 2014 as Holy Family Church’s music director (in suburban Inverness) after seventeen years because he became engaged to a male partner. His discrimination filing with the EEOC will proceed to an administrative investigation because the Archdiocese of Chicago has refused mediation and is also refusing to comment on the matters. Collette previously met with former Chicago Cardinal Francis George and received a standing ovation during a parish town hall held to discuss his termination.

Demkovich joins more than 50 church workers who have lost their job since 2008 over LGBT issues, a tragic trend which Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley “needs to be rectified.” You can access a full listing of these church workers here.

O’Malley is the only U.S. prelate to question the discrimination against LGBT church workers, but the two firings in Chicago provide an opportunity to Archbishop Cupich to practice the mercy and inclusion he preaches.

At the recent Synod on the Family, the archbishop spoke forcefully in favor of respecting people’s consciences, saying in part:

“The conscience is inviolable. And we have to respect that when they make decisions and I’ve always done that. . .We can’t just refer to doctrines as though they’re syllogisms that we deduce a conclusion to. . .There has to be that integration of a person’s circumstances, case by case in their life.”

Cupich’s record affirms that his actions often match these beliefs. While on CBS’ Face the Nation last year, he affirmed the need for same-sex couples and their families to be legally protected , and he called for a tempered response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2015 decision to legalize marriage equality across the nation. Most recently, Cupich sought “new avenues and creativity” in the church’s pastoral care of non-traditional families.

Archbishop Cupich should weigh carefully his response to the firings. Admitting the injustice of these firings and apologizing is a first step, which would reveal a respect for the men’s consciences and the need for tempered responses now that marriage equality is the law. Seeking ways to welcome them back as church workers, if either so desired (Demkovich has expressed interest), would allow him to model new avenues of being church and pursuing healing in the parish communities so deeply wounded by discriminatory acts allows for Spirit-driven creativity drawn from all.

Archbishop Cupich’s vision for the church and his nuanced approach to controversial pastoral issues has been impressive and refreshing. Talk is good, but insufficient unless it translates into real change. Responding to the firings of Sandor Demkovich and Colin Collette are prime opportunities for Archbishop Cupich to lead with his actions, too.

For Bondings 2.0‘s full coverage of this story, and other LGBT-related church worker disputes, click the ‘Employment Issues‘ category to the right or here. You can click here to find a full listing of the more than 50 incidents since 2008 where church workers have lost their jobs over LGBT identity, same-sex marriages, or public support for equality.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

12 replies
  1. Tom
    Tom says:

    This is not surprising. I was involved in my local church and was supportive to ministries and with financial aid to the parish and to the diocese annual fund raising. After the Supreme Court decision on June 26, our priest spoke out against it…knowing full well that I live with my partner who is equally involved at the church.
    I stopped attending. I hoped the Synod would turn the church into a brighter avenue of acceptance, but no.
    I am sure that if my partner and I married we would be shunned by the very priest who has benefitted from our support.

    Reply
  2. Friends
    Friends says:

    I’m frankly confused by the photo at the top of the page. Is this a Catholic priest who appears in the center of the photo — and is he actually presiding over their wedding ceremony? If so, is this person the very same priest who later revoked and repented his role in the original wedding ceremony? And if the priest who married them is not the person who appears in the center of the photo, then who IS the person in the center of the photo, and what is he doing there? This whole situation is very confusing, and somewhat muddled. I believe it needs some additional unpacking, for the sake of clarity. (And clearly, the way these two men were treated by their Church completely stinks — no matter who the “man in the middle” happens to be.)

    Reply
    • newwaysministryblog
      newwaysministryblog says:

      The Chicago Sun-Times article states:

      “A year after the firing, the men no longer feel welcome to attend a church they love. They’ve instead chosen to attend the Episcopal church where they married, a place where they feel accepted.”

      So it is an Episcopal priest, presumably, who is officiating at their wedding ceremony.

      I’ve added this detail in the caption.

      Reply
      • Friends
        Friends says:

        Thanks for the clarification, Bob or Francis. Now it makes a bit more sense, if anything about this horrible situation makes any sense at all. Sometimes I wish the Episcopalians and the Anglicans could somehow take over the Vatican, and give us a Universal Catholic Church which truly reflects the values of justice and mercy proclaimed and practiced by Jesus Himself — throughout His discourses in the Gospels.

        Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] the negative side, Cupich upheld the firing of Colin Collette, a married gay man who was a music minister at a Chicago-area […]

  2. […] The firing is problematic not only for the parish, but for the Archdiocese as well. Archbishop Blase Cupich has said the consciences of LGBT people must be respected, and even endorsed legal protections for families headed by same-gender partners. Yet, the Archdiocese has continued to defend the firings of Collette and another gay church worker, Sandor Demkovich. […]

  3. […] First, the three U.S. bishops named each have very pastoral reputations. Archbishop Cupich has previously called for the church to respect lesbian and gay people’s consciences and said every family deserves legal protections.  A participant at the 2015 Synod on the Family, Cupich told Bondings 2.0 that hearing from same-gender couples would have benefited the assembly. Admittedly, Cupich’s record on LGBT issues is not perfect.  He has not overturned the firings of two music ministers in his archdiocese, Colin Collette and Sandor Demkovich. […]

  4. […] gay people share their experiences. Yet, Collette and another fired gay church worker in Chicago, Sandor Demkovich, have open discrimination complaints which the Archdiocese is adamantly […]

  5. […] is undercut by the Archdiocese of Chicago’s harsh ecclesial reality. Two church workers, Sandor Demkovich and Colin Collette, have lost their jobs for making conscience decisions to themselves to a […]

  6. […] is one of two church workers (the other is Sandor Demkovich) who have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming […]

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