Seattle Parents Form Group to Resist Catholic School’s Firing of LGBTQ+ Teacher

A banner facing St. Luke School, Shoreline, supporting fired teacher Karen Pala

A Catholic school in Washington State has terminated a teacher because of her upcoming wedding to a same-gender partner, prompting backlash from the community, as well as the Archdiocese of Seattle callling for local resolutions to such disputes.

Karen Pala, a kindergarten teacher at St. Luke School, Shoreline, emailed parents about her firing, which occurred as she planned her wedding to another woman this summer. Pala told KUOW that her engagement and planned wedding were the basis of the firing, explaining in a letter to parents:

“‘Father Brad (Hagelin) [pastor of St. Luke’s Church which sponsors the school] recently informed me that he will not be offering me a job at Saint Luke next year. The news has been extremely difficult for me. I am a faithful practicing Catholic and I was ready to spend the next 30 years of my career at St. Luke.'”

Hagelin confirmed the firing and its cause in his own letter to the school community, pointing to his role in applying a “morality clause” in Pala’s contract and explaining that “part of the pastor’s role is to determine whether a minister’s public life might not be in alignment with Church teaching.” In the case of Karen Pala, the priest claimed her life does not align.

Upon hearing of the firing, parents at St. Luke and local LGBTQ+ advocates rose to Pala’s defense. MyNorthwest reported that parents have launched a group called L.U.K.E. (St. Luke Families in Support of Love, Unity, Kindness, and Equality) in response. The group posted a statement on their website, which reads, in part:

“[L.U.K.E] condemns discriminatory hiring practices on the basis of sexual identity or marital status and we seek the immediate reinstatement of our beloved teacher. We further seek an amendment to the Office of Catholic Schools Employee personnel handbook to include ‘marital status’ to the anti-discrimination policy (Section 3.1A).

“We are disappointed Father Brad would make a decision of this magnitude that significantly impacts a school and parish which he will no longer be a part of starting July 1. While we recognize the Seattle Archdiocese has bestowed the power to make these employment decisions onto the local priests and parishes, we believe the ambiguity of Section 9 of the Seattle Archdiocesan Ministerial Covenant leads to inconsistent applications of those guidelines that can differ from one parish to another. This essentially grants one individual the power to determine what is best for their community, not based on any specific guideline, recommendation, or doctrine, but rather on what that individual believes is right or wrong, and without soliciting feedback from the community they serve.”

The group also began a Change.org petition, which currently has over 2,250 signatures, asking for Pala’s reinstatement as a teacher. Ultimately, L.U.K.E.’s members would like an LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination policy implemented at the school.

Nick Beyer, the parent of a St. Luke student, told the Seattle Times that he was shocked to learn of Pala’s firing “because this isn’t what St. Luke’s represents to a lot of folks. It’s a liberal, accepting place — or so we thought.” Beyer went on to point towards Pope Francis’ welcome of blessing those in same-gender relationships, stating, “That’s the ultimate big boss saying it’s OK, that we should move past this. So shouldn’t it be OK in Seattle?”

Seattle’s Archbishop Paul Etienne released a statement in response to the firing that did not comment on the specific employment decision, but pointed to broader archdiocesan efforts regarding church workers and morality clauses. He explained that an archdiocesan “covenant taskforce” works to apply what the archbishop refers to as a “covenant clause” in contracts. He said that some Catholics place a greater emphasis on moral teachings, while others place it on social teachings. “Both applications are legitimate, and yet, each is incomplete. Therein lies the expression of our human experience – we are incomplete,” Etienne stated. The archbishop encouraged a localized approach to applying these clauses and greater dialogue as Jesus did “because there isn’t a single defined answer.”

In 2021, the Archdiocesan Ministerial Covenant Task Force published its final report, which the task force’s chair, Fr. Ronald Nuzzi, described as a “mixed bag.” The task force was established after two LGBTQ+ teachers were fired by Kennedy Catholic High School, prompting sustained protests. Ultimately, the task force’s members were split on whether to retain the “lifestyle provision” of contracts or discard it as discriminatory.

Writing on the latest firing, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat expressed his disappointment and exhuastion that anti-LGBTQ discrimination still exists in a place like Seattle. He wrote, in part:

“Sometimes a news story seems so behind the times that I find myself double-checking the date. As if maybe it’s one of those items that’s still bouncing around the internet from another decade.

“The church has a right to do this because religious groups are exempt from some parts of anti-discrimination policy. But is it the right thing to do? As the archbishop acknowledges above, the flock seems increasingly skeptical.

“Discrimination against gays and lesbians was banned here 18 years ago. Don’t ask, don’t tell ended 13 years ago. Same-sex marriage has been the law here for 12. Given all that progress, all those years ago, shouldn’t we be better than this by now?”

Indeed, Tracy Rathke, who taught at St. Luke for 25 years and knew Pala, questioned the wisdom of firing her because the action negatively impacts students, too. She told Fox 13:

“[Fr. Hagelin] had a real opportunity to lead in this area, and he chose a different path. . .it’s a really sad way for him to leave 11 years at this parish. No matter how you wrap it, it’s hate, and it’s not something that I want my former students to live in, it’s not something that I want the kids that are going through this school right now to live in. It’s not the message that we should be sending.”

—Liam Myers (he/him) and Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, May 24, 2024