Catholic Parish Hosts Premiere of Film About Fired Gay Teacher
A Catholic parish in New York has hosted the world premiere of “Communion,” a film telling one man’s story of being fired by the Diocese of Brooklyn after he married another man.
An audience of about 150 people gathered for the screening and accompanying discussion at St. Ignatius Loyola, Manhattan, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
That a Catholic parish was the venue for the premiere was particularly moving to Matthew LaBanca,the fired teacher, who said:
“To be welcomed by a New York City Catholic church after being let go by another is a profound moment.It reflects goodwill and a desire to foster communion within the church, while building a bridge between LGBTQ+ individuals and the Catholic Church.”
In 2021, LaBanca was fired from his position as music teacher at St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy in Astoria, and as music director at nearby Corpus Christi church after disclosing his same-gender marriage. He refused to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would have prevented him from speaking about the nature of his firing, and in 2024, he wrote a one-person play, “Communion,” detailing his experience.
The play was successfully produced and ran off-Broadway for three years and was then adapted into an hour-long feature film, directed by Bill McGarvey. The movie tells LaBanca’s story using a “hybrid style that blends elements of documentary, theater and traditional narrative filmmaking, along with archival footage from LaBanca’s family life.”
Matthew LaBanca
Several audience members moved to tears by the time the film concluded, and some viewers shared their reactions.
“As someone who is a very proud gay Catholic, to experience this type of story and to see the heartache and the heartbreak that happens at the hands of a church that I love and that I hold dear is really important for me to witness,” said Roccio Arrigo, who attended the film screening after seeing the off-Broadway performance.
“I found the film painful,” said Fr. Dennis Yesalonia, the pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola, after the screening. “I think it puts a spotlight on what we need to address as a church, as a community.”
During the discussion, LaBanca and McGarvey both spoke with hope and appreciation of the willingness of those at St. Ignatius Loyola parish to host the screening and engage with the film. LaBanca’s goal with the film is not necessarily to prompt sweeping reform in the church, he noted, but rather to make known a story that he hopes will resonate with people, especially those who may feel isolated. He explained:
“I’m hoping that this is something of a springboard for this story, which is so many other people’s stories. I’m hoping that it opens the doors to more organizations who want to hear it and see it … parishes, young queer communities, universities, anyone who cares about turning the tides on religious discrimination.
“This piece is not about pointing fingers,.It’s about sharing the emotional struggle that somebody goes through. . . “
Additional screenings and events are currently in development, with the hopes of sharing this story with wider audiences. Although his personal relationship with Catholicism has changed as a result of what he experienced, LaBanca still finds meaning in reaching out to those within the church–particularly those who may be facing similar experiences of discrimination–and in revealing to the church the harm it can do to LGBTQ+ people. He explained:.
“It started as a healing process for me, and it’s become what I love and I call my theatrical ministry. We can hold the mirror (to) the institution to reflect back to them the pain that’s inflicted in the hands of religious discrimination.”
—Phoebe Carstens, New Ways Ministry, April 13, 2026
For information about the LGBTQ+ people dismissed from Catholic institutions over the past 15+ years, visit New Ways Ministry’s Employment resource web page.
Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions is an anthology of 12 stories of faith, sacrifice, joy, and pain by LGBTQ+ people who have been employed by Catholic parishes and schools, published by New Ways Ministry. The stories includes contributors who were fired by Catholic institutions, as well as those who continued employment. More information about the book is available here.
I attended this play at St. Ignatius, as well as the play a year before. Both were wonderful depictions of the conflict in the Catholic Church around LGBTQ issues, notably how the Church seems to need to purge its ranks of out self-accepting LGBTQ people. The one striking thing I noticed in the film—added since the play–is its portrayal of gay priests. As a gay priest myself, I was offended by the caricature of “gay priests on a retreat,” speaking and acting very salaciously. It is as though the film found a new villain, gay priests, to raise in people’s minds as a problem in the Church to get rid of. I wrote to Matthew after I saw it to raise this sad problem with him and the director.
I think the Pope just speaking of peace and how it is the right thing to do with Trump is also an indication that EXCLUSION of any group of Catholics who are living the examples of Jesus and spreading light among people who are constantly excluded is a welcome sign of Inclusion.
I’m a retired HS school counselor. Born Catholic and still Catholic BUT, I’ve experienced many religious hardships throughout my 63 years of living. Where is “Acceptance”….. truly feeling accepted in my own faith journey. I feel Jesus’ acceptance, but where is our religious leaders acceptance? With that said, I would LOVE to be able to watch this. I just wish I didn’t have to have another subscription for this one film.