Catholic School Fires Music Teacher After Parent Discovers His Husband’s Obituary

For 21 years, 63-year-old Mark Richards taught music and served as the band director at St. Francis Xavier, a Catholic school in Louisiana.

But that long run came to an end on June 25 when he was informed his contract would not be renewed for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. Richards told The Guardian the reason for this termination “is that I am a gay man.”

Richards says a “disgruntled” parent recently came across the obituary of his late husband John Messinger, who died of a heart attack in 2023. The couple had legally married in 2014, and the obituary listed Richards as Messinger’s widower.

“US Catholic school fires teacher after husband’s obituary reveals his marriage to a man” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025…

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Richards shared with The Guardian that his employment contract at St Francis Xavier contained a morality clause prohibiting educators from “actively engaging in homosexual activity,” along with other conduct that the document maintains is inconsistent with the teachings of the religion that does not permit same-sex matrimony within it.

More via The Guardian:

He wrote that he signed the annually renewable contract and morality clause – which is required of all the archdiocese’s teachers but historically has been far from universally enforced – with “a wink and a nudge since it was no big secret that I am gay.”

The St Francis Xavier community was comfortable enough with his marriage to his husband, John Messinger, that “everyone at the school was very sympathetic and supportive” after his death.

“I have not been in violation of the morality clause for the last two years, and no one can find any incident of my acting inappropriately with anyone – let alone a student,” added Richards.

Richards felt betrayed by those who opted to fire him.

Richards told local news affiliate WDSU, “It’s just a stab in the back. It’s just time for this to stop. The rest of the free world does not think homosexuality is a big deal.”

A Change.org petition has been launched calling for the Archdiocese to revisit the morality clause. At this writing, the petition has garnered over 5,400+ signnatures.

Read more here.

He said his employer knew he was gay and it was a “disgruntled” parent who learned about his late husband and raised a stink.

[image or embed] — LGBTQ Nation (@lgbtqnation.com) July 5, 2025 at 12:15 PM