Sen. Nesselbush saddened by the firing of gay music director

STATE HOUSE – Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, North Providence) is
disappointed and saddened by the recent firing of Michael Templeton, the Music
Director at the Church of St. Mary in Providence due to his same-sex marriage.
«Sponsoring the marriage equality legislation in the Senate will always be my most
cherished accomplishment in the Rhode Island Senate. I grew up staunchly Catholic,
attending eight years of Catholic school at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. My father
did not go to church every Sunday; he went every single day. Although Catholicism is
in my bones and I will always be a Catholic at heart, I stopped going to church
years ago after I realized I was gay. I never wanted to cause a problem, embarrass
my family or the church and religion I love,» said Senator Nesselbush.
«The time, however, has come for me to speak out about the Catholic Church’s flawed
view of gay marriage. The Church persists in placing ‘form over substance.’ I always
say, we Christians should worry more about the quality of our love, rather than the
gender of the person we love. I hear Pope Francis gently advancing this cause when
he repeats the words of Jesus: ‘Who am I (the Pope) to judge,’ paraphrasing the
well-known…’judge not lest we be judged.’ Interestingly, the parishioners at Saint
Mary’s seem also to be upset, crying out for justice for their beloved music
director, as I suspect most Catholics are. If the church stays true to the real
teachings of Jesus, the answers are right there. Love is love, and love is all we
need, not the Church’s rules and regulations that actually, ironically, belie
Christianity,» added Senator Nesselbush.