News Notes From CFFC

In Catholic Circles, Spring 2006 from the newsjournal Conscience.

Of particular interest (to me anyway):

Catholic School Fires Pregnant Teacher
"A pregnant Catholic schoolteacher in Brooklyn, NY, has been fired by a Catholic school because she is unmarried. A spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn said that it supported the decision by the Saint Rose of Lima school to fire Michelle McCusker because the teachers’ handbook stated that 'a teacher can not violate the tenets of Catholic morality.'

Speaking at a rally in support of McCusker, CFFC board member Eileen Moran said, 'I am appalled by the unjust, unethical treatment she has received. This action violates the church’s own teaching on the rights of workers to be treated justly and with respect. St. Rose and the Brooklyn diocese behaved abysmally and hypocritically in its firing of Ms. McCusker. To me, Ms. McCusker exemplifies the best of Catholicism. She chose teaching, a career of service over material gain and she now shows she has the courage to challenge injustice not only on her own behalf but on behalf of other pregnant women.'

The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a wrongful dismissal complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and McCusker has also filed suit against the school."

(aside: when's the next time CFFC and Feminists for Life are going to be agreeingon something? :) )

Canadian Priest Suspended for Supporting Women’s Ordination
"The Rev. Edward Cachia, who served at St. Michael’s parish in Cobourg, Ontario, has been suspended for suggesting that the ordination of nine women on a tour boat on the St. Lawrence River was 'the beginning of a new and awesome change in the life of the church.' Bishop Nicola De Angelis issued the order to Cachia, stating that he 'can no longer be relied upon to celebrate the Eucharist within the Church as Christ intended.'"