Backlash on Gay Teacher’s Firing May Hit Diocese Annual Fund Drive
By JoAnne Viviano
Critics of the firing of a gay Catholic-school teacher have threatened to withhold donations from a fundraiser that kicks off this weekend and pulls in millions each year for Diocese of Columbus programs. The Bishop’s Annual Appeal aims to raise $6 million in pledges from parishes across the 23-county diocese. Last year, the appeal received pledges from more than 24,000 households, raising $6.7 million to exceed the 2012 goal by nearly 15 percent. But some backers of Carla Hale, the physical-education teacher who was fired from Bishop Watterson High School in March, say they won’t be tossing money into Bishop Frederick Campbell’s coffers this year. Amanda Finelli, a 2005 alumna who runs the #halestormOhio advocacy group, said she won’t donate because “money speaks to the diocese.” Goals of the group are to get Hale reinstated and to encourage the diocese to revise employment policies. Finelli, who lives near Upper Arlington, said she hasn’t directed other Hale supporters to withhold donations. But, she said, it has been discussed as a possible course of action. She said the group is creating “mock checks” that parishioners can put in collection baskets in lieu of donations. The checks will allow users to fill in a blank to let churches know where their money is being donated instead. Hale was fired from Bishop Watterson, in Clintonville, after she listed her partner’s name in an obituary published in The Dispatch. She wants to be reinstated, is pursuing a grievance through the local Catholic teachers union and has filed a complaint with the city of Columbus under an ordinance that prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Campbell said this week that Hale wasn’t fired because she is gay but because her “quasi-spousal relationship” violates church teachings, her employment contract and diocesan policy. When asked how he responds to concerns about a drop in donations to the Annual Appeal, Campbell said he tries to explain that it’s his responsibility to maintain the Catholic identity of diocesan institutions. Tom Barford, a 1961 Watterson alumnus who lives on the North Side, said he supports Hale’s firing because “Catholic school teachers are to teach with their actions as well as their books." He argued that withholding money won’t get Hale rehired or change the teaching of the church. “It will only hurt people who really need that money,” Barford said. “That money goes to people who are in desperate need of help.” The fundraiser backs a wide range of ministries, including vocations, retreat centers, Catholic schools, services for the needy, hospitalized and infirm, and programs for minorities, youth, couples and families. In a flier on the 2013 campaign, the bishop says the funds raised will have an impact on all parishes in the diocese. Vivian Harvey, 73, of the Northwest Side, said she used to give $1,000 to the annual fundraiser but stopped for various reasons. She won’t give this year because of Hale’s firing and other issues. Harvey, whose sons attended St. Charles Preparatory School in Bexley, called the firing an “ incredible injustice.” jviviano@dispatch.com
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