The beloved longtime music director at a northern Michigan church was fired just a few months before his retirement after officials learned he was in a same-饾憼e饾懃 marriage.
Fred Szczepanski said he was fired on October 18 from St. Francis Church in Traverse City for marrying his longtime partner Bill Thompson in a same-饾憼e饾懃 ceremony in Nevada in 2020.
Szczepanski – who had been the church’s music director for 34 years – was confronted聽by Rev. Michael Lingaur after church leaders received a letter from an unnamed person, according to the聽Traverse City Record-Eagle.
In a letter to parishioners of St. Francis Church in Traverse City, the diocese said his gay marriage violates the ministerial agreement condition of his employment.
‘A public act of same-饾憼e饾懃 marriage is a formal recognition that a relationship is more than friendship, and thereby jeopardizes a ministerial agreement for employment,’ the diocese said.
‘Marriage is a permanent, faithful and exclusive covenant between one man and one woman.’
Outraged congregants protested聽Szczepanski’s firing on October 27, carrying聽signs outside the church that said: ‘Love Not Hate,’ ‘God Includes, Not Excludes’ and ‘Fired Not Retired.’
Choir members on October 20 wore black, left their seats empty and refused to sing, the Record-Eagle reported.
‘He got fired because he’s gay,’ said choir member Bob Holden. ‘He’s extremely talented, he’s perfect on the piano, he has perfect pitch and because of him, I look forward to going to church every week. I’m divorced. Do I get thrown out next?’
Liz Yarch, a former member of the choir, said she had resigned over the firing.
‘Some people were told Fred retired, but last I checked, people who have served for over 30 years get a retirement party,’ Yarch said. ‘Fred was fired for his personal life and I find that cruel.’
Szczepanski said when he confirmed his marriage, Lingaur told him his services were no longer required and said he was not allowed to take communion during St. Francis worship services.
Dave Martin, a member of the church’s pastoral council, told the Record-Eagle he聽received a copy of the letter, that it had an out-of-state postmark and was written by a person he did not name, but who had a seasonal connection to St. Francis.
Szczepanski was reportedly intending to retire in January, but now his husband has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of insurance, legal fees and bills.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse has embraced聽Szczepanski and said they had over 245 people join their service on November 3 to ‘affirm and stand with Mr. Fred Szczepanski.’
In January,聽St. Francis’s former leader Rev. Don Geyman was named in a report on clergy 饾憼e饾懃 abuse and misconduct by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office.
The report聽included 饾憼e饾懃ually charged text messages Geyman reportedly sent to a woman he had previously counseled.
Diocese of Gaylord Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh replaced Geyman with Lingaur in July, and聽Geyman was transferred to聽 St. Ignatius of Loyola in Rogers City, according to the Diocese’s website.