Bishop says school can’t call itself Catholic after students refuse to remove Pride, BLM flags 

A Catholic private school in Massachusetts has been excommunicated by a local bishop after ignoring orders to remove pride and BLM flags.  

The Nativity School of Worcester has been sanctioned by Robert J. McManus, the Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, for their refusal to take them down. 

He says the facility – the only tuition-free private school in the region – cannot continue to call itself Catholic while flying in the face of key church teachings.  

The school, run by Principal Emily Kent is the only tuition-free private middle school in the region and serves about 60 students. 

It took McManus over a year to respond to the school flying the two flags in front of the campus, stating the two symbols represent specific agendas or ideologies [that] contradict Catholic social and moral teaching.’

The objection to the pride flag is over rules regarding same sex marriage in Catholic teaching, with the church saying that being gay itself isn’t a sin – but that gay relationships are.

McManus also clarified that the opposition to Black Lives Matter is in terms of the controversial organization, not the anti-racist sentiment behind the slogan. 

It took McManus over a year to respond to the school flying the two flags in front of the campus, stating the two symbols represent specific agendas or ideologies [that] contradict Catholic social and moral teaching’

In a letter to students, President Thomas McKenney said the school would appeal the decision

The Nativity School of Worcester has been sanctioned by Robert J. McManus, the Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, for their refusal to take BLM and pride flags down

While the Catholic Church ‘stands unequivocally behind the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter,’ the BLM movement ‘has co-opted the phrase and promotes a platform that directly contradicts Catholic social teaching on the importance and role of the nuclear family and seeks to disrupt the family structure in clear opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church,’ he said. 

Guillermo Creamer Jr., an openly gay alum of the school and now the chair of the Worcester Human Rights Commission, said the bishop is ‘on the wrong side’ of the argument.

‘Revoking the Catholic status of a school simply because it is promoting inclusion is a backward mentality,’ he told the New York Daily News. ‘Doing this during Pride month and days before Juneteenth is very telling for the motives behind such a move,’ he said.

McManus’ decree, effective immediately, means The Nativity School ‘is prohibited from this time forward from identifying itself as a ‘Catholic’ school and may no longer use the title ‘Catholic’ to describe itself.’ 

Students can no longer attend Catholic masses or or conduct fundraisers that involve the church. 

Guillermo Creamer Jr., an openly gay alum of the school and now the chair of the Worcester Human Rights Commission, said the bishop is ‘on the wrong side’ of the argument

McManus’ decree, effective immediately, means The Nativity School ‘is prohibited from this time forward from identifying itself as a ‘Catholic’ school and may no longer use the title ‘Catholic’ to describe itself’

Creamer Jr. believes the school should continue doing what it’s doing, regardless of the bishop’s statement. 

‘Simply because one man wants to rip away its Catholic status the school will not be bullied into changing its ways,’ he said.

In a letter to students, President Thomas McKenney said the school would appeal the decision.

‘After meaningful deliberation and discernment by its Board, leadership team, faculty, and partners, Nativity will continue to display the flags in question to give visible witness to the school’s solidarity with our students, families, and their communities.’

McKenney added: ‘Commitment to our mission, grounded and animated by Gospel values, Catholic Social Teaching, and our Jesuit heritage compels us to do so.’