As people tend to do who want to spend the rest of their lives together, Sarah Rupert-Sullivan married her now wife, Molly, last August. And as recently married couples tend to do; she wanted to share her good news with the world. But part of her world, her Catholic high school, to be specific, denied her that right.
According to Notre Dame Prep spokeswoman Cami Colarossi, the “Class Chatter” publications editor, it defies the church’s teachings. “We do not print in official school publications information which conflicts … in any way with the totality of the Church’s teachings,” Colarossi said. “On one hand, we love and value every member of our community, like the gospel says. But on the other hand, we have to uphold Catholic doctrine as an official ministry of the Catholic Church.”
When Rupert-Sullivan heard about this rejection, her response was quite simple. “To be kind of candid about it,” she said, “I was pissed.”
It is not like only Catholic weddings are posted, at this very “Catholic” school. Rupert Sullivan states, “The weddings that are listed are not Catholic-only,” she said. “I got a message from a woman on Facebook that was married, divorced and did not have her first marriage annulled. So technically her second marriage is also a sin, and therefore her child was born illegitimately. NDP happily published both of those things.”
How is that for a double-standard?
Rupert-Sullivan didn’t just take this rejection silently. She’s taken a stand, and has started a petition that already has over 1,500 signatures. Although she is not confident this will change school policy, she is confident it will generate awareness about the issue at hand. “My other goal was to make sure no other student, whether it be current or past, feels like they are the only ones left out,” she said. “At this point, I can only push on. I can’t just quietly settle down.”
Well, Sarah Rupert-Sullivan, you certainly have generated a noise that has been heard over a variety of news sources. So in our opinion, you have already succeeded in getting your voice heard.
And congratulations to you and your beautiful wife.
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