Church music director fired after getting engaged...

Really?  That's what you're wearing?  

Really?

It's just wrong.  I would be embarrassed.  As Karen Walker would say, "Honey, what's going on here?  What's with the white shirt dresses?"

Actually the photo of Collette and his partner (shown at top) was taken at the Vatican, right after the proposal.

Let me just say I think gay marriage is really, really dumb - and very queer - in every sense of that word.  And then - to go before a camera looking like that ...  And they're old.

What?

Here's the story...

Colin Collette got engaged to his longtime partner in Rome last week. But after announcing his big news, he was fired Monday from the Holy Family Church in the suburb of Inverness.

Collette was the music director for the church. 

The Archdiocese of Chicago issued a statement saying it was aware of the situation at Holy Family and would not comment on an individual's personnel issues.

Collette finds the Archdiocese response troubling because he says his relationship was far from private. He says his partner -- also a Catholic -- has even read scripture at the church.

"Everybody was welcome. That was our hallmark. All are welcome. Well, that's all changed now. That's become a lie," Collette said. - Source

Quite seriously, this is where solid catechesis is necessary.  Yes, all are welcome, but if you work for the Church, if you have a 'ministry' in the Church, you have to live according to Catholic teaching and strive to live a faithful life.  Everyone sins, everyone can sin, and they can be reconciled through the sacrament of penance.  The Church does not approve or recognize same sex marriage, or homosexual acts.  Christian marriage is a sacrament, it is a communal, public event.  Simulating marriage in a same sex relationship is not Christian marriage, albeit now a civil public event.  It is a source of scandal.  Scandal is NOT a problem of prudishness or spiritually immaturity or narrow mindedness.  As the catechism makes clear:

2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense. - CCC

Mr. Collette should have known the consequences.  The pastor of the parish should have counselled him beforehand - especially since, as Collette stated,  "his relationship was far from private."