The Nativity School of Worcester in the US State of Massachusetts is no longer permitted to identify as a Catholic school. The school refused to remove its Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Pride flags, as was requested by its diocese Bishop Robert McManus..The announcement came in the form of a decree issued by McManus on Thursday and was published in The Catholic Free Press, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Worcester..The school provides tuition-free education for boys from low-income communities in the area. It was established in 2003 as the only tuition-free private middle school in Central Massachusetts. Sixty students currently attend the school.."While we all share in wanting all our students, in particular our black and brown inner-city students, to feel safe and welcome, we must abide by the moral axiom that 'the ends do not justify the means,'" McManus said..Nativity School is a privately funded establishment and receives no money from the diocese.."As a multicultural school, the flags represent the inclusion and respect of all people. These flags simply state that all are welcome at Nativity and this value of inclusion is rooted in Catholic teaching," president Thomas McKenney said..McKenney said the school will appeal McManus' decision. He also said the school will keep the flags flying "to give visible witness to the school's solidarity with our students, families, and their communities.".He said any decision made by the Diocese will not change how Nativity School operates..Worcester Human Rights Commission Chair Guillermo Creamer Jr., who attended the school from 2006 to 2008, said that Nativity is an “inclusive school that welcomes students and families of all backgrounds.”.Creamer Jr., who’s openly gay, slammed McManus’ rhetoric, saying that the bishop is “on the wrong side.”
The Nativity School of Worcester in the US State of Massachusetts is no longer permitted to identify as a Catholic school. The school refused to remove its Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Pride flags, as was requested by its diocese Bishop Robert McManus..The announcement came in the form of a decree issued by McManus on Thursday and was published in The Catholic Free Press, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Worcester..The school provides tuition-free education for boys from low-income communities in the area. It was established in 2003 as the only tuition-free private middle school in Central Massachusetts. Sixty students currently attend the school.."While we all share in wanting all our students, in particular our black and brown inner-city students, to feel safe and welcome, we must abide by the moral axiom that 'the ends do not justify the means,'" McManus said..Nativity School is a privately funded establishment and receives no money from the diocese.."As a multicultural school, the flags represent the inclusion and respect of all people. These flags simply state that all are welcome at Nativity and this value of inclusion is rooted in Catholic teaching," president Thomas McKenney said..McKenney said the school will appeal McManus' decision. He also said the school will keep the flags flying "to give visible witness to the school's solidarity with our students, families, and their communities.".He said any decision made by the Diocese will not change how Nativity School operates..Worcester Human Rights Commission Chair Guillermo Creamer Jr., who attended the school from 2006 to 2008, said that Nativity is an “inclusive school that welcomes students and families of all backgrounds.”.Creamer Jr., who’s openly gay, slammed McManus’ rhetoric, saying that the bishop is “on the wrong side.”
