A longtime music teacher at a Catholic school in the New Orleans area was recently fired after a parent discovered—and reported—his marriage to another man, igniting controversy within an archdiocese already under scrutiny due to an ongoing clergy abuse scandal and bankruptcy proceedings.
Mark Richards, a beloved music teacher and band director at St. Francis Xavier School in Metairie, Louisiana, lost his job after a parent notified administrators about an obituary for Richards’ husband, John Messinger, who died of a heart attack in September 2023.
In an email to the school community, Richards explained he was terminated on June 25 after 21 years at the school. He said the parent who contacted officials appeared to be “disgruntled” and pointed to the obituary, which listed Richards as Messinger’s surviving husband.
Richards noted that his annual employment contract included a morality clause, which prohibits educators from “contracting a marriage in violation of the rules of the Catholic Church” and “actively engaging in homosexual activity.” Though the clause is standard for all teachers in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, enforcement has historically been inconsistent.
“I signed it every year with a wink and a nod—it was no big secret I was gay,” Richards wrote, adding that his marriage was known and accepted by the school community. He said after Messinger’s death, the community was overwhelmingly supportive—until the parent complaint emerged nearly two years later.
Despite no record of misconduct, and having married Messinger in 2014—two years before starting at St. Francis—Richards said his superiors offered no explanation beyond “you’re fired.”
News of the dismissal sparked backlash. As reported by WDSU and NOLA.com, a parent-led petition calling Richards’ firing “unjust” and praising him as “a beacon of kindness and understanding” had garnered around 1,500 signatures by Friday.
“I would like the morality clause changed,” said parent Katheryn Lee. “Your identity is not your morality.”
Rick English, another parent, called the clause “a violation of human rights” and described the firing as “a social injustice.”
In response to the public outcry, school administrators sent an email confirming Richards’ contract had not been renewed. They claimed he had not given “a fully accurate description” of the situation but said legal constraints prevented them from elaborating. “This decision is final and will not be revisited,” the statement said, emphasizing the school’s commitment to Catholic teachings.
Despite the fallout, Richards expressed gratitude to the families he served: “Teaching your children has been one of the joys of my life, and I treasure the memories.”
Still, he told WDSU he felt betrayed. “It’s just a stab in the back,” he said. “It’s time for this to stop. The rest of the free world doesn’t think homosexuality is a big deal.”
The controversy unfolds as the Archdiocese of New Orleans remains entangled in bankruptcy proceedings tied to hundreds of clergy sexual abuse claims. The archdiocese and its affiliates—including St. Francis—are expected to contribute to a proposed settlement ranging from $180 million to $230 million for roughly 600 survivors. That figure has drawn criticism from survivors’ attorneys, who point to a $323 million settlement reached in a similar case in New York’s Rockville Centre archdiocese.
Any final agreement will require approval from two-thirds of voting survivors.
