Maison Hullibarger was a straight-A student and outstanding athlete. Photo / Supplied, WXYZ Detroit
Maison Hullibarger was a straight-A student and outstanding athlete. Photo / Supplied, WXYZ Detroit
There are calls for a Catholic priest in the US to be removed after he told the funeral of a teenage boy that he might be blocked from heaven because he took his own life.
Jeff Hullibarger and his wife, Linda Hullibarger, from Michigan, chose Father Don LaCuesta to leadtheir son Maison's funeral after they met him and trusted him to deliver a compassionate and respectful sermon celebrating "how Maison lived, not how he died".
The 18-year-old, who tragically took his own life on December 4, was described as a straight-A student and outstanding athlete.
The disrespectful sermon caused mourners to leave sobbing. Photo / Supplied, CNN
But instead, the pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Temperance told the room full of hundreds of mourners and family members what he thought of suicide.
"He was up there condemning our son, pretty much calling him a sinner. He wondered if he had repented enough to make it to heaven. He said 'suicide' upwards of six times," Mr Hullibarger told the Detroit Free Press.
"There were actually a couple of younger boys who were Maison's age who left the church sobbing."
The grieving father even walked to the pulpit and whispered to the priest, "Father, please stop", but LaCuesta continued on with the critical sermon.
"People told me there was almost a smirk on his face," Mr Hullibarger told the Detroit Free Press.
In a statement to media about LaCuesta's sermon, the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit said it is sorry that an "unbearable situation was made even more difficult".
The archdiocese also promised that LaCuesta will not preach at funerals "for the foreseeable future."
'He was up there condemning our son, pretty much calling him a sinner.' Photo / Supplied, CNN
But the Hullibargers said this is not enough.
"Really, the only way for that to happen is for this priest to be removed. We're afraid that, like the Catholic Church does, they'll send him off and he'll do it to somebody else," Mr Hullibarger said.
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.
