Maison Hullibarger (Facebook photo)
The Archdiocese of Detroit has barred Rev. Don LaCuesta from presiding over funerals for the foreseeable future because of what he said during a homily for an 18-year-old who committed suicide.
During the homily on Dec. 8 for Maison Hullibarger, the priest in Temperance, Mich., about 10 miles north of Toledo, Ohio, said the suicide was an act "against God who made us and everyone who loves us," according to The New York Times.
Maison's parents, Jeff and Linda Hullibarger tell the Times they had asked LaCuesta to focus on Maison's life rather than how he died during the homily.
“Maison didn’t deserve this," Linda Hullibarger told the Times. "He basically called him a sinner in front of everybody. We were just blindsided.”
Jeff Hullibarger told the Times that he walked up to LaCuesta and asked him to stop mid-homily.
The Archdiocese said:
“The family wanted a homily based on how their loved one lived, not one addressing how he passed away. We also know the family was hurt further by Father’s choice to share Church teaching on suicide, when the emphasis should have been placed more on God’s closeness to those who mourn.”
