Archdiocese of Cincinnati expands morals clause in teacher contracts

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The language reads, “Such conduct or lifestyle that is in contradiction to Catholic doctrine or morals includes, but is not limited to, improper use of social media/communication, public support of or publicly living together outside marriage, public support of or sexual activity out of wedlock, public support of or homosexual lifestyle, public support of or use of abortion, public support of or use of a surrogate mother, public support of or use of in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination, public membership in organizations whose mission and message are incompatible with Catholic doctrine or morals, and/or flagrant deceit or dishonesty.”
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Not a half-bad start at it.
 
At the top, it reads “Teacher-Minister” and the morals clause has grown from a line or two to an entire paragraph
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I guess the archdiocese is trying to take advantage of the US Supreme Court’sdecision in Hosanna-Tabor v Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding the “ministerial exception.”

IANAL, and I am sure the archdiocese have had their lawyers go over the ruling and the new contract very closely. However, I am disappointed that the news article doesn’t mention some important details.

In the Hosanna-Tabor ruling, the Supreme Court refused “to adopt a rigid formula for deciding when an employee qualifies as a minister.” However, the court ruled that Tabor was under the ministerial exception for the following reasons:
  1. Hosanna-Tabor had identified Cheryl Perich, the teacher, as a minister
  2. Perich had a significant degree of religious training
  3. Hosanna-Tabor subjected Perich to a formal process of commissioning
  4. Perich held herself out as a minister
  5. Perich’s job duties reflected her role of conveying the message of Hosanna-Tabor and carrying out its mission
    martindale.com/labor-employment-law/article_Kronick-Moskovitz-Tiedemann-Girard-A_1429638.htm
I suppose not all five of those would be necessary to protect the archdiocese under the Hosanna-Tabor decision, but meeting those five things would ensure that the ruling applied.

So is the archdiocese adopting other changes, in addition to the revised morality clause? Those are the sort of details I would be curious about.
 
As a convert, I missed the Catholic school experience, but it seems to me that, at some point, if you are a teacher in a Catholic setting, you will have to, at least, pick up a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.:rolleyes: I would hope that those holding those positions were practicing their faith in the first place. I have a grandaughter in the Cincinnati Archdiocese about to receive her First Communion in a couple of months. This action on the morals clause is reassuring to me that she may receive genuine instruction in her formation.
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The most relevant parts of the contract are section 4 and section 21. Section 21 spells out each teacher has a Catholic mission.

The Teacher-Minister acknowledges and agrees to each of the following Affirmations for Working in a Catholic School by placing his/her initials on the line in front of each affirmation.

I. I acknowledge and agree that the work of the Catholic Church, its agencies and institutions, has characteristics that make it different from the work of other agencies and institutions.

II. I acknowledge and agree that with others I share the common purpose of working diligently to maintain and strengthen the Catholic Church and its members. By word and example I will reflect all the religious values of the Catholic Church.

III. I acknowledge and agree that as the Teacher-Minister that I play a substantial role in conveying the Catholic Church’s message and carrying out its mission. I believe my ministry embraces a five-fold purpose:
  • to teach and convey the tenets of the Catholic faith
  • to build and live Catholic Christian community
  • to integrate learning with faith
  • to instill a sense of Christ’s mission, care for others, and service
  • to draw the school community into worship
IV. I acknowledge and agree that open communication forms the operational basis of our work together in the Catholic Church, as each offers his/her gift of ministry under pastoral direction.

V. I acknowledge and agree that mutual trust should be offered and expected

VI. I acknowledge and agree that I am more than a professional:
  • My involvement in the Catholic Church community distinguishes me as a minister in a faith community
  • My involvement goes beyond standard concerns to involvement with the formation of the total person, especially with the spiritual formation
  • My involvement in a Catholic Christian ministry leads me to realize that, notwithstanding love and concern for the individual, the group has needs which can supersede individual needs
VII. I acknowledge and agree that I am accountable to others and they are to me. Therefore, we should show support, concern and consideration for each other. I further acknowledge and agree that I have problem solving and/or grievance processes at my disposal through the School or through the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, or through both the School and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

VIII. I acknowledge and agree to act and speak in a way that supports the Catholic Church and its teachings. I understand that serious actions contrary to the Church’s teachings (including but not limited to improper use of social media/communication, public support of or publicly living together outside marriage, public support of or sexual activity out of wedlock, public support of or homosexual lifestyle, public support of or use of abortion, public support of or use of a surrogate mother, public support of or use of in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination, public membership in organizations whose mission and message are incompatible with Catholic doctrine or morals, and/ or flagrant deceit or dishonesty) will not be tolerated.
 
What’s the difference between “publicly living together…” and the corollary, which I assume would be “privately living together…”?
 
Coatimundi said:
The Teacher-Minister acknowledges…

My involvement in the Catholic Church community distinguishes me as a minister in a faith community
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… and there’s the key provision! They’re not hiring ‘teachers’, they’re hiring ‘teacher-ministers’ who “minister in a faith community.”

It’s an interesting spin, and one that they evidently hope will enable them to take advantage of recent rulings. However, I wonder what unexpected side effects will present themselves from this tack?
 
oldburkes said:
As a convert, I missed the Catholic school experience, but it seems to me that, at some point, if you are a teacher in a Catholic setting, you will have to, at least, pick up a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.:rolleyes: I would hope that those holding those positions were practicing their faith in the first place. I have a grandaughter in the Cincinnati Archdiocese about to receive her First Communion in a couple of months. This action on the morals clause is reassuring to me that she may receive genuine instruction in her formation.
👍
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Yes, it’s good news. I have never understood why non-Catholics or-- worse-- dissenting Catholics should be working in a Catholic school anyway.
Coatimundi said:
The new teacher’s contract can be read here:
s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1061362/teachercontract.pdf

According to the local newspaper in Cincinnati, teachers are expected to sign the contract by the end of this school year.
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👍 All Catholic schools should probably be doing this to avoid problems.
 
GraceSofia said:
Yes, it’s good news. I have never understood why non-Catholics or-- worse-- dissenting Catholics should be working in a Catholic school anyway.
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When I was in Catholic school we had several non-Catholic teachers. Simple reason: The school was desperate for teachers and the teachers were desperate for jobs.
 
GraceSofia said:
Yes, it’s good news. I have never understood why non-Catholics or-- worse-- dissenting Catholics should be working in a Catholic school anyway.

👍 All Catholic schools should probably be doing this to avoid problems.
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I know teachers in our local Catholic schools who are not Catholic, but take very seriously the responsibility to live by their contracts.

Our diocese has a standard contract that requires teachers to familiarize themselves with Catholic teaching so the “I didn’t know” defense won’t work. That came into play when one teacher wanted to continue using in-vitro fertilization treatments. Her contract was not renewed when that became public.
 
What happens when the teacher goes to confession? Do they recuse themselves from teaching when they sin gravely? Do their confessors tell them to quit when they fail to live according to this contract?
 
Tony_Micelli said:
What happens when the teacher goes to confession? Do they recuse themselves from teaching when they sin gravely? Do their confessors tell them to quit when they fail to live according to this contract?
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In charity, I am acting as if these were serious questions.

If the teacher is living sinfully in the external forum, that is dramatically different than if they live sinfully in the internal forum. If you’re not familiar with the difference between the external and internal forums, then you should try to educate yourself.

The examples all listed in the contract were “external forum” items.

I won’t dignify the second question other than to acknowledge that you posed it.
 
Tony_Micelli said:
What happens when the teacher goes to confession? Do they recuse themselves from teaching when they sin gravely? Do their confessors tell them to quit when they fail to live according to this contract?
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If you have been to confession lately then you would know how it works and it’s not like that.
 
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