Without doing one smidge of research (which means I’m relying solely on my distracted memory)…
Priests and Brothers in religious communities (e.g., Franciscans, Benedictines, Jesuits) take vows according to the rule of their community. Diocesan priests, on the other hand, are ordained as priests but don’t take vows.
I’ve probably messed that up somehow, but that’s the gist of it: Ordination in a religious community = vows; ordination in the diocese = no vows.
Please, some smart person, clarify what I’ve missed
It is NOT a change in Church policy, abrupt of otherwise. The Church has always held that people in leadership positions in the Church (this person was a director of music, not just a singer in the choir) must not be publicly living lives in contrast to Church teaching. There seems to be some question about parish** practice **since some of the comments seem to indicate that a prior pastor had promoted this parish as being (quote from the article) “not your traditional Catholic Church.” But it also seems as if this decision to terminate the director was confirmed at the diocesan level so local past practice is irrelevant.
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