Male church employee fired for marrying man

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — The director of music at a Charlotte Catholic Church is out of a job because he married a man.

Steav Bates-Congdon showed Eyewitness News a copy of the letter given to him by Saint Gabriel Church in South Charlotte. The letter said that Congdon's recent decision to marry his partner is a contradiction of Catholic Church teachings.

Bates-Congdon had worked for the church since 2004.

"I took the job because it was a program that wanted
to grow," he said.

He said he made it clear when he took the job that he was openly gay and in a 15-year relationship with his partner Bill.

Bates-Congdon said he told them "so they couldn't be blind-sided the way I was blind-sided a week ago."

He said a week ago the pastor of Saint Gabriel handed him a letter of termination. It said that
his October marriage in New York was in "direct opposition to the teachings of the catholic church."

Eyewitness News tried reaching out to the church via e-mail and by phone Saturday. However, we did not hear back from them in time for this report.

Bates-Congdon told us he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease recently, and the church will continue to pay his health insurance and salary through the end of June.

WSOC