The Michigan Catholic Conference recently restructured its health insurance plan. In essence, the change replaces the term “spouse” with “Legally Domiciled Adult” (LDA). This plan covers employees of Diocese of Lansing parishes, schools and entities.News of this change caused concern and confusion among Diocese of Lansing pastors, principals and faithful Catholics because of the possibility that same-sex “spouses” and cohabitating unmarried couples will receive benefits.
To clarify, the Gospel message and Church teaching has not changed. The church’s opposition to cohabitation and same-sex relationships has not changed. The Diocese of Lansing’s employment practices have not changed.
Excerpt from the Diocese of Lansing Employee Handbook:
The employer is a religious institution, and its efforts are directed toward the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Employees of the Diocese of Lansing are commissioned to live and proclaim the Gospel always and everywhere. While employees are asked to serve in a variety of roles, each employee’s duties and responsibilities are primarily religious. That is, by word and deed, each employee is involved in spreading the faith and other key works of the Church. Each employee’s position is vital to the spiritual and pastoral mission of the Church, and is inherently religious.
To assure an effective, spiritually healthy, and committed work force, that paragraph above is implemented by an additional paragraph that states the requirements that flow naturally from our mission:
In both personal and professional life, an employee must exemplify the moral teachings of the Catholic Church. The employee must not teach, advocate, model, or in any way encourage beliefs or behaviors that are contrary to the dogmatic or moral teachings of the Catholic Church, which can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Questions regarding Catholic teachings should be directed to the Chancellor of the Diocese of Lansing. (Teacher contracts are worded in similar fashion.)
We remain committed to an outstanding workforce of men and women who are “all in” on the life-changing truth of Jesus Christ and the evangelical mission of his Catholic Church. Our evangelical zeal is undimmed. Every parish has practicing Catholics to protect and encourage, lapsed Catholics to blanket with love and prayer, and vast numbers of God’s children who do not yet know him.
As stated in the pastoral letter, Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord, “The Church, as the domestic church, thrives in the homes of Catholic men and women who embrace with joy the blessings of marriage and children. Our efforts to evangelize the world will be launched from these homes, or they will not be launched at all.”
The new LDA language does not change our employment practices. If we find that we have an employee living outside the teachings of the Church, we will respond like any diocese. That is, we will counsel the employee to live the way God intended in order to continue employment. This has been, and will remain, our practice.
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