Women who wore rainbow masks to church say priest denied them Communion. ‘Crushed’
A group of women say they were denied Communion at a Colorado church because they wore rainbow face masks to Mass.
They wore the masks to show support for Maggie Barton, a teacher who was fired from the church’s Catholic school after the Archdiocese of Denver learned she was in a same-sex relationship, the group told local outlets.
“When Maggie Barton’s story hit, it struck a (chord) in me and I felt compelled to do something,” Sally Odenheimer told KDVR.
She and three friends attended Mass at All Souls Catholic Parish in Englewood, the parish where Barton had worked at the affiliated school, wearing the masks, The Denver Post reported.
One of the women, 81-year-old Susan Doty, told the outlet she lined up to receive Holy Communion, but the priest “took one look at her rainbow-colored face mask and shook his head,” motioning for her to move on without receiving the Eucharist.
“I felt demeaned, and I said to him, ‘This isn’t right,’ and then I moved away feeling so sad and kind of unbelieving,” she told the outlet. “I went back to my pew and wanted to cry, but I tried to hold it in.”
Odenheimer’s other friend, 64-year-old Jill Moore, was also denied Communion, she told KDVR.
“Here are these decent, wonderful human beings being denied the Holy Eucharist solely on what they’re wearing,” she told the station. “Solely on what they’re wearing. I was crushed by that.”
The Archdiocese of Denver said in a statement to McClatchy News that church officials believe the women’s actions made them unfit to receive the Eucharist.
“Anyone who considers themselves a lifelong Catholic knows that the communion line is not the place for any political statement, especially when such statements highlight that the person is not in communion with Christ,” the statement says.
Doty told The Denver Post her group was “intent on not being disruptive,” and that they wore the masks to show solidarity for Barton and her supporters.
“Maybe it opens up the door for other people, other Catholics, to open their eyes about what’s going on in this community and for them to decide whether they believe in that or feel like that’s the right direction the Archdiocese is going,” Odenheimer told KDVR. “It’s up to them.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Women who wore rainbow masks to church say priest denied them Communion. ‘Crushed’."
