BEAL CITY, Mich. — Long-time concerns are coming to the surface in Beal City. A now-deleted Facebook post from the local Catholic priest has sparked outrage in the community.
Several parents and parishioners want to see the priest gone, claiming this isn’t an isolated incident, but rather, the final straw.
“I feel terrible for the community. I almost feel like I need to apologize for them and I had zero consequences,” says Shannon Sharrar, member of St. Joseph the Worker Church. “But this is just such a poor representation. This isn't something that we should be on the news for.”
Shannon was very hesitant to share these feelings on camera, but she wanted to be a voice for several parents she says are too fearful to do the same.
“Yesterday, we went to Sacred Heart's mass and (the Bishop) had an amazing homily, that actually, just when I was sitting there listening to it, I thought, 'I know what we're doing is right,” she says.
What they’re doing is speaking out against Father Tom Held.
Last week, FOX 17 first shared how the priest at St. Joseph the Worker Church took to Facebook to apologize for letting a gay author — who he said doesn’t represent the values of the Catholic faith — read to a pre-K class.
READ MORE: Northern Michigan parishioners ask priest to resign over comments made about gay author
The Diocese of Saginaw tells us the pastor appropriately responded.
People like Sharrar don’t see it that way.
“There is a way to relay the messages of the Catholic faith in a more respectable manner, and being considerate of everyone’s situations and the realities of life. And he doesn't do that,” she tells us.
Sharrar shared these concerns with Cormac Lynn, the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese, who held one-on-one meetings with parents all day Monday.
“I feel like my husband and I's meeting with [Lynn] went really well,” says Sharrar. “I think we had a lot of solid points of evidence and concerns that we've had for years now."
She’s wants to make it clear — any issues people might have with the priest likely extend far beyond this current situation.
That’s how FOX 17 was introduced to Cathy Smith. She tells us she briefly took time away from the church five years ago to take care of her husband, who passed away from pancreatic cancer.
Shortly after, she decided to leave the church for good after being a member there for 63 years.
On Monday, for the very first time, Smith shared publicly why she made that decision.
“Well, the last thing (Fr. Held) said to me before I left the rectory was, he said, "Prisoners, murderers, rapists and child molesters have a better chance of going to heaven,” says Smith. “I would guess that he thought because I missed two weeks of church that, in his belief, that's a mortal sin. And so with that, … that was my decision of why I left.”
Smith might not be the only one.
Sharrar has two kids at the school, plus another that just graduated.
“If (Fr. Held) stays, they will not be attending next year,” says Sharrar.
She never thought that day would come. She’s been a member of the church for 39 years, attending the school herself, and even met her husband there.
But she says her long history will be just that — history — if something doesn’t change.
“I'm a Catholic. I believe in forgiveness,” she says. “I have been forgiving for quite some time. I'm not going to be forgiving anymore.”
FOX 17 tried speaking with Superintendent Lynn, but we were told he was not available for an interview. As for the author, Dominic Thrasher, he is scheduled to speak at Sacred Heart, which is also a part of the Diocese, on Thursday. He tells FOX 17 there’s still no word on whether that will happen.
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