Around one year ago, we have first heard of a grieving family who publicly expressed their outrage and demanded repercussions after a priest accused their son, Maison Hullibarger, who committed suicide, of being a sinner during the boy’s funeral.
Reverend Don LaCuesta allegedly brought up the 18-year-old’s cause of death several times and even went as far as telling the grieving family that he might not go to heaven due to his sins.
“It was his time to tell everybody what he thought of suicide, [and] we couldn’t believe what he was saying,” the boy’s upset father, Jeff Hullibarger, said days after the funeral which took place at Temperance’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on December 8.
“He was up there condemning our son. He wondered if he had repented enough to make it to heaven. He said suicide upwards of six times. There were actually a couple of younger boys who were Maison’s age who left the church sobbing.”
According to the outraged parents, they had spoken to LaCuesta prior to the funeral and expressed what they wanted to be shared at the funeral – and the topic of suicide wasn’t on the list.
During the funeral, the teen’s family got so upset that the father walked up to the reverend and told him to stop. Nevertheless, LaCuesta ignored his whispers and continued discussing the boy’s ‘sins.’
“He basically called my son a sinner, in front of hundreds of people,” the boy’s mom, Linda Hullibarger, added. “And judged him when he didn’t even know him.”
Now, the story continues as the outraged mother took legal action against the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and the priest himself.
According to the family, they were contacted by Bishop Gerard Battersby who admitted what the priest in question did was wrong. However, they also said they wouldn’t remove him for it.
“No parent, no sibling, no family member, should ever, ever have to sit through what we sat through. And it’s happened before.
“When you’re already beyond devastated, why would you make it even worse? No words can describe that [because] you don´t think you could feel any worse,” the family expressed in a statement after the lawsuit was filed.
As for the Hullibargers and their suit, they seek “to hold Father LaCuesta, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish, and The Archdiocese of Detroit accountable for the actions of Father LaCuesta and to ensure no further harm to the parish and local community.”
What are your thoughts on this incident? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!
Replaced!