Music Director Leaves Church Over Priest's Antigay Statements

A gay music director at a New Jersey Roman Catholic church once led by gay 9/11 hero Mychal Judge is leaving because of the current pastor's remarks against homosexuality.

Robert Russell, who has been a music minister at St. Joseph Parish in East Rutherford for 22 years, is resigning effective September 30 because of statements the Reverend Joseph Astarita has made from the pulpit, such as "Marriage between two men is a lie," reports New Jersey newspaper The Record.

Astarita, who became pastor of the church in July, made the statement about marriage in a July 10 sermon, Russell told the paper in an interview Wednesday. "My feeling at that point was to walk out," he said. "But I didn't because I have a responsibility to the choir and church." Russell said the comment was "insensitive and uncomfortable."

He met with Astarita the following month to discuss the comments and to reveal that he is gay and has had a partner for 15 years. Russell said the priest expressed concern about his involvement in a proposed children's choir, told him he would be a "poor example," and suggested he could change his sexuality through therapy.

Russell told The Record he felt pressured to leave his job and has retained an attorney for possible legal action. The attorney, David L. Wikstrom, said Astarita created "a hostile and adverse work environment."

Other parishioners said St. Joseph has traditionally been a liberal parish but is now becoming "ultraconservative" and is losing members because of that. It was run by the Franciscans, a Catholic religious order, for 99 years, but because of staffing shortages the order turned St. Joseph over to the Catholic archdiocese of Newark in July; Astarita was installed as pastor after the change.

Judge, a celibate gay priest, served as pastor of various New Jersey churches, including St. Joseph, from the 1960s through the mid 1980s. He moved to New York City in 1986 and eventually became a chaplain for the city's fire department. He died September 11, 2001, after being hit by debris while ministering to victims of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center.