A 17-year-old Barnesville teen, who posted a picture on Facebook urging a no vote on the Minnesota marriage amendment, wasn't allowed to be confirmed in his Catholic Church.
According to a story in the Fargo Forum, Lennon Cihak's family members say they aren't allowed to received communion, either, at Assumption Church in Barnesville. And the boy's father is worried he won't be allowed to be buried in the church cemetery next to his parents.
Cihak, who wasn't old enough to vote on the constitutional amendment that was defeated last week in Minnesota, had posted a photo earlier this fall of himself holding a "Vote Yes" sign that had been altered to say "Vote No."
The Rev. Gary LaMoine refused to let Cihak be confirmed during the church's October ceremony, even though the boy had gone through the required preparation, which included volunteer work in the community.
The boy's mother, Shana Cihak, said:
"You kind of know the Catholic beliefs, but I never thought they would deny somebody confirmation because you weren’t 100 percent. I guess that’s what shocks me."
The mother said she'd contacted Bishop Michael Hoeppner of the Catholic Diocese in Crookston, but was told not much could be done, the story said.
The paper was unable to get comments from either the priest or the bishop.