CV NEWS FEED// After co-sponsoring a story hour featuring a book about a non-binary child, Catholic Charities of Trenton, NJ, has issued an apology statement.
The book in question is “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart. It tells the story of a boy with a purple shadow, unlike his mother’s pink shadow or his father’s blue shadow. At the end of the book, he goes to a school dance wearing a suit jacket with a skirt.
Catholic Charities did not respond to CatholicVote’s request for a statement, but their head of communications, Hollis Painting, apologized in a statement to Catholic News Agency:
“We are very sorry for the confusion and hurt this may have caused. We are currently reviewing what led to our agency’s participation in the book reading. It is important to note that this event took place without the knowledge of or approval by [Trenton] Bishop David M. O’Connell, CM.”
The story hour took place on June 17, and in an initial statement to the Daily Wire on June 19th, Catholic Charities head of communications Hollis Painting said the reading, discussion, and activity were “about ways children can express their individuality” and that the aim of the various programs hosted by Catholic Charities is “to address the diverse scope of issues facing students in Mercer County.”
The director of Hamilton Township Public Library, Scott Chianese, told Daily Wire that Catholic Charities “reached out to the library to host the event” and that they had not previously hosted any events at the library.
At that time, Bishop O’Connell did not respond to Daily Wire’s request for comment on the book’s alignment with Catholic social teaching. The Diocese of Trenton also did not respond to CatholicVote’s request for a statement.
In the apology statement to CNA, Painting explained that Catholic Charities participated in the story hour through a state grant program that held Catholic Charities responsible for providing and sponsoring youth mental health initiatives.
“While this is a vitally important state program — and one which Catholic Charities is uniquely qualified to execute — our contract clearly states that we will not administer or host any content that may go against the teachings of the Catholic Church or its values; for any such topic, the curriculum is to be delivered by another community-based mental health organization.”
Painting clarified to CNA that, “we are deeply committed to serving the community and remain focused on helping those in need while ensuring all future activities align with Catholic values and teachings.”
