A principal at a Pennsylvania Catholic school has apologized to parents after an invitation to an Oscars-themed graduation dance featured a photo of Ellen DeGeneres.

Nancy Matteo, the principal at St. Andrew Elementary School, is demanding students return the invitations in order for them to be destroyed, Philly.com reports.

Matteo said in an email to parents that it was "completely wrong" to use DeGeneres' image because the lesbian entertainer "lives her life outside the teachings of the Catholic Church." She did not mention DeGeneres' sexual orientation.

The principal for the Newtown, Penn., school added that she was "obviously NOT thinking" when she used the photo for the June 8 dance invitation.

"Perhaps I was distracted by the Oscar," she wrote, describing the talk show host as a "poor role model."

"A role model, as defined by Webster's Dictionary, is a person who is unusually effective or inspiring in some social role, job, position, etc.," the email says. "This does not describe her at all. We work so hard to be good role models and then I go and do something stupid!"