Father Don LaCuesta's homily broke the news to the friends and classmates in attendance, some of who became 'visibly distraught'

A lawsuit filed by a Michigan mother alleges that the Catholic priest who presided at her son’s funeral disregarded the family’s request for a “positive, uplifting and loving message,” and instead revealed that the young man had died by suicide — then condemned him.

Linda Hullibarger filed the lawsuit last week in Wayne County Circuit Court against the Father Don LaCuesta, who presided at her son Maison Hullibarger’s funeral, reported NBC News

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Maison died on Dec. 4, at age 18.

The Hullibargers had not disclosed their son’s cause of death, the suit states. Instead, the priest’s homily broke the news to the friends and classmates in attendance, some of who were “visibly distraught.”

According to the complaint, LaCuesta delivered a homily on the “sin” of suicide and prevented the family from speaking or participating in the laying of the cloth.

Maison’s father, Jeff, twice tried to stop the service but LaCuesta rebuffed him, the complaint alleges.

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In a transcript of the homily provided by the archdiocese, LaCuesta said: “I think that we must not call what is bad good, what is wrong right. Because we are Christians, we must say what we know is the truth — that taking your own life is against God who made us and against everyone who loves us.”

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According to the transcript, LaCuesta added: “The finality of suicide makes this all the worse. You cannot make things right again.…

“We remind ourselves that he is not lost to God who seeks to save all of his children … And so, we take great comfort and consolation in all this. Nothing — not even suicide — can separate us from the unconditional love of God.”

Following the incident, the Archdiocese of Detroit barred LaCuesta from speaking at funerals.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron agreed to meet with the Hullibarger family. But upon meeting, he allegedly told them that “he wasn’t there to discuss Father LaCuesta” and they should “let it go,” after the family complained about LaCuesta.

The archdiocese has declined to comment since December. Instead, Vigneron has referred reporters to his statement, where he acknowledges that “the family expected a homily based on how their loved one lived, not one addressing how he passed away.”

The statement also offered a formal apology because “one of its parish priests was unable to bring comfort to a grieving family at the recent funeral of their beloved son.”

LaCuesta also apologized in a statement for having fallen “well short of providing them the comfort they so desperately need.”

“Instead, I added to their pain,” LaCuesta said. “I deeply regret that, and I am sorry.”

The lawsuit seeks undisclosed compensatory and punitive damages against LaCuesta for inflicting emotional distress, invasion of privacy and misrepresentation, according to NBC News

It also accuses the archdiocese and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, in Temperance, MI, of vicarious liability and negligent hiring and supervision of LaCuesta.

A status hearing is now scheduled for Feb. 12.