Michigan Catholic School Fights Mask Mandate Since Masks Hide ‘God’s Image’
Most private schools sued over mask mandates because of religious liberty concerning the right to worship.
The lawsuit from the Resurrection School in Lansing, MI, could form a new precedent:
In the original lawsuit filed, the school argued against the state-imposed mask mandate on religious grounds, saying it ultimately interferes with Catholic education.”Unfortunately, a mask shields our humanity,” the lawsuit read. “And because God created us in His image, we are masking that image.”School officials also argued the possible social implications of face coverings.”Masks also make us anti-social,” the lawsuit said. “They interfere with relations. As the Catholic faith teaches, we are relational beings.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati will hear the appeal on Wednesday.
The Resurrection School filed the original lawsuit in October 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
However, “the court denied the school’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop the mask mandate.” The school appealed two days later.
Rev. Steve Mattson, the Church of the Resurrection pastor, said the school did not have school transmissions. Students fifth grade and below never wore a mask:
“We didn’t, over the past year, have any cases of in school transmission,” said Rev. Steve Mattson, Church of the Resurrection pastor.The lawsuit says the “mask shields our humanity,” “masks God’s image” and “make us anti-social.”Rev. Mattson said it’s important for teachers to see a student’s entire face.“Teaching is a relationship between individuals, and we know non-verbal interaction is very powerful,” said Rev. Mattson.
Mattson wants to make sure the state cannot instill another mask mandate because “it’s really the students who suffer.”
“It’s the ones who struggle the most that are most harmed by having to wear their mask,” explained Mattson.
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