Michigan Family Asks for Priest to Be Removed After He Called Their Son a 'Sinner' at His Funeral

A family asked for the priest at their local Michigan church to be removed after he led their son's funeral.

Instead of celebrating Maison Hullibarger's 18 years of life, the priest, identified as Father LaCuesta, took the opportunity to share his opinions on suicide to hundreds of mourners at Hullibarger's December 8 funeral.

"He basically called our son a sinner, instead of rejoicing in his life," Linda Hullibarger said to the Blade.

Jeff and Linda Hullibarger said that despite meeting with Father LaCuesta days before to go over the details of their son's service, the priest completely disregarded their notes.

"We heard he was talking about suicide," Jeff Hullibarger said. "We looked at each other and said, 'What is he doing? We didn't ask for this.'"

"It was his homily," Linda Hullibarger added. "It was what he wanted. He said nothing about what we asked him to say."

Maison's parents had to intervene twice to have the opportunity to share their own words about their "passionate and opinionated" son.

The 18-year-old was a 2018 graduate of Bedford High School and a student at the University of Toledo, according to Pawlak Funeral Home obituaries.

Father LaCuesta did not respond to the Blade's request for comment, but the Archdiocese of Detroit issued an apology.

"We understand that an unbearable situation was made even more difficult, and we are sorry," a statement read. "After some reflection, the presider agrees that the family was not served as they should have been served.

"For the foreseeable future, [LaCuesta] will not be preaching at funerals and he will have his other homilies reviewed by a priest mentor," the statement continued. "In addition, he has agreed to pursue the assistance he needs in order to become a more effective minister in these difficult situations."

Maison's brother Alec Hullibarger started a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs. More than $17,000 was raised in one week.