Ousted Chestnut Hill College instructor teaching at Penn

A former adjunct professor who was forced to leave Chestnut Hill College because he is gay is co-teaching a course at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Rev. James St. George said Thursday night that he had co-taught several of the Monday classes in the course Religion, Social Justice, and Urban Development with professor Andrew Lamas.

St. George said Lamas had invited him to co-teach the course this semester and was directly compensating him. He said Penn had not hired him.

Penn spokesman Ron Ozio said Thursday night he was unaware of the arrangement until informed by reporters and could not immediately comment.

St. George reached a confidential settlement with Chestnut Hill last week. He was not retained for the spring semester after the Roman Catholic college learned he was gay.

There also was a dispute about whether St. George had made clear to the college his ordination in the Old Catholic Apostolic Church, which allows priests to be married, female, or gay, and which the Vatican does not recognize. He is pastor of St. Miriam Catholic Apostolic Church in Blue Bell.

After Chestnut Hill forced him out in February, news surfaced that he had served time for a 1992 federal mail-fraud conviction. St. George said he had not kept his record a secret, but college officials said they did not know about it.