Catholic author draws ire for calling decorating gingerbread houses 'effeminate'

Grown men apparently shouldn’t decorate gingerbread houses together, according to one Catholic author. In fact, such an act is “effeminate” in his eyes. 

Taylor Marshall, the author in question, wrote a since-deleted tweet that chastised men who decorated gingerbread houses, suggesting that they suffered from “Peter Pan syndrome.”

Marshall was incensed when he saw photos of seminarians at Saint Meinrad in Indiana’s Harrison Township decking out their gingerbread houses.

Saint Meinrad@SaintMeinrad

Last Tuesday the seminarians held a gingerbread house making contest. Seminarian @CoreyBruns photographed the event. #Christmas #FridayFeeling

3:32 AM - Dec 8, 2018

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“How fabulouth!” he tweeted at the time, according to the Kansas City Star. “These seminarians had a ‘gingerbread house making contest’ and Corey won. This is effeminate and puerile, and it’s why some Seminarians are horrific.”

The father of eight added, according to the news outlet, “Grown men don’t gather to decorate gingerbread. (Can you imagine Basil & Gregory Decorating cookies together?).”

Saints Basil and Gregory were friends together at school in Athens. Basil began a monastery, and Gregory joined as a monk. Why wouldn’t they decorate cookies together?

Thomas Bolin@Scaevola67

 · Dec 9, 2018

Replying to @gregorykhillis

No. Trads went after gingerbread?!

Greg Hillis

✔@gregorykhillis

Apparently making gingerbread houses makes seminarians gay. Who knew? pic.twitter.com/WPS3ujNIoA

6:08 AM - Dec 9, 2018

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Greg Hillis, an associate professor of theology at Bellarmine University, a Catholic college in Louisville, Ky., retweeted Marshall’s tweet before he deleted it, adding, “Apparently making gingerbread houses makes seminarians gay. Who knew?”

In response, Marshall tweeted, saying that he decorates gingerbread houses with his kids and loves it. “But I dont call my adult buddies over to my home for ginger bread decorating parties. Or pajama parties. This behavior reveals arrested development or Peter Pan Syndrome.”

Taylor Marshall @TaylorRMarshall

I decorate gingerbread houses with my kids. I love it. But I dont call my adult buddies over to my home for ginger bread decorating parties. Or pajama parties. This behavior reveals arrested development or Peter Pan Syndrome.

5:53 AM - Dec 9, 2018

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The transitional deacon of the archdiocese of Louisville, Tony Cecil, felt the need to respond to Marshall’s “unbecoming” comments as well:

Deacon Tony Cecil@TCecilJr

Dr. Taylor Marshall is trying to spread the idea that my seminary is not fit to be forming priests because we decorated some gingerbread houses and put on a Christmas play for our professors and their children. (1)

4:10 AM - Dec 9, 2018

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Cecil added: “Such an atrocious lack of charity is unbecoming of a Christian, certainly unbecoming of a Catholic, and I can no longer consider someone who is so shallow minded to authentically be able to convey and defend the truths of our faith. He’s shown his true colors.”