Queen of Martyrs Principal Who Defied Mask Mandate Not Returning

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — The principal placed on administrative leave last week for making Queen of Martyrs School “mask optional,” only to have the Archdiocese of Chicago adopt the same mask optional policy for suburban Catholic schools hours later, won’t be coming back.

Parents and parishioners of the Evergreen Park parish received an email from Fr. Martin Marren, stating that Doc Mathius chose not to return to Queen of Martyrs School, which serves the Evergreen Park and Mount Greenwood communities. Mathius served Brother Rice High School for 43 years, before taking the job as principal of Queen of Martyrs during the throes of the pandemic in the fall of 2020.

News of Mathius being placed on administrative leave last Tuesday sparked outrage among parents and neighborhood residents, who rallied outside the school demanding his reinstatement. Marren told parishioners that he met with Mathius on Wednesday to discuss the principal’s options.

“I told him I would welcome him back but that, in my view, he needed to take some fair and
reasonable steps that would repair the breach his actions created in our parish and school
community, as well as with our sister schools in the Archdiocese.”

Stating that he was “greatly disappointed,” Marren said Mathius declined and would not be returning to the school.

“I am saddened, as I trust you are, by his decision,” Marren added. “I am sure you can understand that it is not possible for an organization to employ someone who will not abide by rules that apply to all. That is a lesson we teach our children, and it also applies to adults.”

Last month the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that another Evergreen Park parish, St. Bernadette, would be combined with Queen of Martyrs under "Renew My Church."