Sex Toys Too Hot for Rome

NEW FRANKEN, Wis. (AP) - A Catholic priest has removed his church's organist and choir director from her duties saying her sale of sex toys was not "consistent with Church teachings."

Linette Servais, 50, played the organ and sung with the choir for 35 years. Much of her work as choir director and organist was done without pay. When her parish priest asked to meet with her, she thought it was to say thank you.

Instead, she was told to quit her sales job with company known as Pure Romance or she would lose her position in the church.

Pure Romance in Loveland, Ohio, is a $60 million per year business that sells spa products and sex toys at homes parties attended by women. It has 15,000 consultants like Servais.

She said her decision was not hard: She began working with Pure Romance after a brain tumor and treatment left her sexually dysfunctional. The job allows her to help other women who have similar problems.

Servais said she feels called as a Christian to help women, especially those who have sexual problems resulting from cancer. She does not see this work as incompatible with her faith as a Catholic.

Father Dean Dombroski thinks otherwise.

He sent a letter last fall to all members of his congregation.

"Linette is a consultant for a firm which sells products of a sexual nature that are not consistent with Church teachings," he wrote. "Because parish leaders are expected to model the teaching of our faith, once this matter became public she and I met and she was given a choice. Either she could stay on as the choir director/organist or she could continue to be a consultant but she could not do both."