CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune
By Manya A. Brachear
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 11, 2006
When a sad twist of fate reunited Sandra Ring with her former high school sweetheart in 2003, it seemed to prove to the heartbroken Canadian that God works in mysterious ways.
Ring's one-time sweetheart Jason Martin was a Roman Catholic priest. Within seven months, Martin vowed to leave the priesthood, proposed marriage and fathered a son, according to allegations in a lawsuit that Ring filed in a Canadian court.
But in July 2004, Martin's religious order, the Discalced Carmelite Friars, transferred him to Chicago, where he now recruits candidates in the Midwest. Ring sued Martin, 33, and the Carmelites for child support.
"In essence he played house and decided he liked priest life better," said Ring, 32, of Ingersoll, Ontario. "And the church is protecting him without any regard for [his son]."