By Kelly Farrell
Naples News
June 17, 2011
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/jun/17/diocese-bishop-dewane-Stan-Strycharz-leo-catholic/
 |
| Rev. Stan Strycharz receives a standing ovation during a prayer gathering and celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ordination of Strycharz at Quail West Country Club in Bonita Springs. Strycharz, the priest of St. Leo Catholic Church in Bonita Springs, was suspended by Bishop Frank Dewane in July 2010, pending investigations into allegations that he fathered a child and mishandled financial and personnel issues. About 400 people attended a March 2011 meeting that was held in support of Strycharz and organized by a group called Save the Southwest Florida Diocese. Lexey Swall/Staff |
A shake-up that began nearly a year ago at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Bonita Springs has yet to settle as the status of embattled priest Rev. Stan Strycharz remains in limbo.
Southwest Florida Bishop Frank J. Dewane placed Strycharz on administrative leave in late July, with full pay, pending an internal investigation into several allegations about Strycharz, both personal and financial.
Throughout the past year, requests to the Diocese for updates on the investigation generally brought a response of “nothing yet.”
The wording of the Diocese’s answer changed slightly Friday.
“The Diocese is not prepared to make a statement regarding Fr. Stan Strycharz,” Diocese spokesman Billy Atwell said in an email.
Strycharz isn’t talking, either.
“Unfortunately, at this time, I am still unable to make any comments regarding my situation or anything else that may be happening at St. Leo parish,” Strycharz said.
Strycharz, who led the church for five years through tremendous growth in parishioners and a multimillion-dollar expansion, has remained quiet, his supporters claim, because of a gag ordered placed on him by the Diocese.
His supporters banded together to form Save the Diocese of Southwest Florida and have been raising money to defend him.
Otis Wragg, founder of the Miami-based Wragg & Casas public relations firm, which has an office in Bonita Springs, remains a spokesman for Strycharz and his supporters.
The Naples-based Cheffy Passidomo law firm had been retained for Strycharz as of February, according to Wragg.
But now, Wragg said, Passidomo isn’t working on Strycharz’s behalf as there is no pending litigation and the consideration of filing any has since been dropped, to the best of his knowledge.
During the past year, however, there has been a Lee County court case against the Diocese in which Strycharz’s conflict with the bishop came into play.
Former church employee Mary Beth Geier filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Venice in September, but withdrew it in February. She declined comment.
Geier, who was St. Leo’s office manager, education director and director of liturgy, filed a lawsuit based on her July 2010 firing.
The lawsuit names the Diocese, St. Leo church, temporary administrator Monsignor Stephen McNamara, Chancellor Volodymyr Smeryk, human resources director Art Fleisher and Dewane as defendants.
Filed in Lee Circuit Court by Geier’s attorney, Charles A. Murray of Naples, the suit alleged breach of an employment contract between Geier and the church. The contract was signed by Geier and Strycharz on June 1, 2010.
Geier was employed by the church for the prior four years and the new contract was to be good for one year. She was to be paid an annual salary of $75,209.
Not in the contract, but another part of her compensation, was that the Diocese didn’t charge her for two of her children’s tuition to a Catholic school, which is valued at about $16,000 annually.
The contract stated that Geier would be given 30 days to correct any performance issue before being terminated. This opportunity wasn’t afforded Geier, the lawsuit contended.
Instead, she was told on June 24, 2010, that a failure to update her fingerprints that already were on file with the church was cause for her dismissal, the lawsuit contends. Also, Geier offered to be fingerprinted that same day, but the suit alleges Diocese officials wouldn’t allow her to do so.
The contract states that if terminated by the employer before the year was up, Geier was entitled to a full year’s salary — but she wasn’t paid, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges Geier’s firing — and the involuntary administrative leave that Strycharz was placed on soon after — was due to personal animosity the bishop had toward Strycharz.
That personal grudge doesn’t exist, Diocese spokesman Atwell said Friday, adding that Geier’s lawsuit stated many other things that aren’t true.
“It should be noted that when a priest is successful in a parish, so is his bishop. There was and is no grudge on the part of Bishop Dewane. Even with the preliminary investigation being challenging for everyone involved, Bishop Dewane maintains respect and fraternal love for all of his priests,” Atwell said.
According to her attorney, Geier dropped the case willingly because she didn’t want to go through the process required and since found other employment.
Diocese officials maintain that Geier wasn’t compensated in any way for dropping the suit, which alludes to harm against Strycharz as well.
Less than a week after Diocese officials fired Geier, Dewane sought to have Strycharz terminate Geier again, the lawsuit alleges.
This was done “in an effort to conceal their prior tortious interference with an employment contract” of which the Diocese of Venice was not a party, the lawsuit alleges.
“Father Stan Strycharz refused this request and now he has been placed on administrative leave, slandered and his own job is in jeopardy,” the lawsuit states.
Meanwhile, the loss of another priest has St. Leo parishioners concerned, particularly as it came without a formal announcement.
The Rev. Luis Pacheco left St. Leo’s church shortly after Easter and is to be gone for six months, although an exact date of return isn’t set, Atwell said.
Attempts by the Daily News to reach Pacheco were unsuccessful.
“Father (Pacheco) was simply tired and a bit burned out. During his sabbatical he will have the chance to refresh and relax,” Atwell said.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.