Priest at Dearborn Church Accused of Driving Drunk, Naked
By Christine Ferretti and George Hunter
A Catholic priest who allegedly drove through the city naked and intoxicated was suspended by the Archdiocese of Detroit. The Rev. Peter Petroske, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Dearborn, was placed on administrative leave Monday, Archdiocese officials. The 57-year-old is charged with misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated and disorderly/obscene conduct, according to officials with Dearborn's 19th District Court. Petroske was arrested by Dearborn Police late Thursday while driving unaccompanied in his vehicle, the Archdiocese said. "The archdiocese takes such matters seriously and is cooperating fully with law enforcement," the Archdiocese statement said. "This is a difficult time for the parish community, and we ask for prayers for all who are impacted." Other details of the arrest weren't immediately clear Tuesday. It's the policy of Dearborn Police Department to withhold comment on cases before the suspect appears in court. Messages left at the school were not immediately returned. A phone call to the church was referred to the Archdiocese. Petroske will be arraigned before Dearborn District Court Judge Richard Wygonik on Aug. 14. He does not have an attorney listed, court officials said. Efforts to reach Petroske were unsuccessful Tuesday. The Archdiocese was informed of the incident and was in contact with police on Sunday, said spokesman Joe Kohn, who confirmed Petroske was unclothed at the time of his arrest. Archdiocesan officials met with the parish staff Monday to inform them of Father Petroske's leave of absence. Kohn said Petroske will not be on the premises of the church and school during the suspension. In Petroske's absence, recently a retired priest, the Rev. Robert Blondell, has been named temporary administrator of Sacred Heart Parish and will oversee day-to-day operations. Petroske was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and was orphaned at a young age, according to a short autobiography on the Sacred Heart website. After he was ordained to the priesthood in 1984, Petroske was named associate pastor at the Parish Church of St. Anne in Escanaba, where he served for two years. He also served in other Michigan churches, including St. John the Baptist church in Garden, St. Peter the Fisherman in Fayette, St. Anne in Cooks and St. Andrew in Nahma. "Eventually some significant changes took place in my family and my own life," Petroske wrote. "As a result, I applied for incardination into the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1991." His first Metro Detroit assignment was at Parish Church of St. Rene Goupil in Sterling Heights. He also served at St. Anne in Warren, and St. Pius X in Southgate for 14 years. "After having moved to the Archdiocese, I had taken some graduate courses in clinical counseling and psychology," Petroske wrote. cferretti@detnews.com or (313) 222-2069
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