Outspoken Priest Steps down from St. Mary’s in Stockton

The Record
September 24, 2013

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130924/A_NEWS/130929963

Father Dean McFalls, an outspoken and popular priest, has resigned as pastor of St. Mary’s Church because, he told parishioners, he is about to become the father of a baby son.

McFalls, 58, has not been defrocked but is no longer able to perform his duties as a priest.

In a letter to the congregation, McFalls said, “I assume full responsibility for my actions and will do all that I can so that my child receives the care and love that he deserves.”

He has been replaced on an interim basis by Jose Luis Gutierrez, the vocations director for the Diocese.

Read Wedesday’s Record for more on this story by staff writer Kevin Parrish.