Suicide priest was under investigation

By Elizabeth Behrman
Tampa Tribune
May 17, 2014

http://tbo.com/news/crime/tampa-pastor-found-dead-amid-investigation-20140517/

The Rev. Vladimir Dziadek had been with St. Joseph's for nearly three years.

TAMPA — A popular priest killed himself last week, days after the Diocese of St. Petersburg launched an investigation into his church's finances, authorities said.

A maintenance worker found the Rev. Vladimir Dziadek, 57, at the bottom of a staircase in the living quarters at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Monday, police said. A few days earlier, representatives from the diocese had met with Dziadek after an auditor discovered irregularities in the church's quarterly financial report.

The representatives were scheduled to meet again with Dziadek, said Frank Murphy, spokesman for the diocese.

“People are concerned, and we want to get out all the facts before we say anything,” he said.

The Associated Press, referring to a report obtained from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, reported Saturday that Dziadek embezzled about $200,000 from the church and gambled away the money.

The diocese will not complete its investigation until Monday, Murphy said.

“The parish deserves an answer,” he said. “We need to come up with that, but we don't have all the facts yet.”

The diocese is aware Dziadek had struggled with depression, Murphy said.

Once the review is complete, a report will be given to Bishop Robert Lynch, who then will meet with the St. Joseph parish council.

Tampa police also are conducting their own investigation into the matter, spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

A small but steady crowd of churchgoers filed into the church for Mass early Saturday evening. Dziadek's death shocked his parishioners, who remember him for his thoughtfulness and compassion.

“I know it will be a struggle for the parish because they loved him,” Murphy said about the investigation.

The Rev. Carlos Jose Rojas, from the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Wimauma, was appointed as Dziadek's replacement, according to the church website.

Dziadek took the helm at St. Joseph's in West Tampa in 2011.

He was born in Poland and decided to become a priest as a senior in high school. At the time, the communist party controlled Poland, and Dziadek didn't promote his aspirations for fear the government might assign him military duties, said Eileen Plasse, secretary at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Years after he was ordained in 1982, he was transferred to Venezuela, where he learned Spanish and served for about seven years. In 2002, he brought his Spanish-speaking skills to the Tampa Bay area after being assigned to the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

He was named parochial vicar and later appointed parochial administrator at Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Gulfport, where he started a Spanish-speaking ministry that still is in operation today.

When he arrived, he wasn't fluent in English, said Plasse, who was the parish manager at the Gulfport church.

Dziadek took classes at Eckerd College and in about six months he was celebrating Mass, Plasse said. In 2011, he was assigned to the 118-year-old St. Joseph Catholic Church, which has a large Spanish-speaking congregation. He led both the English and Spanish Masses.

Dziadek is survived by two sisters and three brothers. A visitation service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 3012 W. Cherry St., Tampa. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at the church.

The funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Monday.

Dziadek will be buried in Poland.