Priest Released from Port Aransas Church; Parishioners Ask for Reasons

By Monica Lopez
Caller Times
October 17, 2017

http://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2017/10/17/priest-released-port-aransas-church-parishioners-ask-reasons/772267001/

A Catholic church in Port Aransas is left without a priest after he was removed Wednesday by the bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Rev. Krzysztof Bauta, known as Father Kris by his parishioners, said he was called into the bishop's office Wednesday and was told he was being removed from St. Joseph Parish.

"I was very distraught and shocked," Bauta said. "I asked him why and I was not given a reason."

He received a letter from the Bishop Michael Mulvey that states the removal "is for the just cause of the pastoral good of the people of St. Joseph Parish."

Bauta, 63, said he was given 48 hours to vacate the church and did not get the chance to say goodbye to all of the parishioners of St. Joseph's.

He wrote a statement that was posted on the church's website and on its Facebook page.

"If the news has not yet reached you, I would like to inform you, that the Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi terminated my pastoral assignment at St. Joseph’s," the statement Bauta had posted on the church's website and Facebook page reads. "Today, Friday (Oct.) 13, 2017 (exactly 7 weeks after hurricane devastation) I am leaving St. Joseph parish."

Since the news was posted, Bauta said he has received several calls asking why he was removed.

"I wish I could have been told what I did wrong so I can correct it," he said. "I have nothing left, I am upset. He has to man up and answer why. If you make decisions, people want to know why."

Bauta said he has done nothing wrong, but speculates that he might have been dismissed because he disbursed monetary donations his church received for relief from Hurricane Harvey.

"When we received donations, the people would say that they wanted the money to go to people of the island," he said. "That's what we did."

He said he was hurt because he lost all his possessions after Harvey and then lost his position with the church.

A letter from Michael Mulvey, Bishop of Corpus Christi, to Fr. Krzysztof Bauta. (Photo: Contributed photo)

Bauta, who was assigned to St. Joseph's for four years, was sent to live temporarily at St. John Vianney Residence for Priests in Corpus Christi, according to the letter he received.

Bauta said he tasked the church's finance committee of volunteers from the parish with inteviewing residents of Port Aransas and deciding how to distribute the monetary donations according to each person's need.

"People lost their homes and even cars," he said. "The church was the core of hope. We were helping the town rebuild."

Bauta said the church recieved cans of food, clothing and diapers among other items that it distributed to people affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Rev. Krzysztof Bauta was released from the St. Joseph Parish in Port Aransas on Oct. 11. (Photo: Contributed photo)

"It was so abrupt. People's hopes were raised and now they take me away," he said.

John Morris, an active member of Port Aransas church, said Bauta's removal has brought another storm to the area.

"It was easier to accept Harvey than the second storm," he said. "We have lost our priest. It's terrible. So many questions have went unanswered."

Morris, who married his wife in a ceremony performed by Bauta a few years ago, said he and his fellow parishioners feel lost without their priest.

Fr. Kris Bauta (left) stands with Donata and John Morris after their wedding ceremony a few years ago. (Photo: Contributed photo)

Morris said more than 100 St. Joseph's parishioners signed a letter sent Monday to the Diocese of Corpus Christi after the bishop did not answer or return calls regarding Bauta's dismissal.

"This is exactly the time when we need the absolute stability of our church, led by Fr. Kris Bauta," the letter states.

"The timing is brutal, and is seemingly a calculated move to inflict the most pain on a parish family that is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey. As if this insult was not enough, you and your legal team then directed parish staff to advise parishioners that you “do not wish to be the contact for St Joseph’s needs”, thus leaving us adrift in our time of greatest need," the letter states.

A St. Joseph's Facebook post says the bishop did not answer calls. (Photo: Monica Lopez/Caller-Times)

Marty Wind, director of communications for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, said Tuesday the diocese usually does not comment on situations like Bauta's removal.

Wind later that day released a statement from the diocese.

"The pastoral change at St. Joseph’s Parish in Port Aransas was not prompted by allegations of sexual misconduct. As a matter of procedure, the Diocese of Corpus Christi is declining to comment further. This has not caused a change in the current Mass Schedule or the administration of the Sacraments," the diocese stated. "With proper oversight, accountability and in keeping with the law, any funds donated for Hurricane Harvey relief will be used for that purpose."