Priest Accused of Demeaning Church Employees Resigns

By Olivia Rizzo
NJ.com
March 17, 2018

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2018/03/priest_accused_of_harassing_church_employees_resig.html

A Catholic priest accused of harassing female church employees and making inappropriate comments has resigned from his position at The Church of Saint Ann in Lawrence.

Rev. Gerrard Lynch resigned from his position at the parish on March 7. He has since returned to the Trinitarian Order, a Diocese of Trenton spokeswoman said Friday.

A lawsuit filed last month by current and former employees of the church accuse Lynch of being biased against them and saying vulgar, demeaning and inappropriate things, which caused them "fear, consternation and loss of faith."

They also accuse the Diocese of Trenton of inadequately responding to their complaints or failing to act after they reported Lynch's alleged behavior and comments.

The exact reason for Lynch's departure from the parish was not immediately made known.

Monsignor Casimir Ladzinski has temporarily replaced Lynch, according to St. Ann's website.

Among the women's allegations in the suit are that Lynch spread a false rumor that one was having an affair with a priest, one was promiscuous, he referred to one's hairpiece as a "dead rat" and regularly made inappropriate comments about their appearances, and other women.