Priest resigns from Louisville church after being accused of 'inappropriate' photos

By Billy Kobin
Louisville Courier Journal
June 25, 2019

https://bit.ly/2ZGnMEq

A priest at a Catholic church in the Highlands resigned after he was accused of taking "inappropriate" photos of students during a field day at the end of the school year.

The Rev. Jeff Gatlin, pastor at St. Francis of Assisi, 1960 Bardstown Road, was accused of "inappropriate picture taking" of students during a May 13 field day celebrating the end of the parish school year, according to emails sent by church and Archdiocese of Louisville officials that were obtained by the Courier Journal.

The church's school serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Additional details on the alleged "inappropriate picture taking" were not released by the archdiocese. An archdiocesan spokeswoman was out of the office Tuesday and not available for comment until Wednesday, officials said.

In an email that St. Francis of Assisi School principal Steve Frommeyer shared with parents on May 20, Gatlin wrote "a number of concerns have been raised and accusations have been made about my actions of taking pictures of students at the field day activities."

"Though I do not believe I have done anything wrong, I have asked Archbishop Kurtz to appoint a temporary administrator so that I can cooperate with a review of what occurred, as well as my overall ministry as pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish," Gatlin wrote. 

His comments were also included in a May 24 bulletin sent to St. Francis of Assisi members.

"The Archdiocese will conduct a review and an appropriate investigation with the help of outside experts," Gatlin added. "You are in my prayers. Please keep me in your prayers."

The letter announced the Rev. Joe Graffis would step in as an interim pastor for approximately six months. 

In a May 31 email to parishioners, Graffis and parish administrator Scott U'Sellis wrote that Gatlin was "getting the help he needs dealing with chemical dependency and depression."

Frommeyer also shared the May 31 email with parents of students at the church's school.

David Clohessy, the former executive director and current Missouri director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called on Kurtz to be disciplined for "recklessly and secretively" dealing with Gatlin, noting the archbishop didn't alert the public.

"Adding insult to injury, Kurtz also let Fr. Gatlin voluntarily resign, rather than be suspended, and put his 'spin' on the serious accusations in a message to parishioners," Clohessy wrote.

In a June 17 email, Kurtz told St. Francis of Assisi parishioners that the investigation into Gatlin was complete.

"Representatives from Child Protective Services reviewed what occurred and spoke to parents of students. They have informed us that they do not have information that would lead to a substantiated case of any criminal activity," Kurtz wrote. "As previously shared, with his permission, Father Gatlin entered a medical treatment program last month and is receiving the care he needs. Last week, he informed us that he would like to resign as pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish to focus fully on his health and recovery. I have accepted his resignation."

Kurtz wrote Graffis would continue as "the parish administrator for the coming months as we begin the process of identifying a new pastor."

"Though no firm timeline has been determined, it is likely this transition will occur near the end of the year or early next year," Kurtz said.

The archbishop closed his email by asking parishioners to give Graffis "your support."

"Please pray for your parish and school during this time of transition," Kurtz wrote. "Please be assured of my prayers for your families and the parish community."

Gatlin was ordained in 2000 and has served at St. Francis of Assisi since August 2017. According to the Record, the archdiocesan newspaper, he was previously assigned to numerous churches in Louisville, including St. Margaret Mary, St. James, St. Albert the Great, Sts. Simon and Jude, St. Peter the Apostle and St. Polycarp.