COLUMBIA (MO)
CoMo City Beat
March 25, 2019
A Catholic priest who served in Columbia was placed on administrative leave from his position in Jefferson City while the Diocese of Jefferson City investigates what it termed as “possible boundary violations.”
Father Geoffrey Brooke was placed on leave from his position as associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Church in Jefferson City.
Brooke, who was ordained in 2015, has also served in Columbia. According to the Sedalia Democrat and a Google summary from his now offline personal website, he served as a priest at Sacred Heart Parish from 2015-2017. He was also listed as an alum of St. Thomas More Newman Center in a 2015 Facebook post from parish alumni, and according to reports also provided weekend fill-in work at various parishes throughout mid-Missouri.
In a statement to CoMo City Beat, Helen Osman, the Director of Diocesan Communications for the Diocese of Jefferson City, confirmed both Brooke’s leave and the purpose of the investigation.
“When the Diocese was informed of possible boundary violations, following diocesan policy, we notified the Missouri Children’s Division hotline. Father Brooke has been placed on administrative leave while these allegations are investigated,” Osman said. She said the diocese also contacted local police.
According to the Jefferson City News Tribune, families of Immaculate Conception School were notified of the leave on March 10th. The letter was shared with the newspaper, and it’s authenticity was then confirmed by the diocese.
David Clohessy of the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), took issue with how he felt Jefferson City Bishop Shawn McKnight handled the issue.
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