by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

Eight students at Wright State University came into the Catholic Church this past Easter with the help of Campus Ministry. Six men and six women ministered to by our archdiocesan Prison Ministry also came into the Catholic Church last spring. On Dec. 26, I myself had the joy of conferring the rites of baptism and confirmation at the Lebanon Correctional Facility in Warren County.

In 2019, nine seminarians were ordained to preach and administer the sacraments as priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the largest ordination class for the local Church in four decades.

Catholic Charities Southwest Ohio and Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley served more than 5 million meals to people who otherwise might have gone hungry. And Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley continues to lead efforts in disaster recovery in the wake of tornadoes that ripped through Dayton.

What all this otherwise-unrelated good news of 2019 has in common is that each achievement was made possible in part by generous contributors to the annual Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) – and that is only part of what the ministries funded by the CMA do.

CMA-supported ministries help the most vulnerable among us every day, including expectant mothers, the elderly, those with mental health challenges, refugees, the sick and families. In addition to Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services; Campus, Hospital and Prison Ministries; and the Seminary and Vocations, those ministries include St. Rita School for the Deaf; Retired Archdiocesan Priests and Senior Clergy; and New Evangelization programming to share our love of the faith and proclaim the Gospel message.

The CMA ministries together help to meet not only the material needs of God’s people, but the spiritual and educational ones as well. That kind of charity has been part of the Christian mission since apostolic days. St. Paul collected funds for the poor and for the Church of Jerusalem during his missionary journeys. While that may seem unremarkable today, it was unique in the ancient world. Until then, it was unheard of for individuals to help others they did not personally know. St. Paul and his collaborators in mission did so because they saw Christ in those in need.

The episcopal motto I chose when I became a bishop is “Seek the Face of the Lord,” from which the title of this column is drawn. Christians have always practiced acts of charity – notably the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy – because they see the face of Christ in others.

The theme for this year’s Catholic Ministries Appeal, Together for the Faith of the Gospel, reflects the reality that together we can do so much more for others in spiritual and material need than we can do as individuals acting alone. Nor could any of the ministries of the local Church survive without our combined contributions of time, talent and treasure.

The local Church is the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, with its 450,000 members. However, we join together as a worshipping community in our parishes. For that reason, the CMA collection is parish-based. Parishes that raise more than their goal each year receive back half of the excess to support their own ministries. In 2019, for example, 90 parishes met or exceeded their goal, causing a total of $330,000 to be remitted to them.

More than 24,000 families participated in the CMA last year. I am deeply grateful for their generosity. But consider how much more good work the ministries involved could do if even 2,000 or 4,000 more families contributed!

With that in mind, I invite you to donate to the CMA this year, especially if you have not done so in the past. No gift is too small. Through the CMA, we can make a big difference in the lives of others Together for the Faith of the Gospel.

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by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

Throughout the long history of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Catholic education has always been recognized as a vital ministry of our local Church.

Our first diocesan bishop, Bishop Edward Fenwick, started a school for young women in 1825, just four years after the foundation of the diocese. It opened with 25 students and two teachers. Today, the archdiocese has 111 Catholic schools with more than 40,000 students.

Class size, subjects taught, technology and the social environment in which our schools operate have all changed radically in 195 years – and even within our lifetimes. What has not changed is the purpose of Catholic education: to prepare students both for this life and for eternal life.

That is what we celebrate during National Catholic Schools Week, beginning Jan. 26.

Discipline and academic rigor are the hallmarks of Catholic schools and an attraction for many parents, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. They are not, however, the essence of what might be called “the Catholic school difference.” Nor is that difference only to be found in religion classes, campus Masses and retreats, though all of those are essential to Catholic identity.

What most distinguishes our schools goes even deeper – Christ is in their DNA. The mission statement of Catholic Schools in the archdiocese says it well:

“Vital to the evangelizing and educational mission of the Catholic Church, we are Christ-centered communities dedicated to the faith formation, academic excellence and individual growth of our students, all rooted in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.”

One of the supporting statements of this mission says our schools will provide “an atmosphere in which the Gospel message is proclaimed, community in Christ is experienced, service to our brothers and sisters is achieved, and thanksgiving and worship of God is cultivated.”

The theme of the 2019-20 school year for the archdiocese, “Building a Community of Love,” simply puts into words what our schools have always done.

In accomplishing this end, our teacher-ministers and principal-ministers play a key role as they partner with the parents and guardians who remain the primary educators of their children. I am profoundly grateful to all who accept their call to the ministry of Catholic education. The latest technology and the newest buildings would be ineffective without their dedicated service.

Our students learn from the example of their teachers that faith and action go together. We see that lived out in more than 100,000 hours of service that they perform each year. We also find it in their advocacy for human life at all stages, from nursery to nursing home. Later this month, busloads of our Catholic high school students will again travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the annual March for Life on Jan. 24. I am very proud of the young people who make this challenging journey each year to add their voices to those speaking out against the unjust abortion regime imposed by the Supreme Court in 1973.

The first principle of Catholic social doctrine is the life and the dignity of the human person. This is also the first human right, without which no others can exist. As President Kennedy said in his inaugural address, “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” What the state did not endow, the state cannot legitimately take away.

As I have often noted, St. John Paul II said that young people are not just the future of the Church – they have a contribution to make now. This is a responsibility for which Catholic schools prepare them, as we will see at the March for Life and during Catholic Schools Week.

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By Jessica Rinaudo

During the weekend of July 27-28 it was announced at Masses that Father Geoff Drew, pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in Cincinnati, is on administrative leave. No further details were provided, which left many feeling frustrated. On Monday, July 29, parishioners attended a meeting at St. Ignatius where archdiocesan officials revealed that Father Drew had allegedly engaged in behavior that violates the Decree on Child Protection – although no allegations of sexual abuse or criminal activity had been reported at that time.

The gravity of this incident was underscored by the revelation just over a week later that this was not the first time that Father Drew’s behavior had been reported to the archdiocese. Two separate reports were written in 2013 and 2015 about the priest’s behavior while he served as pastor at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Liberty Township. The reports from those time periods included allegations that Father Drew gave uninvited hugs, shoulder massages, leg pats above the knee and made inappropriate sexual comments about their bodies and appearances to teenage boys. In both instances, the concerns reported to the central office were promptly forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office and Butler County Children’s Services.

Despite these allegations, Father Drew remained in active priestly ministry and was eligible to apply for parishes with open listings. In 2018, St. Ignatius Parish was in need of a new pastor, and Father Drew applied for the position. His assignment was made upon recommendation of the Priest Personnel Board, but at that time, the Board and Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr were unaware of the priest’s alleged past transgressions. Those reports were held by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Binzer, who upon receiving the information, spoke with Father Drew on two occasions and received assurances that the behavior would cease.

A month after Father Drew’s appointment to St. Ignatius, however, Archbishop Schnurr received a letter expressing concern about Father Drew’s behavior. The letter reiterated points made in 2013 and 2015 in the reports sent to Bishop Binzer. It was through this most recent letter that Archbishop Schnurr learned that there were previous allegations against Father Drew. Father Steve Angi, archdiocesan chancellor, promptly gave the letter to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office for investigation.

Following the recommendation of the Butler County Prosecutor, Father Drew was told to restrict his involvement with St. Ignatius School during the investigation, and he was assigned a “monitor” with whom he would have regular accountability meetings. No one informed the school principal of this restriction, and, ultimately, this approach proved inadequate, as Father Drew continued his contact with the school.

“Our acceptance of this recommendation, combined with inadequate oversight, was obviously ineffective and a mistake, and we will not repeat it,” said Mike Schafer, archdiocesan Director of Communications and Mission Promotion.

Despite investigation results that showed no criminal activity, Archbishop Schnurr did not feel they were adequate to exonerate Father Drew.

“In the past, if investigators found that there was no criminal activity, the issue was dropped. In light of what I saw being reported relative to McCarrick last year, I knew this action was not enough,” said Archbishop Schnurr. “The Decree on Child Protection has more boundaries than the behavior simply being noncriminal. We have to also investigate boundaries.”

After receiving all the information uncovered by the civil investigation, the archdiocese began its own investigation into the breach of boundaries with Strategic HR, a company hired by the legal firm that represents the archdiocese.

In May 2019, Father Angi received the investigation report from Strategic HR. The investigation found no criminal behavior but recommended that the archdiocese provide Father Drew with professional and targeted counseling, which he began in June 2019. During this time, archdiocesan offices received another complaint from a family who said Father Drew had text-messaged their teenage son. The archdiocese reported this accusation to Hamilton County Prosecutors, who confirmed that, although the texting took place, no criminal behavior had occurred.

Given the pattern of behavior in contradiction to the Decree on Child Protection, Archbishop Schnurr removed Father Drew as pastor of St. Ignatius on July 23, placing him on a leave of absence and ordering him to undergo comprehensive physical, psychological and spiritual evaluation at an independent, inpatient treatment facility outside of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

This series of events has left the people of the archdiocese feeling confused and worried for the future. The Catholic Telegraph sat down with Archbishop Schnurr on Aug. 6 to learn more about how policies and procedures have changed in light of recent events; the future of Father Drew and what St. Ignatius Parish can expect in regards to new leadership.

New and Updated Policies

To combat incidents like this, the archdiocese has adapted, clarified and instituted a multitude of policies in the central offices, parishes and schools.

Archbishop Schnurr said in the past, protocols for reporting clergy abuse were different from those used to report abuse by lay people. The Director of Priest Personnel managed any reports about clergy, while the Department of Human Resources (HR) handled incidents involving lay people. Now, HR, in conjunction with the Safe Environment Office, will manage all reports of abuse by both laypeople and clergy.

This change has multiple benefits. One, there will be multiple sets of eyes and ears on all reports of abuse. Second, the departmental directors will meet weekly with the archbishop to keep him abreast of all important information, including any investigations into abuse. HR will bring all accusations against clergy to the archbishop’s immediate attention, and all directors will follow up in their weekly meetings.

Additionally, said Archbishop Schnurr, “If there is an allegation with a semblance of truth that comes in against a priest, we will follow the same procedure we have with lay people. The priest will be put on leave, the investigation will take place and we will report it immediately to civil authorities. They will conduct their own outside investigation.”

The archdiocese has also issued a mandatory reporting protocol to all central office employees stating: “All employees and clerics of the Central Offices of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who receive any information (anonymous or otherwise) regarding a potential violation of the Decree on Child Protection by a cleric (priest, deacon, etc.) are required to immediately report such information in writing to Father Steve Angi, chancellor, or Joseph Riede, Safe Environment Coordinator. This mandatory reporting requirement applies regardless of your position/ role in the Central Offices, the manner in which the information is received (verbal, written, etc.) or the level of detail provided in the report of such information.”

Board and Committee Changes

Archbishop Schnurr explained that the Priest Personnel Board is composed of five priests, nominated by their peers, who represent five different age groups of the clergy within the archdiocese. The members of this Board oversee priest assignments, including priest retirements, clergy transfers and priests’ appointments to parishes.

Because Bishop Binzer withheld information about Father Drew, the archdiocese removed him from his capacity as Director of Priest Personnel and from his position on the Priest Personnel Board. Additionally, Bishop Binzer served on the Child and Youth Protection Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and has since resigned.

Father David Endres will now fulfill the role of Director of Priest Personnel and be an ex-officio member of the Priest Personnel Board. Additionally, two lay people from the archdiocesan offices will take part in priest personnel meetings. These two lay people will communicate any reports of allegations against clergy to the priest personnel Board members so they will have all information prior to making priest assignments.

What Will Happen to Father Drew?

On Aug. 19, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati learned that a Hamilton County Grand Jury returned a nine-count indictment against Father Drew stemming from alleged crimes during his time at St. Jude Parish, where he served as music director 1984-1999.

At the time of this interview, Archbishop Schnurr planned to send Father Drew to an independent in-patient facility located in another state that would evaluate him psychologically, spiritually and physically. The findings would be considered, along with other factors, by the archbishop when making decisions about Father Drew’s future. However, that plan changed as the archdiocese cooperated with local authorities and kept Father Drew in Cincinnati where he was eventually arrested.

What Will Happen with Leadership at St. Ignatius?

Following Father Drew’s removal, the archdiocese named Deacon Tim Helmick as temporary administrator of St. Ignatius Parish. Father Dave Kobak, OFM, will continue as parochial vicar and minister to the pastoral needs of the parish.

Archbishop Schnurr acknowledged that St. Ignatius is large parish and cannot go without a pastor for an extended period of time.

“The process for assigning a new pastor to St. Ignatius will follow the standard procedure through the Priest Personnel Board; however, I will ask Father Endres to gather the Board together and expedite this appointment. My hope is to have someone in place in a month, two months at the latest,” said Archbishop Schnurr.

In his closing words, Archbishop Schnurr acknowledged the pain this incident has brought to the Catholic faithful of the archdiocese

“I acknowledge that in the handling of Father Geoff Drew, serious mistakes were made,” said Archbishop Schnurr. “I apologize for the pain or sorrow that we inflicted on our parishioners as a result. We are determined to make the necessary changes in procedures and personnel so that these mistakes will not be repeated.”

Event Timeline

• In 2013 and 2015, the central office of the archdiocese received concerns from St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioners regarding Father Drew’s behavior. The alleged behavior towards teenage boys, while not illegal, violated the archdiocesan Decree on Child Protection.

• The concerns reported to the central office were forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office and Butler County Children’s Services. The investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office found no evidence of criminal behavior.

• Bishop Binzer, in his role as Director of Priest Personnel, addressed Father Drew’s behavior with him on two separate occasions prior to 2018. Father Drew said he would change his behavior.

• The central offices of the archdiocese received no complaints about Father Drew from October 2015 until August 2018.

• St. Ignatius Parish became what is known as “open listed.” That is, the Priest Personnel Board advertised the open position to the priests of the archdiocese and invited indications of interest. Father Drew indicated to the Board that he would like to be considered. He was not asked to leave St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish.

• In August 2018, the month after Father Drew was assigned as pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, the central office received a complaint via letter from a St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioner essentially reiterating the 2015 and earlier concerns. This letter was turned over to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office for investigation.

• In September 2018, at the recommendation of the Butler County Prosecutor, Father Drew was asked to restrict his involvement with the school during the investigation and was assigned a “monitor” for accountability.

• In October 2018, Bishop Binzer received a letter from a St. Ignatius parishioner describing her son-in-law’s very negative reaction to Father Drew dating back to his experiences with then-Mr. Geoff Drew at Elder High School. This letter was promptly forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor to inform their investigation which was in progress.

• Father Angi received the Butler County Prosecutor’s investigation report in early February 2019. The Prosecutor’s Office again found no evidence of criminal behavior.

• Because the allegations involved possible violations of the Decree on Child Protection, Fr. Angi commissioned Strategic HR to investigate. This investigation began in February 2019. Fr. Drew was asked to continue to restrict his involvement with the school during this investigation.

• In May 2019, Fr. Angi received the investigation report from Strategic HR. The investigation uncovered no criminal behavior, but recommended that Father Drew be provided professional counseling. Father Drew began attending counseling sessions with a psychologist in June 2019.

• In June 2019, a complaint was received by the central office from a St. Ignatius family alleging that Father Drew had texted their teenage son. This complaint was immediately turned over to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Their investigation confirmed the texting, but revealed no criminal behavior on the part of Father Drew.

• Given the pattern of behavior in contradiction to the Decree on Child Protection, Archbishop Schnurr removed Father Drew as pastor of St. Ignatius on July 23, 2019, placing him on a leave of absence.

• On July 31, 2019, Deacon Tim Helmick was named Temporary Administrator of St. Ignatius parish.

• On Aug. 19, 2019, the archdiocese learned that a Hamilton County Grand Jury returned a nine-count indictment against Father Drew. He was arrested by local authorities.

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Welcome & Introductions – Deacon Tim Helmick

• Archbishop Dennis Schnurr
• Mike Schafer – Communication Director
• Jennifer Schack – Media Relations Director
• Rob Reid – Human Resources Director

Prayer – Archbishop Schnurr

Purpose & Process – Mike Schafer Thank you for coming this afternoon. We appreciate you being here. This is a very difficult and emotional topic for all of us. I am a father myself . . .

Before we start, I would like to acknowledge that at our earlier meeting on Monday, July 29, we were very poorly prepared to present what has transpired. We know that it did more harm than good, and for that we are very sorry. We will be more disciplined in the future.

We hope that this afternoon can be a start toward rebuilding trust and unity.

This afternoon, we will:

• Tell you what we know about Fr. Drew’s conduct that led to Archbishop Schnurr placing him on a leave of absence.
• Acknowledge our mistakes in the handling of this matter.
• Outline changes in personnel and process moving forward.
• Address your concerns and questions to the best of our ability.

Please keep your questions focused on the topic at hand. This will help enable everyone who wants to speak to have a chance. Thank you.

Review of Fr. Drew’s Assignments – Handout

• Music Minister at St. Jude Parish – 1984-1999
• Music Teacher at Elder High School – 1984-1990
• Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West – 1999-2004
• Internship year at St. Anthony, Madisonville – 2001-02
• Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese – May 2004
• Parochial Vicar at St. Luke, Beavercreek – July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005
• Pastor of St. Rita, Dayton – July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2009
• Pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Liberty Township – July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2018
• Pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Cincinnati – appointed July 1, 2018

Narrative – Jennifer Schack

• In 2013 and again in 2015, the central office of the archdiocese received concerns from St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioners regarding Fr. Drew’s behavior. The alleged behavior involved a pattern of such things as uninvited bear hugs, shoulder massages, patting of the leg above the knee, and inappropriate sexual comments about one’s body or appearance, directed at teenage boys. This behavior naturally made these boys very uncomfortable. In addition, there was a report of Fr. Drew texting some of the boys “teasing them about girlfriends.”

• The concerns reported to the central office were promptly forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office and Butler County Children’s Services. Neither office found any evidence of criminal behavior. Having received notice from the Prosecutor’s Office, we should have investigated either on our own or through a third party. We failed by not doing so. (Note: Conducting a third-party investigation in such a circumstance has been our standard operating procedure for the past year.)

• Bishop Binzer, in his role as Director of Priest Personnel, addressed Fr. Drew’s behavior with him on two separate occasions (prior to 2018). Fr. Drew said that he was unaware of the concerns of the parishioners and said that he would change his behavior.

• In 2018, St. Ignatius Parish became what is known as “open listed.” That is, the Priest Personnel Board advertised the open pastor position to the priests of the archdiocese and invited indications of interest. Fr. Drew indicated to the Board that he would like to be considered. He said that his mother lives close to the parish and he would like to move closer to her. Fr. Drew was not asked to leave St. Max. Under our policy, he could have stayed at St. Max for an additional 3 years.

• In August 2018, the month after Fr. Drew was assigned as pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, Archbishop Schnurr and Bishop Binzer received a complaint via letter from a St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioner essentially reiterating the 2015 and earlier concerns. This letter was turned over to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office for investigation. This was the first time that Archbishop Schnurr was informed of Fr. Drew’s behavior.

• In September 2018, at the recommendation of the Butler County Prosecutor, Fr. Drew was asked to restrict his involvement with the school during the investigation and was assigned a “monitor” – essentially for accountability – with whom to regularly meet. Our acceptance of this recommendation, combined with inadequate oversight, was clearly ineffective and a mistake, and we will not repeat it.

• In October 2018, Bishop Binzer received a letter from a St. Ignatius parishioner describing her son-in-law’s very negative reaction to Fr. Drew dating back to his experiences with then-Mr. Geoff Drew at Elder High School. The son-in-law stated that Fr. Drew inappropriately touched his leg and made him feel very uncomfortable. This letter was promptly forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor to inform their investigation which was in progress.

• Fr. Steve Angi, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, who oversees the Safe Environment Office, received the Butler County Prosecutor’s investigation report in early February 2019. The Prosecutor’s Office again found no evidence of criminal behavior.

• Because the allegations involved possible violations of the Decree on Child Protection, Fr. Angi commissioned Strategic HR – an independent investigation firm used by many organizations and major corporations – to investigate. This investigation began in February 2019. Fr. Drew was asked to continue to restrict his involvement with the school during this investigation.

• In May 2019, Fr. Angi received the investigation report from Strategic HR. The investigation uncovered no criminal behavior, but recommended that Fr. Drew be provided professional and targeted counseling surrounding his emotional IQ and how he interacts with people in the way he communicates and physical interactions. Fr. Drew began attending counseling sessions with a psychologist in June 2019.

• In June 2019, while Fr. Drew was in counseling, a complaint was received by the central office from a St. Ignatius family alleging that Fr. Drew had texted their teenage son. This complaint was immediately turned over to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Their investigation confirmed the texting – which had no pastoral or parish-related purpose – but revealed no criminal behavior on the part of Fr. Drew.

• Given the pattern of behavior in contradiction to the Decree on Child Protection, Archbishop Schnurr removed Fr. Drew as pastor of St. Ignatius on July 23, placing him on a leave of absence and ordering him sent for comprehensive physical, psychological and spiritual evaluation at St. Luke Institute, an independent in-patient treatment facility in Silver Spring, Maryland.

• On July 31, 2019, Deacon Tim Helmick was named Temporary Administrator of St. Ignatius parish. Fr. Dave Kobak, OFM continues in his role as Parochial Vicar and is overseeing the pastoral and spiritual needs of the parish.

• On August 2, 2019, Fr. Steve Angi received a request from the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office to not send Fr. Drew out of town as they were investigating new allegations they had received. As a result, Fr. Angi cancelled Fr. Drew’s planned stay at St. Luke Institute.

• On August 5, 2019, Archbishop Schnurr announced that Bishop Binzer would not be continuing in his role as Director of Priest Personnel. Archbishop Schnurr appointed Fr. David Endres as the new Director of Priest Personnel that same day.

• On August 19, 2019, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati learned that a Hamilton County Grand Jury returned a nine-count indictment against Fr. Geoff Drew stemming from alleged crimes during his time at St. Jude Parish, where then-Mr. Geoff Drew served as music minister 1984-1999 prior to entering seminary. Fr. Drew was arrested that day and remains in custody awaiting trial.

• We clearly made serious mistakes in our handling of this matter, including:

• In 2013 and 2015, we should have launched an independent third-party investigation of Fr. Drew and not relied solely on the criminal investigations.
• In 2018, when we put restrictions on Fr. Drew’s interaction with the children of St. Ignatius, we should have put much stronger verification in place, including telling certain St. Ignatius parish and school leaders.

We apologize. We were wrong.

Role of the Laity – Mike Schafer

We have heard from many of you advocating more involvement from the laity in decision making at the Archdiocesan level and I’d like to address that briefly.

There are two Boards that have played a role in this case. The first is the Priest Personnel Board which oversees priest assignments, appointments to parishes, retirements, and transfers. This Board is composed of five priests, nominated by their peers, who represent five different age groups of the clergy within the archdiocese. Archbishop Schnurr has recently added two lay people as consultors to the Priest Personnel Board, as he will discuss momentarily.

The second Board is the Archdiocesan Review Board. The Review Board is a confidential consultative body to the Archbishop concerning abuse cases. The Review Board consists of 10 lay members, currently:

• Two Montgomery County Common Pleas judges
• An attorney who is involved in his parish with kids
• A former Children’s Services Worker
• A psychologist who works with offenders and victims
• A victim of priest sexual abuse
• An employee at Procter & Gamble who coaches in one of our parishes
• A parent of three who works as a VP at a bank
• Two other parents

Moving Forward – Archbishop Schnurr and Rob Reid

• Moving forward, we will not have any monitored or restricted priests. We will follow the same process for priests and deacons that we have successfully implemented for lay employees. [Rob Reid to explain in detail.] There must be one consistent standard of conduct whether one is a priest or a lay person.

• As Jennifer indicated, I have made a change at the Director of Priest Personnel position. In addition, I have appointed two experienced lay people as advisors to the Priest Personnel Board. Our goal is to ensure that every member of the Priest Personnel Board has complete insight into a priest’s background and profile before an assignment is made. This will also enable us to make more timely interventions with priests when needed.

• Last week, I sent a report on our handling of this situation to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. and a copy has been forwarded to the Holy See in Rome. The Holy Father will ultimately decide whether or not an investigation will take place according to the new moto propio on bishop accountability, Vos estis lux mundi. The investigation would be led by another bishop and a retired U.S. Attorney with access to all the investigative resources necessary.

• Concerning the announcement of a new pastor for St. Ignatius Parish, the Priest Personnel Board and I are carefully considering a short list of candidates. I hope to have an announcement regarding this in the very near future.

• Lastly, I would strongly urge each of you: If you see something, say something. You are not doing anyone any favors by keeping concerns to yourself. Issues only get bigger when they are hidden. We need to address behavior, health, or other issues as soon as possible before they get out of control.

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Office of the Archbishop
100 East Eighth Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
513-421-3131 Ext. 2810

August 9, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ,

You have likely seen the news that Father Geoff Drew, former pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish (Monfort Heights), was placed on a leave of absence effective July 23. We have made mistakes in our handling of this matter, and for that I am deeply sorry. This week, I have made changes in both personnel and allegation-handling procedures to ensure that these mistakes never happen again.

The decision to remove Fr. Drew as pastor of St. Ignatius was taken because of reports that he had engaged in a pattern of “grooming” behavior in violation of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Decree on Child Protection. Although the archdiocesan chancery office has received no allegations or evidence of criminal behavior relative to Father Drew, consistent with archdiocesan standard procedure in such matters, all information we received was promptly reported to the civil authorities.

Naturally, there have been many questions surrounding this incident. In an effort to address these questions, we have created an online resource where you can read the full timeline of events that led to the decision to place Father Drew on a leave of absence. You can also find additional information about where Father Drew has served in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the next steps for Father Drew moving forward, and information on what will occur regarding new pastoral leadership for St. Ignatius Parish.

Please visit: www.catholiccincinnati.org/ministries-offices/communication-office/

As your archbishop, I want you to know that I am acutely aware of the pain and distress that you rightfully feel due to the events of these past weeks. The protection of young people is of paramount importance and cannot be compromised. If you suspect abuse on the part of any agent of the Archdiocese, please report it to the appropriate civil authorities, as well as to the Coordinator of Ministry to Survivors of Abuse in the Archdiocese at 513-263-6623 or 1-800-686-2724, ext. 6623. If you see something, please say something.

In this very difficult and stressful time, let us turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her intercession and to the Holy Spirit for guidance and consolation. May God bless and keep you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr
Archbishop of Cincinnati

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