Blessed Sacrament Pastor in McKinley Park Removed Pending Evaluation After Alleged Inappropriate Physical Contact With Adult

The pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in McKinley Park has been removed from his post after the Archdiocese of Chicago received an allegation of “inappropriate” contact with an adult, the archdiocese announced. In a letter to parishioners on Saturday, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, said the parish’s pastor, Rev. Samson Mukundi, had been sidelined from his pastoral duties at the parish at 3745 S. Paulina St. The letter described the allegation as involving “inappropriate physical contact and boundary violations involving an adult.”

Cupich wrote that the allegation does not involve the sexual abuse of a minor. “Nevertheless, the concerns raised are serious and warrant careful attention and appropriate action,” he wrote.

According to the letter, Mukundi will go through a “period of evaluation” and will not be allowed to perform public ministry during that time.

Rev. Deogratias Mbonyumugenzi, pastor of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity in Jefferson Park, has been named administrator of Blessed Sacrament during the investigation, the letter said. Mbonyumugenzi previously served as associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament. The archdiocese asked anyone who may have had similar encounters with Mukundi, or who has knowledge of the allegation, to contact the archdiocese’s central office. Cupich wrote that the archdiocese seeks to ensure that its standards of conduct for those in pastoral ministry are upheld, “while ensuring that all individuals involved are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect” (Proverbs 18:17).

Cupich also acknowledged that the news may be troubling for those who have known Mukundi through his years of priestly ministry. “I recognize that this news may be troubling and may raise questions and concerns among those who have known Father Mukundi,” he wrote.

Mukundi previously served as pastor of Jesus, Bread of Life Parish in Logan Square from 2021 to June 2025. He also served as pastor of nearby St. Sylvester Parish from July 2012 to June 2021, when that church was merged into the newly formed Jesus, Bread of Life Parish. Earlier assignments included St. Gilbert Parish in Graslake from 2007 to 2012, St. Benedict the African Parish in Englewood in 2006, and St. John Neumann Parish in Homewood from 2003 to 2006.

Each of those parishes received letters from the archdiocese on Saturday.

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