Priest at Our Lady of Lourdes in Saint Matthews, Kentucky, resigns amid lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of parish employee

A Louisville priest has resigned amid sexual abuse allegations against an employee at his Catholic parish. Gladis Garcia, who worked for Our Lady of Lourdes in Saint Matthews, Kentucky, claims in a lawsuit that she was raped and sexually harassed by her supervisor.

Her attorney, John Spalding, said Garcia went to the parish priest, Father David Sanchez, to report the abuse, and that her employment was then threatened. Spalding said, “We allege that he didn’t do anything about it, that he did not believe her, that, in fact, he told her not to talk about it. Then he tried to silence her.”

Spalding also framed the case as a question of institutional conduct: “This case is about getting to the bottom of did they live up to their own standards, and if they did not, why not? and how can we prevent this from happening in the future?”

The parish said that, in light of the lawsuit, Fr. David Sanchez has resigned. WLKY obtained a copy of a letter from Archbishop Shelton Fabre accepting Sanchez’s resignation and appointing Fr. John Schwartzlose as temporary administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes. The claims in the lawsuit are allegations, and the source does not report any response from Sanchez.

Awake, a national survivor support and advocacy organization, sent WLKY a statement: “When a person comes forward with an allegation of abuse in a Catholic setting, they deserve to be heard, taken seriously, and treated with compassion. The allegations reported at Our Lady of Lourdes are deeply troubling, including the claim that someone seeking help was dismissed and faced retaliation for reporting the abuse.” The group said it hoped the ongoing investigation would bring clarity (Proverbs 31:8-9), speaking up for those who are dismissed when they seek help.

The St. Matthews Police Department said it is investigating the claims and is working with prosecutors to determine whether charges will be filed in the case.

Source: Read the original report