Archbishop Schnurr's Letter to St. Susanna
July 30, 2024
Dear Members of the St. Susanna Family,
On Monday, July 29, I accepted the resignation of Father Barry Stechschulte as pastor of St. Susanna Parish. I am thankful for Father Stechschulte’s dedicated service these past four years to the St. Susanna community.
I have appointed Father Jeff Kemper, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, as temporary administrator of St. Susanna Parish, effective immediately. Father Kemper will have the administrative authority of a pastor until such time as a permanent pastor is identified and appointed. I am deeply grateful to Father Kemper for accepting this temporary assignment and for his commitment to serving the people of God.
Please know of my prayers during this time of transition at St. Susanna. May God bless you this day and always.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr
Archbishop of Cincinnati
Important Message from Fr. Barry
July 29, 2024
Dear Parishioners,
The last couple of weeks have been difficult ones for all of us at St. Susanna. As I hope you know, I have been very dedicated to our parish and looked forward to continuing to build on everything we have done together these past four years.
However, it has become evident to me, after much prayer and discernment, that, for the good of our parish and school, I should step down as pastor, effective immediately, to be reassigned elsewhere in the archdiocese.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve the St. Susanna community and work with all of you to build the kingdom of God. It was a great joy to me. You remain in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you and your families.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Barry Stechschulte
Statement from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
July 18, 2024
Information from the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati regarding the timeline of events relative to recent media coverage including Fr. Barry Stechschulte:
On Oct. 24, 2012, inappropriate material was discovered on a computer used by a previous pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in St. Marys, Ohio. The new pastor at Holy Rosary Parish, Fr. Barry Stechschulte, was disgusted with the findings and to ensure no one else in the parish would be exposed, his reaction in the moment was to order the hard drive destroyed. As stated in Fr. Stechschulte’s apology letter, he realized this was a terrible mistake which he regrets.
We have reported this matter to law enforcement from the very beginning. On November 12, 2012, Holy Rosary Parish reported the matter to the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The very next day, on November 13, 2012, the Pastoral Center reported this information, in writing, to the Auglaize County Prosecutor’s Office. No criminal charges were filed.
In September of 2018, this matter was reported to law enforcement again, this time by Fr. Stechschulte himself. When the Pastoral Center learned of Fr. Barry’s report, we also notified the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office. This resulted in a police investigation. Both Fr. Stechschulte and the Pastoral Center cooperated with the police investigation into this matter. No criminal charges were filed.
After the conclusion of the police investigation, in 2019, we retained an independent third-party firm to conduct an investigation into this matter. We used the findings of this report to determine how best to proceed.
Fr. Barry Stechschulte is the pastor of St. Susanna Parish in Mason, and there are no plans at this time to change his assignment.
Parish Public Response
In addition to the statement from the Archdiocese, we would like to make you aware of our response thus far, as Fr. Barry is committed to speaking with as many throughout our Parish and School community as possible.
After returning from his retreat on Friday, July 13th, Fr. Barry immediately met with the Parish Office staff and school administration. Fr. Barry spoke at all Masses the weekend of July 14th/15th regarding the information in the news report, and expressing his remorse. An email including a letter from Fr. Barry was sent to all St. Susanna Parishioners and St. Susanna School parents over the weekend, as well. On Tuesday, July 16th, and Wednesday, July 17th, he sat down for an open dialogue with the Parish Council and School Commission. On Thursday, July 18th, and Saturday, July 20th, the school staff will meet with him to continue open communication.
Fr. Barry is working to address our parishioners’ concerns but would like to do so in person and not on a platform like Facebook or social media. If you would like to begin this process, please email communications@stsusanna.org. Thank you for your understanding. Please pray for our community during this time.
Apology from Fr. Barry Stechschulte
July 12, 2024
Dear St. Susanna Community,
With this letter I want to address the situation at hand and apologize for my part in it. You may have seen or read the recent WCPO report on Rev. Anthony Cutcher that also referenced my actions back in 2012. I understand that the information in this report is distressing for many of you and may impact your trust in me as your pastor.
Shortly after I became pastor of Holy Rosary Parish, in Saint Marys, in 2012, inappropriate material was found on a computer used by the previous pastor. I was shocked and filled with disgust at what I saw. My reaction in the moment was to ensure that no one else at the parish be exposed to it. So I instructed that the hard drive be destroyed. I realize that not reporting it was a terrible mistake, which I regret.
In 2018, I did personally reported what had occurred in 2012 to law enforcement and cooperated with their investigation. I wish that I could redo my initial decision from 2012. I am deeply sorry for the distress this has caused all of you.
Please know that I am utterly committed to maintaining a safe environment here at St. Susanna and following the policies and protocols of the archdiocesan Decree on Child Protection. I know that our parish and school staff and faculty members are committed to this as well. If anything, reflection on my previous poor judgment motivates me to be more vigilant than ever in this regard.
Our parish and you do not deserve to be put in such a bad light. For my part in it, I am truly sorry. I love St. Susanna’s and ask you to forgive me and pray for me.
Sincerely,
Father Barry Stechschulte
Pastor
Questions?
To best address your concerns, please email them to communications@stsusanna.org.