Community Corner

UPDATE: Former Shrine Priest Suspended Following Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

The Rev. Gary Schulte, 66, pastor of St. Sylvester Parish and formerly associate pastor at Shrine of the Little Flower, has been placed on leave by the archdiocese.

A priest who formerly served as associate pastor at and has served at several other Catholic churches in Metro Detroit has been placed on administrative leave of absence by the Archdiocese of Detroit following allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Rev. Gary Schulte, 66, who served at Shrine from 1980-83, has been pastor at St. Sylvester Parish in Warren since 1994.

An allegation of sexual misconduct surfaced in September involving Schulte, "dating back to the early years of his ministry in the Detroit archdiocese," according to a put out by the archdiocese last week.

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"An initial investigation found the complaint to be of sufficient substance to require restrictions on Fr. Schulte's service as a priest, i.e., not allowed to publicly celebrate the Mass or sacraments, and not allowed to present himself publicly as a priest," the archdiocese said in the release.

Reaction

In the community, parishioner Jeanette Quesada of Royal Oak said that as a Catholic hearing this kind of news is devastating.

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“Our prayers go out to everyone in this alleged incident," she said. "From the victim who has made these allegations, to the priest, I am sympathetic to all involved.”

Quesada said she did not know Schulte, who was an associate pastor at Shrine in the '80s, but believes the Archdiocese of Detroit is getting better at dealing with allegations of misconduct with quick discernment.

“The church is working to handle these things in an appropriate manner,” she said.

Quesada hopes others will not use this news to discredit her religion. “I love my church," she said "I am able to distinguish between the teachings of my faith and individual actions.”

All parishes where Schulte served have been provided with an article to publish in their parish bulletin, Joe Kohn, director of public relations for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said, while all 270 parishes in the archdiocese have been notified of Schulte's removal.

"Obviously, it’s with great sadness that we deal with these types of matters," Kohn said. "If there are any others who have been abused by a priest or any representative of the Church, we hope to make known that help is available to them."

Schulte's service in the archdiocese has included:

  • 1972 Associate pastor, , Clawson
  • 1973 Associate pastor, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish, Beverly Hills
  • 1975 Chaplain, Macomb County Community College, Warren
  • 1980 Associate pastor, , Royal Oak
  • 1983 Pastor, St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, Madison Heights
  • 1994 Pastor, St. Sylvester Parish, Warren


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