Sometimes a priest isn’t the priest he seems to be!
A few weeks ago, on these pages, we printed an “Alert from The Chancery” that warned about a “Father Jesus Barajas,” who claimed to be a priest from Colombia and from the Trinitarian Order. It was not the first time the Brooklyn Diocese had warned about Father Barajas. When the diocese investigated his credentials, it discovered that he never professed the final vows of the order and may never even have been ordained.
Furthermore, it was learned that there were several allegations of sexual impropriety with minors against him, both here and abroad.
He was living in Jackson Heights and presenting himself as a fully functioning priest. He had celebrated funeral Masses at local funeral homes. In various other ways of ministering, he gained access to local youth and apparently was continuing his perverse practices.
Naturally, Father Barajas has no faculties in Brooklyn or Queens and should not be considered a member of the clergy. The diocese is searching for his whereabouts in an investigation that is ongoing.
This incident points to a larger problem of men who come to Brooklyn or Queens and present themselves as priests. Local parishioners can be deceived out of naiveté. They want to support the clergy and the newcomer seems so nice that the natural thing to do would be to help him.
In order to protect the Church and the local people, the Church has a precise procedure that must be followed before any visiting priest may function here. Any priest, who wants minister here or reside in a local rectory, must gain the permission of the Bishop of Brooklyn. In order to receive such recognition, he must present a letter of suitability from his own bishop stating that he is a priest in good standing and that there are no outstanding charges against him.
Local parishioners who befriend priests new to the area should be cautious of any offers to celebrate Mass in a person’s house. This is not allowed without the permission of the local pastor and without the assurance that the priest is suitable. Priests may claim they are here to raise funds for their seminary back home. Check out the story before making any donations.
One diocesan priest recalled meeting a young man who said he was a priest from out of town. During a concelebrated Mass, the diocesan priest quickly realized that the visitor had no knowledge of how to use the missal or conduct the liturgy and he was quickly able to remove the man from the altar.
Such incidents can happen more often that we expect. But with the added vigilance in place since the clergy sex abuse scandals of the past decade, the Diocese is on heightened alert and determined to stop such abuse as quickly as possible.
Usually, The Chancery issues warnings about “fake” priests, and priests who are no longer in good standing, to all rectories and diocesan leaders. That practice will now be broadened to publication in The Tablet so that the members of the community can be made more aware of potentially fraudulent practices.
We love our priests and we do not want any more smears against the priesthood than have already happened. The recent film “Spotlight” only makes us more aware of the public perception of priesthood.
We love our fellow members of the congregation and will assist with the dispersal of information to them to protect themselves against those who would take advantage of religious life.
