Pastor to four Uniontown parishes removed after allegation of sexual abuse
A pastor of four Uniontown parishes was removed and placed on leave this week after the diocese received an allegation of sexual abuse of a teenage girl on Sunday.
Monsignor Michael W. Matusak allegedly touched the girl inappropriately in the 1990s at St. Pius X Church in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County.
He is listed as the pastor of St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary (Nativity) and St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus in Uniontown.
Matusak’s removal came less than a week after the state Supreme Court published a grand jury report that found numerous cases of child abuse had been reported and covered up by church officials in six Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania. The report identified 301 “predator priests” in the dioceses over a 70-year period.
Matusak was not one of the priests named in the report.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg reported the allegation against Matusak to PA ChildLine, a mandated reporting line, and to the district attorney, according to their policy, said spokesman Jerry Zufelt.
Matusak will remain on leave of all parish duties until the investigation is complete, Zufelt said.
The woman who accused Matusak said she looked at the list of accused clergy in the Greensburg Diocese on Sunday, and felt she had to send a letter to Bishop Edward C. Malesic.
“I’ve spent 20 years thinking about this, and I do not know what I expect from sending this email,” she wrote in the letter. “If others have been in similar situations, I hope my story helps them in some way. What I don’t want, and what is truly compelling me to write this, is for something to happen to a child that could have been prevented if I had spoken up.”
While the decision to come forward was a difficult one, the woman said that she felt it was necessary to do so. She alleged Matusak touched her inappropriately on more than one occasion, and instructed her to lie to her parents about time they spent with one another. She said she struggled for years to recognize and acknowledge what happened to her, especially because the alleged perpetrator was a priest she trusted.
Once she listed the incidents in the letter, she recognized the full scope of his behavior.
“When I started putting down all the moments, it really became pretty overwhelming, seeing how the moments came together and the progression,” she said on Wednesday.
Zufelt said there have been no other allegations made against Matusak. He said in a diocese press release that the decision to remove Matusak “in no way implies Msgr. Matusak is guilty.”
“We know how important our actions and level of transparency are to survivors, parishioners and clergy. That is why we are making this public announcement while the investigation is ongoing,” Zufelt said in a statement.
A priest for 43 years, Matusak was given the title of monsignor in 2005. He was assigned as the pastor at St. Therese in 2008, when he left St. Pius X. He took over as pastor at the other three Uniontown churches in June. The Rev. Anthony Klimko remains the only assigned priest to serve the four parishes, as another parochial vicar assigned to them, the Rev. James Clark, was removed after in late June after the diocese received an allegation of abuse against him dating back five decades.
Zufelt said the diocese will be in communication with the parishes where Matusak served on Saturday and Sunday.
The woman who accused Matusak, still active in the Catholic Church, said she is hopeful that anyone who may have been victimized in the past comes forward.
“If there is anything, even something small, they shouldn’t be afraid to come out and talk about it because that’s how we’re going to be able to protect kids and protect everyone,” she said.
Anyone with information can contact the state Clergy Abuse Hotline by calling 888-538-8541.