After a five-month voluntary leave of absence related to past sexual misconduct that didn’t involve minors, Father David Barrett returned to public ministry April 12 at St. Wenceslaus in New Prague.
Father Barrett’s return to ministry as an assistant parish priest follows careful review by the archdiocese’s Ministerial Standards Board, which is made up primarily of lay professionals, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement.
The review involved an extensive interview with Father Barrett, reports from a licensed psychologist and Kinsale Management Consulting — a team of independent experts that reviewed his personnel file — and reports and letters from supervisors and others who have worked closely with the priest.
Father Barrett voluntarily took a leave of absence last November so that his past sexual misconduct, which took place more than a decade ago and did not involve minors, could again be reviewed. He was returned to ministry in 2005 following review at that time regarding the same misconduct.
Father Barrett returns to ministry with some conditions, including continued monitoring by a representative of the archdiocese, continued ongoing medical treatment and therapy as determined to be necessary by a medical professional, living in community with at least one other priest to avoid social isolation, and appropriate disclosure of his past misconduct to the pastor, trustees, and parishioners of St. Wenceslaus.
