Schmitt was put on administrative leave May 2, but most members of the congregation were in support of the popular priest at Mass on May 5, according to a parishioner who spoke only on the condition that her name not be used.
A letter from an attorney retained by Schmitt was also read to the congregation after Sunday services were held by an assistant priest and a substitute priest, she said. The letter acknowledged the lawsuit has been filed, and noted that Schmitt is vigorously fighting the charges and expects to win in court, the parishioner said.
The lawsuit, filed with the King County Superior Court, charged that Schmitt's alleged abuse of the woman included fits of rage, screaming, choking the woman, threatening to kill her, pushing her and striking her with a door. In the court filing, the woman is listed as "Jane Doe."
According to the lawsuit, the woman has suffered from, among other problems, great pain of body and mind, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of earning power and the cost of counseling in weekly therapy sessions. "Most importantly," the lawsuit adds, "Plaintiff continues to suffer from spiritual exploitation." The woman is suing for an undisclosed amount.
Also named in the lawsuit and charged with negligence are: the Seattle Archdiocese and its Archbishop, the Most Rev. Alex Brunett, as well as the Very Rev. Richard Thibodeau, head of the Denver regional office of the Catholic Order of the Redemptorist.
Schmitt is under the direct supervision of the Redemptorist order, although the Seattle Archdiocese also shares responsibility for his actions, the lawsuit alleges.
Allegations of abuse
According to the lawsuit, the woman first met Schmitt in 1994 when he was the pastor of a Redemptorist church in Kansas City, Mo. She went to Schmitt for counseling when her father fell ill and continued to see the priest after her father died, the lawsuit claims.
It was after her father died that Schmitt groomed the woman until the two eventually began a sexual relationship, the lawsuit alleges. Schmitt also promised to leave the church and marry the woman, according to the lawsuit, which adds that the relationship became abusive in 1995.
The woman also contends in the lawsuit that she found out Schmitt had destructive relationships with several female parishioners, one of which "ended in death." Schmitt told the woman that church authorities were aware of his actions and that he had been transferred several times because of them, the lawsuit says.
Schmitt was transferred to Sacred Heart in Seattle in 1997. According to the lawsuit, he begged the woman to come with him, again promising to marry her. She followed Schmitt here and continued the affair, according to the lawsuit.
Parishioners noticed affair
A couple of the parishioners also complained about the relationship to Thibodeau at the Redemptorist order and Brunett at the Seattle Archdiocese, according to the lawsuit, which adds that the woman complained about the relationship several times to both Brunett and Thibodeau. The woman alleges that the church authorities did nothing in response to her complaints.
Jim Geoly, an attorney representing the Redemptorist order, said the complaints sparked an investigation which cleared Schmitt.
"At this stage, our understanding is this was nothing more or less than a consensual relationships between two adults, which he ended," Geoly said.
Denials of abuse
Neither Schmitt nor his attorney were available for comment, but Geoly said Schmitt "denies any kind of abusive conduct whatsoever."
Bill Gallant, a spokesman for the Archdiocese, said it would be inappropriate to comment about specific charges because they involve an ongoing lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the woman ended the sexual aspect of the relationship at the end of 1999 with the encouragement of Dr. William Bentley, a psychologist and certified domestic-violence counselor. "However, all other aspects of the relationship continued, including the emotional abuse," the lawsuit alleges.
The documents filed in the lawsuit also state that Schmitt and the woman both met Bentley for a 1999 counseling session. In that session, the woman alleges, Schmitt confessed to their affair, admitted that he has had multiple destructive relationship with other female parishioners and said church officials had transferred him several times because of those relationships. The lawsuit also states that Schmitt said the "Archdiocese was concerned over his relationship with a 'mentally unhealthy woman.'"
The woman also claims in the lawsuit that Schmitt refused to talk about the relationship that ended in a death. At that point, Bentley ended the session and announced that he would not keep the disclosures confidential, the woman says in the lawsuit.
Geoly said the Redemptorist order is looking into the abuse allegations. But he also said many Catholic parishes transfer priests every six years, although religious organizations such as the Redemptorist order transfer them more often.
Still, Geoly said Schmitt has not had "an unusually large number of transfers." The attorney added that Schmitt was not transferred to Seattle because of complaints.
Attorney says he has proof
David Mason, the Bellevue attorney representing the woman, said he has documentation proving that Schmitt has been abusive to his client.
"This is a new area. This is a unique domestic-violence victim," Mason said of his client.
The woman broke off contact with Schmitt and stopped going to Sacred Heart in April of 2000, the lawsuit states. Asked why it took so long to file a lawsuit, Mason said there were several reasons.
"I wasn't her first counsel," he said of one cause, adding that he has only represented the woman for around three months.
He did not elaborate on why the woman changed attorneys or on any other reasons for the delay.
Schmitt is well thought of at Sacred Heart. The church, under his direction, ended up in the black financially after many years in the red, the parishioner said.
Schmitt also has endeared himself to the homeless community by opening an overnight shelter on church property. Opening the shelter is part of the mission of Redemptorist movement, which strives to "reach out to the poor and the marginalized," according to the order's web site.
As for the parishioner, she supports Schmitt and hopes he will stay at Sacred Heart.
"If this goes to court, I'll testify for him," she said.
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