Parishioners support suspended Ashland priest

ASHLAND - An Ashland priest has been suspended from active ministry pending an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct more than 20 years ago.

Sunday, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Superior addressed the congregation in Ashland to inform them of the situation.  Meanwhile, parishioners support their priest, say he's a good man and they want him back.

Inside Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Ashland Sunday morning, parishioners listened intently as Bishop Peter Christensen gave them words of encouragement and support in the wake of Father Henry Willenborg's suspension.  "As you can imagine, news about Father Henry Willenborg has not been easy for them as a parish community and really as a family," said Christensen.  Christensen suspended Willenborg with pay on Friday after an article about him appeared on the front page of the New York Times.  The article centers on Willenborg fathering a child while serving as a priest in Illinois more than 2 decades ago.  But that's not why Willenborg was suspended.  Christensen says it's because of another detail in that same article; an allegation of a sexual relationship with a high school girl, also more than 20 years ago.  "If that be the case, that's a whole other issue and that's why he was suspended, not because of the relationship with Pat Bond because that's not criminal, what's criminal, if it be the case, which will have to be discovered, did he have a relationship with a high school girl," said Christensen.

The Franciscan Order is investigating that allegation to determine if it's true.  Meanwhile, parishioners are standing by Father Willenborg, a priest they have respected and looked up to for years.  "He’s wonderful, he's very compassionate, I just don't have enough good things to say about him and I feel so bad for him.  He’s human, he made a mistake, he did right by it," said Mary Kay Brown of Ashland.  "We’ve all made mistakes, otherwise as the bishop said, we wouldn't need a savior," said Sal Lombardo of Washburn.  Bishop Christensen says the attitude from the congregation is one of overall support, they want their priest back.  "Our community supports him, we love Father Henry and I hope he stays," said Brown.

Christensen says if Willenborg is found innocent of the allegation of a sexual relationship with a high school girl, he will gladly welcome Willenborg back to the church.  "We want the best and if Father Henry has proven to be tried and true, that he has taken care of some things in his life that go back 23 years ago, I’m willing to say, okay, that was then, this is now, come home," said Christensen.  "He was so understanding of Father Henry and we ought to all be too," said Lombardo.

Bishop Christensen says he doesn't know how long the investigation will take but hopes it will be thorough and quick.