MILWAUKEE — The pastor of two local Catholic congregations has been placed on administrative leave and a formal investigation into his conduct is underway, according to a letter from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Father Mark Payne is the pastor of two North Shore parishes, St. Monica and St. Eugene. He also serves as the Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese.
Fr. Payne was placed on leave after a story posted on The Pillar, a website covering Catholic news, "raised questions about the fidelity of Father Mark to his promises as a priest," the letter from the Archdiocese says.
Note: This photo is not current and Payne has not been a pastor at Blessed Sacrament for several years.
Payne "hired as a parish schoolteacher last year a layperson with whom he had maintained a public romantic relationship, and with whom he has shared a condo for decades," the story on The Pillar, posted on November 30, reads.
The letter from the Archdiocese claims that Father Payne "was told his hiring of the grade school teacher was not appropriate," and offered him an opportunity to "clear up any possible misunderstandings" before an investigation was launched.
As interest in the story grew, the Archdiocese says it "decided to move up our timeline and begin a fuller investigative process."
Note: This photo is not current and Payne has not been a pastor at Blessed Sacrament for several years.
The investigation into Father Payne will be a "formal canonical investigation." It will be conducted by an expert from a different Archdiocese for objectivity, the Archdiocese says.
An administrator will be appointed to fill Father Payne's vacancy in the parishes."
"Please pray for the next steps in this situation, for Father Payne, for his parish communities, and for all those impacted by this information," the letter concludes.
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