An area Catholic priest has taken a paid leave of absence amid allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor while he was pastor of the Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish in Queensbury, according to the Catholic Diocese of Albany.Father Gary Mercure, the pastor of Sacred Heart and St. William parishes in Troy, is under investigation by the Dicoese’s Sexual Misconduct Review Board.
The allegation dates back to the 1980s when Mercure was an associate pastor at the Queensbury parish.
Mercure, an ordained priest since 1975, was also a pastor at St. Mary’s Parish in Glens Falls. He had also worked at parishes in Albany, Latham and Clinton Heights.Diocese officials said Saturday they had informed the parishes of the investigation.
Mercure was performing marriages at the Queensbury parish as late as 2002, according to newspaper archives.
The Queensbury parish’s current pastor, Father Joseph Busch, called the allegations "a tragedy."
When Busch told churchgoers the news at Saturday mass, "people were obviously devastated," he said.
"They walked out in tears," he said. "I think there’s an element of shock."
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