Gladis Garcia, who worked for Our Lady of Lourdes, claims in a lawsuit that she was raped and sexually harassed by her supervisor.
Her attorney, John Spalding, said when Garcia tried to report the abuse to the priest, he dismissed her claims and her employment was threatened.
“She went to the priest at Our Lady of Lourdes, Father David Sanchez, and reported it. And we allege that he didn’t do anything about it, that he did not believe her, that, in fact, he told her not to talk about it. Then he tried to silence her,” Spalding said.
“This case is about getting to the bottom of did they live up to their own standards, and if they did not, why not? and how can we prevent this from happening in the future?”
In light of the lawsuit, Fr. David Sanchez has resigned, according to the parish.
WLKY obtained a copy of a letter from Archbishop Shelton Fabre accepting Sanchez’ resignation and appointing Fr. John Schwartzlose as the temporary administrator for Our Lady of Lourdes.
The St. Matthews Police Department says it is investigating the claims and is working with prosecutors to determine if charges will be filed in the case.
Awake, a national survivor support and advocacy organization, sent a statement to WLKY:
“When a person comes forward with an allegation of abuse in a Catholic setting, they deserve to be heard, taken seriously, and treated with compassion. The allegations reported at Our Lady of Lourdes are deeply troubling, including the claim that someone seeking help was dismissed and faced retaliation for reporting the abuse. We hope the ongoing investigation brings clarity to this situation, and we continue to stand with survivors who have the courage to speak about harm they have experienced in the Church.”