{"id":10245,"date":"2012-01-19T05:47:14","date_gmt":"2012-01-19T11:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=10245"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:34:46","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:34:46","slug":"newly-ordained-priest-removed-after-fathering-a-child-while-in-seminary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2012\/01\/newly-ordained-priest-removed-after-fathering-a-child-while-in-seminary\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly ordained priest removed after fathering a child while in seminary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It happened in the Archdiocese of New York.\u00a0 Details: <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The priest, the Rev. Casmir Manyonyi Mung\u2019aho, 34, was ordained in May after graduating from St. Joseph\u2019s Seminary in Yonkers. He had not told his superiors that he had fathered a child in a consensual relationship with an adult woman, \u201cwhich he certainly should have done,\u201d Bishop Dominick J. Lagonegro, the regional bishop, told parishioners in a statement<\/a> read at Mass on Jan. 7 and 8.<\/p>\n

Roman Catholic priests make promises to be celibate, and the church also expects its seminarians and pending applicants to be celibate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that he is the father of a child was not known to us at the time of his ordination nine months ago,\u201d the bishop said, adding that Father Mung\u2019aho was being removed to \u201caddress this matter and reflect upon his responsibilities in a very serious way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop Lagonegro initially told the parish that church officials believed that the child was born before Father Mung\u2019aho entered St. Joseph\u2019s, but then informed the parish<\/a> a few days later that officials had just learned that the child was born during his first year of seminary.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are letting you know this so that you know that we are being honest and straightforward with you,\u201d the bishop\u2019s second statement said.<\/p>\n

Father Mung\u2019aho, a native of Tanzania, moved to the United States about six years ago. He had been serving as the parochial vicar, or assistant priest, in the parish of St. Stephen<\/a> in Warwick, about 55 miles northwest of New York City. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of New York.<\/p>\n

Father Mung\u2019aho could not be reached for comment, but in an interview with the official newspaper of the archdiocese<\/a> to mark his ordination, he explained that he had wanted to be a priest since his early childhood. \u201cI see myself here being a model,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s being an example every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several parishioners at St. Stephen\u2019s described Father Mung\u2019aho as a kind and likable presence in the pulpit and at the parish school, where he provided religious instruction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids did seem to enjoy his company,\u201d said Karen Pinkham, a parent at the school. \u201cThere was nothing out of the ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday that no final decisions had been made about Father Mung\u2019aho\u2019s status, but that for the time being the priest was living independently and was expected to reflect on his actions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s more about his life and background in Catholic New York. <\/a><\/strong> There is also more on the matter at the parish blog<\/a><\/strong> of St. Stephen\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It happened in the Archdiocese of New York.\u00a0 Details: The priest, the Rev. Casmir Manyonyi Mung\u2019aho, 34, was ordained in May after graduating from St. Joseph\u2019s Seminary in Yonkers. He had not told his superiors that he had fathered a child in a consensual relationship with an adult woman, \u201cwhich he certainly should have done,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-priests","category-ripped-from-the-headlines"],"yoast_head":"\nNewly ordained priest removed after fathering a child while in seminary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It happened in the Archdiocese of New York.\u00a0 Details: The priest, the Rev. 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