Fr. Ron Pytel’s homosexual lifestyle, sexual misconduct, excessive alcohol and other drug use were contrary to his vows and to the very public image he and the Baltimore Archdiocese profited from. There is no question that Fr. Ron Pytel abused his position and his power. In addition to sexual misconduct, Fr. Pytel’s lifestyle and lack of discipline caused financial and other issues at Holy Rosary Church.
Letter to Archdiocese of Baltimore
July 19, 2011
Alison D’Alessandro
Child and Youth Protection
Archdiocese of Baltimore
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
CC: Jerri L Burkhardt
CC: Maryland State’s Attorneys Office
Ms. D’Alessandro,
This letter is a followup to a June 1, 2011 phone call with your office regarding Fr. Ron Pytel.
Fr. Ron Pytel was ordained in 1973. He served at St. Rita Church in Dundalk and at St. Clement in Rosedale before being named liturgy director for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 1980, he was assigned to St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Patterson Park and in 1991 was named pastor of Holy Rosary.
Fr. Ron Pytel’s homosexual lifestyle, sexual misconduct, excessive alcohol and other drug use were contrary to his vows and to the very public image he and the Baltimore Archdiocese profited from.
There is no question that Fr. Ron Pytel abused his position and his power. In addition to sexual misconduct, Fr. Pytel’s lifestyle and lack of discipline caused financial and other issues at Holy Rosary Church.
On April 17, 2011, I sent you the following email:
The recollection described below was first discussed with an acquaintance of Fr. Ron Pytel at a breakfast meeting in the Baltimore area on April 11, 2011. According to the source, Fr. Pytel bragged about his sexual misconduct with a teenager at a gathering of friends a few years after the misconduct took place. This evening, we received the following statement (via email) from that source:
“I knew Fr. Ron Pytel many years ago. I recall him telling me, with his partner Fr. Larry Gesy present, that he sexually abused [ Name Withheld ] one summer years ago. Ron explained that it created an uproar when the teenager returned home and explained what happened to him. Ron explained that he ‘got away with it’ by denying it all after being confronted on the facts of the matter. Ron attempted to explain to me that the young man had consented to all of this. When I saw this website, I felt compelled to relate this recollection in hopes of helping anyone who may have been abused by Ron to come forward.”
Patrick J Marker – Webmaster
http://www.ronpytel.com
On June 1, 2011 I contacted your office, per your email earlier that day, to speak with you regarding sexual misconduct by Fr. Ron Pytel.
Instead of speaking with you, Jerri Burkhardt took my call.
The purpose of my April 17, 2011 email and June 1, 2011 phone call was to let you know that I had spoken to both the victim and a witness to Pytel’s boasting of the misconduct. I believe that Fr. Ron Pytel, Fr. Larry Gesy, the Baltimore Archdiocese and others conspired to conceal Pytel’s misconduct in an effort to avoid negative publicity at a time when Fr. Pytel’s public image was so important to the Archdiocese and the Vatican.
The purpose of this letter is to request that your office re-open the investigation of Fr. Pytel’s misconduct, sexual and otherwise, and provide an honest appraisal of Fr. Pytel’s dealings with the members of Holy Rosary Church and all potential victims.
Fr. Ron Pytel’s sexual misconduct with a teenage boy took place in 1975. According to a 1995 document regarding allegations of misconduct against Fr. Ron Pytel, the 1975 incidents of misconduct took place in the rectory at St. Rita Church in Dundalk, Maryland.
The Baltimore Archdiocese has been aware of alleged misconduct by Fr. Pytel for over 15 years. After the victim met with Fr. Richard Woy in 1995, Fr. Woy and the Archdiocese agreed to provide counseling assistance.
However, in a document to the victim dated March 4, 1996, Woy claimed, “our investigation has uncovered facts that cast significant doubt upon your allegations.”
As we have discussed, I have received information that casts significant doubt on the Baltimore Archdiocese’s investigation.
Please let me know how I can assist in an independent, comprehensive investigation of Fr. Pytel’s misconduct.
Sincerely,
Patrick J Marker
