KALAMAZOO, MI

-- The Rev. Jay Lawlor, who resigned from St. Luke Episcopal Church in March 2011 after he was

has been given a $468,000 severance payout by Western Michigan Bishop Robert Gepert.

Gepert — who took over the church a year ago after accusing the congregation of fiscal mismanagement — paid the $468,000 from the church's fund reserves, according to

Two church members confirmed to MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette that the amount in the report appeared to be correct.

The church's current rector, the Rev. Randall Warren, declined to comment. The bishop's administrative assistant said that there would be no comment from the diocese.

Founded in 1837 in downtown Kalamazoo, St. Luke’s is one of the area’s oldest and most prominent congregations.

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Lawlor, 42, who was cleared in a jury trial of the assault charge, served at St. Luke's for 21 months. The payout was equivalent to more than a three-year severance package.

Lawlor’s 2010 compensation was $125,000, which included $85,000 in salary, plus housing and benefits.

That year, the church had a $630,650 operating budget and $1.9 milllion in investments at the end of the year, according to records

.

The congregation learned this spring about the severance payment to Lawlor, but members Eric Breisach and Charles Mercadal said that members were not eager to revisit last year's controversy.

"The sum (of the settlement) is large, but people have accepted it," said Mercadal, a member of the St. Luke vestry, which is the board of lay leaders.

Breisach, who was one of a half-dozen members of the congregation to testify against Lawlor in his assault trial, said the settlement "is what it is."

"It's not something that we had control over," Breisach said. "We're focused on moving forward.

"Whether people are upset about the amount, at this point, they're happy that this is the end of that chapter," Breisach said.

Lawlor became pastor of St. Luke's in June 2009, and almost immediately there were clashes between the rector and the congregation over church finances and other aspects of the church operation. There were complaints about Lawlor's leadership and pastoral care, while he accused the lay leaders of overstepping their authority.

After an investigation of the conflict, Gepert announced in March 2011 that was he was personally taking over the church, disbanding the vestry and putting Lawlor on a four-month paid leave.

Gepert also said the church had been fiscally irresponsible by consistently running a deficit in its operating budget, and ordered Lawlor to lay off the church secretary, the facilities manager and the music director.

A few days later after Sunday Mass, several parishioners got into a heated conversation with Lawlor about the changes.

Lawlor stalked away from the conversation, but in the process, witnesses say, he used his arm to shove 76-year-old Marcia Morrison out of the way. He pushed her hard enough that witnesses said Morrison stumbled back for several feet before she caught hold of a pew.

Morrison filed a police report, and Lawlor was charged with assault and battery, a misdemeanor. After a daylong trial two months later, a jury decided the incident did not rise to the level of criminal behavior. By that time, Lawlor had already resigned from the church.

According to his

, Lawlor has "decided to stop working as a full-time priest so he could focus on his writing and other projects." Lawlor has written extensively in the past about how Christians should address global poverty.

Meanwhile, St. Luke's has their new minister and the congregation seems to be growing again.

Warren "is the perfect person at the perfect time," Breisach said. "We're so blessed to have him."

Mercadal agreed.

"He had some wonderful ideas about how to grow" the church, Mercadal said.

He said that after a tumultuous period at the church, things are now quiet and the attitude is positive. Gepert still remains the church's official rector, but is re-establishing the church's self-governance.

"It's amazing what time and forgiveness can do," Mercadal said.

Julie Mack is a reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at jmack1@mlive.com or 269-350-0277, or follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/kzjuliemack For all posts by Julie Mack, click here.