What to Know Two Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests were found unsuitable for ministry after sex abuse charges for one, and drug charges for another

A Board recommended that both Reverend Andrew D. McCormick, 62, and Monsignor Gregory J. Parlante, 61, were not suitable for ministry.

“Father McCormick will either be laicized or enter into a supervised life of prayer and penance," a spokesperson wrote.

A priest who faced child sex abuse charges and another priest who faced drug and theft charges were both found unsuitable for ministry, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Thursday.

The Archdiocesan Professional Responsibilities Review Board (APRRB), which serves as the confidential advisory body to Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, recommended that both Rev. Andrew D. McCormick, 62, and Monsignor Gregory J. Parlante, 61, were not suitable for ministry.

McCormick, 62, had served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Swedesburg, Pennsylvania. In July 2012, he was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old altar boy five years earlier.

“That arrest stemmed from a report made directly to law enforcement and had been previously unknown to the Archdiocese,” a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia wrote.

McCormick was placed on administrative leave following the arrest. He stood for a criminal trial in March 2014 and another in March 2015. Both resulted in mistrials, however, and the criminal charges against him were formally withdrawn in April 2015.

A civil case was filed against McCormick after the trials and resolved earlier this year.

In June, the archdiocese launched an investigation into McCormick, who has not been in active ministry since his arrest. The investigation led to the board’s recommendation that was accepted by Archbishop Chaput.

“Father McCormick will either be laicized or enter into a supervised life of prayer and penance,” a Philadelphia archdiocese spokesperson wrote.

Parlante, 61, was also found to be unsuitable for ministry. In the spring of 2017, Parlante requested a leave of absence from Saint Cornelius Parish in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, where he served as pastor. In May 2017, after his departure, staff members opened a package that was delivered to the life center with Parlante’s name on it. They found what they believed to be illegal drugs inside the package and reported it to police.

In January, Parlante was arrested and charged with knowing or intentional possession of a controlled substance, use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia and theft by unlawful taking or disposition.

Parlante was ordered to perform community service, make restitution to his former parish community for the theft of $5,500 and complete one year of probation. The archdiocese also launched their own investigation leading to the decision that he was unsuitable for ministry.

The two announcements come after a landmark grand jury report alleging that priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses molested more than 1,000 children since the 1940s — crimes that church leaders are accused of covering up. However, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was not named in the report.

