We, the undersigned, respectfully request decisive action regarding Fr. David Medow’s leadership at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. We do so out of concern for the spiritual health of the parish, the well-being of staff and volunteers, and the integrity of diocesan leadership.

This request is not based on disagreement with personality or style. It is based on a sustained and documented pattern of ineffective leadership, harmful conduct, poor administration, and loss of trust that has caused serious damage to parish life.

Why Action Is Necessary

Over the past 18 months, Holy Spirit has experienced clear and measurable decline under Fr. David’s leadership, including:

• Significant decreases in Mass attendance and financial giving
• The resignation of six staff members and one Trustee
• The withdrawal of long-serving volunteers and ministry leaders
• Widespread frustration among parishioners, catechists, and families
• Growing reputational damage within the parish, the Catholic community and the broader Rochester community

This is no longer an isolated personnel concern. It is now a parish-wide leadership failure.

Core Concerns

1. Harmful leadership and loss of trust

Fr. David’s leadership has divided the parish rather than strengthen it. Parishioners, staff, and volunteers have reported repeated patterns of anger, verbal hostility, public disparagement of others, blame-shifting, and contradictory statements. This has eroded confidence in his leadership and created lasting distrust.

Many parishioners no longer believe they are heard, respected, or pastorally cared for. Staff and volunteers who served faithfully for decades now feel dismissed, sidelined, or driven away.

2. Hostile treatment of staff and volunteers

A healthy parish depends on respectful and collaborative leadership. That has not been the experience at Holy Spirit.

Multiple former staff members describe a hostile working environment marked by verbal outbursts, intimidation, humiliation, and controlling behavior. The result has been severe staff turnover, lack of continuity, and deep harm to morale. In any other professional setting, this pattern would warrant formal discipline or removal.

Longtime volunteers and ministry leaders have also withdrawn, and some have explicitly stated they will not return while Fr. David remains pastor.

3. Failure to carry out basic pastoral and administrative duties

The concerns are not only interpersonal. They also involve repeated failure to fulfill ordinary pastoral and administrative responsibilities.

Examples include:

• Failure to maintain regular communication and follow through on commitments
• Repeated lateness or absence for meetings, appointments, and liturgical responsibilities
• Failure to update basic parish systems and communications
• Poor transition planning during major staff departures
• Inadequate support for faith formation, sacramental preparation, and parish ministries
• Failure to respond to emails, correspondence, and ongoing operational needs

These failures have left parishioners unsupported, ministries strained, and parish operations increasingly disorganized.

4. Failure to improve despite diocesan intervention

The diocese placed Fr. David on a performance improvement plan with basic expectations, including punctuality, presence, engagement with parishioners, shorter homilies, and regular office hours. According to those who were asked to document progress, these expectations were not meaningfully met.

This is a critical point: the concerns were identified, documented, and communicated. Yet the problems have continued. That strongly suggests this situation will not correct itself without decisive diocesan action.

5. Serious concerns regarding financial stewardship and accountability

There is also growing concern about parish administration and financial transparency.

Parishioners have not received any financial updates despite repeated assurances. Important questions regarding parish expenditures, staffing, and compliance with diocesan policy remain unresolved. The lack of transparency has fueled distrust, increased speculation, and contributed to reduced giving.

Financial stewardship in a parish requires transparency, accountability, and adherence to diocesan norms. Those standards do not appear to be met.

The Cost of Inaction

The cost of delay is no longer theoretical.

Each month that this situation continues, Holy Spirit loses more trust, more volunteers, more financial support, and more parishioners. Families are disengaging. Ministries are weakening. Some parishioners are leaving not just the parish, but the Church altogether.

This is directly contrary to the diocese’s mission of evangelization, pastoral care, and the creation of healthy Catholic communities.

Canonical Basis for Action

The Church’s own law provides for removal of a pastor when his ministry has become harmful or ineffective. The circumstances at Holy Spirit appear to meet several of those criteria, including grave harm to ecclesial communion, persistent neglect of pastoral duties, loss of reputation among responsible parishioners, and poor administration causing serious damage to the Church. 

Our Request

We respectfully ask the diocese to take immediate and concrete action:

1. Initiate the formal process necessary to remove Fr. David from pastoral leadership at Holy Spirit
2. Conduct a full review of parish administration, finances, and leadership practices
3. Provide an interim plan to stabilize the parish and restore confidence
4. Ensure that any future pastoral appointment includes appropriate vetting, accountability, and support

Conclusion

This appeal is made with seriousness, sorrow, and love for the Church. We do not raise these concerns lightly. We do so because Holy Spirit parish is suffering, and the damage is ongoing.

The people of this parish deserve leadership that is humble, accountable, pastorally effective, and aligned with the mission of the Church. We respectfully urge diocesan leadership to act now to protect the parish, restore trust, and begin the work of healing.

Please sign this petition today before any more damage is done to our parish.

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