What I know about Father Joe
Father Joseph Reed, Pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, has been accused of impropriety, but he has no advocate in the review process.
Dear Friends,
The Diocese of Knoxville has placed Father Joseph Reed, Pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Farragut, Tennessee, on administrative leave after it received a recent complaint about his behavior. The Diocese issued a letter to parishioners on Saturday, December 14. St. John Neumann Catholic School issued its own email to parents on the same day. Knoxville news agencies have covered the story extensively.
I must begin with two disclaimers. First, Fr. Reed is my pastor and friend. He has been to my home many times, and my children adore him. I am disinclined to believe any accusation against him. (At least I admit my bias; other journalists will not admit that they are inclined to believe any accusation against any Catholic priest.)
The second disclaimer is that I speak only for myself. I have not had any contact with Fr. Reed about this matter whatsoever. I have not had any contact with him at all since this story broke, and I had no foreknowledge of it. Nor do I speak for the Diocese, St. John Neumann School, or St. John Neumann Church in any capacity.
Fr. Reed has never had any accusation of impropriety made against him before. He was ordained in 2007. He has been the pastor of St. John Neumann church and school since 2018. Before that, he served as chaplain for Sacred Heart Cathedral School. He also frequently serves at Knoxville Catholic High School.
In the past 24 hours, I have communicated by email and phone with John Mecklenborg, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Knoxville. The Diocese has promised transparency about its process, but many things remain unclear.
According to the Diocese, Fr. Reed has been accused of “boundary violations.” I asked Mecklenborg whether this term was defined in diocesan procedural documents, and he conceded that it was not. In an email, he stated that the term could mean anything “from errors in pastoral conduct to ethical and criminal offences.”
Definitions are important, because some people understand a “boundary violation” to be a minor infraction. “They get in your space, and you feel uncomfortable. Whether it is physical, emotional, or mental space, if you feel uncomfortable, it is likely a boundary violation,” says PsychCentral.
In his letter, Mecklenborg stated that the Diocese had referred the matter to “State authorities,” but when I spoke with him on the phone, Mecklenborg did not know which state authorities the Diocese had contacted. I pushed back that this is essential information if the Diocese is going to be transparent about its process. In an email, Mecklenborg did confirm that the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) is one of the agencies involved.
Mecklenborg stated in his letter that the Diocese would “await the completion of the civil authorities’ investigation before conducting its own independent and comprehensive review of the matter.” I asked whether the sequential nature of the civil/diocesan investigations was written down in diocesan policy. He said that it was not.
Mecklenborg gave more details about the process in an email:
It is our protocol to allow space for the State to finish its review so as to not interfere with their investigation. We hope to have the results soon. After we receive those results, the diocese will contract a third party to conduct an independent review of the complaint. Based upon this review, the Diocesan Review Board, comprised of members representing law enforcement agencies, legal experts, and psychologists will recommend next steps to the bishop.
Mecklenborg confirmed that Fr. Reed does not have an advocate in this process. “We’re still just at the fact-finding stage,” he told me.
“I feel like we’re getting this figured out on the fly,” Mecklenborg said on the phone. “The bishop’s new, I’m new, and these policies were all in place before we got here.”
I swear I don’t go looking for trouble. I don’t know how I keep landing smack in the middle of these crazy stories, but if you want to keep up with ‘em, you can click here to become a free subscriber to Knoxville Nobility. And my articles are much better for the keen editing of Mrs. Taylor Williams (nee Breeden).
Jennifer Hay
Jennifer.Hay@KnoxvilleNobility.com
865.804.9721
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Father Reed has done wrong except to stand up for our church.
This entire thing makes me sick and embarrassed to call myself a Catholic. I’ve known Fr. Joe Reed for many years and while not a close friend he knows my family and my son adores him. There is NO WAY I would ever believe these accusations against him and I am fairly sure this is a smear campaign orchestrated by the devil. I pray daily that Fr. Reed will be fully exonerated and justice will be served.