Dateline: July 4, 2002

Groom priest resigns from post

Special from The Groom News

Father Neal Dee told approximately 200 Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church parishioners in Groom last Thursday night that he was resigning his priesthood and moving to Amarillo immediately.

Dee presided over the Groom church as well as St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clarendon.

Monsignor Harold Waldo, vicar for clergy for the Diocese of Amarillo, was at the meeting to explain the process of replacing Father Dee with a priest in Groom and Clarendon. He said Father José of India will be in Groom this week to say Mass and that a new priest will hopefully be appointed for Groom and Clarendon by mid-July.

Dee’s resignation came about by a 15-year-old allegation of wrongdoing before he came to the Amarillo Diocese.

“The new charter passed by the Catholic Bishops in Dallas a few weeks ago made the resignation necessary,” said Monsignor Waldo, who was taking the place of Bishop Yanta.

Tears flowed by many of Dee’s supporters as they listened and asked questions of Waldo and Dee.

Waldo explained that Bishop Yanta said based on the new charter, the diocese, in cooperation with a local review board, is in the process of implementing the new policy on sexually abusive priests.

Waldo further stated that the diocese will disclose a priest departure if he is removed because of the new policy and indicated there is a strong possibility that more priests will be leaving.