Former Deacon at St. Joseph's Removed as a Parish Priest

A priest of the Diocese of Allentown has been removed from his assignment at a parish in Berks County after acknowledging an inappropriate relationship with a woman, according to a release from the diocese.

The Rev. Cletus Onyegbule, 44, had been assistant pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Sinking Spring since March 2009.

A native of Nigeria, he served as a deacon at in 2001, according to a report in The Morning Call. Parishioners there had donated $10,000 to bring his family to the Lehigh Valley for his ordination in 2002, the report said.

Onyegbule's relationship with the woman began when she was 18, according to the release from the diocese.

Diocesan officials said they reported the matter to "appropriate authorities" and that Onyegbule is now in a treatment facility. He is not permitted to function publicly as a priest, the release said.

Onyegbule served at St. Ambrose Church in Schuylkill Haven and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bethlehem Township before his assignment to Sinking Spring.

According to a report in the Reading Eagle, Bishop John O. Barres told St. Ignatius parishioners about the dismissal during Mass on Saturday. The report said there was no mention of any criminal activity and that officials said no charges were filed.