St. Cloud priest who pleaded guilty to sex abuse is dismissed from priesthood

A St. Cloud priest who spent more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct is no longer a member of the priesthood, church officials said Tuesday.

Bishop Donald Kettler formally reviewed the status of Anthony Oelrich and recommended that he seek his own dismissal from the priesthood, a process called laicization, Kettler said in a statement. Oelrich agreed to do so, and the process is now complete.

"He no longer can exercise sacred ministry in the Church or engage in any leadership roles in the Church. He does not receive any salary, housing or medical benefits from the diocese," Kettler said. Oelrich, who was released from prison Oct. 17, also may no longer call himself "Father."

A Minnesota woman who testified in 2019 that Oelrich sexually abused her and had been waiting for months to hear whether he would be allowed to remain in the priesthood said she believed this was "the best and most healing outcome for all parties involved."

At the time of his 2018 arrest, Oelrich was pastor at the Christ Church Newman Center near St. Cloud State University. St. Cloud police arrested him after a woman reported that Oelrich had exposed himself to her in 2014 and initiated sex with her after she went to him for religious counseling about an abusive partner. Prosecutors said Oelrich was a predator who followed this pattern with several different parishioners.

Under Minnesota law, it is a crime for clergy to have a sexual relationship with someone to whom they are giving "religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort in private." Consent is not a defense.