Longtime Parish Priest Resigns, but Principal Says He's Staying

The Rev. Michael Slusz, who has served as pastor at parish in Naugatuck for nearly a decade, resigned from his post last week.

The announcement of Slusz’ departure came Sunday to parishioners at the downtown Catholic Church, where Slusz was first assigned in 2003 after finishing his education in the seminary. Slusz officially resigned as pastor of St. Francis on May 1, the Archdiocese of Hartford said.

The former pastor issued a short letter to the parishioners during the weekend Masses containing the announcement, and thanking them for the generous support that he’s received since he first came to Naugatuck nine years ago.

“From the moment I first arrived, I have felt welcome in the parish,” the letter read. “I thank you for all your support and prayers.”

Vicar of Priests Monsignor Gerard Schmitz, who oversees the placement of priests throughout the archdiocese, reportedly delivered more of the news of Slusz’ departure during the same Masses. He informed the parishioners that the interim priest, George Mukaka, will stay on until May 21, at which time a new priest, the Rev. Paul Gotta, will assume the role as pastor of St. Francis.

But a portion of Schmitz' remarks — which Patch obtained through an email sent by archdiocese spokesman Maria Zone — focused much on Slusz’ sudden departure. Apart from announcing that Slusz was resigning as pastor, the letter also noted that Slusz was going to take a leave of absence from priestly ministry.

“I wish to assure you that this decision was a totally personal decision on Father Slusz part,” Schmitz said. “He has been speaking with Archbishop (Henry) Mansell about this since last fall. It was always our hope and encouragement that he would reconsider.”

Slusz couldn’t be reached for comment by the time of this posting.

Slusz came under fire last year when, after the archdiocese announced the merger of St. Francis and St. Hedwig schools, . After enough public backlash, Archbishop Henry J. Mansell announced the school name would change back to St. Francis-St. Hedwig, a move that .

Principal John Salatto Reverses Decision to Leave

In another major change to this Catholic parish community, Principal John Salatto announced Monday he is staying on for another year at the adjacent St. Francis-St. Hedwig School.

, having informed the school's parents in March of his decision to leave after his first year in the newly-merged Catholic school. But he said he reversed that decision on Monday when he officially signed a contract with the archdiocese committing himself to another year in the K-8 Catholic school.

“As the school year progressed, I felt that it would serve the interests of the school best if I returned,” Salatto said in an interview with Patch.

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Dale Hoyt, the superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, gave a positive referral to Salatto in a letter that school parents received on Monday.

"We have great hope for the strength and success of the school under the continuous direction of the principal, Dr. John Salatto, and in collaboration with the pastor, the dedicated faculty and the consultative, committee-driven school board," the letter read.

But when asked, Salatto said his return, and Slusz’ departure, were not related. Salatto noted that he works for the Office of Catholic Schools in Bloomfield, which oversees all of the Catholic institutions in Connecticut, wheras Slusz reports to Schmitz and the office of the Vicar of Priests.

"His departure was totally a parish issue," Salatto said.

Salatto said he hadn’t seen Slusz at all last week, and that he only became aware of the pastor’s departure when he read Slusz’ letter on Monday.

A Catholic School for 'Generations to Come'

Since last year, St. Francis-St. Hedwig has gotten attention in the local news. The school was after several months of discussions between regarding the unsustainability of the then-St. Francis and St. Hedwig schools.

Since the merger, the school reached a sustainabilty mark, having garnered over 230 students from both of the former rivalry Catholic schools. .

While he didn't have numbers readily available on Monday, Salatto told Patch the school enrollement is "on track" to remaining sustainable in the 2012-13 school year.

Despite Slusz' absence, Salatto assured that it would be “business as usual” for the school staff and administration. Salatto also noted that the entire school faculty has committed to returning in the 2012-13 school year.

Despite only being allowed to sign one-year contracts, Salatto, 62, said he plans on staying on at the school as long as he can, and to retire his 40-year school career at St. Francis-St. Hedwig.

And he said he hopes to make sure the school remains long after he leaves.

“Our goal is to create a school that can truly be here for generations to come,” Salatto said.

Editor's Note: The final quote in this article was incorrectly attributed to Slusz and not Salatto. This has since been corrected.