Father Patrick Tuttle is a Franciscan friar who was removed from all public ministry in April 2024 after an independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Franciscan order he belongs to, announced that its Province Review Board had unanimously recommended the removal and that Tuttle was placed under the strict supervision of an independent monitor.1The Macon Telegraph. Former Macon Pastor Removed From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Allegations He had served as a priest for roughly three decades across parishes in the eastern United States before the allegations surfaced.
The Allegations and His Removal From Ministry
The allegations were raised in approximately December 2023 and led to Tuttle’s removal as pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Macon, Georgia, where he had served since 2020.1The Macon Telegraph. Former Macon Pastor Removed From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Allegations The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe opened an independent investigation into the claims, which were brought by someone the province later described as an “abuse survivor.”2The News & Observer. Former Durham Friar Barred From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Investigation
On April 4, 2024, Provincial Minister Friar Lawrence J. Hayes issued a formal letter announcing that the Province Review Board had accepted the investigation’s findings and unanimously recommended that Tuttle be barred from all public ministry. The Provincial Council and Provincial Minister accepted that recommendation. The province also said it had offered outside pastoral care and counseling to the person who came forward.3BishopAccountability.org. Fr. Patrick Tuttle, OFM, Removed From Ministry
The province’s announcement did not identify the accuser or state when the alleged conduct took place. No criminal investigation or charges by law enforcement have been reported.3BishopAccountability.org. Fr. Patrick Tuttle, OFM, Removed From Ministry Neither Tuttle nor Holy Spirit Church responded to media requests for comment at the time of the announcement.1The Macon Telegraph. Former Macon Pastor Removed From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Allegations The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, which covers an area where Tuttle previously served, also did not respond to press inquiries.2The News & Observer. Former Durham Friar Barred From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Investigation
Where He Stands Now
Tuttle is living under the strict supervision of an independent monitor, a condition imposed following the Province Review Board’s recommendation.1The Macon Telegraph. Former Macon Pastor Removed From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Allegations His current location has not been publicly disclosed. He appears on the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s public roster of friars with substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct, listed as “Removed from public ministry, 2024.”4Franciscan Friars. Friars With Substantiated Allegations No criminal proceedings, civil lawsuits, or further canonical actions beyond the removal have been publicly reported.
Where He Served Before the Allegations
Tuttle entered the Franciscan order in 1987 and was ordained in 1994 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City.5BishopAccountability.org. Jubilarian Profile – Patrick Tuttle His first assignment was as a campus minister at Siena College in Loudonville, New York, from 1994 to 1996.
From 1996 until at least 2009, Tuttle served as associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham, North Carolina, where he also taught seventh- and eighth-grade students. He became a visible civic figure in Durham, participating in an AIDS vigil in 1996, joining a 2000 rally at Durham County Stadium held in response to local homicides, and organizing an interfaith vigil with local police, EMS, and fire departments after the September 11, 2001, attacks.2The News & Observer. Former Durham Friar Barred From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Investigation
He next served at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Greenville, South Carolina, beginning in 2005, and also acted as pastor of the parish’s elementary school, where he was described as instrumental in fundraising for a new school building.6WSPA. Former Greenville Religious Leader Accused of Sexual Misconduct His tenure at St. Anthony ended in January 2020, when the Franciscan order announced the withdrawal of its friars from the parish, citing declining numbers of available friars.7National Catholic Reporter. Province to Withdraw Its Franciscans From Ministry in Charleston Diocese
Tuttle then became pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Macon, Georgia, in 2020, and remained there until his removal in approximately December 2023.1The Macon Telegraph. Former Macon Pastor Removed From Ministry After Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The Franciscan Province That Removed Him
The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe was established on October 17, 2023, through the unification of six legacy American provinces of the Order of Friars Minor: Holy Name, Assumption, Sacred Heart, St. John the Baptist, St. Barbara, and the original Our Lady of Guadalupe.8Angelus News. Franciscan Friars Unify Under Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe Headquartered in Atlanta, the consolidated province includes more than 700 friars serving in 26 states, the District of Columbia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.
The province maintains a public list of friars with substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct across all its legacy provinces, totaling 102 individuals as of the most recent update. Tuttle is the only friar listed under the new consolidated province’s own name rather than a legacy province.4Franciscan Friars. Friars With Substantiated Allegations