Luke Reese, married priest, convicted of beating his wife

Luke Reese, the first married Catholic priest in the archdiocese of Indianapolis, was found guilty Friday of one felony and two misdemeanor charges connected to allegations he beat his wife in a jealous rage.

The jury in the Marion County Superior Court found Reese guilty of one count of criminal confinement with bodily injury, one count of domestic battery, and one count of battery resulting in bodily injury, according to public court records. The jury found him not guilty on charges of kidnapping where a vehicle is used and criminal confinement where a vehicle is used.

Jenny Faber, the media representative for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in Houston, Texas, where Reese’s bishop presides, did not respond to requests for comment Saturday night; nor did Greg Otolski, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

We broke this story in February, describing the Sept. 24 incident in which Reese allegedly beat his wife inside his church, and then sexually assaulted her over the course of an 18-hour ordeal.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Reese’s superiors at Holy Rosary knew before the assault occurred that he reportedly provided alcohol to minors, got intoxicated with minors, and shared white supremacist material with young people. 

Reese was a married Anglican priest who entered the Catholic Church and was ordained a Catholic priest in 2016 through the Personal Ordinariate, established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Reese and his wife have been married for 25 years and have seven children.


Reese was convicted on June 29, the same day his parish, Holy Rosary in Indianapolis, celebrated a Mass to commemorate his ordination anniversary.

Here, Canonist Peter Vere explains why a desecration of the altar such as the one alleged in the affidavit would require a reconsecration of the church.

 

Here, we detail the larger implications of the Reese scandal for the Ordinariate.

Reese will be sentenced in court on July 23.We will continue to follow this story as information becomes available.

 CORRECTION July 2, 7:00 PM Eastern: We erroneously stated that Reese was convicted of three felonies. In fact, domestic battery and battery with bodily injury are misdemeanor charges. Criminal confinement is a felony.
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6 thoughts on “Luke Reese, married priest, convicted of beating his wife”

  1. There was no commemoration. The masses can be offered for any intention for a very small stipend. Having a mass said for him is a spiritual act of mercy. We don’t know who had that mass offered for him nor when it was requested. It mentions that it is his ordination anniversary. I’m glad the parish did offer up a mass for him. He surely needs it.

  2. Thanks, Simcha, for reporting on this. It’s certainly OK to discuss, learn the facts, and ask questions. It’s a public court case, after all. The silence from the bishops in charge is worrying and puzzling.

    1. Who is backbiting? The Fishers are reporting on publicly available information that is obviously of great interest to many Catholics. Not just the scandalous and criminal behavior of one priest, but the ongoing (non) response of a parish and an archdiocese to an accused and now, convicted abuser wielding power in their midst.

    2. Backbiting? As Kate said, this is all publicaly abailable informagion ans should be extremely relevant for Catholics in the archdiocese of Indianapolis and, in fact, across the country. Domestic violence is never a personal or private problem. Its important that we are not only aware of such terrible incidents (and pray for all involved) but seek accountability.

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