The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has been working toward combining parishes and worship sites since May, as part of an initiative “On Mission for the Church Alive.” The initiative, said the Rev. Nicolas Vaskov, will have churches share resources and clergyman. It “focuses on seeking to strengthen the church, to build the church, to grow the church,” Vaskov said.

But in Greene and Washington Counties, one of the shared clergy members is no longer on the list.

The Rev. John Bauer, 71, has been placed on administrative leave, after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor dating back to the 1980s. Bauer served as the senior parochial vicar for the Greene County grouping, working with congregations at St. Ann in Waynesburg, St. Hugh in Carmichaels, St. Ignatius of Antioch in Bobtown, Our Lady of Consolation in Nemacolin and St. Thomas in Clarksville.

Bauer was mentioned in the Grand Jury Report released nearly a month ago, which detailed the sexual abuse of more than 300 children by Catholic priests across Pennsylvania. In the report, the accuser said Bauer did not abuse him, so the priest was cleared of suspicion – until the newest accusation.

Vaskov said in the diocese, Bauer is the only priest currently in ministry with an allegation against him; two others recently placed on leave are both retired. One, Rev. Bernard Costello, 81, served at Mary, Mother of the Church parish in Charleroi, according to a news release from the diocese.

Vaskov said the diocese is working hard to comfort church members in the wake of the Grand Jury Report. Congregations everywhere, regardless of whether or not they were named in the report, have been shaken, he said.

“I think there would be concerns if it wasn’t affecting people,” Vaskov said. “It is a great challenge, individually, for parishes, for the church.”

The Grand Jury Report investigated sexual abuse in six dioceses in the commonwealth: Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Scranton and Pittsburgh. According to the report, at least 1,000 children were sexually abused by priests, while the church used “a playbook for concealing the truth” to cover the potential scandal.

Vaskov said it is important for people to reach out with concerns, or to be open if they have been affected by abuse.

“Pastors are seeking to respond to the needs of their people through prayer, through opportunities or listening sessions for people to share what is on their hearts, to respond,” he said. “We just encourage anyone who may have been harmed somewhere, presumably in the church, to come forward to seek the support they need, because it is so important for their healing.”

In the meantime, the diocese is continuing their initiatives to grow the church. “On Mission for the Church Alive” takes effect October 15, at which point clergy teams made up of two or more priests and deacons will serve multiple parishes at once. Vaskov said that for now, parishes will maintain their individuality, but will ultimately combine into one new parish with multiple worship sites.

“The phase we are looking at right now is the beginning of the implementation phase, and from there will be steps that will be taken over the coming years to see how can these parishes be best supported, what needs to happen, working with the people in those parishes to discover what is best for them,” he said.