Bring Father Joe back!

When the actions warrant the punishment, fine. From what parishioners have been told, Fr. Joe’s alleged actions/conduct violations should not warrant such a lengthy separation from the parish. Please, your Eminence, Bishop Knestout, investigate, do the due diligence necessary in this age of truth and clarity in our beloved church....and let this man and his parishioners out of this purgatory we have been in since the announcement. We pray for justice and peace for all involved, and for you, Bishop Knestout, as you consider the fate of our much loved Pastor.

Fr Joe is the best priest I’ve ever know. He is so aware of his community, KNOWS his parishioners by name AND acknowledges each and every one of us. This community matters to Fr Joe and the youth matter to Fr Joe. My kids speak about His homily after we leave mass, they get his message because he speaks their language. Bring Father Jor back to my church. Shannon Jordan

We were a very young family of 5 when we joined Blessed Sacrament parish almost 20 years ago. The parish was struggling. The pews were empty and the median age of the parishioner seemed to be about 75. When Fr. Joe arrived it was as if CPR had been administered to a dying parish. The parish grew, the outreach grew, the buildings grew and over the course of our time with the parish, the young families returned... so much so that we needed additional classrooms, a playground and eventually a school to meet the needs of these families that didn’t just need a place on Sunday. Blessed Sacrament has become a huge part of these families lives. I wish I could say that this happened organically and that the people came simply because they were looking for a nice, local parish to worship. But that is not the case. they came because of Fr. Joe, and they stay because of him. I fear your reaction to what seems to be a small infraction, will sink a thriving parish. Please reconsider your decision.

I can talk to God at anytime and at anyplace. I go to church because I always get something out of Fr. Joe’s homilies. He is why I changed churches and why I started going back to church. He has a gift! I hope they send him back. Otherwise, I’m not sure I’ll be attending church anymore.

Bring Father Joe back!

Bring Father Joe back to us.

Prayers for your return home

I fully support the reinstall of Father Joe Merzer

I call for the immediate resignation of the Bishop and the Board of our Diocese for their inexcusable misfeasance and malfeasance in their treatment of Father Joe Metzger. I am aware of the accusations against Father Joe, and they do NOT involve allegations of harming anyone. He is not accused of anything which could suggest to anyone with a rationale mind that he might pose any risk of harm to anyone. He is not accused of anything sexual. He is not accused of dishonesty. He is not accused of neglecting the needs of his parishioners. Of course, no Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church parishioner will be surprised that he is not accused of such things. We all know him to be an exemplary priest under whose spiritual leadership our parish has continuously thrived and grown. On a personal note, he is a very big part of the reason I converted to Catholicism. His "misconduct," as the Bishop and Board have chosen to describe it, consists of a few unintentional infractions of what can best be described as administrative regulations of the Diocese, which caused harm to no one, and for which he readily accepts responsibility. The rationale response of the Bishop and the Board would have been to remind him to comply with those rules. That would have been more than sufficient. Instead, they are treating him as if he suffers from some unspecified personality or behavioral disorder which potentially renders him unsuitable to be a priest and a potential legal risk to the Diocese. I wish that I could construe their actions as mere errors in judgment, but I cannot. In my opinion it is painfully obvious that the Bishop and the Board are acting out of pure personal self-interest, in deliberate disregard of the interests of Blessed Sacrament and the interests of the Diocese as a whole. The Board's primary concern is avoiding being criticized for responding inadequately to a complaint about a priest, and they are more than willing to sacrifice Father Joe to protect themselves from such cri

From Ray Hogge: There is a typo in my comment. Where I said "they do involve allegations of harming anyone" I meant to say "they do NOT involve allegations of harming anyone." Hopefully my meaning was clear.

This is my best friend’s uncle and he is a great person.

I just spoke with Ray Hogge and he left out the word not . He meant to say “I am aware of the accusations against Father Joe Metzger, and they do NOT involve allegations of harming anyone.

What are y’all doing? He’s the best Priest that’s come to the church scene Father NEE !

There is only one person who walked on this earth without sin, and He died on the cross for our sins.

Father Joe is probably the greatest priest I ever met, and I clearly know whatever he could be accused of is not worth the scandalous overreaction of the church

I call for the immediate resignation of the Bishop and the Board of our Diocese for their inexcusable misfeasance and malfeasance in their treatment of Father Joe Metzger. I am aware of the accusations against Father Joe, and they do involve allegations of harming anyone. He is not accused of anything which could suggest to anyone with a rationale mind that he might pose any risk of harm to anyone. He is not accused of anything sexual. He is not accused of dishonesty. He is not accused of neglecting the needs of his parishioners. Of course, no Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church parishioner will be surprised that he is not accused of such things. We all know him to be an exemplary priest under whose spiritual leadership our parish has continuously thrived and grown. On a personal note, he is a very big part of the reason I converted to Catholicism. His "misconduct," as the Bishop and Board have chosen to describe it, consists of a few unintentional infractions of what can best be described as administrative regulations of the Diocese, which caused harm to no one, and for which he readily accepts responsibility. The rationale response of the Bishop and the Board would have been to remind him to comply with those rules. That would have been more than sufficient. Instead, they are treating him as if he suffers from some unspecified personality or behavioral disorder which potentially renders him unsuitable to be a priest and a potential legal risk to the Diocese. I wish that I could construe their actions as mere errors in judgment, but I cannot. In my opinion it is painfully obvious that the Bishop and the Board are acting out of pure personal self-interest, in deliberate disregard of the interests of Blessed Sacrament and the interests of the Diocese as a whole. The Board's primary concern is avoiding being criticized for responding inadequately to a complaint about a priest, and they are more than willing to sacrifice Father Joe to protect themselves

I have been blessed with the best uncle in the world. Father Joe Metzger has always been there for me as my uncle and as a spiritual guide. He always has stood by me and helped me see the best in the people around me. I couldn’t ask for a better person to be in my life.

We miss Father Joe terribly!

I have been blessed to know Father Joe over 45 years. He has always had the love of God in his heart. There is no one who could be a better priest.

Father Joe did a lot for Granby High athletics. He was a big supporter of the baseball program.