Fired, priest who grabbed widow, 77, in row over boy’s puppy at Mass
A CATHOLIC priest has been sacked after he had a ‘physical’ argument with a 77-year-old female parishioner over a boy bringing a puppy to a service.
Father Michael Brookes, 62, allegedly grabbed the woman and dragged her into a room moments before Christmas Eve Mass.
He was removed from his post after a bishop decided his position was untenable.
Masses at the St Thomas More chapel in Harleston, Norfolk, and some in nearby Bungay which he also presided over, have been ‘temporarily paused’ as there is no one to replace him.
The woman, a widow who acts as eucharistic minister, said the confrontation happened when a couple turned up with their sixyear-old boy, who had a puppy.
‘I said, “Oops, you’ll have to smuggle that in, I think”, and he was picking it up to put it in his jacket when Mike came past and said extremely rudely, “You can’t bring that in here”,’ she said.
She followed him into the sacristy where he was about to put on his vestments, explaining: ‘I told him that it didn’t give a very good image of the church and he just lost it big time. My memory is of his face in mine, screaming with spittle coming from his lips. I walked out of the sacristy, and he came after me.
‘He grabbed me from behind on my upper arms and pulled me backwards into the sacristy and spun me round. I was shocked and [went] back into the chapel because I thought he was going to hit me.’
Father Brookes, who was appointed to the parish of Bungay in 2021 and lived at its presbytery, then cancelled the service.
The family with the dog had already left. His victim, who did not want to be named, said he asked for the parish safeguarding officer to be summoned because ‘he knew he had crossed the line’.
She was one of several parishioners who complained the priest had a history of ‘screaming’ at people if he felt ‘challenged’.
Peter Collins, the Bishop of East Anglia, yesterday said he had held meetings with Father Brookes since last summer, after the latter experienced ‘significant stress’ from problems including his mother’s ill-health.
He said: ‘This is a sad situation for everyone. The well-being of all involved is our primary concern.’
A diocese spokesman said: ‘[The bishop] took the decision that the priest should stand down from his priestly ministries and undergo independent clinical psychological assessment.’
Father Brookes used to work as a psychiatric nurse, according to the parish website, but his faith was strengthened by problems in his personal life. He joined the priesthood in 2019.
‘Screaming with spittle on his lips’