Priest charged with rape
Former Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish vicar arrested in connection with alleged 2014 incident
ROXBOROUGH >> A priest who at one time served at St. Eleanor in Collegeville from 2008 to 2009 was been arrested on three charges of rape, corruption of a minor and sexual abuse of a minor.
Father Armand D. Garcia, 49, was arrested March 4 on three charges of rape, corruption of a minor and sexual abuse of a minor.
A priest of the Philadelphia Archdiocese ordained in 2005, Garcia served at St. Joseph church in Downingtown from 2005 to 2008 and was a former pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Northeast Philadelphia
Garcia is alleged to have committed the crimes on Aug. 1, 2014, when he was parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Roxborough. He was assigned to the parish in 2011 after having taken a voluntary personal leave from ministry the prior year.
The year-long investigation into his conduct by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office spans from 2014 to 2017, when he was pastor of St. Martin of Tours, according to a statement from the archdiocese. The charges against Garcia “are serious and disturbing,” said archdiocesan spokesman Ken Gavin in a statement.
“The archdiocese is cooperating fully with law enforcement regarding this matter and remains fervently committed to preventing child abuse as well as protecting the children and young people entrusted to its care.”
Last March 16, the archdiocese had placed Garcia on administrative leave immediately while Philadelphia law enforcement investigated “alleged misconduct with minors on the part of Father Garcia” and executed a search warrant at the St. Martin rectory the same day, Gavin said at that time.
The priest has been living in a private residence since that time and he has not been permitted to exercise public ministry, administer the sacraments or present himself publicly as a priest.
At the time of last year’s investigation, the allegation of misconduct with a minor was the first such report received on Garcia, according to the archdiocese. He had cleared criminal background checks and child abuse clearances and had completed the archdiocese’s mandatory safe environment training courses.
Gavin added counselors will be made available to parishioners of St. Martin and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In addition to the rape and child corruption charges indicated in his arrest report, Garcia is also charged with abusing a minor through the use of “photographs, videotapes, depict[ions] on computer or films,” according to the Pennsylvania statute defining the charge.
After posting 10 percent of $250,000 bail, Garcia was released from custody March 4. He faces a hearing March 14 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas before Judge James M. Lynn.
The priest, not the archdiocese, will be solely responsible for expenses related to his legal defense, according to Gavin.
Garcia has had the following parish assignments in the archdiocese: St. Joseph, Downingtown (20052008); St. Eleanor, Collegeville (2008-2009); St. Katherine of Siena, Philadelphia (2009-2010); personal leave (2010-2011); Our Lady of the Assumption, Strafford (2011); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Philadelphia (2011-2017); St. Martin of Tours, Philadelphia (2017-2018); placed on administrative leave and faculties restricted (2018); arrested (2019).