Lacey - A Benedictine priest serving as a member of the monastic community at Saint Martin's Abbey is under investigation for alleged sexual abuse of a minor while he served at Sacred Heart Parish in Lacey during the 1980s.
The Rev. Edward Receconi, who served at Sacred Heart between 1984 and 1986, has been put on administrative leave by his superior at the abbey and can't perform public ministry in the Archdiocese of Seattle while the allegation is under investigation, said Greg Magnoni, spokesman for the archdiocese.
The archdiocese received word of the alleged sexual abuse late last week from an Olympia-area attorney and forwarded the complaint to the Lacey Police Department, Magnoni said.
"When we get more information, we will begin our own investigation on the allegations of Father Edward," he said, adding that the archdiocese has no details about the alleged abuse.
Receconi, 62, has no assignments with the archdiocese, but it's possible he could have been saying Mass on the weekends, though that hasn't been confirmed.
Lacey police have received the complaint and will look into the allegations with the prosecutor to see what's taken place, Lt. Jim Mack said.
Sexual abuse allegations, if proved credible, result in permanent removal from public ministry in the Archdiocese of Seattle and could lead to the priest being defrocked, Magnoni said.
Receconi attended Saint Martin's College and was ordained as a Benedictine priest in 1979. In addition to Sacred Heart, where he served from 1984 to 1986, his assignments in the Archdiocese of Seattle have included St. Edward Parish in Shelton from 1987 to 1993 and Holy Rosary Parish in Tacoma from 1995 to 1996.
