Blazovich devout, holy, caring priest

Today’s Valley Voice in The Spokesman Review, (Dec. 1), ran an article that has us very upset. A group of 100 or so parishioners out of 7,000 from St. Mary’s Catholic Church have signed a petition asking for the immediate removal of the senior parish priest, the Rev. Victor Blazovich, and submitted it to Bishop Blase Cupich of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane.

Without going into all the details of the allegations so that things might be worked out internally, we want to state that Father Blazovich was our parish priest for approximately three years, from around 2007 to 2010, at St. Francis Xavier parish. Our family knows him to be an honest, good and humble man and a devout, holy and caring priest. We were lucky to have him there and he worked tirelessly to encourage us to grow in our faith and our love for God. All the things that are alleged are well within his duty and power to do as pastor of a parish. And as faithful Catholics, we are called to obedience as long as we are not being called to commit sin.

We ask all the faithful Catholics in the greater Spokane area and all over the state, to pray for unity and healing in St. Mary’s parish and to pray for this good and faithful priest, that God will grant him strength, wisdom, patience and all the grace necessary to withstand this troubling time.

Father Blazovich, may you not be disheartened, but trust that God’s plan for you is perfect in timing, intensity and duration. You are in our many prayers.

Steve, Sue and Zack Watilo

Spokane Valley