Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Lynch was opening his mail one day about six weeks ago when a marriage license and a "crazy little note" fluttered from an envelope.
The license, dated May 1, 1981, bore the name of the Rev. Patrick J. Clarke, the beloved pastor of a large, active parish along the northeastern reach of Tampa Bay.When confronted, Clarke admitted he'd been secretly married for the past 15 years. Lynch told him he must choose between his wife and a ministry that requires he remain single and celibate.
Ordinarily, Lynch wouldn't have seen the license: His staff has strict orders against passing along anonymous letters. But his secretary was on vacation, leaving the bishop to open his own mail.
That envelope might have been a Pandora's box.
As he told reporters about Clarke's secret marriage last week, Lynch also announced that another priest recently had resigned after admitting he'd used $225,000 of parish funds to buy the silence of his former male lover.
And the next day, Lynch found himself answering questions about a third priest, who last spring was accused of molesting someone years earlier and sent to a Washington rehabilitation center.
The Rev. Simeon Gardner, 69, may face criminal charges for embezzlement. The Rev. William Lau, 46, is expected to remain at the rehabilitation center for "an extensive period."
But it is Clarke's secret marriage that has captured the imagination of residents, who wonder how a man so treasured and respected could have hidden such a huge part of his life from a close-knit community.
"I don't see how he could have done it for so long without a breakdown," said Joanne Ryan, a parishioner at Espiritu Santo Parish in Safety Harbor for the past 16 years.
There had been whispers about Clarke's secret life. Two years ago, someone plastered cars in the church parking lot with fliers admonishing Clarke to "go home and take care of your family." Clarke denied to the bishop who then led the diocese that he was married, Lynch said.