Church accused of workplace injustices - unfair labor practices sometimes stem from authoritarian structures - includes related articles

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 21, 1994 by Tim McCarthy

On another occasion, Vance-Trembath suggested the obvious "lack of community" should be on the council agenda. D'Arcy objected. "He kind of yelled at me," Vance-Trembath said. "Yes, Sally," D'Arcy told her, "we are a community, but we are a hierarchical community and I have to make some of these decisions." Vance-Trembath is a talented, highly qualified and popular teacher, but last year her contract was not renewed.

A case in point

Outspoken as she may have been on the teachers council, Vance-Trembath believes her contract at St. Joseph's was not renewed more because of her involvement with the Beverly Brazauskas case. She has defended Brazauskas in Sacred Heart Parish meetings and challenged the pastor, Holy Cross Fr. Jose Martelli, on the issue. Martelli is a defendant in the Brazauskas lawsuit against Sacred Heart and the diocese.

Brazauskas had worked at Sacred Heart as a pastoral associate in charge of religious education and liturgy for six years. A former Sister of St. Joseph, she had spent most of her life in teaching and pastoral ministry. She is highly trained and competent. Her evaluations at Sacred Heart were superior and parishioners liked and supported her.

Martelli became pastor at Sacred Heart in June 1992, taking over from Holy Cross Fr. William Simmons. Brazauskas had worked well enough with Martelli when he was associate pastor, but she said a different man emerged after June. (Martelli did not respond to an interview request.)

When Brazauskas got back from vacation in August, Martelli met with her two days running. By the second day, Aug. 7, he had decided to fire her if she did not resign. Brazauskas mentioned her contract and Martelli told her she didn't have one. She said there was one on file in her office, but when she went to her office the file was gone. She had seen it there in June.

A friend in Connecticut, a priest she had worked with for years before going to South Bend, once told Brazauskas that she threatened "the hell out of most priests in this diocese the moment you walk into a room." She is a tall, strong-minded woman, confident in her abilities.

On the day he fired her, Martelli was candid: "You intimidate me and you dare to disagree with me in public," he said. He later said in a sworn statement that they had had "several disagreements over liturgical and doctrinal issues" during the previous year.

Under pressure from parishioners and others to explain his action, Martelli cited "personal and confidential" reasons that he could not discuss because of a pending lawsuit. There was no lawsuit at the time and Brazauskas had no intention of filing one. Her attorney, Edward Kalamaros, was dead set against suing the church, she said.

Not until December 1992, when attempts for some sort of redress for Brazauskas were going nowhere, did Kalamaros agree to prepare the suit. At about that time, the diocese made an offer. They would pay Brazauskas a year's salary and Martelli would write her a statement of reconciliation. Brazauskas held out for reimbursement of her legal fees (then about $4,000) and an unconditional letter of recommendation.