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Inset, left to right: Arul Carasala (Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann) and Gary L. Hermesch (Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church (Google Maps).
A 66-year-old Oklahoma man who wanted to “make church great again” has been arrested for allegedly killing a Catholic priest, fatally shooting the 57-year-old victim just outside of the church rectory in Kansas last week.
Gary Hermesch was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of 57-year-old Arul Carasala, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the incident took place on the afternoon of Thursday, April 3, at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory in the 400 block of Pioneer Street, in Seneca, which is about 200 miles northeast of Wichita.
Deputies with the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Seneca Police Department at about 2:50 p.m. responded to a 911 call regarding a report of “shots fired” at the church. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located Carasala outside of the rectory suffering from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds.
Paramedics with Seneca EMS soon arrived and rushed Carasala to the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital for treatment. Lifesaving measures failed and the priest died from his injuries shortly after arriving at the medical facility
“Kansas Highway Patrol troopers responded and helped secure the scene. Shortly after, deputies from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Seneca Police Department took Gary L. Hermesch, 66, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into custody,” the release states. “He was booked into the Nemaha County Jail on suspected first-degree murder.”
Carasala’s death was confirmed by Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who referred to the shooting as a “senseless act of violence” that robbed the church of a “beloved priest, leader, and friend.”
“Fr. Carasala was a devoted and zealous pastor who faithfully served our Archdiocese for over twenty years, including as dean of the Nemaha-Marshall region,” he wrote in a post to Facebook. “His love for Christ and His Church was evident in how he ministered to his people with great generosity and care. His parishioners, friends, and brother priests will deeply miss him.”
According to a report from Topeka NBC affiliate KSNT, Hermesch had written numerous letters to the editor of The Courier-Tribune newspaper in which he expressed an affinity for President Donald Trump and contempt for the direction be perceived the church to be heading. Between January 2021 and March 2024, Hermesch reportedly wrote the newspaper at least six times.
For example, Hermesch in August, 2021 wrote the newspaper a letter extolling Trump’s leadership.
“Let’s not sweat the small stuff, though, maybe if we just follow Donald Trump’s example we’ll ‘make the Church great again,’” the letter stated. “So why are things headed south like a runaway freight train? Simple. The faith is not being taught. Now is that equality and tolerance of other religions, or what?”
While many of his letters were about politics and religion, Hermesch reportedly never mentioned Carasala or the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church by name.
Hermesch is currently being held in the Nemaha County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 15.
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