A former Marietta Catholic priest sits in the Athens County Jail pending a $1 million bond posting.

The Diocese of Steubenville confirmed Wednesday that the accused, Henry Christopher Foxhoven, 45, served parishioners in Marietta at the Basilica of St. Mary Mary of the Assumption between July 2010 and February 2014.

“He was the parochial vicar in 2010, which in the Catholic Church is like an assistant pastor,” said Dino Orsatti, director of communications for the diocese.

Orsatti said the church would not post Foxhoven’s bond, and said that immediately after the priest’s confession of misconduct to Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton Saturday Foxhoven was banned from church grounds and local priests were brought in to temporarily preside over his Athens area congregations beginning Sunday. He has been suspended from the ministry.

Foxhoven appeared in Athens Municipal Court Tuesday facing eight third-degree felony charges of sexual battery against a 17-year-old girl who attended one of his two parishes, Holy Cross and St. Mary of the Hills.

Foxhoven served those churches as first an administrator and then as pastor, or head, of each congregation.

He also previously served as a high school chaplain at Catholic Central in Steubenville, according to Orsatti.

“As far as the students and the schools, I will be talking with the superintendent to make sure it is addressed there as others have before congregations,” noted Orsatti of previous letters read in parishes across the area after more than several similar allegations in Pennsylvania came to light this year.

Local residents said they were shaken by the news, as Foxhoven had been part of the Marietta community for a long time.

“He was even here in and out as a seminarian (before he was parochial vicar) and his family came and sang at the Basilica (of St. Mary of the Assumption), he was close to our parish,” said Jennifer Schenkel, of Devola, who has sent her children to St. Mary Catholic School in Marietta for several years and has other family attending the school. “You never think this is going to happen with someone you know, it’s just a sad, sad situation more than anything.”

Schenkel said when she heard the news of Foxhoven’s arrest she did talk with her daughters, who both knew the priest, about the situation.

“I made both of them aware and wanted them to know Father Christopher did admit he had sinned,” she said. “And I told them that he needed prayers and so did that family. And I talked with them about how they may hear more about it as more comes out. The school, of course, will have to address it too.”

But, she said, Schenkel has never felt her children were not safe at St. Mary’s.

“They take that safe environment training very seriously,” she noted, of a training that all staff and volunteers must go through.

Molly Frye, principal of the school, said the last training was held at the end of September.

“Educate them and keep them safe, that’s our prime objective,” Frye said of her students. “Teachers and any parent that will have more than one contact with the children have to go through it.”

She said no current accusations against Foxhoven have come through her school.

“He was here when I started teaching seven or eight years ago,” she acknowledged.

She said any individual with a concern or accusation would be encouraged to not only report that to the school and church, but also local authorities.

Orsatti echoed that guidance.

“Since 2002 as soon as there’s an allegation we have a child protection review board and we immediately send credible accusations to the local authorities,” said Orsatti.

He said a credible accusation is one that after a thorough investigation and review of available information appears more likely true than not.

“Even when in doubt we turn that over to the authorities and cooperate fully,” he added. “Then our focus is on the needs of the victim and their family. We have a response team task force that considers the psychological evaluation, any medical needs and any needs of the family immediately.”

He noted the release Wednesday of a list of names of priests who have served in the Diocese of Steubenville and have been credibly accused of at least one act of sexual abuse of a minor.

“We published that list because we want to encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to come forward and to find healing and comfort,” Orsatti said, noting also if a name is not included which should be that the church welcomes those concerns to be voiced as well.

The list included 16 priests identified between 1944 and the present, plus a retired priest who was removed from active ministry in May 2018, but because of allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, is not on the list because Belmont County law enforcement authorities are currently investigating the case.

The release also notes any religious order priests were not included, because they are under the jurisdiction of their religious order superiors.

In response to the diocese, Judy Jones from the organization Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said she is wary of the term “credibly accused.”

“It is difficult to believe that church officials have an accurate view of what a ‘credible’ allegation looks like, especially given that we have seen church officials deem accusations not credible only to be proven horribly wrong later,” she said, in a release. “The release of these names is only the first step towards making things right in the Diocese of Steubenville. If he truly believes his list is accurate, then Bishop Monforton should contact his local prosecuting attorney and the state attorney general to urge an independent investigation that will investigate diocesan records and do a full review of all personnel files and abuse records. Only independent law enforcement professionals can truly determine the extent of these crimes.”

Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said no records exist in his system of complaints against Foxhoven, but encouraged anyone with a tip or concern to reach out to his office.

Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith and Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn did not return calls for comment Wednesday. Father Michael Campbell, of the Marietta parish, did not return calls for comment Wednesday and his office directed questions to the diocese.

The sheriff’s office previously said Foxhoven engaged in sexual conduct with the juvenile between Aug. 17 and Oct. 25 and that she was believed to be pregnant with his child.

The church encourages any victim or victims harmed by a priest or anyone serving on behalf of the Catholic church in the Diocese of Steubenville or anyone who suspects child abuse to contact diocesan and secular authorities.

Father Dunfee, who administers the diocese’s “Decree on Child Protection” may be reached at the chancery, 422 Washington St., Steubenville, via telephone 740-282-3631, or via email jdunfee@diosteub.org.

Priests within the Diocese of Steubenville identified as credibly accused of at least one act of sexual abuse of a minor:

• Cletus Altermatt, suspended from ministry in 1952 (deceased).

• Elwood Bernas, suspended from ministry in 1986.

• Robert A. Brown (deceased).

• Vincent Danko, suspended from ministry in 1971 (deceased).

• H. Christopher Foxhoven, suspended from ministry Oct. 27, 2018.

• Harold Goschke, suspended from ministry in 1957 (deceased).

• Kenneth Harris, suspended from ministry in 1963 (deceased).

• Michael Hellmer, suspended from ministry in 1989 (deceased).

• John “Jack” Holmes, suspended from ministry in 1989 (deceased).

• Anthony Jablonowski, suspended from ministry in 2003, dismissed from the clerical state by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

• Robert F. Marrer, deceased.

• Joseph A. Martinkosky, suspended from ministry in 1991.

• John Nadzam, suspended from ministry in 2004 (deceased).

• Walter Plimmer, suspended from ministry in 1956 (deceased).

• Francis Rothbauer, suspended from ministry in 1998 (deceased).

• Joel Wright, pre-theology seminarian who never became a candidate for ordination who was dismissed as a seminarian in January 2016, convicted in July 2016.

• Gary Zalenski, suspended from ministry in 2007, dismissed from the clerical state as a result of an ecclesiastical trial in 2014.

Source: Diocese of Steubenville.