VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Father Rob Cole, who last week was dismissed as pastor of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, is getting support from a 15-year parishioner and member of an active men’s rosary group within the Virginia Beach parish.
Cole’s dismissal pending reassignment capped an internal investigation by the Diocese of Richmond. It came after a church member went public last month with allegations that her then seven-year-old daughter was sexually abused by another church member in 2019.
Meredith Hatchell said her daughter was abused by Vincent Jakawich, who she said died by suicide shortly after she made her allegations about five weeks ago. Cole was not part of her claims, but the Diocese put him on temporary leave, and then announced his dismissal on June 12.
Dom Raso and his wife have five children and have been members of St. John since about the time when Cole started serving the parish. Raso is active in Sword of Truth, a men’s rosary group that meets several times each month. He says he, as well as other congregation members, cannot understand why Cole is being disciplined if he had nothing to do with the sex abuse controversy.
“This is a just and honorable man,” Raso said during a Monday morning interview on the church campus on Sandbridge Road.
“This is part of what we want to be really clear about. Father Rob didn’t have any involvement in this whole situation. It didn’t happen on campus. It didn’t happen on church grounds,” he said.
Raso wants Bishop Barry Knestout to come to St. John and explain why he’s forcing out the pastor who served while church membership nearly tripled, campus renovations flourished and one who mentored several new priests into the diocese.
“I would expect leadership to come and be present when you have such a hard situation to deal with.”
Raso says his call to action is for church members to resist any urge to leave, and instead fill the church pews in force, “and to continue to stand for good men that are doing the right thing on a consistent basis. And that’s what we’re doing here for Father Rob.”
WAVY has made several attempts to get response from the Diocese of Richmond, including when Cole was first put on temporary leave, but the Diocese has yet to respond.
Raso says he has been in contact with Cole in recent days, and he’s waiting to hear how and where he will be reassigned. As of Monday, Cole was still living at the St. John Rectory, Raso said.