Priest accused of affair with married woman

Catonsville (Map, News) - An alleged affair between a Baltimore County priest and the director of admissions at an all-girls private school has rocked the Catonsville Catholic community. A divorce lawsuit filed in Howard County District Court, scheduled for a mediation hearing March 7, alleges a yearlong affair between Charyl Breidenstein, 48, a married mother of three, and “a man whose name will be furnished at the time of the case,” according to documents.

That man, allege both Breidenstein and her husband, Mark, is the Rev. Timothy Fell of St. Agnes Parish in Catonsville.

Mark Breidenstein, 47, of Ellicott City, is seeking a divorce from his wife of 25 years. The lawsuit claims she committed adultery.

Charyl Breidenstein worked for five years as director of admissions at the Catholic Mount de Sales Academy before being terminated early this fall shortly after she made the allegations of an affair. She maintains she was fired because of her allegations — which the school’s attorney denies.

Fell taught religion and was the school chaplain at Mount de Sales until the Archdiocese of Baltimore asked him to step down in October after a second woman met with a Catholic official and made similar allegations of a previous affair with Fell. Church officials said Fell was asked to step down out of concern for the Breidensteins’ daughter at the school.

The 38-year-old priest continues to serve as associate pastor at nearby St. Agnes and referred questions to the Baltimore Archdiocese.

Breidenstein, according to documents obtained by The Examiner, was fired in a letter dated Sept. 13, while on leave and seeking treatment for severe depression at Sheppard Pratt Hospital.

Fell was sent by the Archdiocese to the St. Luke’s Center in Silver Spring for his own weeklong mental health evaluation. It was eventually determined he should return to St. Agnes, work under supervision and receive additional counseling.

The Rev. Jay O’Connor, of the Archdiocese’s Office of Clergy and Personnel, has met with each woman and said, “Both the stories, the allegations, have a lot of credibility.” He also said other people have been coming forward in support of Fell.

In December, Mark Breidenstein refused to accept communion from Fell at a Saturday evening service and, standing in front of a large congregation, pointedly accused the priest during Mass of having an affair with his wife.

One man with ties to St. Agnes Parish and with grandchildren in Archdiocese schools said he’s discussed the alleged affair with at least two dozen people. He said if true, the allegations are not only a violation of celibacy vows, but a “violation of every professional ethical guideline” for a pastoral counselor. He said he’s surprised the Archdiocese hasn’t removed Fell for his own sake.

A woman with a daughter at Mount de Sales said she hopes Fell is not allowed to return to the school. She said school officials did not explain why Fell was no longer at the school and expressed concern about his ability to effectively minister if he hasn’t been entirely truthful about his relationships with the two women.

The Breidensteins described the priest as a former friend, who went on vacation to Rome and Ocean City with the family. Mark Breidenstein said he and his wife together sought help from the priest in dealing with their son’s drug addiction and that he also personally sought counseling for his marriage, which he described as troubled even before he eventually learned of the alleged affair.

O’Connor said he told Fell after questioning him about the allegations that the priest should expect to be called to court in the divorce.

“I told him, ‘I hope you’re telling the truth because you’re likely to be subpoenaed,’ ” O’Connor said. “And at that point it will be very embarrassing if you’re telling a different story.”

rcassie@baltimoreexaminer.com

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