Beloved Catholic priest fatally shot at church in Kansas

(SENECA, Kan.) — A man has been arrested in the murder of a Catholic priest, who was shot Thursday outside the residence at his church in the small town of Seneca, Kansas.

Gary Hermesch, 66, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder.

A 911 call was made at around 3 p.m. on Thursday to report shots fired at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Deputies arrived on the scene to find Father Arul Carasala, 57, outside the church residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the KBI.

Carasala twas transported to the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, but died due to his injuries, according to the KBI.

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 Hermesch into custody, the KBI said.

He was booked into the Nemaha County Jail but has not yet been formally charged, authorities said.

Kansas City Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann said he was “heartbroken” by the news of Carasala’s death.

“This senseless act of violence has left us grieving the loss 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,” Naumann said in a statement on Facebook.

“We are in shock and disbelief. Please allow our parish community to process. We will release official information as it becomes available,” Saints Peter and Paul Parish said in a statement on Facebook.

Carasala was ordained in March 1994 in his home Diocese of Cuddapah, India, according to the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas.

“He ministered at Sts. Peter and Paul for nearly 14 years and also served as dean of the Nemaha-Marshall deanery. His deep faith, pastoral care, and generous spirit touched the lives of so many,” the archdiocese said in a statement on Facebook.