Former Bishop Miege High School President Phil Baniewicz is not suitable for church employment, appointment, volunteer service or ministry involving minors or other vulnerable persons in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, the archbishop announced Thursday.

Archbishop Shawn McKnight imposed the restrictions after the archdiocese’s Independent Review Board examined 16 allegations against Baniewicz spanning 40 years, from about 1985 to 2025, the archdiocese said.

“The investigation included interviews with the complainants, most of whom did not have an apparent connection to one another,” the announcement said. “The interviews exhibited a substantial degree of consistency regarding Mr. Baniewicz’s behavior.

“The investigation disclosed serious concerns regarding Mr. Baniewicz’s conduct and determined a consistent pattern of imprudent professional conduct, repeated failures to maintain appropriate ministerial and professional boundaries with minors, deficient safeguarding practices, and conduct incompatible with the standards expected of those entrusted with ecclesiastical service involving children and vulnerable people.”

The action comes one year after Baniewicz was removed as president of Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park amid an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior with a minor.

“The protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations is fundamental to the mission of our church,” McKnight said in the announcement, published on the archdiocese’s website and in its official publication, The Leaven.

“As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have a sacred responsibility to safeguard the innate human dignity of every person and to hold one another, especially those who exercise authority and power in the Church, to the high moral standards of our faith.”

No criminal charges to date

Baniewicz could not be reached for comment. No criminal charges have been filed against him to date.

The archdiocese said that “while the investigation did not establish the level of certainty required by Church law to initiate a canonical disciplinary process, it revealed a persistent and deeply concerning pattern of conduct that reached the level at which administrative action must be taken.”

The Independent Review Board recommended the restrictions at the conclusion of its investigation into allegations regarding Baniewicz’s ability to oversee a safe environment for minors and vulnerable adults, the archdiocese said.

“It included a review of reports regarding his work as a youth minister in Mesa, Arizona, from 1985 to 1993; a senior officer of Life Teen, Inc., from 1993 to 2006; president of Maur Hill Mount Academy in Kansas from 2010 to 2023; and president of Miege from 2023 to 2025,” according to the announcement.

McKnight’s decision was based on the independent investigation and a canonical assessment that was made following the investigation, the archdiocese’s announcement said. It was put into effect through a formal church decree signed Aug. 13.

The archdiocese’s investigation was led by a professional firm obtained through outside legal counsel that conducted 68 interviews, reviewed extensive records and reports and consulted with authorities from multiple jurisdictions, Thursday’s announcement said.

The archdiocese said it also worked with the Child Protection Center in Kansas City, which conducts forensic interviews with minors who are alleged victims of abuse or violence, and cooperated with local law enforcement and the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

“Mr. Baniewicz was given multiple opportunities to address the allegations,” the archdiocese said. “He was interviewed and submitted a written statement.”

Fired in August 2025

Baniewicz was hired by Bishop Miege in 2023 after serving nearly 14 years as president of Maur Hill-Mount Academy, a college preparatory boarding school in Atchison. Before that, he was vice president of college relations at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, for more than 3 ½ years.

The Bishop Miege board of trustees placed Baniewicz on administrative leave on June 5, 2025, over what it said were concerns about his ability to oversee a safe environment. At that time, McKnight launched an investigation.

Baniewicz was then restricted from all active ministry in the archdiocese on June 17, 2025, and a safety plan was implemented because of an allegation of inappropriate behavior with a minor that had just been revealed.

The Bishop Miege board of trustees fired Baniewicz on Aug. 6, 2025, deciding that “new leadership was in the best interest of the Miege community,” the archdiocese said.

Restrictions ‘simply not enough,’ attorney says

A Kansas City attorney who has handled more than 400 sexual abuse cases in Missouri and Kansas involving priests and their dioceses said the restrictions don’t go far enough.

“While Baniewicz is not a priest, his authority as the president of Bishop Miege as well as his postings at Maur Hill and in Arizona granted him access to and responsibility for the children who attended those schools,” Rebecca Randles said in a statement. “That the Archdiocese would ignore 16 reports of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior is beyond irresponsible.”

Parents had a right to know that their children were placed in the care of a safe leader, Randles said.

“Once the allegations were known (as far back as 1985), those same parents were entitled to know that a predator lurked within their midst,” she said. “While we appreciate the Archdiocese taking some action, having a ‘do not hire’ memorandum in his file is simply not enough.

“People get ‘do not hire’ memoranda for failing to give two weeks notice. This is something far different and much more malevolent.”

Other allegations in archdiocese

The case is among several involving allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct that the archdiocese has been dealing with.

On July 27, the archdiocese announced it was investigating what it called a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor involving a priest who served in numerous Kansas parishes and died more than 30 years ago.

The investigation involving the Rev. Denis Pickert stemmed from a recent allegation, according to an announcement posted in The Leaven. Pickert died in 1994 at age 69.

On July 13, the archdiocese announced it had temporarily pulled the Rev. Eric Flood from public ministry while an investigation was underway into an allegation of misconduct with a minor more than 20 years ago.

Flood, who is with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, had been chaplain of the St. John Vianney Latin Mass Community in Maple Hill, which is about 20 miles west of Topeka.

The archdiocese said Flood “is cooperating fully with the investigation and adamantly denies the accusation.”

On July 2, the archdiocese announced it had substantiated an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against a former teacher who worked at two area high schools.

McKnight determined the allegation against James Zimmer to be credible following an investigation by the Independent Review Board, the archdiocese said.

Zimmer taught at Bishop Miege Catholic High School from 1969 to 1984, the archdiocese said. The allegation was reported to have occurred during that time. Zimmer also taught at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City from 1987 to 1993, according to the announcement. He died on June 1, 2000.

The archdiocese also is in the midst of a criminal case involving a former Leawood priest.

The Rev. Richard Storey, who resigned last September as pastor of Curé of Ars Catholic Church in Leawood amid an investigation into a separate issue, was charged in Johnson County District Court on May 13 with felony theft.

The total suspected unauthorized spending by Storey was $159,326.92, according to court documents. The alleged theft included $77,000 for cruises, a nearly $24,000 “casino cash withdraw” and $27,000 for travel to several international destinations.

The theft is alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2025. Storey pleaded not guilty on June 2 and is out on $25,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 22.

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