ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Friends of Father Rene Robert are hoping and praying for a positive ending after 71-year-old Catholic priest was reported missing on Sunday.
On Thursday morning, police in Aiken, South Carolina, arrested Steven Murray, whom investigators in St. Johns County have identified as a person of interest in Robert's disappearance. Robert was said to have been helping Murray in the days after he got out of jail.
Robert's sister praying for answers
Robert's family live in New York state but will be heading to St. Johns County to find out more about what happened.
Deborah Bedard, Robert's younger sister, said she's worried sick. She told News4Jax that her brother has always given so much to everyone else, even strangers.
She hopes he's OK.
"All week, we have been waiting to hear if we should come down," Bedard said. "He's a wonderful person. If you ever need anything, you would call my brother. (He) loved people, loved life, loved the Lord very much."
She said her brother lives to serve. He went on mission trips, teaches at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and will help anyone he can.
"No matter who you are, he would help you. And I think that's how it's gotten him into trouble a little bit," Bedard said.
Berdard said Robert has always given money to people who need it and supports everyone, no matter their background. She found out he was missing on Tuesday.
"I told him, 'There's people you cannot trust, so please be very careful.' He said he would be careful, but my brother loved everyone. And 'Everyone should have a chance in life,' he said," Bedard said.
Bedard said she can't stop thinking about what might have happened to her big brother.
"(I) say lots of prayers, just keep talking to God and telling him, 'Please bring (Rene) home. Bring Father (Rene) home,'" she said.
Berdard anticipates that she'll arrive in St. Johns County on Friday morning. She said her other older brother will be flying down Friday, and they will meet with detectives and church officials.
They're begging anyone with information about what happened to let investigators know.
Priest reported missing by friends
Robert was a friend to many, including a St. Johns County family who asked him to be the priest at their grandfather's funeral. When he didn't show up, they said they knew something was wrong.
"(I have) known him basically my whole life," said Amy Law, who reported the priest missing.
Law said it was a no-brainer for her family to ask Robert to preside at 88-year-old grandfather's funeral. Robert said he'd do the prayer service Monday night as well.
"He did not show up. We got concerned and started texting him, calling him, Facebook messaging. His phone went straight to voicemail. That was very odd. He would never not show up," Law said.
The next morning, Robert didn't make it to the funeral home either, and a military chaplain had to step in.
"(I) definitely had a sinking feeling. This was not Father Rene. He would not not show up for an event, especially something like this," Law said.
They went to San Sebastian Church, where Robert was active, and told the pastor. He told the bishop and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
"It's just very sad and we'd like answers," Law said.
Since then, fears about what happened to Robert have grown.
"It is a tough time. It's surreal. It's hard to believe this happened," said Father Tony Sebra, senior priest with the Diocese of St. Augustine.
Sebra said he's a longtime friend of Robert's.
"(He's) very kind, very concerned, very interested in other people and helping other people," Sebra said.
Sebra said Robert's passion has been giving back. He taught sign language at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, went on mission trips and ministered to those in trouble.
"All of us are not professional counselors, but people do turn to priests for help. We try to be good listeners. And I'd say Father Rene is a good listener. He listens to people," Sebra said.
Now those who know the popular priest are asking for prayers and praying for answers.
"(It's) very difficult. It's just unbelievable," Law said,
Law told News4Jax that her mother cuts Robert's hair and last saw him on April 7. Her mother said he was his normal, happy self. They said they had no idea that anything like this would happen.
Outpouring of support from community
Sebra, 71, a retired senior priest, said he has known Robert for decades.
Sebra said Robert was kind and compassionate and made it his mission to help everyone.
Robert often worked with people who were going through hard times. One of them is someone to whom News4Jax has spoken several times: Jo-Lee Manning, the mother of 15-year-old Haley Smith.
Haley was killed by a hit-and-run driver in St. Augustine a couple of years ago. Her case is one of the most high-profile hit-and-run cases in St. Johns County. It's still unsolved.
Haley's mother told News4Jax that she knew Robert when the two worked together at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Like a lot of people, she has been glued to the news and social media waiting for updates.
"It's like, the last thing you do before you go to bed, you're on Facebook. Then you just pick up your phone because you want to see if there's anything new or if anyone knows anything," Manning said. "I think at this point, we as a community just want closure. We want to know what happened and why."
People have been posting to social media offering support and expressing heartache over the fact that Robert hasn't been found.
Neighbors told News4Jax on Wednesday that they are very concerned and hope Robert is found safe quickly.
"(He's a) great guy, very helpful," Scott Chipman said. "He’d bring me food from the little church events. He always tried to get me to go to church, but I’m so busy with work and everything. We share Internet (service). We just look out for each other. I did a lot of things, like help him fix stuff or move stuff and stuff like that around his house."
Kathleen Bagg, director of communications for the Diocese of St. Augustine, said the diocese has a prayer chain going for Robert.
Joseph Brzezewski, who is deaf, has known Robert since the 1980s.
Brzezewski said the two met when Brzezewski was a student at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. He told News4Jax by phone, through a translator, that he's very worried.
"Having known him for a long time, I think the community should be giving back to someone who’s been important to a mass of deaf people, a large group of deaf people," Brzezewski said.
Brzezewski set up the Pray for Father Rene Robert Facebook page. A statement from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind was posted Thursday on the page. It said:
At this time, the school is aware of the situation and is in their prayers for hoping to find Rene Robert safe. Unfortunately, at this time, the school cannot be involved due to conflicts of interest since the school is a state agency. Once time allows a new update, I will personally let everyone know. Thank you for all your support.
Manning said that when Haley was killed, Robert brought her comfort. He even came to a candlelight vigil for her a few months ago.
"(He was) praying with me and letting me know that God was with me and in control," Manning said. "It was so in his character to reach out and try to help people in need."
St. Johns sheriff personally affected by priest's disappearance
St. Johns County Sheriff' David Shoar said Robert was “a gentle soul,” a Franciscan priest who always wore sandals.
Shoar said he's known Robert a long time, and said the priest performed the marriage of his wife’s sister.
"My wife and I, we had a child that we watched for years that was a special-needs child. Father Rene, as well as a couple (of) other friends of mine that are priests, kind of helped us on that journey," Shoar said.
At a news conference Thursday, Shoar talked about how Robert knew sign language, and did a lot of work with the hearing-impaired community and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.
"At the end of the day, if we had a lot more people like Father Rene, maybe (we) wouldn't have so much suffering out there," Shoar said.
Shoar released a statement to comfort those who know Robert:
"I realize these are difficult times for all of us who know Father Rene through his many years of dedicated service in our community. On a personal level, Laura and I have known Father Rene since he arrived here and he has performed weddings in our family and baptized some of the children in our extended family, a wonderful servant indeed.
I want to reassure you that from the moment we became aware of Father Rene dropping out of contact, we at the Sheriff’s Office have been working literally non-stop and will continue to do so until we achieve some form of closure. I have assured our Bishop that we are employing every resource available during this investigation.
This is a very complex case involving multiple jurisdictions, we will continue to provide you with any information available that we determine will not be detrimental to our investigation if released. Because there is so much information about this case in the public domain, I urge all of you to only give credence to the information released by law enforcement sources.
We are at a very delicate phase of our investigation and we must be very diligent and cautious to ensure a proper prosecution in the event that one is needed in the future. Probably the best course of action for you now is to support each other, support our priests and sisters, pray for our law enforcement officers and most importantly, pray for our friend, Father Rene.
In the event that you would like to speak with me personally, my daytime phone number is 904-810-6601, my home phone number is 904-471-7214 and my e-mail is dshoar@sjso.org
Thank you and God bless each of you,
Sheriff David B. Shoar"
Vigil held for missing priest
Parishioners from all walks of life came together at a candlelight vigil Thursday night at Sacred Heart Church in Fleming Island, not only to pray for the safe return of Robert, but to also serve as a support system for those that have been troubled since the St Augustine priest's disappearance.
"He came to my birthday party. He would always visit Easter with us and Christmas and I really got to know him as a person as well as a spiritual person," said 15-year-old Elijah Bishop, who organized the event.
Bishop said he owed it to his friend and mentor to bring the community together. He said when he learned Robert was missing, he remembered the power of prayer.
"When I first got this news, I was in denial. I was in shock. I woke up out of bed at 4 o'clock in the morning and my mom told me and I just drop to my knees and all I could do was cry and pray," he said.
And his prayers gave him the idea to hold the vigil where other parishioners could comfort each other and pray for Robert's safe return.
At the service, many spoke about Robert having a generous spirit, one filled with kindness and even a little humor.
"He would go to the Annunciation Catholic school and he would entertain the kids. And my son loved him. (He) remembered him doing cartwheels, so that was a fond memory. And he always wore sandals," said Sharon Mullady-Kelly.
Though officials revealed they found the priest's car in South Carolina, many continue to pray for a safe return of the man who always had a joke and would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.
"My gut feeling something told me to be prepared for the worst but to pray and hope for the best. And that's what I tell my mother and I tell everyone and all of my friends at school," Bishop said.
At the vigil, Father Michael Pendergraft of Sacred Heart Catholic Church told News4Jax how the disappearance has affected parishioners and changed security protocols at his church.
"It's a night to be together, to realize that people are not going through this on their own. There's a community of faith. There is a community of people who like Father Rene and people who have hope that he's going to be found safe," Pendergraft said.
Pendergraft said the vigil was about focusing on prayer.
"He (Robert) was quiet mostly. Had a great sense of humor. A great laugh. He was always involved with youth and very committed to the deaf community," Pendergraft said.
Penergraft is part of a small group of priests in the diocese who know each other well. He said he role of priest is to extend yourself to others, but he hopes the suspect did not take advantage of Robert's kindness.
Robert's disappearance has also sparked safety concerns among parishoners, which is why Pendergraft recommends using the buddy system at all times.
"We always talk about people in the parking lot not being on their own. When people leave the parking lot, that people leave together," Pendergraft said.
Another vigil will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the cross in St. Augustine. Organizers are asking people to wear sandals and bring candles. A reward is also being offered for any tips that will lead deputies to Robert.
Anyone with information that can help investigators find Robert is asked to call St. Johns County detectives.