By Audrey Valenzuela | Staff Writer
Waco Police are seeking more information regarding the arrest of a former priest of St. Peter’s Catholic Student Center.
The Rev. Anthony Odiong was indicted on Sept. 12 on one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault, pending charges for possession of child pornography.
Odiong’s service as a priest extended from 2006 to 2012 at St. Peter’s Student Center in Waco and St. Mary’s Church of the Assumption in West. He later served at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Luling, La. from 2015 to 2023.
During this time, he held positions of spiritual authority, making the charges against him all the more shocking for the communities he once served. Bishop Joe Vásquez at Diocese of Austin said in a letter the recent news was “disturbing and truly sad.”
In an email to the Lariat, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Austin said in 2019, they notified Odiong that “he did not have authorization to engage in priest ministry in the Diocese of Austin, even on a temporary basis. This determination was based on complaints that the diocese had received regarding Odiong’s behavior with adult women, as well as his failure to follow the protocol for visiting clergy to present a testimonial of suitability of ministry from his Bishop.”
In a 2010 article published by The Lariat, Odiong said he “fell in love” with St. Peter’s after visiting multiple times while he was an associate priest in West.
For the next five years, he would become an integral part of the lives of those he preached to. In the same article, a then-junior named Robby Prybyla said Odiong helped him establish a stronger relationship with God.
“Father Anthony has helped me grow in my relationship with God by reminding me to be childlike, to turn to God, our father, immediately when I need help or when I’m afraid instead of trying to prove that I can do things without any help, to question, to never tire of hearing a chirping bird, to be in awe of a squirrel digging in the ground for a nut,” Prybyla said.
Another then-junior named Rachel Unruh said Odiong “is the epitome of what it means to see the face of Christ in everyone.”
“He is always radiating with the love of the Holy Spirit, and he shares this with everyone he encounters,” Unruh said.
Odiong was arrested on July 16 by the Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, stemming from a charge of possession of child pornography.
He was initially detained at the Collier County Jail in Florida, from which he was extradited to Texas, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
Under Texas Law, when a member of the clergy engages in sexual activity with individuals who rely on them as a spiritual advisor, it is sexual assault because of the power imbalance.
On Aug. 6, Odiong was booked into McLennan County Jail, where he was held on a $2.5 million bond. Odiong will continue to be held in McLennan County Jail as legal proceedings move forward.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Waco PD tip line at 254-753-HELP.
