David Espitia - 1973

David Espitia - 1999

The Rev. David Espitia, 49, pastor of St. Ann's Catholic Church in Colorado City, was found hanged in his apartment Friday morning.  Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, OMI, said Espitia had told him earlier this week that someone was accusing him of sexually abusing a minor. Pfeifer said the child was not a parishioner at St. Ann's, but could not elaborate.  He said Espitia denied the abuse, but was going to step aside temporarily because of the accusations.  ''It just happened so sudden and so quickly and in such a drastic way,'' Pfeifer said. ''I'm just trying to put it all together.''  Espitia was found about 9 a.m. in his apartment at 150 E. 21st Street.  Pfeifer said the priest had an ''exemplary'' record before this week's allegations.   Pending an autopsy, a statement issued by the Colorado City Police Department said that Espitia's death ''points toward suicide.'' 

Espitia, a native of Coleman, had served as pastor at St. Ann's for almost four years.  Parishioner Anastacio Alvarez of Loraine said Espitia was set to leave for Odessa at the end of the month.  ''I don't know why,'' Alvarez said. ''That's the first time they've moved a father that quick.''  Parishioner Jesse Munoz of Colorado City said he thought the Diocese was going to move him because the current priest in Odessa was getting old.  Espitia was ''a super nice guy,'' Munoz said. ''He was real young and energetic. He was full of life all the time.''  However, not everyone remembered him that way.  Alvarez, along with a Colorado City woman who is a former parishioner, said they left the church because of Espitia.  ''It was very, very odd because he was very well liked by some people and there were others that he just didn't like, I guess,'' the former parishioner said. ''And, when he didn't like someone, he made it very obvious.  ''He was a friendly person, but if he didn't like you, he made it hard for you.''  Alvarez said he also left because of disagreements with Espitia. Alvarez returned to the parish recently after hearing that Espitia would be leaving.  Neither Alvarez, Munoz nor the woman had heard anything about accusations of abuse. 

Rosary services for Espitia are tentatively scheduled for 7 p. m. Monday with the bishop celebrating the Mass of the Resurrection at 10 a. m. Tuesday.  Both will take place at St. Ann's Parish.  Burial will be in the Priests' Section of Calvary Catholic Cemetery in San Angelo.   (San Angelo Standard Times, by Erin Quinn, Staff Writer, June 14, 2003.)

"The Rev. David Espitia, pastor of St. Ann Church in Colorado City, passed away on Friday, June 13, 2003.  He was 49.  Rosary service tentatively is scheduled for 7 p. m. Monday, June 16, at St. Ann’s Church in Colorado City.  Mass of the Resurrection will be at 10 a. m. Tuesday, June 17, at St. Ann’s Church in Colorado City.  Following the funeral Mass, burial will be in the Priest’s Section in Calvary Cemetery in San Angelo.  Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, will be the main celebrant of the Mass and Bishop Joe Vasquez of Houston will give the homily.

"David Espitia was born May 7, 1954, in Coleman, Texas, to Raymond Espitia Sr. and Juanita Cardenas Espitia.  He was the sixth of 10 children born to the couple.  After graduating from high school, one year later he joined the U.S. Navy.  He was honorably discharged from the Navy after four years of service.  He then joined the Brigettine Monks, a contemplative order, where he spent five years in their monasteries in Charleston, West Virginia.; Woodside, California; and Amity, Oregon, where he took temporary vows.  Later he joined a Brigettine Monastery in Puebla, Mexico, for three years where he taught philosophy.  Fr. Espitia entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston in 1989 for the Diocese of San Angelo, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo on May 21, 1994, at the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart in San Angelo.  He served as Parochial Vicar at St. Anthony Church in Odessa from Aug. 1, 1994 - July 1996; Parochial Administrator of St. Lawrence Church in Garden City from January - June 2000; and Pastor of St. Ann Church in Colorado City from July 2000 to the present.  He served as Director of Vocations and Director of Seminarians of the Diocese of San Angelo from 1996 - December 1999.  He was a member of the Priests Personnel Board of the Diocese from 2001 - present.

"Fr. David was preceded in death by his mother, Juanita Cardenas Espitia; three brothers, Porfie Espitia, Reyes Espitia and Roberto Espitia; and two sisters, Maria Espitia and Dorothy Espitia.  He is survived by his father, Raymond Espitia Sr. of Coleman; and four brothers, Raymond Espitia Jr. and wife, Elvira, of Bangs, Texas, Joe Espitia and wife, Maria, of Fort Worth, Luciano “Jerry” Espitia and wife, Sammy, of Coleman, and Robert and Florence Espitia of Abilene.  He also is survived by four sisters, Guadalupe Sanchez of Lake Elsenor, California, Mary Mendoza and husband, Cornelio, of Coleman, Gracie Gill and husband, Danny, of Abilene, Janey Gist and husband, James, of Dallas and Sylvia Salinaz and husband, Cipriano, of Coleman; and many nieces and nephews."   (San Angelo Standard Times, San Angelo, Texas, June 14, 2003.)