Dallas priest arrested on two counts of indecency with child in Garland

By Sarah Bahari

A Dallas priest is accused of inappropriately touching two children, police said Tuesday.

Ricardo Reyes Mata, 34, a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, was arrested Monday on two counts of indecency with a child, Garland police said in a statement. Two children reported the inappropriate contact after the priest visited a home in Garland, police said. Detectives are working with the Dallas diocese.

In a statement, the diocese said it immediately filed a report with Child Protective Services and law enforcement after becoming aware of allegations by a juvenile girl of inappropriate touching. The priest was also removed from public ministry, the diocese said, adding that no inappropriate activity was reported on diocesan property.

Detectives ask that anyone with information regarding this investigation or other such incidents, call Garland police at 972-485-4840.

Reyes Mata, who lives in Dallas, is being held at the Garland Detention Center with bonds set at $75,000 and $100,000.

Reyes Mata was appointed parochial vicar of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Dallas in 2023, according to the cathedral’s website. Before that, he served as parochial vicar of St. Jude Parish in Allen. He also served as chaplain for Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas.

Dallas Bishop Edward Burns thanked law enforcement for its thorough response.

“We take all allegations of misconduct seriously,” the diocese’s statement said. “At the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, the safety and well-being of everyone is of paramount importance.”

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, urged the diocese to lead outreach to identify any additional victims.

“This disturbing news from Texas reaffirms that clergy sexual abuse is still very much a thing of the present,” the advocacy organization said in a statement. “It can take victims decades to acknowledge their abuse and find the courage to come forward. However, the fact that one survivor has already been identified, may help to shorten this process.”

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.