A few minutes after noon every Monday through Friday, Sylvia Chavez pulls her red Nissan Sentra into her regular parking spot alongside the thick walls and cyclone fences of the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Stepping out of her car without regard to the weather, she stands along Seventh Street, takes out her rosary and begins to pray.

In a stark cell eight floors above her, the Rev. Uriel Ojeda stands accused of charges that, if proved, could send him to prison and strip the young Catholic priest of his collar and vestments. He has been charged with having sex with a minor, and for the past month has been held in isolation at the downtown jail in lieu of $5 million bail. He is scheduled to be in court today for a hearing in which his lawyer will argue for a sharp reduction in bail.

Each weekday since his incarceration, said Chavez, she has used her lunch hour to pray for Ojeda, for his teenage accuser and for Sacramento Catholic Bishop Jaime Soto, who she and other Ojeda supporters say has abandoned his spiritual son.

A buyer for a grocery chain in West Sacramento, she is a leader of a vocal group of more than 100 former parishioners who have come to Ojeda's defense since the accusations surfaced in early December.

This steadfast support group has attended the priest's court appearances, created a website about him, written letters questioning the bishop's handling of the case and raised money for Ojeda's legal representation. On Christmas morning, they gathered outside the jail to sing carols in Ojeda's honor.

"He did so much for us. What we are doing for him is nothing in comparison," said Chavez, 47, a member of Holy Rosary church in Woodland, Ojeda's first parish. Most recently, the priest served at Our Lady of Mercy parish in Redding.

Ojeda, 32, has yet to enter a plea in connection with accusations of seven lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14.

According to the Sacramento County district attorney's criminal case against him, Ojeda sexually abused the girl over two years. After a relative contacted a church member about the allegations, the diocese called Sacramento police and Child Protective Services. Ojeda surrendered to authorities on Nov. 30 and has been placed on administrative leave.

Ojeda declined a request for an interview through his lawyer, Sacramento defense attorney Jesse Ortiz, who said he would not discuss details of the case outside court. The DA's office also declined to comment on the case this week.

The diocese, meanwhile, is taking heat from members of the parishes in Woodland and Redding where Ojeda was stationed over the past four years. His supporters say the diocese has rushed to judgment against the priest.

Ojeda is one of the few Spanish-speaking priests in the Sacramento diocese, and had been celebrated as an example of new efforts by the Catholic church to minister to their fast-growing Latino membership. The case has caused a rift between church administrators and Latino parishioners who support Ojeda.

It is an ironic twist in the story of the Catholic church's handling of accused priests. For years, the church has been criticized for being too lenient on priests accused of sexual abuse. In the Ojeda case, the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is under fire for being too aggressive.

"Why should Father Uriel have to pay for their mistakes of the past?" asked Chavez, echoing a sentiment expressed by many of his supporters.

Walking a fine line

Ojeda's defenders said they are hesitant to question the claims of abuse by the young teen. But they said Ojeda worked closely with youths as part of his duties and that they never saw him display inappropriate behavior.

"Where is our bishop?" asked Chavez, questioning why Soto has not visited the priest in jail or acted as his spiritual guide since his arrest. "We are angry, and completely confused with the bishop's actions. We don't see Christ in this."

Diocesan spokesman Kevin Eckery said that Soto has deliberately kept a low profile out of respect for the accuser and concerns about appearing biased. Other diocesan priests have done the same. But, Eckery said, "the bishop made sure that Father Uriel had spiritual support" through Jesuit priests who do not report to the diocese.

"The diocese has not abandoned anyone. The accusations against Father Uriel are grave and have to be taken seriously," Eckery said, and the diocese "has to remain strictly impartial."

To that end, he confirmed, the diocese has barred Ojeda's supporters from using church facilities for meetings about his case.

Ojeda's followers have placed the church in an awkward position as it walks a fine line between "loyalty to one of our priests and loyalty to one of our parishioners," he said.

"There is an appreciation for the fact that Father Uriel has been a very popular priest and has many supporters," he said. "But we need to make sure that everyone remembers that there is a possible victim here."

No other allegations against the priest have surfaced since the diocese announced Ojeda's arrest, said the Sacramento District Attorney's Office.

Ortiz, the defense attorney, said the $5 million bail set last month "is absurd" for someone of Ojeda's background. He said the court and diocese apparently view Ojeda as a flight risk even though he is an American citizen and his family lives in California.

Eckery stressed that bail "is up to the judge to decide. But the fact is that three priests who formerly served in the Sacramento diocese fled to Mexico in the 1990s to avoid prosecution."

District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Shelly Orio declined to discuss whether prosecutors will argue today against a bail reduction.

If bail is significantly reduced, Ortiz said, Ojeda could be released later today. Supporters have raised more than $30,000 that could be used toward the payment, the attorney said. Ortiz declined to discuss how additional money might be raised, and whether he is being paid for representing Ojeda.

'Not your average priest'

Ojeda, who was ordained in 2007, served as a parochial vicar at Holy Rosary parish in Woodland before the diocese transferred him to Our Lady of Mercy in Redding.

At both churches, Ojeda was by all appearances a charismatic priest who parishioners said brought opposing factions together. He worked closely with youth groups, presiding over special Masses, teaching music classes and buying instruments with his own money, said Chavez and others. He organized a Latino parish council at Holy Rosary and was an active participant in community and church celebrations.

"He didn't limit himself to office hours or 45 minutes in a confessional," said Chavez. "He never took a day off, and it was not uncommon to see him in hospitals in the middle of the night" to minister to sick people and their families.

"Father Uriel is not your average priest," she said.

Our Lady of Mercy parishioners Alfredo and Teresa DeLaTorre, who have three young daughters, regularly welcomed Ojeda into their home.

"He used to come to our house three or four times a week and visit and eat with us," said Alfredo DeLaTorre. "He was like a friend. I spent a lot of time with him, and I can't believe he is capable of anything like the things they are accusing him of."

In both Woodland and Redding, Ojeda spent Christmas Day at the homes of parishioners after celebrating midnight Mass at church.

This Christmas, he traded his vestments for a yellow jumpsuit that marks him as a "total separation" inmate at the county jail. For his own protection he has no physical contact with other prisoners, and when out of his cell he is accompanied by armed deputies.

Confined to a cell about 10 feet long and 8 feet wide, Ojeda spends much of his day reading the Bible, Ortiz said, and ministers to other inmates by praying aloud from inside his cell. "His faith is stronger than ever," said the attorney, and he is "grateful and uplifted" by the response from his former flocks.

During court appearances attended by dozens of his supporters, Ojeda has stood in a holding cell, shackled at the waist. He is not allowed to make eye contact with people in the courtroom gallery. But "he knows they are there," his lawyer said. On Christmas morning, the priest heard their voices wafting from below, singing "Feliz Navidad" and other carols. "It gave him peace and strength," Ortiz said.

Holy Rosary member Maria Carrillo was there, and plans to attend his court appearance today.

"It's very difficult to see him in this situation," Carrillo said, fighting tears. "Father Uriel doesn't deserve this. But God has a plan for him. We have to trust in that."

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