Florida firm accused of failing to pay Catholic military catechists
Orlando-based contractor Idemma has failed to pay several subcontractors who worked in Catholic ministry roles at U.S. military bases, with some payments overdue by more than a year. Subcontractors, including former Catholic religious education coordinator Paulette Padua and Dianne Hodges, report repeated promises from Idemma that payments would be made but only partial or no payments have been received. Idemma’s administrative assistant, Michael Aldeguer, acknowledged a limited number of outstanding accounts and said the company intends to resolve them by year‑end, but subcontractors claim the company has become unresponsive. The Pentagon has referred the matter to military service departments overseeing the contracts, while Idemma has pledged to contact each subcontractor to provide updates.
20 days ago
Orlando-based military contractor Idemma is accused of delaying or withholding payments to subcontractors who provided Catholic religious education and ministry services at U.S. military installations. Three subcontractors told EWTN News they remain owed thousands of dollars, while Idemma says most obligations have been paid and that the remaining accounts are being reviewed. 1
The subcontractors said Idemma routinely paid late, sometimes leaving invoices outstanding for more than a year. They reported that the company initially promised to resolve the debts but later stopped responding to emails and phone calls. 1
Paulette Padua, a former Catholic religious education coordinator at Beale Air Force Base in California, said Idemma took over her contract in 2020 while retaining her in the position. She said payments began arriving increasingly late in 2025, and that more than $8,000 remained unpaid after her contract ended. 1
Padua said Idemma promised to repay her in installments during 2026 but sent only a $200 check. She also said the delays caused significant physical, emotional, and financial stress. 1
Dianne Hodges said she held two Idemma contracts, one of which was paid roughly a year after the work was completed. She said Idemma still owes her $3,200 on the other contract and did not respond to her August emails. 1
Hodges said the payment delays led to problems with creditors and credit-card late fees. She withdrew money from her 401(k) to cover household expenses. 1
Morgan Loftis, who served as director of religious education at Marine Corps Air Station New River from September 2025 through May 2026, said she was owed $12,300 but received only $4,875, leaving $7,425 unpaid. 1
Loftis said Idemma offered to pay her in full if she stayed for another year because the company was at risk of losing the contract. She requested a written payment plan but said she never received one and that the company stopped taking her calls. 1
Michael Aldeguer, an administrative assistant for Idemma, said “the overwhelming majority” of the company’s obligations had been paid. He acknowledged that “a limited number of contractor accounts” remained under review or resolution. 1
Aldeguer said Idemma remains committed to meeting its contractual obligations and intends to make substantial progress on unresolved matters by the end of 2026. He also said the company planned to contact every subcontractor on Sept. 10 with updates. 1
In response to the individual cases, Idemma said one of Hodges’ contracts had been paid in full and that payments, including interest, were continuing on the remaining balance. The company said it had agreed to pay Padua interest and had committed to paying her more than the amount Idemma received under the contract. 1
Regarding Loftis, Aldeguer said Idemma was still verifying the amount owed and that she should have received a request to submit her invoices. He attributed some of the company’s financial difficulties to losses in its live-music business during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1
Idemma said it had established a centralized invoice-submission process to collect documentation, compare invoices with company records, identify discrepancies, and resolve outstanding balances. 1
The Pentagon referred questions about the contracts to the military service departments that oversee them. The article does not report a separate statement from those departments. 1
Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, said the archdiocese has no contractual or business relationship with Idemma because the company contracts directly with the federal government. 1
Broglio called the allegations “deeply troubling” if confirmed and said Idemma has a moral responsibility to meet payroll obligations promptly. He urged the company to make the payments. 1*
Assess Catholic military catechists’ contractual rights under U.S. law
Catholic military catechists who worked through a private contractor generally have enforceable rights under U.S. law if they were employees or subcontractors owed compensation under a written or implied agreement. The available material, however, does not include the contracts, pay records, worker classifications, or applicable state law, so it cannot establish whether a particular legal violation occurred.
Potential claims may include:
The precise remedies depend on whether the catechist contracted directly with the firm, a subcontractor, a diocese, or another entity; whether the work was performed in one or several states; and whether the contract contains arbitration, governing-law, or payment provisions.
Because catechesis is religious ministry, constitutional and statutory protections sometimes limit employment-discrimination claims under the “ministerial exception.” That doctrine generally does not give an employer permission to withhold earned wages or disregard an ordinary payment obligation. Whether it affects a particular claim would depend on the claim and the worker’s actual ministerial role.
Catholic teaching strongly supports the workers’ claim to timely and just compensation. The Catechism states that withholding a just wage can be a grave injustice and that a private agreement does not by itself make inadequate pay just. The Compendium likewise identifies failure to pay on time and in proportion to work performed as a grave injustice. Pope Benedict XVI specifically urged Church leaders to attend to catechists’ material needs and their right to just recompense.
Thus, if the reported catechists performed contracted work and payment is overdue, the matter is both a potential legal violation and a serious moral failure. A definitive U.S.-law assessment requires reviewing the contracts, invoices, time records, payment history, worker classification, and relevant state jurisdictions.