Tweet
Shake-up at St. Michael Pastor Moynihan resigns amid financial questions
<!--<table align="right" width="130" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"><td bgcolor="#9c9c9c"><table width="129" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"><tr><td bgcolor="#9C9C9C" align="center">ADVERTISERS</font></td></tr></table><table width="129" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><table width="129" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><hr size="1" width="90%">Advertise on ctnow</font>
</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="9C9C9C">[img]/images/standard/clear.gif[/img]</td></tr></table></td></table>-->By Hoa Nguyen
Staff Writer
January 21 2007
The pastor of St. Michael Church resigned after a preliminary financial audit uncovered more than $500,000 in spending that the Archdiocese of Bridgeport is still trying to account for, officials announced yesterday.
Bishop William Lori told St. Michael's parishioners yesterday that he asked for and received the resignation of their pastor, the Rev. Michael Moynihan. Though the 54-year-old remains a "priest in good standing," Moynihan will likely never be the pastor of a diocese church again, Lori said.
"After a long and thorough process, I have reluctantly but firmly concluded that any new assignment cannot entail financial administration," Lori said. "To put it mildly, parish financial records were badly tangled and at points not yet well explained, intertwined with Father Michael's personal finances."
Moynihan is accused of keeping at least two "off-the-books" bank accounts, which only he knew about and had control of, Lori said. About $1.4 million in transactions passed through one account -- half a million of which auditors cannot account for because checks were used to pay for some of Moynihan's personal credit cards, various vendors and in some cases made out to cash. The diocese said that though the money may have been used for parish purposes, Moynihan had difficulty providing documentation proving that.
Parishioners at yesterday's Masses received a document detailing the preliminary audit results and Moynihan's resignation letter. In his letter, Moynihan said the audit "will illustrate my deficiencies as a financial administrator."
"I believe at the end of this process that there will be no findings of impropriety or wrongdoing on my part as your pastor," he said in the letter. "If the final report should indicate unresolved or questionable expenditures, I will, to the extent that I can, make an appropriate financial contribution back to the parish I love so much."
St. Michael's parishioners have traditionally been among the most generous donors in the diocese. In last year's annual bishop's appeal -- a fundraising campaign to which every parish in the diocese must contribute -- St. Michael's pledged $1.4 million in donations, the highest of any parish and about 730 percent more than what the diocese expected.
Its nearest competitor was St. Thomas More in Darien, which pledged $934,000. That parish also has undergone an audit and found no financial improprities, officials said.
Until a new pastor is appointed to St. Michael, J. Peter Cullen, the diocese's vicar general, will serve in that role, officials said.
Lori, who had been scheduled to preside over a Mass to install the new pastor at St. Agnes Church on Stanwich Road, instead addressed parishioners at St. Michael Church on North Street and its affiliate, St. Timothy Chapel in Banksville.
In an interview, Lori said questionable accounting practices were first raised with Moynihan during an internal review of St. Michael's books in 2004. Moynihan was told to implement some changes, including hiring a parish accountant and never making checks out to cash.
<
<!--<table align="right" width="130" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"><td bgcolor="#9c9c9c"><table width="129" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"><tr><td bgcolor="#9C9C9C" align="center">ADVERTISERS</font></td></tr></table><table width="129" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><table width="129" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><hr size="1" width="90%">Advertise on ctnow</font>
</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="9C9C9C">[img]/images/standard/clear.gif[/img]</td></tr></table></td></table>-->By Hoa Nguyen
Staff Writer
January 21 2007
The pastor of St. Michael Church resigned after a preliminary financial audit uncovered more than $500,000 in spending that the Archdiocese of Bridgeport is still trying to account for, officials announced yesterday.
Bishop William Lori told St. Michael's parishioners yesterday that he asked for and received the resignation of their pastor, the Rev. Michael Moynihan. Though the 54-year-old remains a "priest in good standing," Moynihan will likely never be the pastor of a diocese church again, Lori said.
"After a long and thorough process, I have reluctantly but firmly concluded that any new assignment cannot entail financial administration," Lori said. "To put it mildly, parish financial records were badly tangled and at points not yet well explained, intertwined with Father Michael's personal finances."
Moynihan is accused of keeping at least two "off-the-books" bank accounts, which only he knew about and had control of, Lori said. About $1.4 million in transactions passed through one account -- half a million of which auditors cannot account for because checks were used to pay for some of Moynihan's personal credit cards, various vendors and in some cases made out to cash. The diocese said that though the money may have been used for parish purposes, Moynihan had difficulty providing documentation proving that.
Parishioners at yesterday's Masses received a document detailing the preliminary audit results and Moynihan's resignation letter. In his letter, Moynihan said the audit "will illustrate my deficiencies as a financial administrator."
"I believe at the end of this process that there will be no findings of impropriety or wrongdoing on my part as your pastor," he said in the letter. "If the final report should indicate unresolved or questionable expenditures, I will, to the extent that I can, make an appropriate financial contribution back to the parish I love so much."
St. Michael's parishioners have traditionally been among the most generous donors in the diocese. In last year's annual bishop's appeal -- a fundraising campaign to which every parish in the diocese must contribute -- St. Michael's pledged $1.4 million in donations, the highest of any parish and about 730 percent more than what the diocese expected.
Its nearest competitor was St. Thomas More in Darien, which pledged $934,000. That parish also has undergone an audit and found no financial improprities, officials said.
Until a new pastor is appointed to St. Michael, J. Peter Cullen, the diocese's vicar general, will serve in that role, officials said.
Lori, who had been scheduled to preside over a Mass to install the new pastor at St. Agnes Church on Stanwich Road, instead addressed parishioners at St. Michael Church on North Street and its affiliate, St. Timothy Chapel in Banksville.
In an interview, Lori said questionable accounting practices were first raised with Moynihan during an internal review of St. Michael's books in 2004. Moynihan was told to implement some changes, including hiring a parish accountant and never making checks out to cash.
<
Comment