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  Missing Money at Roxbury, NJ St. Therese Roman Catholic Church Spurs Criminal Probe

By Peggy Wright and Joe Ungaro
Daily Record
August 24 2010

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100824/COMMUNITIES/308240006/1005/NEWS01/Officials---Large-amount-of-money--missing-from-Succasunna-church

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the disappearance of what has been called a ''large amount of money'' from St. Therese R.C. Church, a 2,800-family parish in Succasunna.

An audit of parish finances resulted in the discovery July 12 of money unaccounted for, and the prosecutor's office was immediately notified, said attorney Kenneth Mullaney, counsel for the Diocese of Paterson.

The Rev. Joseph Davis, St. Therese's former pastor since 1986, fell ill last fall and was hospitalized for a lengthy period of time at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The Rev. Robert Hooper, parochial vicar, was named to serve as temporary administrator and, according to standard procedure when leadership changes, a parish audit was conducted.

Mullaney said he does not know how much money is missing but that the parish is capable of handling its bills. He said it is the pastor's role — or Davis's job at St. Therese's — to manage finances, with the assistance of a bookkeeper and a volunteer finance council. Mullaney said he did not know whether Davis had a finance council.

''To my knowledge, no one is implicated in this other than Father Davis,'' Mullaney said.

Davis resigned as pastor of St. Therese Church on July 19 ''for the good of the parish,'' according to a statement from the Diocese of Paterson, which said it is cooperating fully with the prosecutor's office probe.

Davis currently is receiving treatment at a long-term care facility. He has retained an attorney, Jeffrey Garrigan, who was not available for comment Monday.

Mullaney said the prosecutor's office gave the church approval last Friday to alert the congregation to the financial irregularities. Rev. Hooper spread the word at all masses celebrated on Sunday, telling congregants that ''a large amount of money'' was missing from the parish.

Hooper was not available for comment Monday. St. Therese's Parish was organized in 1957, meeting first in a roller rink before its original church building was constructed.

County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi confirmed that an investigation is under way and asked that anyone with information contact the Morris County Prosecutor's Office fraud unit at 973-285-6200.

''We are conducting an investigation into the alleged theft of funds from the St. Therese Church. This is an on-going investigation and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further,'' Bianchi said.

 
 

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