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St. Mary's Parishioner Seek Answers over Priest Forbidden from Unsupervised Contact with Children

By Gina Columbus
Asbury Park Press
May 1, 2013

http://www.app.com/article/20130430/NJNEWS/305010026/St-Mary-s-parishoners-seek-answers-over-priest-banned-from-unsupervised-contact-children

Parishoners of St Mary's Church in Colts Neck have been upset over discovering a priest forbidden from having unsupervised contact with children traveled on youth retreats sponsored by the parish.

COLTS NECK — John Santulli is upset to hear that a priest forbidden from having unsupervised contact with minors assisted with youth retreats sponsored by his parish, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.

“I’m surprised that this is something that wasn’t brought to the parishioners’ attention,” said Santulli, a 38-year-old Colts Neck resident and father of two who does not know the man at the center of the controversy, the Rev. Michael Fugee. “If a sex offender is in the church, I’m surprised that they would let that kind of person around children.”

Fugee, 52, was convicted in 2003 of criminal sexual contact involving a New Jersey boy. An appeals court overturned the conviction, and the priest eventually entered the pretrial intervention program, a rehabilitation program for first-time offenders, after a memorandum of understanding was signed in 2007.

The two-year program was completed, said Maureen Parenta, a spokeswoman for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, but his criminal arrest record was not expunged, as such records sometimes are.

But Fugee was not to have unsupervised contact or duties that call for the supervision or ministry to children younger than 18, according to the memorandum. He must abide by that as long as he is a priest and employed or assigned by the Roman Catholic Church.

Fugee has attended weekend youth retreats in Marlboro and on the shores of Lake Hopatcong in Mount Arlington, according to published reports by the Star-Ledger of Newark and the Associated Press. Fugee also traveled with members of the St. Mary’s youth group to Canada, according to previously published reports. And reports said that at all three locations, he has heard confessions from minors behind closed doors.

Authorities react

St. Mary’s referred press inquires to the Diocese of Trenton on Tuesday. Calls made to the diocese were not returned.

“Father Fugee had been given no permission to exercise ministry there by the Diocese (of Trenton) nor had he filed the ‘letter of suitability’ required of all priests outside of the diocese with the chancery,” according to a statement released Monday by Bishop David M. O’Connell. “The diocese, therefore, had no knowledge of his activity prior to this time.”

Fugee is under investigation over whether the retreats violated the agreement, Parenta said.

If he is found to have violated it, Fugee could face civil penalties, criminal charges or both, according to reports by The Associated Press and The Star-Ledger of Newark. It is not clear whether Newark Archbishop John J. Myers or the archdiocese, which covers Bergen County, could face consequences.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office could neither confirm nor deny that an investigation is in progress, spokesman Charles Webster said Tuesday.

New post

Earlier this year Fugee was named co-director of the Office of Continuing Education and Ongoing Formation of Priests by the Archdiocese of Newark. The archdiocese defended Fugee in that job, as it does not involve contact with children, according to previous reports.

In his statement, O’Connell said that upon learning that Fugee was in the diocese and had been at youth retreats, he immediately contacted the St. Mary’s pastor, the Rev. Thomas Triggs, and indicated that Fugee may not minister there.

O’Connell said he did not know Fugee was in the diocese until he was contacted by a newspaper reporter April 23. He then contacted officials in the Archdiocese of Newark to inform them of Fugee’s activities, according to the bishop’s statement.

Online petition started

Carolann Aschoff, a family attorney in Jersey City and West Caldwell, created an online petition on the Care2 petition Web site to get Fugee reassigned to a position not involving children. The petition was started after Aschoff heard of Fugee’s new job title in February. Her motivation, she explained, came from the standpoint of protecting children.

“It startled me. ... I looked at that, and I thought to myself, this can’t possibly be true,” said Aschoff, a Catholic. “I was very upset. I care about the church.”

Aschoff sent a letter to Myers asking him to reassign Fugee away from children. But she never got a response.

“This is not something that is appropriate or prudent,” Aschoff said of Fugee’s new title. “In my mind, it’s reckless and sends the wrong message to young priests coming in. It’s off-the-charts absurd.”

Aschoff has written letters to Pope Francis, but has not gotten a response.

Aschoff said she wrote, “This is what I tried to do. It seems like no one’s listening. I’m hoping you can intervene.”

Her petition asks Myers to reassign Fugee to “a cautious, responsible position that prohibits all contact with children and does not allow for any involvement with authority or policymaking for young priests.” It also requests that the archbishop, before assigning a priest or deacon to any parish, provide the parish with an affidavit certifying that the priest or deacon has no criminal history.

“Our children are our greatest joy! You should protect your flock, not endanger them,” reads a comment from Elizabeth Lopez of New Jersey. “Please resign.”

Another, from Lynda Whitney of California, reads, “Children are our gifts from God and their innocent lives need to come before any other issue in the Church, period.”

“You just don’t take chances with children. You have to err on the side of caution,” Aschoff said.

“These are people who are supposed to be following a higher moral code. It’s so shocking.”




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