Charges against Priest Do Not Involve Nutley Church

By Hasime Kukaj
Nutley Sun
May 22, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/news/208548821_Charges_against_priest_do_not_involve_Nutley_church.html

Charges against embattled priest Michael Fugee do not include his actions at Holy Family in Nutley, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

The seven-count complaint, against former Wyckoff priest Michael Fugee, is not tied to his involvement with Holy Family Church in Nutley. He is accused of disobeying a judicial order that apparently banned work with children

In a previous media interview, Holy Family Monsignor Paul Bochicchio said that Fugee had given talks to the parish's youth and had accompanied them on trips to Canada. Bochicchio has said that Fugee was supervised at all times, and that his involvement with Holy Family did not violate the agreement.

Fugee allegedly heard confessions from dozens of children on seven occasions from 2010 to December of last year, including twice at the Rochelle Park church where he was allowed to live and once in Paramus. The priest, who was arrested Monday at a Newark church where he had been living, was released from the Bergen County Jail on Tuesday after posting $25,000 bail, according to court records.

Fugee did not enter a plea, and the case will be sent to a grand jury, Bergen County authorities said.

Holy Family parishioner Lori Robinson of Nutley recently told the Sun that Bochicchio and Fugee were "outstanding.... I can vouch for the characters of both men. They're good people."

Her son Kevin, now an adult, took a youth trip to Canada with Bochicchio and Fugee. She said her son was "very fond" of Fugee, and that she had met Fugee a number of times when he led Mass at Holy Family.

"We all respect Monsignor. We don't want him to resign," Robinson said, referring to recent outcries over the Holy Family and Fugee connection.

Calls to Bochicchio were not immediately returned.

Theresa Padovano, coordinator of the Voice of the Faithful New Jersey, said that it's time to "take a deep breath" and let the [Bergen County] prosecutor handle the case.

"It is a pity at this time that we cannot trust the hierarchy of the church," Padovano said. "[It's] very destabilizing for the people of God and the hierarchy I'm sure."

According to the organization's website, goals include "supporting survivors of clergy sexual abuse, supporting priests of integrity and shaping structural change within the Catholic Church." The group began in 2002 and is located in the Morristown area.

Contact: kukaj@northjersey.com