NEW JERSEY
Asbury Park Press
Written by
Anthony Panissidi
@APPanissidi
COLTS NECK — The resignation of a St. Mary’s parish priest has evoked sympathetic outcries from parishioners, while others believe he had to know he was allowing another priest previously accused of child molestation to work with youth groups at the church.
Father Thomas J. Triggs stepped down Saturday as pastor of St. Mary’s parish in Colts Neck, effective immediately. Bishop David M. O’Connell accepted the resignation according to a news release from the Diocese of Trenton which oversees the parish.
Lay youth group ministers Michael and Amy Lenehan have also stepped down.
The shakeup comes just days after the resignation of the Rev. Michael Fugee, a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark. St. Mary’s parishioners say Fugee had been involved with the parish youth group in defiance of an agreement with Bergen County prosecutors that he not work with children. The Lenehans had invited Fugee to take part in youth ministry events without ensuring he would have been cleared for such ministry in compliance with the Diocese of Trenton’s policies.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.