NORTHBORO (MA)
MetroWest Daily News
By Julia Spitz/Daily News staff
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted Oct 15, 2013
“Distressing,” “tragic” and “serious breach of trust” were among the words Worcester’s Bishop Robert McManus used in connection with the $230,000 St. Bernadette’s pastor allegedly stole.
Apt words indeed.
It’s distressing to once again learn religious leaders are capable of doing bad things. It’s tragic to think of sacrifices parishioners may have made to donate money now missing.
But it was the broken trust part that first came to mind when I heard about the allegations against the Rev. Stephen Gemme.
After all, it was Gemme who helped nurture a renewed sense of trust after trust was broken in a different way in 2004.
When the Archdiocese of Boston abruptly closed the St. Mary and St. Ann parishes in Marlborough, hundreds of worshipers felt betrayed by the church’s handling of the situation.
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