VERMONT
WPTZ
[with video]
BURLINGTON, Vt. (NECN) —A leader of two Catholic churches in Vermont’s largest city is on an indefinite leave of absence, during which he cannot present himself as a priest.
The move comes in the wake of the priest’s foul language and misuse of church funds, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington said.
Fr. Rich O’Donnell stepped down from Christ the King and St. Anthony’s Parish in Burlington last year, but the reason wasn’t clear until messages from Bishop Christopher Coyne recently appeared in church bulletins.
“To lose a young priest who’s not even in his 40s yet to something like this is a real blow,” Coyne said Wednesday. “And especially, (losing) a priest as popular as Father Rich O’Donnell is an even greater blow.”
Coyne said business administrators discovered O’Donnell misused more than $20,000 of church money in less than two years. The spending Coyne described as “inappropriate” included gifts for parish members and employees, overly generous tips at restaurants and mileage reimbursements for travel not associated with parish work.
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