NORTHBORO (MA)
CBS Boston
NORTHBORO (CBS) — The Pastor of Saint Bernadette Parish has resigned after allegations surfaced he stole more than $200,000 to fuel a gambling addiction.
Father Stephen M. Gemme has served as pastor since 2003.
The announcement was posted on the parish’s website in a letter from Bishop of Worcester Robert McManus.
McManus said the investigation began after he received a letter from a member of the St. Bernadette School Advisory Board with concerns about expenditures from a single account in the school budget.
When McManus questioned Gemme, he admitted he has a gambling problem.
“It appears that during the last four years, more than $110,000 of school funds and more than $120,000 of parish funds were used by Fr. Gemme for personal expenditures unrelated to the parish or school. As a result of the magnitude of the misuse of funds, the matter has been referred to the District Attorney’s Office,” McManus wrote to parishioners.
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