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Posted on 01/13/2003 4:22:13 AM PST by NewHampshireDuo
MERRIMACK – Parishioners of St. John Neumann Church, gathered in small groups as they prepared to go home from their regular church activities Sunday evening, weren’t in the mood to express how they felt about their pastor, the Rev. Steven M. Kucharski, being at the center of an investigation into missing funds from a Christmas Eve collection.
Kucharski resigned his post, effective last Wednesday, after he became the target of an investigation into the theft of money from the Christmas Eve collection box. The Diocese of Manchester said in a news release Sunday night that it accepted his resignation and also granted his request for a leave of absence.
The diocese said it learned last Monday that Kucharski was the target of the police investigation. It is unclear whether he has been charged.
Diocese spokesman Patrick McGee said an interim pastor could be named as soon as today. The search for a permanent pastor could take some time, he said.
“The bishop will be looking at who would be a good fit, who would be effective,” he said, adding that if the priest comes from another parish, the transfer would take longer.
McGee said the situation at St. John Neumann was unusual.
“We don’t really know of any other instance in which the priest has been accused of taking money from the offertory,” McGee said.
In the news release, diocese officials said they learned a week ago that Kucharski was the target of an investigation into the theft being conducted by local police. He had hired his own attorney, the release said.
Kucharski wrote a letter to parishioners, in which he asked for their forgiveness. “I regret most especially that in the short time I was with you, I allowed myself to think that the trust you extended to me was mine to use or abuse, even to the point of self-benefit. It’s not within my ability to put into words the depth of my sorrow, regret and sincere contrition.”
More than 1,000 people attended Mass on Christmas Eve, contributing to the church’s largest collection of the year. But sometime between the 5:30 p.m. service and another one later in the evening, someone made off with the offering, including cash, personal checks, and donation envelopes, from a locked cabinet in a locked room, church officials said.
The amount has not been made public, but the collection is believed to have been the largest single offering of the year. Any theft in excess of $500 is a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Dr. Michael Vacca, a parishioner, said shortly after the theft that he and other churchgoers “let out a big moan” when Kucharski told them the news at the end of the 11:45 a.m. Sunday Mass on Dec. 29. “We were just devastated,” Vacca said.
Police Chief William Mulligan said police had heard of a possible theft at the church on Dec. 30, but no one from the church had filed a report. So on Dec. 31, a police officer was sent to the 708 Milford Road parish to investigate.
“It’s believed someone gained access to the safe storage room,” Mulligan said at the time, adding, however, that there was no forced entry.
A misunderstanding was blamed for the incident not being reported. “Somebody thought somebody else was going to report it,” Mulligan said.
Vacca had said he spoke to Kucharski, who told him that there were a few dollars left behind, but the bulk of the money was gone. “So they must’ve been in a hurry,” Vacca said.
Shortly after the theft, parishioners had started a campaign to replace the money and called it the “Stamp Out the Grinch that Stole Christmas Campaign.”
Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian met last week with church and lay leaders and informed them of Kucharski’s resignation.
Sunday, the Rev. Edward Arsenault, secretary for administration, celebrated all Masses at the parish and spoke to the parishioners about the resignation and the investigation.
Kucharski was assigned as pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in June. Previously, he was pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Somersworth and St. Mary Parish in Rollinsford from 1995. His first assignment as pastor was at St. Paul Parish in Candia in 1991.
Sad but I am not too surprised given the state of the church these days.
Yet for fifty years they got away with buggery. Doesn't surprise me that stealing from the plate concerns the Church more than the innocence of children.
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