Spending at parish soars with new priest

WORLD-HERALD ^ | April 16, 2005 | CHRISTOPHER BURBACH

[CatherineSiena]

Spending at parish soars with new priest

A noted Catholic thinker who was brought in to run St. Anthony Catholic Church in south Omaha allegedly spent more than $400,000 in 1 and 1/2 years - at a small parish that normally spent about $50,000 a year.

Police are investigating the Rev. Peter Stravinskas' handling of St. Anthony's parish funds after parishioners filed a report of a possible embezzlement. Detectives have told a judge it appears parish money was spent on Stravinskas' personal expenses, including travel, mortgage payments and credit cards.

In a court filing last month, Omaha police said two parish funds - one worth $82,000 and the other worth $71,000 - were nearly wiped out. Only $4,200 remained from the $153,000 total, detectives told a judge.

But The World-Herald learned this week that those funds represented only part of St. Anthony's savings.

And people knowledgeable about the situation said the money taken from those accounts was only part of a larger amount spent from August 2002, when Stravinskas arrived, until March 2004, when the Archdiocese of Omaha froze parish funds.

Stravinskas has not been charged with a crime and remains St. Anthony's temporary administrator. He has declined to comment. He was scheduled to return Friday night from a trip to Rome, said the Rev. Nicholas Gregoris, who answered the door at the rectory Friday.

The Rev. Gregory Baxter, chancellor of the archdiocese, declined to comment, citing the police investigation.

Police have declined to comment on the extent of Stravinskas' alleged misspending.

Church financial records published in parish documents indicate, however, that St. Anthony had $313,000 in savings in January 2002. It is unclear what that total was when Stravinskas arrived that summer, but parishioners said St. Anthony had no extraordinary expenses before Stravinskas came.

The parish typically brought in about $50,000 a year and spent that much, said Albinas Reskevicius, a parish trustee for nearly 40 years until early 2003. He said he had no knowledge of parish spending since that time.

Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss brought Stravinskas, 54, to Omaha from Mount Pocono, Pa. A clerical group Stravinskas had founded there, the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, had been disbanded.

Stravinskas has written numerous books and founded magazines, the Catholic Answer and the Catholic Response, defending traditional Roman Catholic teachings.

Stravinskas, a native of New Jersey, is a priest of the Diocese of Boise, Idaho, but hasn't worked there in 25 years.

Stravinskas shares Lithuanian ancestry with many of the St. Anthony parishioners, but there has been no more explanation of why such a noted priest landed in a shrinking neighborhood parish.

Curtiss declined to be interviewed Friday about the parish's finances or about how he knows Stravinskas or why he brought him to Omaha.

In a May 2002 sermon, the archbishop praised Stravinskas as "a first-rate scholar with a rich academic background," and "a herald of truth in the church."

Curtiss delivered the sermon in New York City to mark the 25th anniversary of Stravinskas' ordination.

"Now that I am 70, I will be fortunate to be associated with you and your ministry for another decade," Curtiss said. "You are a special priest and a special friend to me and many people who really know you. I consider you a gift in my ministry and in my life."

In Omaha, Stravinskas registered the Priestly Society of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman as a Nebraska nonprofit, based at the St. Anthony rectory.

Stravinskas also hired a contractor to renovate parish buildings. Contractor Mark Warsocki said the priest paid him and others to do $126,000 in work.

In the church, Warsocki said, he installed a marble floor in the sanctuary, painted the ceiling and repaired the tabernacle area.

Stravinskas wanted to convert the rectory, a former convent, into a more comfortable residence for himself, Gregoris and a seminarian, Warsocki said. They felt cramped in 9-by-13-foot rooms where nuns once lived, the contractor said.

He built a three-room suite for Stravinskas, plus a library, in the rectory's unfinished basement.

Warsocki installed new flooring, a patio door, windows, a wine rack and a deck on the rectory's main floor, he said, and converted four second-floor sleeping rooms into two living suites with individual bathrooms.

Warsocki said Stravinskas also had hired him to create two more living suites. But Warsocki said Stravinskas stopped the work on Good Friday 2004, after the archdiocese audit. The contractor said he had $16,000 worth of labor left to do.

Warsocki described the work as needed and not lavish. He said Stravinskas had him buy materials from home improvement stores with the priest's personal credit card.

Warsocki said he undercharged because of inexperience and a desire to improve a parish where his grandfather and father had belonged.

[Petskelis]

pasto irgi turi

[Petskelis]

I don't think it's gossip, I think its the noise of getting ready for the next hymn, song, chant... After all Latin mass requires alot of singing. Besides, how would you know what the talking is about, do you read minds ????

[Petskelis]

I've already covered the car issue, fur coats that are probably the best thing they own to wear to church in the winter, I'm sure the money contributed is what can be given--- on a fixed income by some people and not knowing for sure where the money will end up by others, you're right I don't know how long you've been in the parish, but I'm sure my guess isn't far off. Can you find that post about how much "I" said was spent on the social hall because I don't seem to remember it, on going to a different blog------NOPE. I think I'm doing quite well here.

[omahacatholic]

The whole issue was whether or not he was thrown out" of Scranton. The answer was clearly "NO" You lied - its as simple as that.

[omahacatholic]

Well, you don't have to read minds to be distracted by constant jibber jabber. The young kids that sit in the front of the church pay more attention than the choir loft bunch. More hypocrisy -

And as for "Latin Mass" requiring a lot of singing - well, the mass Father does is the same as almost every other parish in Omaha, the responses are the same - just in Latin. Perhaps you need to learn more about the church you belong to.

[omahacatholic]

The question was: So explain why Father left the idyllic Poconos to come to the slums of south Omaha?

You see, here is where your total lack of Catholic understanding is exposed. Why have priests for 2000 years left the comfort of home for missionary assignments?

God called Father Peter to abandon a comfortable life, where he appeared on CNN, wrote books, and traveled the country on speaking assignments... to come to a dying parish, whose constituency had all but abandoned their faith and turned the church into some pagan social gathering... and give these people a chance to regain some faith in God.

But you decided to crucify him.

In the end, he may leave, but you will be the loser, no priest, no money and eventually no parish

And with that I'm not condescending myself to "wrestle with pigs" any longer..

Continue with your lies and hypocrisy - but you will be preaching to the choir - just as you do on Sunday mornings.

Father will be exonerated, of that there is no doubt.

And in that act of exoneration, you people will have condemned yourself.

You will have crucified an innocent man.

God have mercy,

Don't bother to respond, I won't be reading your response. In place of spending any future time on this blog, I will be praying for your souls.

[church militant]

Gosh, you guys,

I'm gone for a while and everything explodes here! Posts removed by the moderator and everything!

Petskelis/Angelas - it's AMAZING to me that "Concerned Catholic" quit posting pretty much the same day that you two started. What a coincidence! And how did Concerned Catholic know, in his/her 5-10 and 5-11 posts that Father would be moving in August, when the article saying the same didn't appear in the World Herald until 5-29?

I smell corruption in the Archdiocese of Omaha's chancery office!

The Envious Collars are only using you to do their dirty work. Your job is to smear Father's reputation at any cost. Make stuff up it you have to! Lie through your teeth! There are enough stupid people who will believe it. You ARE being used as pawns, and they won't give a flying crap about St. Anthony's after Father is gone. Mark my word.

[Petskelis]

Buh-Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[church militant]

Does this mean I'm the only one left to lob grenades at these harebrained teenagers? If I must.....

I think we're getting to them. Most of their posts from the other night were made at 4 and 5 in the morning. Having trouble sleeping guys? Is your conscience troubling you?

[Petskelis]

Thanks for the compliment, I haven't been a teenager for a very long time. I get up at 4:00 every for various reasons none of which are your concern. My conscience is fine, I'm defending my parish and fellow Lithuanians from people who are ATTEMPTING to take advantage of them.

[church militant]

So why do you still act like a teenager?

Emay onay eakspay da ithuanianlay! Oday ouyay eakspay igpay atinlay? Usingay oreignfay anguageslay onay isthay ostpay isay eallyray ildishchay.

Pastas! I ikelay astapay, ootay! Ymay avoritefay isay aghettispay ithway eatballsmay.

[Petskelis]

Do you think you hold this forum together or something? I don't need you to state my opinions on here. As to "Concerned Catholic" I don't know how they know about an August departure. Read the article, it says that no date for leaving has been mentioned. Thanks for confirming for August----now we know !!!! Noone uses me as a pawn for anything, so back off !!!!

[Petskelis]

How old did you say you were ?????

[church militant]

You've missed the point. Again.

How did CC know that he was leaving at all - and in August? Where is he (you? Angelas?) getting his info?

Perhaps CC is a priest? Perhaps he has a desk in the chancery? Perhaps it is one of you Lithuanian pawns who have had information leaked to them, in hopes that you'll 'run with it'. And you always do.

Your use of multiple punctuation is a sign of stress.

[church militant]

Now that the "Deep Throat" mystery has been solved, let's zero in on "Concerned Catholic", shall we?

[Petskelis]

Again...How old did you say you were ?????

[ancilla]

What is the connection Palladin? No mention of Father S or Father G anywhere.

You're in Pennsylvania, why do you care what's going on here? Has the gadfly been contacting you too?

You might want to check your sources before you believe anything they tell you.

---

Local News
Scranton Diocese Settles St. John’s Child Sex Charges, Sells Shohola Property
By Pat Camuso
May 9, 2005, 12:54pm

SHOHOLA TOWNSHIP, Pa- Although two priests were able to draw a walk on criminal charges because of Pennsylvania‘s “statute of limitations,” a civil settlement, along with a concession statement from the Scranton Diocese, has now effectively branded them guilty of sexually abusing a young boy in the name of “spiritual guidance.” The scene of the abuse, the former St. John’s property in Shohola Township, has been sold.

In the case of John Doe vs. the Diocese of Scranton, the Society of St. John, the Fraternity of St, Peter and Fr. Carlos Urrutigoity and Fr Eric Ensey (both founding members of St. Johns in Shohola ), the defendants have agreed to a settlement with the former student of St. Gregory’s Academy in Moscow who also spent time in Shohola.

According to John Doe’s attorney James Bendell, under the terms of the settlement the defendants will pay the plaintiff $255,000 in cash and future periodic payments of $199,550, for a total settlement of $454,550. He now lives in North Carolina.

Bendell said, “During the course of the litigation of this case, information was brought to light concerning the corruption existing at the Society of St. John, a clerical association approved by former bishop James Timlin, who allowed these priests to form a clerical association in the Diocese of Scranton and to act as chaplains at a boys’ prep school after they had been expelled from the Society of St. Pius X. The new bishop of Scranton, Joseph Martino, has since suppressed the Society of St. John.”

The Society of St. John in Shohola was “suppressed” by Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino back in November but the organization in Shohola has operated its web site, conducted fundraisers and held services since the suppression.

The Society of St. John’s 1000-acre property in Shohola was sold on May 6. The land was originally acquired by the society in 1999. Diocese of Scranton Spokesman Bill Genello said, “The society's failure to meet obligations as an ecclesiastical entity, its financial decisions and conduct, and allegations of sexual misconduct against two of its founding members compelled the bishop to suppress the group.”

Genello explained, “A critical feature of today's property transaction was the full payment of the loan which was arranged by former Scranton Bishop James C. Timlin. The diocese was guarantor of a loan in the amount of $2,650,000.”

"We are very pleased that this sale has finally taken place because the burden of guaranteeing this group's financial obligation to repay the loan has been removed from the faithful of the Diocese of Scranton," Martino said. "It is unfortunate that this group of priests brought so much scandal and consternation to the priests and laity of the diocese. It is now time to move forward and put the society behind us."

The financial settlement has been apportioned in the following amounts: Diocese of Scranton - Bishop Timlin - $200,000; Society of St. John’s.Ensey & Urrutigoity - $55,000; and Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter -- St. Gregory's Academy - $125,000.

Martino said that the claims against the two priests, who are founding members of the Society of St. John, were “very damaging.”

"In preparing for the civil trial, more than 40 depositions were taken," the Bishop said. "The allegations made by the young man who asserted that he was sexually molested by Father Ensey and Father Urrutigoity were very damaging. In view of the serious claims made by the young person and in light of the statements by the witnesses who supported his claim, it was determined that the just decision was to reach a settlement that will assist the victim and his family as they attempt to heal."

The Bishop said the diocese deeply regrets that any young person would ever suffer because of the conduct of a priest.

The President of the College of St. Justin Martyr (formerly associated with St. Johns but now its biggest opponent), Dr. Jeffrey M. Bond of Greeley, said, “Yesterday also marked the flight of the Society of St. John from the property in Shohola, PA where the Society of St. John (SSJ) had planned to build their version of the Neverland Ranch, a homosexual playground where traditional families were to be enticed to deliver up their sons to the SSJ priests for "spiritual direction" in bed. The SSJ raised over five million dollars to construct their "Catholic village" in Shohola, but not a single building was ever erected.”

There is no official word today as to the whereabouts of Ensey and Urrutigoity or as to the future plans of the SSJ. Bond said, “I have been informed that the SSJ has fled to Argentina but I have no firm facts as to their new location. The SSJ leaves in its wake untold spiritual destruction of young souls, to say nothing of the material resources wasted by the SSJ's efforts to seduce boys and their families. We do know some of the other victims of the SSJ priests who never came forward to testify, but the full extent of the evil done will never be known until the Last Judgment.” Ensey is originally from California while Urrutigoity hales from Argentina.

Bond said, “The courage of those who did come forward to testify against the SSJ, especially John Doe, has served to protect many who would have otherwise become victims of sexual abuse under the guise of traditional Roman Catholicism. While no amount of money could ever compensate John Doe for the harm done to him and his family, we pray he will find some peace in knowing that the large financial settlement of this case makes manifest that these priests were guilty as charged.

“Sadly, the SSJ scandal is far from over. Urrutigoity and Ensey must still be laicized, a process which is supposedly underway, and a full investigation must be undertaken to determine the degree of guilt of the other SSJ priests. All of these priests--Fr. Daniel Fullerton, Fr. Dominic O'Connor, Fr. Basil Sarweh, and Fr. Dominic Carey--have lied to protect the predator priests of the SSJ, and all have been involved in deceiving Catholic donors. Moreover, Deacon Joseph Levine, who is now studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Scranton, must never be ordained. As a former superior general of the SSJ, Deacon Levine not only insisted upon the innocence of Urrutigoity and Ensey long after their guilt was manifest, but he also perpetuated the fraud of presenting the SSJ as a religious community to unsuspecting Catholic donors.

“The College of St. Justin Martyr and I still have three lawsuits against the Society of St. John and the Diocese of Scranton, and we will continue to pursue justice through the courts, regardless of how long it takes. Our story, and the whole history of this sordid affair in the Diocese of Scranton, can be found on our web site at www.SaintJustinMartyr.org/news/notices.html,” Bond said.

According to Bond, Urrutigoity has been formally accused of homosexual molestation by three different people from three different places: first, by Rev. Andres Morello, the former rector of the SSPX seminary in La Reja, Argentina, where Urrutigoity was a seminarian; second, by Bishop Fellay on behalf of a young seminarian who had left with Urrutigoity when he was expelled by Bishop Williamson from the SSPX seminary in Winona, Minnesota, where Urrutigoity was a professor; and third, this incident by a graduate of St. Gregory's Academy in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania, where Urrutigoity was a chaplain.


© Copyright 2005 TriStateNews.com

[Angelas]

I would have thought that Mrs. D or Mrs. K would have told them that when Father Stravinskas arrived, it was a well known fact that the Archbishop gave him and his Priestly Society a three year trial period for the society to become "self supporting". From 2002 until 2005 is three years but I don't remember the month he arrived.I will have to go back to my "large" stack of documents to dig this one up.

I can't believe they are complaining about a choir getting together to "chant" when Sister blows ear drums out with her loud organ playing.

Why is church militant asking posters offline here and other places personal information about Father Stravinskas? Is she having doubts?
Maybe she is the pawn?

The sad part is that the Archbishop invited Father Stravinskas to our church; Father then spent all of the money, he has embarrassed the Archbishop and the Archbishop will probably close the church. They should not blame the chancery for any of their troubles. They need to place the blame where it belongs, on Father Stravinskas.

[Petskelis]

I was wondering why she was asking them offline, I thought she knew EVERYTHING about the administrator, the parish, catholicism------ everything inside and out. Sure the society is "self-supporting" with money that belongs to someone else.

[Palladin]

The whole issue was whether or not he was thrown out" of Scranton. The answer was clearly "NO" You lied - its as simple as that. It's all a matter of semantics. What I know is that our new Bishop, Bishop Martino, is a new broom that sweeps clean. This is evident with his handling of the Society of St. John scandal. That filthy organization festered for 6 years under Bishop Timlin, to his everlasting disgrace. Now it is settled. Christopher Clay, still under investigation (in who knows how many dioceses?) was a close associate of the SSJ molesters, while at the same time residing at the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, Stravinskas's group. Connect the dots. To all Catholics: be forever wary when a new "fraternal order" or a new "priestly society" of unattached priests, those not incardinated in your diocese, blow into town and set up shop. Be particularly alert when they invite ypour teenage sons to come over for "vocations weekends". Be further on your guard about giving money to these charlatans.