New Financial Controls Rolled out after Priest Embezzlement Charge
By Kelly Hannon
Free Lance-Star [Mineral VA]
January 22, 2007
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/012007/01222007/252865
St. Jude Catholic Church in Mineral has put tighter financial controls in place to monitor contributions following the arrest of a former priest on charges of embezzling at least $600,000 of church money.
Parishioners learned of the changes at Sunday Mass.
"We'll get over it," said the Rev. Michael Duffy in his homily, referring to the incident alternatively as an "embarrassment" and a "scandal." He asked the congregation to focus on the word of God.
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| Tom Weiner plays the bagpipe after Mass at St. Jude's Catholic Church yesterday, where church members discussed the recent embezzlement and ways to prevent future financial tampering. Photo by DANA ROMANOFF/THE FREE LANCE-STAR |
Duffy did express anger, though. After learning about the theft, he said his reaction was: "Where's the check? Give us back our money." And given the amount of money cited in the police investigation, "We could've been building a decent building to teach in," Duffy said.
A week ago, the congregation was told former pastor Rodney Rodis of Spotsylvania, who oversaw St. Jude's and Immaculate Conception parishes from 1993 to 2006, had been charged with one count of felony embezzlement.
Rodis, 50, is free on $10,000 bond, awaiting an appearance in Louisa County Circuit Court on Feb. 26. Virginia State Police documents claim the amount stolen could exceed $1 million.
The St. Jude financial council met during the week to create an action plan, said Ray DeCarli, council chairman.
First, ushers will place collection money in tamper-proof bags, which will be stored in a church safe, DeCarli said. The safe will require two people to open.
Also, parishioners will be given an annual statement of their contributions. If the statement doesn't match what they gave, the church will investigate the discrepancy, DeCarli said.
Annual statements are usually given to parishioners, but it was a tradition that lapsed under Rodis, DeCarli said.
The financial council has found evidence the embezzlement dates back to January 1994, DeCarli said. But church bank records only document donations from September 2001 to June 2006.
Parishioners were asked to search for any evidence of their donations between 1994 and 2001.
"We want to get back as much as we can, obviously, from wherever we can," DeCarli said.
After Mass, DeCarli said he thinks the parish will embrace the changes, but he admitted an individual with authority can elude monitoring. "When someone hands a $10,000 check directly to a priest, it's hard to control," DeCarli said.
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond sent Patricia Novak, a diocesan youth counselor, to address children's questions and feelings about the incident privately following Mass.
She said adults need to be mindful of anger.
"It's going to take a variety of shapes in our young people and with [adults]," Novak said.
Rodis has caused a stir in another area of church affairs: sacraments.
The Richmond diocese has said a sacrament performed by Rodis is valid. But Rodis apparently left religious paperwork documenting the sacraments in disarray.
St. Jude's did not properly keep a record of many sacraments--baptisms, weddings--for ecclesiastical archives during Rodis' tenure, Duffy said.
Everyone who was married at the church was married legally in Virginia, and there is a state record, Duffy said. However, there may be a lag before the matter is properly recorded with the Catholic Church. St. Jude staff are working to discover, organize and verify sacrament paperwork.
"We very much regret the delay this has caused the pastoral staff as well as our parishioners," read the St. Jude bulletin.
Rodis was arrested Jan. 9 at his home at 5904 Watson Lane in Spotsylvania County. Joyce F. Sillador purchased the house in June 1994 for $114,929, according to the deed of trust filed in Spotsylvania Circuit Court.
Online records show Rodis lived there as far back as July 1994 with the 44-year-old Sillador, who sometimes used Rodis' last name. Neighbors said three girls estimated to range from elementary-school to college age lived there.
As a Catholic priest, Rodis isn't allowed to marry. The Richmond diocese had been unaware of Rodis' living arrangements.
St. Jude parishioner Keli Rowsey of Mineral declined to talk about Rodis or the embezzlement charge after Mass. She complimented Duffy's leadership during the ordeal, though.
"I'm very happy with Father Duffy," she said. "The way he does the homily--it's like he's telling a bedtime story."
To reach Kelly Hannon:540/374-5436, Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
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