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	Looking at St. John Parish: One Year Later By Susan Shultz The Darien Times [Darien CT] May 18, 2007 http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/darien/18080.shtml It read like an episode of "Law & Order." Just over a year ago, the news first broke of the Rev. Michael Jude Fay’s financial misconduct at a little church in Darien. St. John Parish went from a tightly-knit Roman Catholic community to being in national news headlines within hours of the release of a private investigator’s report. That report was covered by the Associated Press on May 19, and announced that the pastor had resigned amid disturbing charges. Not only was Father Fay responsible for at least $200,000 in financial misconduct, the report revealed, but the lavish lifestyle it was used to fund involved a male companion. The origin of the private investigation was also not clear. There was no mention of the Diocese of Bridgeport, to which St. John Parish reported, as the initiator of the investigation. The initial reports created more questions than answers. The biggest question? Who hired the private investigator? In the town and church community, there was no shortage of candidates with the money to hire an investigator. Yet, when the truth was revealed, it wasn’t any community big shot. It wasn’t someone who had a ton of money to throw around. It was the Rev. Michael Madden, parochial vicar at St. John’s. He, along with parish bookkeeper Bethany D’Erario, decided he had enough of the way things were going, and wanted to get to the bottom of it. The Diocese of Bridgeport was on record that concerns about Father Fay’s financial stewardship had come up and were being investigated privately before the hire of the private investigator and the release of the report. The Diocese has thus maintained that there was no need to hire an investigator and things were being well handled. Madden, who left the priesthood last August, said he felt he was doing the right thing. Following the discovery that Madden had been part of hiring the private investigator, parishioners banded together to protect the popular young priest from punishment by the diocese. His actions were publicly decried by Bishop William Lori, head of the diocese, and the parish feared that Madden would be removed. Madden immediately resigned as acting parish administrator just days after being appointed to the role. In June, a new pastor, the Rev. Frank McGrath, was assigned to the parish. The diocese had announced that Madden would remain at St. John’s as well and he did until leaving the priesthood in August. Throughout the summer, an independent audit was conducted of the parish’s financial record from 2000 through Father Fay’s resignation in May 2006. In August, the findings of the report were mailed to all parishioners, to put forward the full disclosure policy the diocese hoped to establish. The report showed a total loss to the parish for the time period was estimated at $1.4 million. At the time the audit was released, a total of $350,000 was still pending identification as a legitimate expense. If that additional amount is considered lost, the total loss to the parish could be almost $2 million. The money was used for travel, including hotels and limousines, restaurant costs, furniture purchases, among other things. Some of these expenses were tied to Clifford Fantini, a Philadelphia-based wedding planner with whom Father Fay allegedly was involved in a relationship. In addition to the audit report’s release, that month, Father Michael Madden announced through The Darien Times that he was leaving St. John’s as well as the priesthood. The news devastated many members who were just beginning to heal from the previous months’ blows. Madden said the experiences during May had just been too much for him to recover from, and that something inside of him died. Madden declined comment for this story. Following Madden’s departure, the church began reconciliation meetings with Bishop Lori and diocese staff members. The Rev. Christopher J. Samele was appointed to replace Madden. In February, The Darien Times reported that the parish had received some restitution from Father Fay. Half of a Florida condominium which Father Fay owned with Fantini was transferred to the parish as well as $118,000 in other assets and insurance. The parish continues to receive financial statements quarterly from the St. John finance council, and another independent audit will be conducted this summer. According to the most recent financial statements dated May 12, the parish has a cash balance of approximately $200,000, no bank debt, and is current with accounts payable. The weekly offertory, however, remains 23 percent behind budget, or down by $111,000. "Over the past 12 months, St. John Parish has made great strides in healing and reconciliation, akin to a new beginning for this 112-year-old parish," Joseph McAleer, diocesan spokesman, wrote in an e-mail to The Darien Times. There continues to be a federal investigation into Father Fay’s financial misconduct. Tom Carson, spokesman for the U.S Attorney’s office, has maintained that the government does not comment on pending investigations. Father Fay’s whereabouts are unknown.
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