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	Fr. Rodis Stands Trial on Embezzlement Oct. 25 By Maricar Hampton Philippine News October 3, 2007 http://www.philippinenews.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=1bede4b997ec9c68965ecef6046310c4 MARYLAND — Retired Catholic priest Rodney Lee Rodis will be tried October 25 at the District Court of Eastern Virginia in Richmond for allegedly pocketing at least $1 million from two parishes. Father Rodis, 51, who hails from the Philippines, is facing felony and embezzlement charges in connection with alleged stolen funds from St. Jude Catholic Church in Mineral and Immaculate Conception Church in Bumpass, both from the Diocese of Richmond. Rodis is being held at Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange without bond until his trial before District Judge Richard L. Williams. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years on each of the 13 counts filed against him. The 'State of Virginia versus Rodney Rodis' was elevated to a Federal District Court during his arraignment last Sept. 6, when he pleaded not guilty to eight counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. In his arraignment, he was also ordered by Judge Williams to return to the U.S. any of his assets located in other countries as well as those in the Philippines. More than half a million dollars of the allegedly stolen funds were reportedly wired into a bank in the Philippines. Fr. Rodis' allegedly began to dip into church collections over a period of five years when he was parish priest in Richmond. It was only last November when church members started asking for tax receipts in June, which he and other church officials could not produce. According to Stephen Niell, spokesman of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Rodis' name no longer appears in the list of priests on the diocesan website. He has also been cut off from all health care benefits and has been prohibited by Head Bishop Francis Di Lorenzo from performing any of the church sacraments. Filipino Americans in the Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland areas were shocked to hear about the embezzlement charges. "Pinoy pa naman," came a comment from Linda Castro from Maryland. "The Catholic religion has already been rocked by scandal of molesting youngsters and now this. For sure it will result in loss of members." Fr. Rodis was ordained in the order of St. Camillus in 1986 and has been serving St. Jude since 1993. He then headed Immaculate Conception and retired in May after suffering a stroke and injuries from a car accident. He was indicted by a Louisa County grand jury and arrested on Jan. 8, 2007. He was later released on a reduced bond of $10,000. Rodis is believed to have been living a double life: a parish priest in Richmond and a family man in neighboring Fredericksburg. Neighbors say he lives with a wife — identified as Joyce Flores Sillador Rodis — and three children; it is unclear if he is the father of the children. There are, however court records showing him and Sillador to be husband and wife. Neighbors knew him to be a traveling import-export businessman. In January this year, Rodis sent an email of apology to his parishioners at St. Jude's. He said, "I'm sure that at this time you are aware of what has been going on...This is to express my heartfelt apology for the trouble this might caused you. Whatever the Church may decide regarding my case, I will fully accept the consequences. Please include me in your prayers." His lawyer said if Rodis indeed mismanaged church funds, he is answerable only to church officials and not to a federal court.
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