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	Diocese of Madison Says Priest Invested Church Funds Father Tom Marr Has Been on Leave since July Channel 3000 October 11, 2009 http://www.channel3000.com/family/21263597/detail.html [with video] WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A Watertown church received some answers on Saturday night as to what happened to thousands of dollars that have gone missing from church funds. In July, Father Tom Marr of Saint Bernard Catholic Parish of Watertown was placed on administrative leave as the church examined reported irregularities in its book keeping. Parishoners had been kept in the dark until Saturday, when they were able to attend a post-Mass meeting held by the Diocese of Madison "In the vicinity of about $55,000 was inappropriately borrowed from church finances," said the Rev. Daniel T. Ganshert, vicar general of the Diocese of Madison. "And at this time, where individuals are concerned, it may approach somewhere over $300,000." Embed CodeSave & ShareMore Videos A church investigation has led officials to believe that Father Marr was borrowing funds and investing that money with hopes of the return benefiting the church. "I wish I knew more about investments myself," said Rev. Mgsr. Ganshert. "But just what people have mentioned, they say that, as they would look at it, it seems to have been something that was not very well thought out if someone was going to invest in it. High risk." The parish has recently filed a lawsuit against a Juneau man with whom Father Marr is believed to have invested the money. The suit is in its very early stages. In addition, the Department of Justice and the Watertown police have their own ongoing investigations, although it's not known if any criminal charges will arise from those investigations. Reports indicate that the majority of the worshippers at Saturday's mass seemed to be supporting Father Marr with many expressing concerns about Father Mann's well-being and expressing hopes that he will be reinstated to the parish soon. Many worshippers say they're upset by what happened, but they don't believe that Father Marr had any intent to maliciously harm the church. Despite the loss of funds, reports indicate that the parish remains financially stable.
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