BishopAccountability.org
	Father Sam Revelations Are Painful By Bob Dyer Beacon Journal July 28, 2010 http://www.ohio.com/news/99495684.html The news is still almost impossible to process. Father Sam is a crook. He admitted as much last week in front of God and country. Cheated on his income-tax returns. Schemed to evade federal laws written to prevent money laundering. Had a secret stash of a million bucks. And now the Rev. Samuel Ciccolini must wait until October to see exactly how long he will have to sit behind bars with other cons who have taken shortcuts that shortchanged the people around them and society at large. Who would have dreamt that one of the most beloved figures in our town had more in common with Bernie Madoff than Mother Teresa? Although as a diocesan priest Father Sam was never required to take a vow of poverty, as he would have been as a Jesuit or Franciscan, the revelation that he made $407,062 in 2003 alone was jarring, to say the least. But not nearly as jarring as the news of his addiction to money. ''It has always been my way of having some security,'' he told a federal judge about his mountain of cash. ''In my mind, it was important to have a source of strength around me.'' And all this time we thought his source of strength was spiritual. If faith isn't enough to get Father Sam through those long nights of the soul, how does that bode for the rest of us? I am not Catholic, but I was a huge fan of his. Father Sam's rehabilitation facility, Interval Brotherhood Home, helped thousands of lost souls fight off their personal demons and become productive. I have heard their stories firsthand. I have heard their stories secondhand as well, the latter not infrequently told by family members whose eyes were damp with joy. Father Sam's reach extended well beyond IBH. ''When my dad was sick, Father Sam was there all the time,'' a friend told me. ''We couldn't get anyone from our own parish, but Father Sam was wonderful.'' It is the operation in Coventry Township, though, that is the man's masterwork, the place he created and ran for 40 years. Since the news broke, IBH has insisted that Father Sam's financial woes have absolutely nothing to do with IBH — an assertion that would be laughable were the whole situation not so sad. Father Sam is IBH. Much like Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns, he was the founder, the front man, the face of the entire organization. He was a fundraising wizard, a world-class salesman who in 2000 drew the attention and praise of Pope John Paul II. Like many other folks, I participated in dozens of IBH fundraisers over the years. I hope that money was well-spent. I think most of it probably was. But now I wonder. And I can't help feeling sucker-punched by a man I considered a true hero. It's tough to be reminded that every last one of us is a flawed human being. Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com
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