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	Priest to Address Misconduct Charges during Tenure at St. Leo's Church in Bonita Springs By Mary Wozniak The News-Press November 29, 2011 http://www.news-press.com/article/20111128/NEWS0102/111128022/Priest-to-address-misconduct-charges-during-tenure-at-St-Leo-s-Church-in-Bonita-Springs?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|FRONTPAGE The Rev. Stan Strycharz will finally step before the public and tell his story after almost 17 months of silence. The former pastor of St. Leo Catholic Church is scheduled to have a press conference at 11 a.m. today to address, for the first time, accusations by the Diocese of Venice that he misused more than $1 million in church funds, and the fact that he fathered a child. Both issues resulted in Strycharz being placed on forced leave by Bishop Frank Dewane on July 23, 2010. The priest left behind brokenhearted parishioners and many unanswered questions. The press conference will be held at the Trianon Hotel-Bonita Bay at The Promenade, 3401 Bay Commons Drive. "I think it's way overdue," said Ed Fitzgerald, a St. Leo parishioner. Strycharz will either say he did wrong and apologize, or the priest will say that Dewane did wrong, Fitzgerald said. No matter what is said, the result is the same. "The church has changed," Fitzgerald said. "I lost that great feeling when I go to church." The priest, who has a doctorate in psychology, has opened up an office in Bonita Bay, said Strycharz's good friend, Marilyn Chouinard. "He's upset that nothing has happened," Chouinard said, referring to any resolution of the accusations. "This is ridiculous." Chouinard said the bishop has cut Strycharz's pay to $500 a month. "He's doing everything he can to hurt Father Stan," she said of Dewane. The Diocese of Venice issued a statement through its spokesman, Billy Atwell. "His (Strycharz's) status as a priest and his administrative leave is unchanged," the statement says. "What prompted this press conference is unknown." The statement said that the priest is being represented by a lawyer who's an expert in canonical law. The diocese maintains that an independent audit found that Strycharz breached his "fiduciary responsibility" to the parish. When Strycharz met with auditors, he "failed to satisfactorily answer their questions or provide necessary financial records," the statement says. 3:27 p.m. Father Stan Strycharz, the former pastor at St. Leo's Church in Bonita Springs, will speak publicly for the first time at an 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday about being placed on forced leave and accused of misusing more than $1 million in church funds. Strycharz was placed on forced leave July 23, 2010 by Bishop Frank Dewane of the Diocese of Venice. Dewane revealed at a church service that Strycharz had fathered a child and the diocese claims an audit shows the misuse of more than $1 million in St. Leo funds. The press conference will be at the Trianon Hotel-Bonita Bay at The Promenade, 3401 Bay Commons Dr., Bonita Springs.
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