Paterson Diocese Asks for Reports on Embattled Priest's Behavior

By Jeff Green
The Record
May 10, 2013

http://www.northjersey.com/news/Paterson_Diocese_asks_for_reports_on_embattled_priests_behavior.html

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark

At a time when the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark is the focus of intense scrutiny over its handling of a priest accused of molesting a child, the diocese representing parishes in Passaic and Morris counties is asking for information about “inappropriate behavior” by the cleric, who was barred for life from working around children.

The Diocese of Paterson, in an unusual move, prominently posted on its website a message asking members of the public to report any information about the priest’s attendance at youth retreats — in apparent defiance of a legal ban on such action — within its three-county territory.

Bergen County prosecutors are investigating the Rev. Michael Fugee, who allegedly molested a Wyckoff teenager more than a decade ago, for possibly violating an agreement he signed with the archdiocese promising never to minister to children.

But it recently was revealed that Fugee joined several youth group excursions, including one to a retreat house at Lake Hopatcong in Morris County, within the Paterson Diocese. The diocese said in a statement, placed at the top of its website, that officials only know of that one event, which was in 2010, but they are encouraging anyone with information about “inappropriate behavior” on Fugee’s part to inform diocesan staff.

A spokesman for Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli said the diocese posted the statement on Wednesday in addition to sending it to its 110 parishes in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties. It also will be published in the next edition of The Beacon, the diocesan newspaper. So far, officials have not heard any complaints.

“The diocese is being proactive to assure that there were no other times since that one incident in 2010 that Father Fugee was in the diocese for any reason without permission,” said the spokesman, Richard Sokerka.

A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Trenton, whose territory includes a Colts Neck parish Fugee was extensively involved with, said officials will be revising its website Friday to make information about Fugee more prominent.

Jim Goodness, spokesman for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, said a specific message about Fugee is unnecessary given the notoriety of the case. The archdiocese, he said, has adopted “an aggressive and consistent outreach” to victims of sexual abuse in general, publishing its victim assistance coordinator hotline on bulletins, in its official newspaper and on its website.

“We are in fact doing a very credible job of getting out that we are interested in hearing any accusations of abuse, any accusations of misconduct that happened to anybody,” Goodness said.

Goodness said the archdiocese takes every sex abuse allegation seriously, noting that this week archdiocesan staff received a letter about accusations unrelated to its parishes but are forwarding it to prosecutors anyway.