Parishioners Want Answers about Newark Archbishop's Lavish House Project

By Jeff Green
The Record
March 6, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/news/248698941_Parishioners_demand_answes_about_Newark_archbishop_s_lavish_house_project_want_answers_from_archbishop.html

Raul Caceres of Teaneck is leading a campaign to pressure Archbishop John J. Myers to answer questions about how donations are spent in the wake of revelations about expansion of his retirement home, top.

Michael Karas/Staff Photographer

Outraged over a pricey expansion of the Newark archbishop's retirement home, a coordinated group of churchgoers is writing letters of protest to the pope and withdrawing financial support for an important archdiocese annual fundraiser.

In perhaps the most vocal and organized response to date, parishioners at the Church of St. Anastasia in Teaneck formed a 10-member committee to oppose the use of $500,000 in archdiocese funds for an add-on to Archbishop John J. Myers' home on a sprawling estate in Hunterdon County. The 3,000 square-foot addition will include an indoor exercise pool, three fireplaces and a fifth bedroom.

The founder of the committee, Dr. Raul Caceres, 72, a plastic surgeon who has started charities in Peru and Bolivia, said he has collected more than 100 letters from parishioners angered by the expense. If the group doesn't get answers from Myers about why a 3,000-square-foot extension to his home is necessary, he said the committee will hand-deliver the letters to the Vatican.

"We're not going to just be outraged. We have to do something," Caceres said in an interview Wednesday.

The committee is encouraging parishioners to withhold contributions to the archbishop's annual appeal, which collects funds to support schools, Catholic Charities, youth and campus ministries and other programs. The archdiocese has stressed that contributions to the annual appeal are not funding the retirement home expansion, but Caceres said the upscale living quarters has called into question Myers' financial stewardship.

"This is the time for us to say, in New Jersey we want to make sure the church is transparent," Caceres said.

Jim Goodness, an archdiocese spokesman, said the expansions will be funded by the sale of other archdiocese properties and private donors who contributed directly to the project. Additional office space is needed when Myers continues church activities in his retirement, and a "therapeutic whirlpool" will help him cope with arthritis, he said.

Myers, 72, must submit his resignation when he turns 75. He has not directly responded to the controversy.

Kathy Glowski, a member of the St. Anastasia committee, said she is withholding her $500 contribution to the annual appeal until she gets a better explanation from the archdiocese about why an already lavish house – 4,500 square feet on 8.2 acres – needs to be larger.

"I certainly need to understand what his motivations are," she said. "Why would one man all by himself need a mansion?"

Glowski said the use of funds doesn't square with the archdiocese's financial health – it has closed 78 schools since 2000 – or Pope Francis' message about simple living. A delegation of seven parishioners, including Glowski, just returned from a mission to help typhoon victims in the Philippines. There, she said, she was struck by the humble living conditions of the local priests.

"One priest told us when he got there two years ago there was no place for him to stay," Glowski said. "He built a room, and he was so proud that now it's a guest room for visitors to his church."

"I come back from the Philippines," she added, "so inspired and compelled by the vision these men outlined, and the first article I see is our archbishop adding on to his home."

Jessie Trivino, a St. Anastasia parishioner who said he planned to write a letter to the pope about the issue, said his $1,000 annual contribution is on hold. He said the best thing for the archdiocese would be for Myers to retire now, rather than wait 2 1/2 years.

"There's really no humility left in the archbishop. I think he should be ashamed of himself," he said. "That property belongs to the archdiocese. That money could be spent on more charitable causes, not this extravagant living."

Parishioner Sal D'Angelo, who often joins other parishioners to hand out sandwiches at a soup kitchen in Manhattan, said it doesn't matter that the money for the retirement home isn't coming directly from parishioners. It could be put to better use, he said.

"People in Newark are in dire need of help," he said. "Some churches are going out and parochial schools are going out because they can't sustain themselves because of their financial problems. This money can be used to help the needy."

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