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	A Private Eye and the Case of a High-Living Priest By Alison Leigh Cowan The New York Times May 25, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/nyregion/25darien.html DARIEN, Conn., May 24 — To some parishioners, the floral tapestry that adorns the wall outside the auditorium at St. John's Roman Catholic Church is but an elegant symbol of some of the things that appear to have gone wrong in the 15 years that the Rev. Michael Jude Fay ran the place. The tapestry covers a bulletin board that once featured children's artwork from the church's after-school program. One day, Father Fay ordered the artwork replaced with the tapestry, said Regina Damanti, a former teacher at the church. A parent questioned whether the congregation could afford such an extravagance after seeing a similar item in a catalog priced at $1,100, she said. To which Father Fay retorted, according to Mrs. Damanti, "What makes you think it wasn't a gift?" There was apparently a lot that parishioners and staff members were not permitted to know. Diocese officials demanded Father Fay's resignation as pastor last week amid accusations that he may have helped himself to church funds to support a life that was starkly at odds with his vows as a priest — one of wild parties, cruises, limousine rides, fancy dinners and homes on the Upper East Side and in Florida, which he shared with another man. Father Fay, who made $28,000 a year and room and board, has not commented about the accusations, and his whereabouts is not clear. But the United States attorney's office in New Haven is pursuing a criminal investigation. As a result, one of Connecticut's wealthiest Roman Catholic parishes is in turmoil. Irate parishioners who once thought nothing of dropping $10,000 into the weekly collection plate are demanding answers. A mix that includes lawyers, teachers and high-placed executives, they are talking about withholding donations, creating Web sites to mobilize congregants and in some cases threatening to leave the parish. The crisis has forced Bishop William E. Lori to visit the parish at least three times. At a raucous, somewhat mutinous meeting on Tuesday night, 200 parishioners gathered in the church auditorium to protest the bishop's decision to demote Michael Madden, the young priest and parochial vicar assisting the pastor, who hired a private investigator to investigate Father Fay because he lacked faith that the diocese would do the right thing. Father Madden had been chosen just last week by Bishop Lori to run the parish on an interim basis and was warmly introduced by the bishop at the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday. But on Tuesday, Father Madden made an unusual confession from the pulpit. He told worshipers at the morning Mass that, unbeknown to the diocese, he and the parish's bookkeeper, Bethany D'Erario, had taken the unorthodox step of hiring the private investigator to look into possible wrongdoing at the parish. Criticizing the diocese for having "failed to come to my rescue when there were red flags everywhere," Father Madden explained that the four years he spent working for Father Fay and living with him in the church rectory had been a "living hell," according to a copy of his remarks. When Ms. D'Erario shared her suspicions with him about financial irregularities, he said he agreed to do whatever he could to put an end to it. The bookkeeper made copies of everything she could, her lawyer, Mickey Sherman, said. Father Madden, meanwhile, met with officials at the diocese in April to discuss his concerns, Mr. Sherman said. But Father Madden and Ms. D'Erario became concerned that the diocese was not responding aggressively, Mr. Sherman said, so they hired Vito Colucci Jr., a private investigator who had some experience with church matters as the treasurer of his church. Mr. Colucci took over with the understanding that he would deliver any noteworthy findings to the authorities. The Darien police confirmed that he did so last Wednesday. The case is now being handled by the F.B.I. At the same time, some of the details that Mr. Colucci unearthed about Father Fay's life were revealed in news reports, as was Mr. Colucci's estimate that there were at least $200,000 in questionable expenses, maybe more, in the 25 months of records he reviewed. The reports embarrassed the diocese and undercut the bishop's contention that he was "on the case" the moment he knew something was amiss. By 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Father Madden had been summoned to Bridgeport to explain his actions to Bishop Lori. Seven hours later, the diocese released a letter that church officials said Father Madden wrote that afternoon expressing regret for having hired the outside investigator and for having vented that morning from the pulpit. The statement said that the bishop had allowed Father Madden to resign his post at the parish but that he would remain "for the time being" as its parochial vicar. "In hindsight, I realize I made a huge mistake, which has further complicated matters," Father Madden said in the letter. Fearful for Father Madden's job security, parishioners rushed to the church as soon as they heard about the statement. Some clutched briefcases from work and lacrosse sticks from practice. Trays of baked ziti that someone had put out were hardly touched. "They didn't expect this," said Mrs. Damanti of the outpouring of support for Father Madden. By 6:30 p.m., the bishop had rushed to Darien to quell the uproar, leaving about 100 guests waiting at a dinner he was giving for young men interested in the priesthood. Parishioners grilled him about what he knew, and when. They also conveyed their admiration for Father Madden and said that they did not want to see him reassigned to another parish. Over and over, the bishop defended his handling of Father Madden's case and insisted that the "period of rest and reflection" he offered the priest after a new pastor arrives will be for Father Madden's own good. By and large, parishioners appeared less forgiving of the diocese than they were of Father Madden. They say there were ample warnings before last week that Father Fay needed closer supervision. Frank Colandro, who works at a delicatessen opposite the church, told WNBC-TV last week that he frequently saw the man who owned property with Father Fay staying overnight at the rectory, sometimes for three or four weeks at a time. One parishioner said in an interview that Father Madden told her that he had been sickened to find risque parties in the rectory and that he had to install a lock on his door to keep intruders out. Father Madden also told the parishioner that he sometimes felt compelled to leave in his car and wait for hours in the hope that the revelers would have passed out from drinking and would be unable to bother him by the time he returned. Ms. D'Erario's lawyer, Mr. Sherman, said Father Fay routinely regaled his client with unwelcome tales of his sexual antics. And two teenagers who were involved in the church's youth group said $10,000 that the group had raised vanished without explanation about a year ago. "We were never given an answer," said John Cappiello, 17. Father Fay once fired all the preschool teachers after they complained of working without a contract. Mrs. Damanti, who was one of those teachers, said the priest also told her in 1996 that she would be happier worshiping somewhere else. She took his advice and told herself she would come back once he was gone. Hugging other parishioners she had not seen for a while after Mass on Sunday, she said, "God forgive me, but I did a happy dance the other day" when she heard that Father Fay had been banished from the parish.
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