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	Priest Who Allegedly Misused Church Funds Resigns By William Lamb NorthJersey.com [New Jersey] June 8, 2006 http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2 MDYmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY5NDU0MTcmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz A Catholic priest from Palisades Park has resigned as the pastor of a church in Connecticut amid accusations that he used church money to finance wild parties, fancy dinners and homes in Florida and New York City. The Rev. Michael Jude Fay stepped down May 17 as the pastor of St. John Catholic Church in Darien, Conn., where he had served as pastor since 1991. An internal investigation by the Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., revealed that Fay had used more than $200,000 in church money to bankroll a lavish lifestyle that included a condominium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that he owned jointly with another man. Fay, 55, grew up in Palisades Park. His father, Martin T. Fay, spent 38 years with the city's police department, including two years as its chief before he retired in 1985. He died in 1996. Michael Fay graduated from Cliffside Park High School and attended St. Francis College in Loretto, Pa.; St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, and the University of Maryland. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in Bridgeport in 1978. Bridgeport Diocese officials have said Fay had moved out of the parish house where he had lived rent-free during his tenure as pastor. He could not be reached on Wednesday. Joseph McAleer, a spokesman for the diocese, also could not be reached. Bridgeport Bishop William E. Lori announced Fay's resignation May 17. On Sunday, Lori named the Rev. Frank C. McGrath as Fay's replacement. Although criminal charges have not been filed against Fay, The New York Times has reported that the U.S. Justice Department has begun an investigation into the matter. The Times reported that Fay, who drew a $28,000 annual salary from the diocese, co-owned a $449,000 condominium in Fort Lauderdale with Clifford A. Fantini, and that the two men also had lived in an apartment on East 63rd Street in Manhattan. A private investigator hired by a parochial vicar at St. John reported that Fay had used more than $200,000 in church money to pay for airline tickets and limousine rides, and to buy meals at expensive restaurants in New York, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale. E-mail: lamb@northjersey.com
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