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	Darien Priest Resigns Amid Probe Diocese, Feds Investigating St. John Finances By Doug Dalena The Advocate May 18, 2006 http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-fay-archive- 1,0,3844863.story?coll=nor-news-local-headlines DARIEN -- The pastor of a Darien church has resigned after an investigation into the church's finances, the Diocese of Bridgeport announced yesterday. The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, pastor of St. John Church since 1991, resigned yesterday after a meeting with Bishop William Lori, diocese spokesman Joseph McAleer said. Lori asked for Fay's resignation after a preliminary investigation that the diocese began after learning that some of the church's bills had not been paid and about other financial problems, McAleer said. He said the investigation, which is ongoing, did not include any allegations of sexual abuse. Fay, 55, has pledged to cooperate with the church's investigation, McAleer said. The Rev. Michael Madden, parochial vicar at the parish, has been appointed acting administrator. Lori or his representatives plan to attend every Mass this weekend, McAleer said. Fay's resignation was first reported yesterday by The Associated Press. A Stamford private investigator told the AP that he turned over records of his own investigation into Fay's financial management of the church to Darien police yesterday. The investigator, Vito Colucci Jr., said he had documented at least $200,000 of church money used to fund trips, dinners at famous restaurants and limousine rides Fay took as part of a relationship with another man. The diocese did not hire Colucci and did not know who did, McAleer said, and could not confirm the investigator's findings. The diocese had been conducting its own investigation into church finances and Fay's "personal suitability" for the priesthood for some time, he said. Colucci did not disclose who hired him, the AP reported, except to say they were connected to the church. Diocese officials have turned the results of their inquiry over to federal prosecutors, who also are investigating the priest in cooperation with Darien police, McAleer said. The diocese also is commissioning an independent audit of St. John's finances. Lori announced Fay's resignation last night during a meeting with the parish council members and other parishioners who were already scheduled to be at the church for a dinner honoring volunteers. Kris Wray, who attended the dinner along with 70 or 80 other volunteers, said she and others were shocked by the news. "It was very surprising to see the bishop there," she said. Lori said the financial problems came to light when the church was reviewing St. John's financial reports from 2005, Wray said. Fay, known as Father Jude, had become less active in parish life during the past two years, after years of proactive and loving ministry, Wray said. "I think a lot of us knew that Father Jude was not acting like he had acted years ago," she said, adding that many assumed his increased absence stemmed from his ongoing treatment for cancer. "We've always liked his pastoral care when he was there to give it," she said. "I have asked him for things and he's always been fantastic. It's just lately, he hasn't been there for us as we would have liked." Other parishioners reached last night were unwilling to speak publicly, but expressed shock at Fay's resignation. They called him a good man and a wonderful priest. Some parishioners who attended daily Mass had not seen Fay in several weeks, said another parishioner who asked not to be identified. "Everybody was wondering," said the woman, a longtime parishioner. "He has been absent from the parish, but that was his own decision," McAleer said, adding that Fay had not been suspended or removed from the parish before yesterday. The woman said some parishioners may not have noticed anything amiss with church finances because the parish, with 1,600 families in one of the nation's wealthiest communities, rarely lacked the resources to get something done. Veronica Sedita, another parishioner, said she did not know Fay well, but had no idea anything was amiss. Sedita had not attended church for several weeks because of health problems, but said she had considered Fay a wonderful priest. "The years that I did go, everything seemed to be in tip-top shape. It certainly comes as a shock because I thought everything was going smoothly," Sedita said. "It doesn't seem like it's possible, but I guess it is." Fay was ordained in 1978 and served in parishes in Greenwich and New Canaan before being assigned to St. John in 1991. He received Sacred Heart University's annual Discovery Award, a community service award, in 2002, two years before Lori received the same honor. Fay also served on the diocese's Sexual Misconduct Review Board, an advisory group formed to help examine church policies in the wake of the church's sexual abuse scandal and help investigate allegations of abuse in the diocese. John Ford, a member of the board from Fairfield, said he did not know Fay personally but that Fay appeared committed and involved in the group. "From a personal point of view, I respected his positions," Ford said. Volunteers and parishioners are already seeking to move beyond Fay's resignation, Wray said. "None of us want anything except the best for him, and healing in our parish. We all know Father Jude is a good man and I think everyone, at least everyone I spoke with tonight, is certainly forgiving," she said. "I just hope that there's a lot of positive healing that's going to come out of this, not people focusing on the dirt."
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