The Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, released a report today totaling the amount of money that Fr. Michael Jude Fay allegedly stole from his parish.
A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury with another man, according to a church-directed investigation.
The Rev. Michael Jude Fay spent church money on limousines, stays at top hotels, jewelry, Italian clothing and a Florida condominium shared with the other man, auditors hired by the diocese found. About half the money he spent was kept in a secret bank account, according to their report, which was mailed Friday to 1,700 parishioners of the Darien church and obtained in advance by The Associated Press.
Incidentally, that $1.4 million was only in the past six years. Fay has been pastor of the parish in Darien for the last 15! They said there was an additional $350,000 in his personal bank account, but they could not account for where it came from. Obviously, he’s been squirreling away his $20,000+ paycheck and investing it wisely. The report says he received gifts from parishioners and charged $500 for giving lectures. I wonder what the lectures were on. Probably investment strategies.
A priestly life or a princely life?
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