The former pastor of a Far North Side church whose financial struggles were highlighted during a round of school closings two years ago has been charged with stealing nearly $200,000 from the parish’s coffers to pamper himself, officials said Wednesday.
snip
The parish’s fiscal troubles first came to light in winter 2004 when Sorvillo told parishioners that the church’s school was insolvent and would have to reopen as a charter school, sources said.
But church members, after examining the records, became suspicious about what had happened to cause the shortfall, Burritt said.
Members of the parish’s finance committee said "`Oh my, something is amiss,’" Burritt said.
Parishioners contacted the archdiocese, which launched an investigation and found discrepancies in the church’s Christmas collection, officials said.
The archdiocese then alerted the state’s attorney’s office early this year, Gorman said.
"The system worked because of the finance committee and the people in the parish," Burritt said.
Sorvillo is accused of spending the funds on vacations to Europe–including trips to London, Paris and Venice–meals at expensive restaurants and high-end clothing, sources said.
Also – a lengthy article about the priest whom Mark Foley has named as his abuser.
Update: Priest says reporter misconstrued, paper stands by story:
Read Previous Post