Today, Friday the 13th (of January), Monsignor (Father) Kevin McAuliffe will be sentenced in Federal court for his theft of about $650,000 from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church up in Summerlin. It will not be a lucky day for McAuliffe.
From the LVRJ: The thieving, gambling monsignor who stole $650,000, mostly from his church's votive candle fund, has his supporters who want him to receive probation Friday.
I'm not one of them.
Nor is the U.S. Department of Probation, which recommends he spend 33 months in prison, which is the low end of the federal sentencing guidelines. The high end would be 41 months.
U.S. District Judge James Mahan won't be bound by the probation recommendation when he sentences Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe at 10 a.m. Friday. He can show leniency. Or not. http://www.lvrj.com/news/thieving-priest-deserves-to-be-treated-like-any-other-criminal-137165378.html
My guess is that he will get some prison time, probably around 2 years plus probation and restitution and he will serve the prison sentence in the Federal prison in Oxford, WI. (about 60 miles north of Madison, in Marquette County) This prison is close to his home in Wisconsin, where I am sure he still has family. It is also a minimum security prison, located in a beautiful area of Wisconsin. It has forests surrounding the prison, along with a small lake and a lot of green grass (which also has a lot of snow on it now)
McAuliffe will try and blame his gambling addiction for the thefts and his attorney will plea fo no prison time. His attorney(s) will try for probation and say McAuliffe can serve the community better outside of prison than in it.
the prosecutors should argue for prison time because he is getting a HUGE break by being in Federal court and not State court.
The Las Vegas Diocese still has McAuliffe on it's payroll and still recognizes him as a priest for the Diocese (http://www.lasvegas-diocese.org/priests.php) and that is a shame. Sounds like they are not taking this case very seriously.
So, I will update this story as soon as I am able.
Any thoughts about the appropriate punishment?
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1 hour ago
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ReplyDeleteShame on you, Mary Lou.
DeleteFirst, shame on you for your utter lack of compassion. You obviously have no idea how destructive addictions can be and particularly gambling addictions.
Second, if you are Catholic you are sinning by your condemnation of Msgr. McAuliffe. You are judging the man and not the actions.
Third, priests are as fallen as the rest of us. Yes, they should be held to a higher account but that does not mean that they cannot or do not sin. Even the Pope goes to Confession at least weekly.
Fourth, shame on you for your utter lack of respect for Bishop Pepe. While you may not agree with him, and certainly I don't on many things, speaking of him in this manner is, in itself, sinful.
Finally, your holier-than-thou attitude and tone, and your vicious attacks and name calling of Msgr. McAuliffe are utterly shameful. YOU are just the type of Catholic who brings disgrace on our entire religion. We are called to be "salt and light to the world", is this how you do so?
How about having some compassion and Christian charity towards an obviously sick man?
Pax,
-Greg
Mary Lou,
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I've been a parishioner of St. Elizabeth's for 5 years and I am sickened by this situation. There are lovely priests who serve this parish (the current pastor, Fr. Jim is amazing, gentle and kind) and they are trying to pick up the pieces from this mess. We have stopped donating to this parish because of this scandal and have chosen to give our hard earned money to charities that will use it with more oversight and responsibility. I don't want my money to go towards the defense costs of these disgusting priests.
I know that I am a sinner, we all are, I can forgive McAuliffe for his failures as a human but I also believe he should be punished just the same as any other criminal. There's NO reason he should be above the law nor should he remain a priest.
I also agree that Bishop Pepe should resign. I was beside myself when I learned that such a massive parish had no checks and balances with regard to their money management. I can't believe there was no oversight. That is incredibly ignorant. There had to be people who noticed McAuliffe stealing over the years...the only reason he was even caught was an anonymous call to the FBI--not through the parish. The caller had to know that the parish would either hide the scandal or treat it with less severity (my opinion after watching rapist priests being shuffled from parish to parish to avoid scandal).
Thanks for your candor, Mary Lou. I stand with you and feel that the harsh words of Greg saying your words are holier than thou--whatever. One more thing...as the daughter of an alcoholic, I know that there is a point when that addict makes a conscious choice to choose their vice or they choose to walk away. They make that choice every single day...I am no longer sympathetic to the excuse "I can't help myself." We all have free will for a reason.
I am looking forward to this case settling so our parish can move on. I hope Fr. Jim stays around for a long time. He's wonderful. I wish more monks would run parishes--they seem a lot more grounded and have a good perspective.
Thanks,
Kristin
I agree with Mary Lou and Kristin. Greg seems to be sadly confused. God is not only a God of mercy but also of justice. If Msgr. Kevin is truly sorry (beyond just being sorry that he got caught), then he can be forgiven for his sin. But there is still justice that must be done. Genuine contrition requires a willingness to accept the punishment, to accept the consequences of his actions. Being forgiven for sin does not mean that one is free from temporal punishment. And with regard to Bishop Pepe, the days of blind obedience to bishops as if they were princes or lords is over. Pepe is destroying the Diocese of Las Vegas due to his lack of leadership, poor judgment, and negligent supervision. The word "bishop" comes from the word "overseer." Pepe has not been an adequate overseer of the diocese entrusted to his care.
DeleteIt is for the court to decide his legal fate. It is for God to decide his moral fate. God holds a Priest or Minister to much higher standards then others. He is also much more forgiving, to all of us, then any of us deserve. It is not, however, our job to judge anyone, and if, in fact, we take it upon ourselves do it anyway, we will be judged by the same standards that we judge others with. I know everyone has an opinion and a legal right to express it, but we have a spiritual responsibility express it , if we must, with compassion and not vindictiveness.
DeleteJust sayin... If someone on Wall St. stole the cash. The same people that are here defending this person would want to crucify tee person on Wall St. Yes I said person, because no matter what the title is. Profession, don't matter its all still a job and they were entrusted with the money. As you can tell I'm not Catholic. So titles mean nothing to me other than "con"
DeleteI will continue to pray for Monsignor Kevin.
ReplyDeleteAddictions are not an immediate given.Addictions are progressive,by repeated choices..an act of the will. Only then do they become"bad habits." McAuliffes problems "may" have ended in an addiction but his problem at origin was a tremendous sense of entitlement. He was, in his own mind, above the law. Yes,he is sorry now.Who is not sorry when caught? Yet, year after year, he lied and stole...by choice.An act of the will. This is the definition of sin. Free choice.I see him as such. A sinner, like us all and beyond most, a criminal. He is just that. A criminal. Too tough to swallow? Then wake up and grow up. I have compassion in that he failed to be upright and holy as he was called and vowed to. He failed as a priest, immensely. A few good deeds does not pardon the many years of deceit and theft he apparently had no problem living out. I worked in addictions. People who are addicts get help when they know they are slipping, even breaking the law..McAuliffe did not do so, because he knew (thought) he could get away with it. Had he truly claimed addiction, he would have sought help long ago. He's a bright guy..a Canon Lawyer..he is also cunning and crafty..as the record shows.
ReplyDeleteIn the end,he is to be pitied but not spared punishment. Lawyers and Bishops are trained to promote the guilty priest as "weak" not "criminal" which is an escape and attempt to manipulate public thought..otherwise our prisons are just full of weak but good people? Hardly folks. Yes, lets pray for McAuliffe while he does his time in prison as any other thief does. To allow him to be spared is not Gods Justice..it is perpetuating, sin...the end result of many addictions. Mercy is an attribute of God, so is Punishment. Justice.
"Be careful not to lead these, my children astray," said Jesus, "For if you do, it would be better for you to have a mill stone tied around your neck so to throw you into the sea."
These words are not mine. They are the words of a holy God, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Call it for what it is. Jesus did.
McAuliffe is revealed as a Criminal.
He lied. He stole. He cheated many and did so, to astronomical proportions. His Bishop is extremely negligent and needs to removed. The financial books of parishes should be managed by honorable audit and accounting agencies, independent of the pastor.
The victim is not McAuliffe. He robbed his parish while not once dipping into his own personal savings..fact...this is in itself a blatant example of conscious theft. Addiction? I'm not so sure...when the hand is caught in the cookie jar, we all point to another cause...
Here, the issue, the root cause, is not addiction..it is pride, arrogance and self entitlement. Truth stings the eyes of the naive.
"For those with eyes to see..let them see.."
To Greg: you remind me of an angry child, no knowledge or wisdom, just mad that you can't have your way.
ReplyDeleteThe bishop seems to have mecy and compassion for a criminal priest but not for priests who fall in love with a woman. They are shown no forgiveness, mercy, nor compassion. They are just shunned and thown out of the priestly fraternity. Look at how Fr. Kenny from Christ the King Parish got away with stealing money from a widow. He now runs two parishes. Justice? I do not think so!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be important to investigate if gambling is the only area where Msgr. Kevin spent the parishioners' money. There's usually much more involved with priests who lead double lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree but at this point, they are happy he is gone and the Diocese is hoping that he disappears quietly. Nothing more will happen to him.
DeleteAmen to John S.I am puzzled why he is still referred to as Father/Monsignor.-Really! hopefully he will just ride off into the sunset in his poor old Cadillac and old worn down cowboy boots.Mari S.
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ReplyDelete