Statement of Rev. Patrick J. O’Loughlin, Pastor

St. Matthew Parish

25 December 2011

By now most of you have heard that on December 21 an employee of St. Matthew was criminally charged with theft of parish funds.  This development is the culmination of the events I began to discuss with you in June of this year.  My updates since then have been brief and infrequent because of the ongoing investigation.  Today I will provide a few important details. 

Beginning in May 2011, a thorough review of the parish’s financial activity for fiscal year 2010-2011 was begun by Kris Wegner, our Director of Administrative Services, and by me as pastor.  This review revealed a pattern of inaccuracies that could not be explained as simple mistakes, but indicated an intentional plan to manipulate parish financial records. 

When this was discovered, I contacted both the Oak Creek Police Department and our insurance company Catholic Mutual to inform them of our suspicion that embezzlement had occurred.

Our investigation soon expanded to include the parish’s financial activity since 2004.  It involved an extensive gathering of documents and the examination of thousands of pages of bank statements, computer records, journals, and more than 50,000 photocopies of checks.  We now know that the financial impropriety took place over the last several years.

It is important for you to know that on August 30^th we submitted to Catholic Mutual an insurance claim for financial losses.  Our claim was approved, and on November 14^th St. Matthew Parish received a check for more than $200,000.  This covers all the losses described in the criminal complaint.

The insurance payment is some consolation as we face the fact that the parish’s financial processes, though very good in many respects, nonetheless had weak links that were very skillfully exploited.  Those weak links have been eliminated.  I can assure you that the lessons we learned the hard way will not be forgotten.

Although we provided the information on which the criminal charges are based, the legal process lies in the hands of civil authorities.  We will continue to assist them as they pursue the case.  I wish I could tell you that this situation is close to its final conclusion, but I suspect we are nearer the beginning than the end. 

You are justified to feel shocked and disappointed by this information.  It is unpleasant to share it with you, especially today.  Yet I am very grateful and very humbled that your generosity to the parish has allowed us to flourish and to accomplish the work of the Church even amid the economic downturn and the embezzlement of tens of thousands of dollars.   It is clear to me that the light of Christ shines at St. Matthew, and that no darkness will overcome it.

I will provide additional information and answer your questions early in the new year.  Please continue to pray for all the members of our parish as we make our way through this difficult time, and know of my sincere gratitude for your patience, faithfulness, and generosity.