| February 12, 2007 | Volume 82, Number 8 | |
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Caught on tapeIt is a tribute to the people of St. Peter’s parish in Richmond that some who were questioned by the media say they forgive Bernadine Brown despite her alleged embezzlement of money from the Sunday collections. Christianity is about forgiveness. This is not to say that Ms. Brown should not suffer the consequences for her actions. What she did was wrong. It violated the sense of trust parishioners of St. Peter’s, as well as the pastor, Father Robert Brownell, had after coming to know her in her almost 20 years as parish secretary. She was caught on video tape taking cash and some envelopes and putting them in her purse on two successive Sundays. As a result, Ms. Brown will have her day in court at a preliminary hearing on March 9. She is charged with felony embezzlement in connection with the thefts. Revelation of Ms. Brown’s wrongdoing is particularly disheartening in light of the scandal revealed in January about Father Rodney Rodis, a retired diocesan priest who is alleged to have stolen at least $600,000 from the collections at St. Jude parish in Mineral and Immaculate Conception in Buckner over a period of years. Catholics in the Diocese of Richmond are generous to their parishes in time, treasure and talent which they see as furthering the ministry of the Church. They have every right to expect that their money is used wisely and is not diverted into the hands of thieves. Media attention to the wrongdoing of Father Rodis and Ms. Brown, which so often repeats the same statements over and over again on a daily basis, might make people suspicious that their money is a target for thieves. Yes, people in the two Louisa County parishes were betrayed as were people at St. Peter’s. But again we cannot let what happened there diminish the sense of trust that our money is handled properly when we place it in the collection basket. Obviously, parishes will need to make the suggested changes in how the collection is handled. The collection should not be counted by only one individual, but by at least two unrelated persons. If two counters are husband and wife or father and son, a third unrelated person needs to be among them as a counter. The counters need to make sure the tally at the end of the day matches that of the deposit slip which with cash and checks should make its way to the bank as soon as possible. At St. Michael’s in suburban Richmond parishioners have the option of using an auto draft in which their gift is automatically drafted from their checking account once or twice a month and placed directly into the parish checking account. Veronica Lowenhagen, parish bookkeeper, said that 10 percent of St. Michael’s parishioners use this service which accounts for almost $30,000 each month. It is both a safeguard against theft and a convenience for parishioners. Perhaps more parishes would want to consider this option.
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