It appears that Fr. Leonard Van Vlaenderen, former pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Brookfield and former priest-secretary to now-retired Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, may have been doing more than cocaine.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Brookfield lost nearly $128,000 over three years in thefts from its weekly collection, the church said today.
Though a criminal investigation is ongoing, an outside audit found a correlation between the missing funds and the tenure of former pastor Father Leonard Van Vlaenderen, who was arrested in December 2007 on a misdemeanor charge of possessing cocaine. He later pleaded guilty and is on probation.
Van Vlaenderen's successor, the Rev. Kenneth P. Knippel, divulged the findings of the audit in a letter to parishioners this month. Knippel said today that it was intended to provide transparency and restore confidence in the church as it embarks on a major capital campaign with the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
"We're starting our Faith in our Future campaign, and we don't want to ask people to give to that noble cause when they're still wondering what happened" with the missing funds, Knippel said. "We wanted our people to know we're serious about caring for their contributions; that we took the steps necessary to find out what happened and try to recoup anything that was stolen."
The church's self-insurer, Catholic Mutual Group, reimbursed it for $120,000 of the losses, he said.
According to Knippel, Van Vlaenderen arrived at the parish in 2002. A review of church donations found that cash collections dropped from $775 a week in 2001 to $318 to $346 by 2004 and 2005, then increased again in the summer of 2006 while he was temporarily away and again after his departure in 2007.
The audit and church's internal investigation concluded that cash was taken from the church safe after money was collected but before it was counted.
...The Brookfield Police Department said today that it expects to take its criminal case to the Waukesha County district attorney's office for review by the end of the month.
When Fr. Len was sentenced for possession of crack cocaine back in May 2008, he apologized and showed remorse.
From TMJ4:
“I have been humbled and am deeply remorseful,” Van Vlaenderen said.
...“I’m not ashamed of my depression, but I still find it difficult to speak about because the experience itself is unspeakable. I would do anything to be rid of its shackles,” Van Vlaenderen said.
The judge talked about how serious the crime is, but she also talked about the stack of letters she got talking about Father Len’s work, including at Saint John Vianney Parish in Brookfield, where he was the pastor at the time of his arrest.
“These letters speak to your character. You've helped members of the community for years dealing with their problems,” Milwaukee County Judge Bonnie Gordon said.
Given the correlation between the stolen parish collection money and Fr. Len's presence at St. John Vianney, I wonder what Judge Bonnie Gordon would say now about his character.
If he stole $128,000 from the church collections, it becomes much harder to keep the emphasis on his personal struggles and demons. Fr. Len wants to be seen as a helpless victim of an affliction. He's in "shackles." He calls his experience battling depression and addiction "unspeakable."
I'm sure he was suffering terribly, but he has to take responsibility for his actions. Stealing $128,000 from the parishioners' donations is an extreme violation of trust. It's a serious crime. It's a felony.
When it was revealed in May 2008 that money donated to St. John Vianney was missing, Fr. Paul Hartmann warned of a rush to judgment.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Father Paul Hartmann, pastor of St. John Vianney in Brookfield, declined Friday to speculate on how much money could be missing or over what period of time it could have been taken. Neither police nor the Waukesha County district attorney's office has been involved in the investigation.
Three members of the parish, one of the largest in the Milwaukee Archdiocese, began the preliminary inquiry in early December, a short time after then-pastor Father Leonard Van Vlaenderen was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine, a misdemeanor. He entered a no-contest plea to the charge and is scheduled to be sentenced this month.
The three parishioners, who were not named, asked that professional outside auditors be called in for a more detailed analysis of parish finances after finding patterns that raised concerns, Hartmann said. The accounting firm that has been hired to do the job is Virchow, Krause & Co.
In his letter, Hartmann cautioned parishioners not to jump to conclusions.
"Sadly, since there are yet no definitive proofs about the degree of the problem or who, if anyone, is culpable, the very act of keeping you informed sets the stage for more speculation and rumors," Hartmann wrote. "I implore all of you: Please do not start down that path."
...[I]t could be difficult to ascertain the depth of the problem. Some parishioners may have stopped giving cash because changes in federal tax law now require proof of donations; a change in the Mass schedule also could have resulted in a different pattern. For now, the connection to Van Vlaenderen is only the timing of his arrest and the examination of the books, Hartmann said.
It turns out that the depth of the problem was enormous.
It also turns out that speculation as to Fr. Len's culpability was justified.
IF he is responsible for taking the missing $128,000, he should have the decency to admit it. It's the right thing to do. I'm sure during his many years as a priest he counseled people to face their frailties and ask forgiveness.
IF he's guilty, he should listen to his conscience rather than his lawyer. He should cooperate with the investigation and confess.
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