4A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007
CRIME
Former priest admits stealing money from church
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A former priest pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his church by setting up secret bank accounts to pay for a life of luxury.
The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, who resigned last year as pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of money obtained by fraud. He faces up to 10 years in
prison, a $250,000 fine and must pay restitution.
Prosecutors said Fay took between $1 million and $2.5 million over seven years, but the priest has disputed that. He admitted taking between $400,000 and $1 million.
“It's my understanding, your honor, that I used church monies, parish monies for means and for needs other than means and needs of the parish or the parishioners of the parish,” Fay said in court. “My understanding is that it's by
fraud."
Fay shoppe Good man,
Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom,
drove a Jaguar,
attended a sports club,
bought jewelry from Cartier,
spent $130,000 for limo rides for himself and his mother, ar
at Bergdorf
such as the Ritz Carlton, Hotel De Paris and the Four Seasons.
"We pray that today's announcement will help the Saint John Parish community put a sad chapter of its history behind it..."
BRIDGEPORT DIOCESE
is mother, and stayed at hotels
according to an investigative report released last year by the Bridgeport Diocese. He spent tens of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and meals and more than $20,000 to
mark the 25th anniversary of his
ordination, the report said.
He also bought a condominium in Florida with another man. Federal investigators said Fay also spent money to buy a condominium in Philadelphia.
Fay and his attorney, Lawrence Hopkins, declined to comment outside court. In the hearing, Fay said he had undergone chemotherapy for prostate cancer but the treatment was not working.
He was released on a $50,000 bond; sentencing is set for Dec. 4.
The diocese thanked federal
authorities for investigating the case.
"We pray that today's announcement will help the Saint John Parish community put a sad chapter of its history behind it and finalize the healing process;" the diocese said in a statement.
Fay remains unauthorized to function as a priest, church officials said. The parish has received restitution in the form of cash, real estate, and personal property worth about a few hundred thousand dollars, church officials said.
》 WESLEY KU
Christian organization begins life groups provides more intimate worship setting
BY SASHA ROE sroe@kansan.com
Campus ministry Wesley KU has made a more personalized kind of worship available to students this semester. The ministry introduces life groups in addition to its Tuesday evening services.
Life groups are small Bible study and prayer groups specifically designed for students who deal with similar situations and issues. Life groups formed so far include sections for men, freshmen, artists, fraternity members and sophomore women. The groups meet at various times in comfortable, casual settings on campus and around Lawrence.
Life group leader Kyle Bauman, Edinburgh, Ind., junior, said the groups provided a more trusting, personal atmosphere than a larger worship service.
sions."
"It's just like comparing larger lectures to smaller classes in college," Bauman said. "The smaller setting can bring more discus-
All life groups work through the same "conversation journal," a devotional guide that starts with the book of Matthew and works through the Gospels in the Bible. Bauman said the readings weren't long or difficult, but were meant to spark questions and conversation.
He said that the journals would help students get into the Bible and that open conversation would allow them to be honest about issues they encountered. He also said the groups were made to assist students as they grew closer to God and provide others who could answer members' questions. Bauman will begin his men's life group this Friday at 7 p.m.
Katie Trinter, associate director of Wesley KU, said both mentors and students benefited because they were able to cover issues more in-depth than they could during a worship service.
artists. She said she wanted to talk about how to balance being an artist and having a strong faith.
"As the staff, it's difficult to personally reach out to a campus of thousands." Tritter said.
"Artists seem so spiritual, yet sometimes they're not very religious." Trinter said. "I think they feel religion is very structured. I want to show them there are so many creative ways to express their faith."
If students can't find a group that fits their needs, they are encouraged to create their own. Trinder said Wesley KU offered a mentor program that helped leaders start life groups.
"It can be stressful leading a group," Trinter said. "We want to help empower them and answer any questions they have."
Trinter will lead a life group for
Students are encouraged to attend Wesley KU's regular worship services held in Room 100 of Smith Hall every Tuesday at 8 p.m. Anyone interested in attending a life group or forming their own group should contact Katie Trinter at (440) 315-5193.
Edited by Chris Beattie
》 ENVIRONMENT
editor@kansan.com
Recycling has new potential Campus program goes from newspaper to furniture
Celeste Heins, administrative manager of ESP, and other employees have planned the Surplus Property Recycling program since June. Although she has not yet started the program, Hoins said that a dozen University departments have shown interest in the new recycling system. Hoins accepted the surplus furniture from University departments this summer. The furniture, including desks and chairs, already fills the 2,500 square-feet warehouse on West Campus.
The Environmental Stewardship Program at the University of Kansas is working on new ways to reduce the waste on campus in addition to operating recycling services. Its new program, Surplus Property Recycling program, will receive excess office furniture from University buildings and sell it to any department or student organization on campus at a substantially reduced price.
BY SACHIKO MIYAKAWA
"It's been pretty successful." Hoins said. "A lot of people are excited about it and want to know more."
Hoins said she would also like to raise recycling awareness among students who live off campus. She is planning to provide recycling trailers around the parking lots of Memorial Stadium or the Student Recreation and Fitness Center at least once a month so that students have easy access to the recycling service.
ESP's projects are not limited to the Surplus Property Recycling program. The grants from previous years allowed ESP to purchase equipment, including a bailing machine, and expand the recycling service on campus.
"The visibility of our containers encouraged recycling." Hoins said. "It's a habit. Once you start recycling, then you feel weird throwing a plastic bottle in a trash."
Hoins said KU Recycling used to collect surplus furniture and donate it to nonprofit organizations from 2001 to 2004 until it lost the space
for storage. Compared to the old program, the new system allows more storage space and delivery services for the surplus furniture.
The program is still bound by state rules. ESP had not received the official approval of Surplus Property Recycling yet, but Hoins said the program would start this semester. She said ESP's coordination would benefit both providers and receivers of the furniture on campus.
Hoins said the new bailer could recycle material faster. The KU Recycling team, thanks to the equipment's efficiency, can put more containers on campus and increase some of the container sizes so that the team can collect more material with large volume such as cardboard. Hoins expected the amount of recycling would keep increasing this year following the growth of the
Hoins said she would like to partner with environmental organizations on campus to promote recycling and increase the supply of recycling containers in campus buildings and residence halls.
"They would be able to free up the space in the office immediately," Hoins said. "As far as resell on campus, we are cheap. People can get really nice stuff for their offices and departments," she said.
Margaret Tran, Derby sophomore, has taken advantage of the KU recycling service.
"I'm hopeful that we will be able to really promote ourselves this semester," Hoins said.
She uses it almost everyday both on campus and at her residence hall. "They do a good job recovering magazines, aluminum cans, plastics," Tran said. However, she said it would be better if she had more recycle bins for office papers and newspapers.
last year.
— Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
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