A collection basket with donations is pictured in an illustration. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
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(OSV News) -- A Connecticut priest has been placed on administrative leave for allegedly misappropriating parish funds for personal use, with the priest denying the charges and the news prompting protests from a number of stunned faithful.
Father Charles E. Jacobs has been removed as parochial administrator of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Hartford, Connecticut, pending an investigation by the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Father John P. Melnick, the archdiocese's vicar for clergy, has been appointed as Holy Trinity's administrator by Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne, since the community is canonically a mission of the Archdiocese of Hartford's Cathedral of St. Joseph, where Father Melnick serves as rector.
OSV News has contacted the Archdiocese of Hartford for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
Local television station WTNH conducted separate, on-camera interviews with both Father Jacobs and with Father Melnick about the matter.
In a video posted to the station's website Feb. 28, Father Jacobs -- who said he was forbidden to present himself as a priest or publicly celebrate the sacraments, except to hear confession for those in danger of death -- denied misappropriating parish collection monies for his personal use.
"I've never taken a penny out of that (collection) basket for myself," he said. However, he admitted to having "put aside maybe $80 or so" of the weekly collection to aid "those people who would come to me in need" during the week.
Father Jacobs also said he had "never kept track" of the amounts taken, and claimed that Archbishop Coyne had seemed "like he wanted retribution."
Later in the interview, the priest said he felt the archbishop "had no use" for him, and disapproved of the priest's "pet-friendly" policy at his parish, which allowed Massgoers to bring dogs, cats and even "a hamster" to liturgies.
Father Jacobs also admitted he "periodically" gambled at Mohegan Sun, a casino and resort operated by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut in Uncasville, about 45 miles east of Holy Trinity. But the priest denied claims that he had a gambling problem or used parish money for his casino visits.
The priest said that following questioning by diocesan investigators, he had been taken by ambulance to Hartford Hospital's emergency behavioral unit for psychiatric evaluation, since the investigators "as mandated reporters ... perceived I was going to take my life or something."
But in a separate interview with WTNH, Father Melnick, the vicar for clergy, said he had been present at a meeting with Archbishop Coyne and Father Jacobs, during which the latter had "admitted to taking money for his personal use from the collection plate."
Father Melnick said he did not believe the priest's claims about giving money to those in need, saying, "Certainly, as an administrator of a parish, if he wanted to give money to the poor, he just simply would give it from the church to the poor. It wouldn't have to funnel through his personal accounts."
He said the case came to light following a tip submitted to the Hartford Police Department, which contacted the archdiocese.
Father Melnick said that Father Jacobs was suspected of having siphoned off the collection money for some 20 years, adding, "We'll never have the total answer."
Regarding Father Jacobs' insistence on his innocence, the vicar for clergy said, "I have seen him lie. ... I think he does a very good job about painting the picture he wants to be perceived."
While local media reported the case March 3, news about Father Jacobs was announced following holy Communion during a Jan. 26 Mass celebrated at Holy Trinity by Father Melnick, prompting an angry protest from one young adult attending the livestreamed liturgy.
Following Father Melnick's address, the young man could be heard repeatedly saying, "That's not true" as he approached the altar and stepped into the ambo and addressed the congregation to some applause.
"Father Jacobs has been accused of something because this guy is telling you guys this," said the unidentified man. "We know him as people. ... He would not do that. ... And if he was to, it's (for) the poor, and that's what we're supposed to do. ... This is not true, this is not true. ... We should go over there to his house, and we should go to comfort him."
As the man continued speaking, Father Melnick gave the final blessing, and the recessional procession began before the livestream ended.
According to a Facebook post by user Anne Goshdigian, a March 1 Mass was set to be celebrated at Holy Trinity "to show support for longtime church priest Father Jacobs."
- - - Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.