As Irwin-area Catholics lament the loss of a beloved longtime pastor, their counterparts in the New Kensington area say they are happy to gain a fourth priest in their parish.
The Rev. John Moineau was cleared by his doctors and Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick to return to work after resigning upon the bishop’s request after failing to review the criminal background of a parish employee, the diocese said.
But Moineau will no longer be in charge of a parish. He had been pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Irwin for 19 years and at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in North Huntingdon for seven years.
Kulick announced last week that Moineau will serve as a priest at St. Margaret Mary in Lower Burrell and Mount St. Peter, St. Joseph and St. Mary of Czestochowa parishes in New Kensington starting Oct. 23.
Moineau’s reassignment is under the supervision of the Rev. Kenneth Zaccagnini, pastor of St. Margaret Mary. Zaccagnini was a parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish in 1985, according to diocesan records.
‘An egregious failure’
The move comes after a diocesan investigation concluded there was noncriminal negligence when a man who pleaded guilty to lewdness and indecent exposure charges was allowed to work for more than a decade combined at Irwin’s Immaculate Conception and North Huntingdon’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishes, in violation of diocesan policy.
Moineau ultimately was responsible for allowing Shon M. Harrity, 47, of North Huntingdon to work at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in North Huntingdon last year, the diocese said.
Moineau, who is on retreat after being placed on medical leave as of June 17, could not be reached for comment.
Moineau admitted to failing to uphold the diocesan standards policy by not reviewing Harrity’s criminal background file. Harrity had been charged with open lewdness, indecent exposure and possession in 2000. He pleaded guilty to the charges.
In an interview with TribLive last week, the bishop addressed the severity of what happened.
“This was much more than a clerical error,” Kulick said. “This was negligent supervision, which was an egregious failure to uphold our higher standards related to the safety of children.”
Harrity was hired in 2012 by the Rev. Leonard Stoviak to work in maintenance at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Former parish finance council members told the diocese that they informed Stoviak about Harrity’s criminal record and he was aware that Harrity had some sort of criminal record.
Failed background checks
The diocesan investigation into the situation found multiple failures by priests and parish employees. Harrity should have failed the background checks three times, the diocese said.
Moineau renewed Harrity’s criminal background clearances in 2020, even though the files indicated he was disqualified from a job by state and diocese requirements because of his record. Moineau signed a letter that Harrity’s clearances complied with church policy.
A safety environment coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton had a file on Harrity that included an FBI fingerprint check, which should have disqualified Harrity for a church job. That safety environment coordinator did not flag the file when it was sent electronically when Harrity transferred to the cemetery job last year, the diocese said.
That failure to catch Harrity’s criminal record occurred before Moineau’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and treatments, the diocese said. Moineau admitted in a video in June that it was an act of negligence for which he is sorry.
Harrity’s record came to light to the diocese when he was arrested May 8 by North Huntingdon police on charges of rape and involuntary deviate and statutory sexual assault of a girl less than 16 years old, according to court documents. Harrity’s case has yet to come to trial in Westmoreland County Court.
Stoviak retired in 2017 and will not be reassigned as an administrator, pastor or parochial vicar, according to the diocese.
The diocese also said there was no evidence that Charles Quiggle, who was the diocesan human resources director, authorized hiring Harrity.
At the time, Kulick was a top assistant to the bishop. He was not made aware of Harrity’s criminal record, the diocese said.
Quiggle retired from the diocese in 2018. He was subsequently imprisoned on child abuse charges in Florida in 2022. The diocese said Quiggle passed background checks and there were no allegations of abuse while he worked at the diocese.
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office responded to the diocese’s request in May for an investigation and found there was no criminal wrongdoing by Moineau or Stoviak or conspiracy to cover up Harrity’s criminal records.
A canonical investigation, however, by former police officers and prosecutors determined there were serious violations of church law and diocesan policies, the diocese said.
Kulick said in an interview with TribLive that the diocesan investigation found there was “culpable negligence” on the part of both priests. Kulick said he did not participate in the canonical investigation that involved 30 people, including two independent canon lawyers and two separate diocesan advisory boards.
Disgruntled parishioners
“People are elated that he has been reinstated, but we’re sad it’s not at Immaculate Conception (Parish),” said Kellie Simon, 62, of North Huntingdon.
She’s been a member of the parish for most of her life and said there was more to the story than has been publicly released by the diocese.
“Many parishioners have concern for how this was handled, as well as the bishop’s leadership. … We’re also very concerned about the bishop’s lack of leadership,” Simon said.
Others agreed.
“He was ripped away from us since Memorial Day. It was petty and spiteful,” said Mark Lerch of Hempfield, a 30-year member of Immaculate Conception.
“(Moineau) essentially built up the attendance through his work with young people,” said Lerch, an usher, a Eucharistic minister and a parish council member when Moineau was assigned to Immaculate Conception 19 years ago.
Moineau had been at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton since 2017, the diocese said.
“Those of us who have known Father Moineau for the last 19 years have seen his deep commitment to the protection and education of our youth on a daily basis — not just when the lights are shining on him,” said Chris Peta, an Immaculate Conception member who led a petition drive to reinstate Moineau.
The Rev. Michael Crookston, a North Irwin native who was the priest at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton from 1993 to 1998, was appointed by the bishop as pastor for Immaculate Conception and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishes.
By assigning Moineau to parishes in the New Kensington area, the Lower Burrell native will be closer to his family and treatments for pancreatic cancer, the diocese said.
The diocese declined to comment on the criticism leveled at the bishop. A statement published in the Catholic Accent, the diocesan newspaper, will stand as its comments on the issue, said Cliff Gorski, a diocesan spokesman.
Irwin residents Bob and Missy Stein echoed the feelings of other Immaculate Conception parishioners by saying they were pleased with Moineau’s reinstatement but not his new assignment or how the diocese handled it.
“I felt the letter (from Kulick) was condescending and spiteful,” said Bob Stein, 57.
“It lacks transparency,” added Stein, a parishioner for 31 years.
Missy Stein, 57, a lifelong parishioner at Immaculate Conception, also said she is happy for Moineau.
“He built IC (Immaculate Conception) up and brought a lot of people to church, including my father,” she said.
New Ken Catholics welcome 4th priest
The New Kensington Catholic community is looking forward to having another priest, said Kellie Abbott of Freeport.
“We’re certainly happy to have a fourth priest join our parish community,” said Abbott, a pastoral council member at Mount St. Peter Church.
She said she does not know Moineau personally, but the information she has read from the diocese and the letters to the editor in TribLive supporting him lead her to have confindence in his abilities.
“He seems to be a very beloved priest and a great pastor,” she said. “I think he’ll fit right into the New Kensington community very well.”