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April
16, 2003 Decisions reached on two court cases involving Newark priests Rev. Eugene Heyndricks, pastor of St. John Nepomucene, Guttenberg, pleaded guilty in Montreal criminal court on Wednesday, April 9 to one count of soliciting a minor for sex. The charge stemmed from the July 18, 2002 arrest of Fr. Heyndricks and Rev. William Giblin, a retired priest of the Archdiocese and the former headmaster of Seton Hall Preparatory School, by Montreal City police during a sting operation to curb prostitution. Sentencing arguments for Father. Heyndricks are set for May 1 in Montreal. Charges against Father. Giblin were withdrawn for lack of sufficient evidence. Both priests have been on voluntary leave from ministry since the Archdiocese received news of the arrests last July. On Friday, April 11, Rev. Michael Fugee, parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Wyckoff, was convicted in Superior Court of New Jersey, Hackensack, of one count of aggravated criminal sexual contact, but acquitted of a second charge of endangering the welfare of a minor. Fr. Fugee had been on voluntary leave from ministry since the Archdiocese received word of his arrest on these charges in March 2001. In commenting on these court decisions, James Goodness, director of Communications of the Archdiocese, stated, “Everyone in the Archdiocese and, in particular, the people in parishes that have been served by Fathers Heyndricks, Giblin and Fugee, are deeply saddened by these events. They are truly something we wish had never happened. The Archdiocese will be working with the communities served by these priests to help them move forward in the weeks ahead.” He added that, with regard to the Fugee case, the Archdiocese hopes now to reach out to the victim and his family to provide pastoral assistance and healing. Goodness also stated that for the time being the three priests will remain on voluntary leave until their legal proceedings are over. At that time, it is expected that the Archdiocesan Review Board, which investigates allegations of sexual misconduct by clergy and religious in the Archdiocese, will begin examining the charges. This process had not yet begun for any of the priests because the court proceedings had taken precedence.
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