Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Church offices searched in probe
Officials: Package with drugs was delivered to Chadds Ford parish
A day after Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant involving a mailed delivery of suspected illegal drugs to St. Cornelius Church, activity Thursday at the sprawling Catholic campus included some landscaping work and a blood drive.
A parish employee referred all inquiries regarding the police activity on Wednesday to Kenneth Gavin, director of communica-
tions for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
“In the course of normal duties, parish staff recently opened a package that was addressed to the parish and delivered to the Parish Life Center with Monsignor (Gregory) Parlante’s name on it. It was believed to contain illegal drugs,” Gavin stated Thursday in an email. “The matter was reported to law enforcement and a search warrant was executed yesterday morning. Both the parish and the archdiocese are cooperating fully with law enforcement in the course of their active investigation.
State Police Lt. James
J. Hennigan, commander for Troop K Media Station in Middletown, was tightlipped Thursday about the investigation. He would only confirm that troopers were at St. Cornelius for a time Wednesday executing a warrant.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation,” Hennigan said. No charges have been filed in connection with the probe.
Neither Gavin nor Hennigan specified what type of drugs had been found in the package. The amount of drugs found in the package also was not divulged.
As of mid-afternoon Thursday, a copy of the search warrant had not been returned to district court and therefore, unavailable for public view. Investigators have 48 hours between the time the search warrant is signed by a judge and returned to the court. Unless sealed by the court, search warrant applications are public information.
In his email, Gavin indicated that Parlante, the church pastor, has been absent from the parish
for several weeks due to health-related issues, and other personal matters. In his absence, the Rev. James DeGrassa was assigned as temporary parochial administrator.
During the weekend of May 20-21, according to Gavin, “It was shared with St. Cornelius parishioners at all Masses that Monsignor Parlante’s health issues precluded his ability to serve the temporal and pastoral needs of the parish community. It was also shared that Msgr. Parlante made a decision that his health issues would not permit him to return as pastor. As such, he has been on a personal leave of absence.”
Additionally, parishioners learned that same weekend that a new pastor, Monsignor David Diamond,
had been assigned and would officially join the parish on June 19.
An announcement from Parlante, who celebrated his 35th anniversary of ordination on May 15, was published in the parish Sunday bulletin on May 28.
“For the past few years my heath was not totally recovered from my near death illness,” the announcement states. “In March I began a medical leave to address my health issues. I asked the archbishop to accept my resignation as pastor so that I can totally devote my time to becoming well.”
Parlante asked for prayers, and indicated that he would pray for the congregants.
Parlante was included in a long prayer list of names published in the bulletin.