Misuse of accounts comes to light at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Kingston

Congregants of St. John The Apostle Catholic Church in Kingston have been made aware of misuse of funds by its pastor, Friar David Collins.

Congregants of St. John The Apostle Catholic Church in Kingston have been made aware of a “financial issue” in regard to its pastor, Friar David Collins. According to a statement from the Office of the Archdiocese of Kingston , Archbishop Michael Mulhall said the financial issue had to do with Friar David’s use of the church’s financial accounts. “Friar David met with the Chancellor of Temporal Affairs, Ken Hall, at the Chancery Office to explain the significant financial irregularities related to these accounts.

An investigation into the full scope of this matter is ongoing,” Mulhall wrote. According to the notice from the Archdiocese of Kingston, the Provincial of the Conventual Franciscan Friars and Archbishop Michael Mulhall met with Friar David on June 17th. After the meeting, Friar David returned to his Franciscan community in Toronto.

According to The Pillar , a catholic media outlet, a letter was sent out to congregants of the church on July 10 from the archbishop informing them of the allegations. The letter stated that a review of parish accounts dating back to 2019 determined that over $630,000 had been taken through the issuing of irregular cheques. In total, the letter stated that a vast majority of the 1,196 irregular cheques issued were from the general account, and three cheques were from the mass account.

The Whig-Standard has been unable to independently verify the amount, but has reached out to the Archdiocese of Kingston and the Ontario Provincial Police for comment. Mkulchar@postmedia.com