Update on Douglas Perlitz/Paul Carrier wrongdoings in Haiti - Parishioner objecting to church secrecy regarding Fr. Carrier's questionable fundraising in Perlitz case, threatens to sue town

After being banned from church, man threatens to sue town Written by Susan Shultz Thursday, 19 November 2009 12:06   A New Canaan man has threatened to file both civil and criminal lawsuits against Darien over the police department's response to his attempt to announce news at the end of a Mass at his parish, St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church.   Last month, the parishioner, Michael Nowacki, attempted to take to the church lectern to tell Mass attendees about a priest who has presided over Mass and other events at St. Thomas More. The priest, the Rev. Paul Carrier, has also solicited funds from parishioners for a now-suspended Haitian charity tied to a criminal investigation. Nowacki refused to stop addressing the parishioners until police were called.   The former director of the Project Pierre Toussaint, Douglas Perlitz, is currently facing charges of child abuse.   Father Carrier, a Jesuit who is not a St. Thomas More or Bridgeport Diocese priest, was mentioned in a letter distributed to the parish regarding his role in the church and the charity.   In the letter to parishioners dated Nov. 12, signed by the church's pastor, the Rev. Barry Furey, said an internal investigation began after a parishioner raised some questions and the letter was a result of that investigation.   Nowacki was asked to leave the church grounds on that Oct. 3 afternoon. In the police report, Officer Daniel Gorton said that he "attempted to quiet Nowacki down but he only shouted he had a right to be there."   Gorton said he met with Father Furey who told him that "he did not give him permission to speak to any of the parishioners at the end of Mass."   He also wrote that "Father Furey stated that he received permission from Bishop William Lori of the Diocese of Bridgeport to have Nowacki arrested if he returns to church property."   Last week, Nowacki received a letter from the church's attorney saying he and his family are welcome back to the church but that the parish "will not tolerate any unauthorized activity on the parish campus or buildings, such as attempting to address the congregation before, after or during services, handing out or placing flyers on automobiles, attempting to get signatures on petitions unless authorized by the pastor."   The letter, from attorney Joseph Rucci, also instructs Nowacki to direct all further communications regarding the issue to his law firm, Rucci Burnham, rather than directly to the church administration.   In the letter to the parishioners, Father Furey addressed the previous fund-raising by Father Carrier, and said that all of the donations were handled according to parish and diocesan policies and procedures. In the letter, Father Furey also told the parish that Father Carrier is not currently involved with any activities of the parish and said all information has been provided to the appropriate authorities.   Nowacki told The Darien Times that Rucci told him the police report was incorrect and that the bishop did not call the police.   Rucci told The Darien Times that as for the wording above regarding the bishop and diocese giving Father Furey "permission" — "I do not know that to be true or untrue."   Rucci said that Nowacki seems to be concerned as to who made the actual call to police that day, and he's not sure it "matters."   Police Chief Duane Lovello said that the department stands by the accuracy of the police report.   Nowacki has since filed a Freedom of Information request with town counsel Wayne Fox asking for, among other things, "access to all notes that were made by Officer Gorton and (Lt. Bussell) that went into the incident report," "any telephone records of communications between attorney Joe Rucci and Captain (sic) Lovello, a copy of the e-mail sent from Captain (sic) Lovello to his staff on Friday afternoon, Nov. 13," "any access to any phone calls which may have occurred on any cell phone phones paid for by the Town of Darien to the Chief of Police Lovello and Attorney Joe Rucci's business or personal cell phone from the period of Oct. 3 through and including present day," and "any notes, e-mails, or any form of phone logs or written communication with any employee of the Town of Darien and Chief Lovello, Karl Kilduff, Dave Campbell or any of their administrative staff from the period of time between Sept. 19 and the present that would have involved St. Thomas More or any of its employees and Attorney Rucci who was retained as counsel for St. Thomas More and its staff and parishioners."   In his e-mail to Fox, the town's attorney, Nowacki, who told The Darien Times he plans to file both criminal and civil lawsuits against the town, wrote that "the attempts of the Darien Police Department to obstruct my rights to chose my place of worship and to silence my first amendment rights to free speech as a parishioner of St. Thomas More are not just civil liberties issues."   Nowacki wrote that any "collaboration" between Rucci and Chief Lovello "could give rise to criminal penalties for inappropriate attempts to sequester evidence of wrongdoing at St. Thomas More Parish by an employee of the Town of Darien."   Perlitz was indicted in September for sexually abusing several boys in Haiti for approximately a decade. He was the founder and director of Project Pierre Toussaint, a boys school in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. If he is convicted, Perlitz faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count of the indictment.   As far as whether or not Father Carrier is a person of interest or involved in the case at all, Tom Carson of the U.S. Attorney's office had no comment.   As Father Carrier is a Jesuit, the Society of Jesus of New England's Alice Poltorick called the charges against Perlitz "very serious and disturbing" and said that Project Pierre Toussaint is "not a mission of the Society of Jesus of New England."   "The society is cooperating fully with the investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. In light of the ongoing investigation, the Society is not making any further comment on this matter at this time," she wrote in an e-mail to The Darien Times.   Diocese of Bridgeport spokesman Dr. Joseph McAleer said that while it "remains a parish matter," he said "a concerned parishioner" called the police after Nowacki "caused a scene after Mass."   The diocese and parish came to a mutual agreement to have an order keeping Nowacki from the church grounds until he "promised not to be disruptive," and the parish then told the police, which McAleer said may have caused the diocese to be included in the police report — which he said he hasn't seen.   McAleer also said that Father Furey spoke about the matter at all Masses, asking all parishioners to come forward who may have donated funds, pledged cooperation with authorities and the parish also its own investigation.   "The parish has taken this matter very seriously and has done its due diligence," he said.   sshultz@darientimes.com