Rev. Gerard Connolly, who serves as parish priest at St. John, 811 Chestnut Ave., and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, defended the destruction of the altar that, one expert says, would cost $15,000 to $50,000 to replace.
Connolly said the altar stone, a sacred object was removed and put in storage before the altar, a mixture of horsehair reinforced with steel, was discarded.
The altar was to be taken to a landfill and buried. The Two devotional altars also were dismantled and discarded, Connolly said.
"What is the reason for renovating St. John?" Wadium asked. "There is no church law, or even directive, that states our altar had to be destroyed. It was an integral part of our church architecture and the pride and joy of our community."
And sexual church politics (here)
Rev. Gerard Connolly, who formerly served at a Windber church and now is an Altoona pastor, also is accused of furnishing alcohol to the prisoner at State Correctional Institution-Cresson while he was a chaplain there.
Connolly, 66, has been arraigned before Cresson District Judge Charity Nileski on 12 felony counts of institutional sexual assault and five counts of taking contraband into the prison. The inmate – 36-year-old William Victor – has been charged with extorting $7,607 from Connolly. Victor has been moved to SCI-Huntingdon.
State police Cpl. Jeffrey Dombrosky alleged that the sexual contact took place five times between Sept. 15, 2006 and Jan. 16.
The inmate told police the incidents occurred during counseling sessions with the priest in the prison chapel.
Victor said Connolly brought alcohol into the prison for him and that he had been drunk when the sexual contact took place. The inmate said the priest touched him with his hand in a sexual manner, according to a police affidavit.
Connolly allegedly kept the alcohol hidden in his prison office. Three bottles of alcohol were recovered by prison officials and turned over to state police.
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