A 'good' priest's lurid fall — to suspected meth dealer..
Charismatic Connecticut monsignor known for his dazzling sermons..
out of our control,” said Brian Wallace, a spokesman for the diocese. “When we learned about it we took action immediately and forcefully, and regrettably, given how good a priest he was.”
The lurid case is only the latest scandal for the Bridgeport Diocese, already tainted by a string of clerical sexual abuse cases. Last year, the Rev. Michael R. Moynihan, the former pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Greenwich, was sent to prison for obstructing justice after being accused of spending church money on himself. In 2007, the Rev. Michael Jude Fay, from St. John Roman Catholic Church in Darien, was convicted of stealing $1.3 million; he died in prison.
Many particulars remain unclear about Monsignor Wallin’s tangled life, and his lawyer did not return calls. This depiction is constructed from interviews with members of the clergy and laity who knew him, as well as from court documents.
Monsignor Wallin’s fall seems precipitous. But colleagues said that his faith had been weakening for years under the imperatives of running a financially crippled church, and that he had long been sexually active with men. His drug use, they suspect, may have been more recent, and the final tinder that exploded his life.
A dazzling start The priesthood was his second choice. He began in education.
He was born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y., and when his parents divorced, he, his mother and two sisters lived with his grandparents on Long Island. He graduated from the State University of New York at Potsdam, then earned a master’s from Bowling Green.
For seven years, starting in 1974, he held administrative jobs at SUNY College at Purchase, overseeing student activities and school facilities.
Deciding to become a priest, he enrolled in 1981 in a seminary associated with the Catholic University of America and was ordained in 1984. He told friends: “Being a priest is not what I do. It’s who I am.”
Starting as a parochial vicar, he presented dazzling oratorical gifts, charisma and indefatigable drive. In 1987, Bishop Walter Curtis, who led the Diocese of Bridgeport, appointed him as his secretary, a prestigious position akin to a combined presidential chief of staff and press secretary.
A year later, the Rev. Edward M. Egan became bishop of Bridgeport and Father Wallin stayed on as his secretary. The Rev. Leo McIlrath, the ecumenical chaplain at the Lutheran Home of Southbury, and others said the two were close and went to Broadway shows, opera and dinners together.
Monsignor Wallin framed the playbills from the many shows he saw. His parish e-mail address became broadwayguy73.
He remained secretary to Bishop Egan until becoming pastor of the Church of St. Peter in Danbury in 1996. Bishop Egan, who went on to become the archbishop of New York and a cardinal, declined to speak about Monsignor Wallin.
In April 2002, Bishop William E. Lori, who had succeeded
Bishop Egan as bishop of Bridgeport, appointed Monsignor Wallin to his final
post as pastor of St. Augustine, the diocese’s mother church. Such was his
allure, Mr. McIlrath said, that some Danbury parishioners began attending Mass
at St. Augustine. Many imagined him becoming a bishop.
“He was an encyclopedia of church history,” said Peter George, 79, a parishioner in Bridgeport. “He was a talented speaker, good in his homilies.”
He was involved with many local charities and on the board of Sacred Heart University. He was an important pipeline to wealthy parishioners whose donations were crucial, especially as chaplain to the Order of Malta, an international Roman Catholic charity.
“His lifestyle was go-go-go-go, doing 50 things at once,” said a businessman who knew him. “He loved to mix with the big shots.”
But there was evidence he was wrestling with his faith. A church worker who has known him for decades described a session with other priests years ago during which they spoke of things like the mercy of God, and Monsignor Wallin said, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“He had become disillusioned with the bureaucracy of the church,” this worker said. “You’re always doing the ceremony. You’re always dealing with the paperwork. You’re not shepherding souls.”
“He was an encyclopedia of church history,” said Peter George, 79, a parishioner in Bridgeport. “He was a talented speaker, good in his homilies.”
He was involved with many local charities and on the board of Sacred Heart University. He was an important pipeline to wealthy parishioners whose donations were crucial, especially as chaplain to the Order of Malta, an international Roman Catholic charity.
“His lifestyle was go-go-go-go, doing 50 things at once,” said a businessman who knew him. “He loved to mix with the big shots.”
But there was evidence he was wrestling with his faith. A church worker who has known him for decades described a session with other priests years ago during which they spoke of things like the mercy of God, and Monsignor Wallin said, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“He had become disillusioned with the bureaucracy of the church,” this worker said. “You’re always doing the ceremony. You’re always dealing with the paperwork. You’re not shepherding souls.”