The Archdiocese of Hartford has removed a Seymour priest because of an investigation into “discrepancies in the church’s 2014 financial reports.”
The information comes from a July 17 letter sent to the parishioners at St. Augustine Church at 35 Washington Ave.
The letter was written by church trustees, the parish office and the church’s finance council. It was intended to address “unreliable stories ‘floating’ around our community of faith,” the letter states.
Maria Zone, the Hartford Archdiocese’s director of communications, confirmed the investigation in a prepared statement sent to the Valley Indy Wednesday.
“An investigation is being conducted at St. Augustine Church, Seymour, due to the discovery of certain financial irregularities there. During the pendency of that investigation, the parish administrator, Reverend Honore Kombo, has been relieved of his responsibilities at the parish,” Zone wrote.
The Archdiocese did not answer further questions about the matter.
In early 2015, church leaders began to take note of the alleged discrepancies, according to the letter from local church officials. The letter does not provide any details on the nature of the discrepancies.
A message was left Wednesday at the parish office.
“After a number of meetings, we determined that this was a situation that we did not clearly understand, nor were we able to grasp the depth of what was happening,” according to the letter.
The church then contacted the Archdiocese, who “conducted a comprehensive forensic audit of all our accounts, reports and financial paperwork.”
The Archdiocese moved Kombo to a “non-parish assignment” July 10.
“It was with many prayerful thoughts and a good deal of discussion before our problem was brought to the attention of the church offices in Hartford,” according to the letter to parishioners.
According to a 2014 story in the New Haven Register, the St. Augustine parish includes some 500 families.
“We appreciate your understanding of why we cannot release more facts to you at this time and we thank you for your continued support in all that is happening,” the letter concludes.
St. Augustine opened in 1856. Kombo is the thirteenth pastor in its history.
