More salacious details about Monsignor Kevin Wallin, busted the other day by the feds in a meth distribution conspiracy. From Dan Tepfer, CT Post.
The Catholic priest busted for allegedly dealing crystal meth was suspended after church officials discovered he was a cross-dresser who was having sex in the rectory at Bridgeport’s St. Augustine Cathedral.
Monsignor Kevin Wallin was relieved of his duties in May, but the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport had continued to pay him a stipend until his Jan. 3 arrest–a day he was planning to fly to London on vacation.
Now dubbed “Msgr. Meth” by some, Wallin seemed to live a life that easily could have been ripped from the script of “Breaking Bad,” the popular AMC series about a high school chemistry teacher turned crystal methamphetamine producer. At one point, Wallin was selling upwards of $9,000 of meth a week, according to his indictment.
In his post-priesthood, Wallin, 61, bought an adult specialty and video store in North Haven called Land of Oz that sells sex toys and X-rated DVDs such as the best remote vibrator you can get online. Investigators believe the shop helped him launder thousands of dollars in weekly profits.
Wallin’s arrest sent shock waves through the Bridgeport and Danbury communities where he was known as a charismatic speaker who was involved in many charitable activities, and who enjoyed Broadway musicals and show tunes. He often attended musicals with his mentor, former N.Y. Cardinal Edward Egan and parishioners.
“There is an evil invading our world and it has come to our church,” said Maria Spencer-Fonseca, a long-time parishioner at St. Augustine as she stood outside the cathedral Thursday. “This was a work of evil–and I am praying for the monsignor.”
“I can’t fathom it,” said 77-year-old Therese Ruppert, a parishioner at the Church of St. Peter in Danbury, where Wallin was pastor from 1996 to 2002. “He was so spiritual. His sermons were wonderful. He had such knowledge of theology.”
Wallin, who is represented by a federal public defender, is charged with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. He has been detained without bond pending an arraignment next week
Read more here.
Whoa … Wait–does this qualify as “only in Bridgeport?” Well look at the bright side: at least he wasn’t doing children.
We don’t know that, indices, but he was certainly influencing them. This creep was on the Board of Trustees at SHU and was involved with overseeing Catholic parochial schools.
Clarification: “Whoa …” as in “Can you believe this?” “qualify as ‘… only in Bridgeport?'” is rhetorical; I think it does qualify purely on the bizarreness of this story, and the last remark was unmitigated sarcasm. Tricky to be clear sometimes on the Web. SHU sure does cost plenty though, doesn’t it? Remember
www .ctpost.com/local/article/Survey-SHU-least-affordable-college-in-U-S-3779924.php?
But they do have a fine FM radio station …
You can’t make this shit up. Unbelievable. I emailed the Post story to a friend on Long Island. Within minutes she phoned and asked, rhetorically, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Keep in mind most of the “shit” is made up. The CT Post claims the information is from “sources”–it doesn’t name them. Treat it like a comment made by an OIB poster hiding behind a handle. This is just the third week of 2013.
While this was going on the Diocese of Bridgeport had the nerve to rail against allowing gay people to get married. What I want to know is why Archbishop Egan was never under investigation since all this crap went on under his watch.
Egan and Wallin were collaborating on an Off-Broadway production that included a trinity of shows: Little Shop of Horrors, The Wizard of Oz and La Cage aux Folles. It was scheduled to come out this Ass Wednesday titled, “The Stations Of The Cross-Dressers!”
What’s in your Toy Closet?
This song is dedicated to Monsignor Wallin:
www .youtube.com/watch?v=l0a0MXocqqE
Today’s sermon in Trumbull went something along the line of “Well, he had a lot of responsibilities, and once I thought he looked sickly. I asked around and ‘they’ (others in the church hierarchy) said that he’d gone on … somewhere.
I didn’t hear an official apology, nor did I hear they were cutting ties or mandating accountability for his behavior.
A couple of weeks ago we had the ‘pleasure’ of listening to Fr. Joseph Marcello state all Christians should agree with the Pope and stand up to the danger homosexuals pose to our civilization.
I would be the one who stood up and (loudly) told Father Marcello what he was saying was sacrilegious and against the teachings of Christ. I also demanded he not use the pulpit for political purposes. Yes, I made a scene.
Unfortunately, there are few opportunities to stand up to the current hiereus (bureaucracy) and how else can we demonstrate to the young listening to this drivel “all Christians” don’t agree with the Church’s homophobic teachings?
I am certain suicidal teenagers would be grateful to you for speaking up for them. The vitriolic rantings from the Church as well as the Republican party are responsible for ignorant parents to disown their gay children. Lower their self esteem and ultimately contribute to unnecessary deaths. The Church has become a pure political enterprise where religion is secondary. I would imagine the Jewish Jesus would be appalled at the politics of the Church. Not just today but for the past 2000 years of lies, deceit and scandal.
Thank you. Now maybe I’ll have the courage to return to the 10:30 mass at St. Catherine’s next week.
Courage? You should be proud. It doesn’t take much to follow the crowd. One voice can change the world. It has happened on many occasions.