Catholic Church's visiting priests come under scrutiny

About five years ago, a visiting priest from Haiti was looking for a parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport to call home for a time.

His travels brought him to St. Mary's Parish on Greenwich Avenue, whose pastor offered the priest, Jean Marie DeGraff, room and board while DeGraff was working in the diocese and advocating for his impoverished home country of Haiti. In return, DeGraff performed duties around the parish as needed, including assisting with Mass and speaking with parishioners, a role he filled between 2007 and 2008.

DeGraff, who became a priest in the Society of St. Jacques in Haiti in 2004, traveled throughout the diocese, which encompasses Fairfield County, with the permission of Bishop William Lori, speaking at parishes about his home country.

Diocese officials know DeGraff, 49, performed a variety of duties at St. Mary and moved around the diocese. But that's where offic...



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