ROSELLE, Ill., May 11 (UPI) -- A Catholic priest convicted of stealing $295,000 from a suburban Chicago parish failed to persuade a judge to let him return to the pulpit while on probation.
Attorneys for the Rev. John Regan, who gambled away the money, said he had sought to return to work as a priest partly to help pay restitution he owes for the thefts from St. Walter Church in Roselle, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
But DuPage County Judge John Kinsella rejected the request and said he wants Regan to keep working a $9-an-hour job at a factory.
"I thought it was important the defendant engage in menial and manual labor," said Kinsella, who sentenced Regan last August. "People worked hard for their money and quite rightfully were dismayed by the loss of their money."
Kinsella sentenced Regan, 48, to 60 days in jail and ordered him to do 150 days of work-release, then complete 500 hours of community service work. Regan was put on probation for four years and ordered to pay back the $295,000.
Defense attorney John Donahue said Regan has completed his jail term and almost all his work release.
The priest has had "very minimal" religious duties since his release from jail, Donahue said.
