By Anne Geggis
DELRAY BEACH — A longtime pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church died Feb. 11. The Rev. John Skehan was 96 and died surrounded by loved ones, according to friends.
The native of Ireland was beloved by many parishioners even after his tenure at the church ended after he pleaded guilty to stealing money from the church and was sentenced to prison.
After his release from Martin County Correctional Institution in 2012, Father Skehan lived for 10 years not far from the church he served for 40 years, but was not allowed on church property.
About two years ago, he moved to Lourdes-Noreen McKeen Residence, a West Palm Beach assisted-living facility.
“He was a dear, dear loved person from my childhood family,” said Michelle Donahue, 55, now a real estate agent, who received the sacrament of confirmation from Father Skehan and graduated from St. Vincent Ferrer School in 1982. “I called him ‘Pops.’”
In 2006, Father Skehan was accused of taking more than $370,000 from the church. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to taking more than $100,000 and was sentenced to 14 months in prison, serving 11 months of that time.
He made nearly $800,000 in restitution by turning over a condominium and a gold coin collection.
Frank McKinney, who joined St. Vincent’s in 1997 and whose daughter Father Skehan baptized, said he doesn’t believe that the priest committed any crime. He just didn’t account for the money and he gave it out to those who came to him in need just like an “old-school” Irish Catholic priest would do, McKinney said.
“The man didn’t know how to use a calculator, let alone a computer,” said McKinney, an author, developer of unique oceanfront estates and philanthropist who has built 31 Haitian villages from his book proceeds. “Any premeditated idea of taking money from the church … he would never, never do.”
The Rev. Francis Guinan, who followed Father Skehan as St. Vincent’s pastor, was charged at the same time with stealing $488,000 from the church. He went to trial and a jury found him guilty of stealing between $20,000 and $100,000. He was sentenced to four years in prison and served three years and seven months for the theft before his release in 2012. He retired to Port St. Lucie.
The thefts made national news, but Donahue said that parishioners’ devotion to Father Skehan was such that he never spent an hour of the allowed visitation in prison without visitors.
“He was a good man, did a lot of good things and helped a lot of people,” she said.
Father Skehan became a communicant at St. Mark Catholic Church in Boynton Beach following his release.
A requiem Mass was expected to take place in Ireland.
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