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This past week the Grand Jury in Pennsylvania issued a sweeping report regarding
allegations of sexual misconduct involving some 300 priests in the state of
Pennsylvania. The reports date back to as early as 1940.
Among the priests listed was Fr. Ernest Paone, a Pittsburgh priest, who 26 years
ago, served in the Diocese of Reno Las Vegas for six weeks. Archival records
indicate Fr. Paone’s only placement in Nevada was at St. Anne Catholic Church in
Las Vegas, where he served from February 3, 1992 until March 16, 1992 when he
requested to return to Oceanside, CA for reasons of health.
When Fr. Paone came to the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas there was no information
provided by the Diocese of Pittsburgh regarding any past allegations of sexual
misconduct. In 1994, two years after Paone left the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas,
the Diocese of Pittsburgh notified our Chancery that Fr. Paone had a history of
sexual misconduct. There are no records of misconduct in his brief time in the
Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas.
Out of an abundance of caution, I want to make this information known to the
Parish of St. Anne and the wider public. It is important that anyone who may have
additional information or who may be been affected while Fr. Paone was here
contact our Victim’s Assistance Minister, Ron Vallance at (702) 235-7723.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh reports that Fr. Paone died in 2012.
The Las Vegas Diocesan Conference is fast approaching!
We gather at The South Point Hotel on September 7th and 8th for formation and fellowship as well as an opportunity to personally welcome our new Bishop George Leo Thomas! Our theme this year, Hope Grows Here, calls us to embrace the words of the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 29, verse 11: For I know well the plans I have in mind for you – plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.
The logo (above) shows our cityscape with the asphalt of Las Vegas Boulevard below. Breaking forth from the asphalt is a flowering plant – new life – encompassed in rays of light. As we approach the one year anniversary of the tragic events that took place here in our city on October 1st, the Roman Catholic Church of Las Vegas comes together because we know that united in Christ, we are all one. This is our mission, this is our Baptismal call, this is what we believe.
Speakers from many different parts of our country are coming to share their knowledge and expertise with us. Dr. Robert Wicks’ keynote on Friday night, The Simple Care of a Hopeful Heart will address the psychological and spiritual approaches to maintain perspective and inner strength in challenging times. Our new Bishop will address us on Saturday morning and we’ve added a Young Adult track with some local speakers in the hopes of addressing and identifying a strong city-wide community of Young Adults.
Our Church encourages us to continue learning about our faith and finding ways to live it more effectively in our everyday lives. This Conference is a wonderful opportunity to gather with hundreds of our Catholic brothers and sisters to learn about our faith and be witnesses to each other.
When Bishop Thomas was first ordained Bishop, he chose as his motto, ‘Christ our Light!’ Don’t miss the opportunity to gather at this special time in our Diocese to learn and grow as members of the body of Christ, called to be light to the world. Register today at https://www.lasvegasdiocesanconference.org.
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