[00:00:00] Odeya: I once worked for a canine charity on the outskirts of my town a few years ago. It was my first job within the sector, so I was new to the field and still learning about canine behaviour. A lot of these dogs who found themselves looking for a new home were subject to unthinkable abuse and neglect.
[00:00:15] They would cower when the squeaky kennel door opened to greet them in the mornings, or whimper when you gave them the gentlest of strokes along their backs. I'll admit, in those early days, it left me disheartened. At what point does a person lose themselves to commit such heinous acts on an innocent such as a dog?
[00:00:31] But in an attempt for them to accept love once more, the shelter orchestrated programs to rehabilitate these dogs in preparation for rehoming. One method we used would be the quiet room, an area where we could sit and allow the dogs to come to us in their own time. At their own pace, and learn that not all humans are bad.
[00:00:49] I'm still sceptical myself, but I digress. The dogs in the first few days would usually just pace around, looking for an escape route, cautiously looking behind themselves to see if we had moved. [00:01:00] Although this was an effective method if used continuously, many staff did not have the time to do this any longer than 20 minutes per day.
[00:01:07] Each carer had up to 26 dogs in their care. That is until Martha came along. The shelter had recently appealed for new volunteers to roll up their sleeves and lend a hand a few hours a week. Martha was retired, so she couldn't do much physical work such as kennel cleaning or walking the larger breeds, but she loved to talk.
[00:01:25] Looking back I think she was just lonely, with very little human interaction herself. With such unique skills it was suggested we let her work with the more nervous dogs in the quiet room. Hear me out on this. Her strange personality was off putting to most, so there was no objections from them in concealing Martha out of sight.
[00:01:44] So Matha was told to pick a spot and make herself comfortable, while we brought in our latest residents to meet her. I dropped off this ex working colleague to her, explained that it would most likely just dart around the room, so it's best just to leave her to it, Martha agreed. I shut the door [00:02:00] and began to walk away, which is when I heard Matha start a one way conversation, talking about her garden and what she planned to plant in it in the upcoming season.
[00:02:08] I shrugged it off. Whatever she thinks will work, I thought. Twenty minutes later, I came back, cautiously approaching the door as not to spook those behind it. I peeked in and I saw this feral dog resting its head on Marthas lap. She looked up with a smile. Martha quickly became our go to for this, her patience worked wonders.
[00:02:28] The dogs grew in more confidence day by day with her, it was incredible to see. And you could tell she felt she had a new purpose in life too. I remember mentioning to her that she had the patience of a saint, which she confessed was actually her previous profession, close enough. Turns out Marthas time in the church wasn't her happiest.
[00:02:49] She saw corruption and wrongdoings often ignored or buried, and so for her own sanity, she decided to leave, start fresh, which she confessed was rather a culture shock for her, since at a [00:03:00] young age the church was all she had known. Naturally, what she admitted sparked my questions about her previous life.
[00:03:06] You hear things, sure. There are countless jokes about the priests and their activities. And of course, many churches across the world are non profits, tied to many projects, including schools, clubs, food banks, addiction services. That's a lot of money fed into each of these. And sticky fingers can be found in the most unlikely of places, as you find out on this episode of Uncharitable.
[00:03:37] Fun fact. There are fewer than 42, 000 nuns residing in the US as of December 2023, a 76 percent drop since 1965. With research predicting that fewer than 1, 000 nuns will be left in the country by 2042. Why is this the case, you ask? To put it simply, our generation doesn't care to answer the call from God.
[00:03:58] With fewer than 1 [00:04:00] percent of nuns under the age of 40, we don't care for rules, which is why we resist authorities such as the church. With a rise in individualism, with more reliance on the self rather than on social rules, we refuse to commit. In 1965 there were 180,000 Catholic sisters in the United States. Most of those women are now over 80 years old and retired.
[00:04:22] Two of these women are sisters Mary Margaret Krupa and Sister Lana Chang. Once celebrated as dedicated educators, are exposed as nothing more than a pair of glorified slot jockeys. ST James Catholic elementary school a private Catholic school located in Torrance, CA. Providing education rooted in Catholic values from kindergarten to the 8th grade level, opened its doors at the Redondo Beach Campus on September 10th, 1918.
[00:04:49] Three sisters at St. Joseph's Carondelet accepted an invitation from Bishop Campwell to educate 70 students enrolled in the school's original four classrooms. By [00:05:00] 1954, the school had grown, adding in an additional four more classrooms, and by 1958, added eight more. In 1963, the parish built more classrooms on parish property, located in Torrance, so that the school could serve its peak enrolment of 1, 060 students.
[00:05:18] In 1990, the original Redondo Beach classrooms were converted into a preschool. With additional space for religious classrooms and parish meeting rooms. While the Torrance site was designated as the St James's School campus. Their mission is to teach and provide students with the skill sets, knowledge and the growth mindset needed to navigate their future.
[00:05:38] With an understanding of the balance needed when educating a child, they develop programs that focus on a student's social and emotional well being. In 2017, the school celebrated its 100th giving recognition to the sisters of St. Joseph for their dedicated assistance. Mary Margaret Crouper was one of those nuns, who joined the [00:06:00] sisterhood at just 18 years old, taking the vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, a small sacrifice for the bride of Christ.
[00:06:08] It's unknown as to why many individuals choose this life of celibacy. We're creatures of primal urges, are we not? Social individuals who thrive in another's arms, so this goes against what we seek naturally. Is it true they receive a calling from God? Who's to say? But it's a decision they make for themselves nonetheless.
[00:06:27] And it's in Mary's case that she would be seen in her serving role as an educator for the next 59 years in religious schools. 27 of those. It would be spent at St. Joseph's, who in 1990 appointed the educator as principal to help run and maintain the would be House of cards. Described as one who would put the children and parents above everything else, Mary's presence in the school certainly left a mental mark.
[00:06:53] The community appeared to adore her, sing her praises in fact, perhaps on the surface anyhow. [00:07:00] Ex students recall the tales of her tactics, used had they misstepped out a line. A personal favorite appeared to be what was called Walk the Line, which consists of a student continuously walking along a square that was painted onto the blacktop during their lunch break.
[00:07:15] The crimes committed, to name a few, forgetting to write your name on an assignment, kicking a school ball over the fence or singing off key during the morning assembly. Another recalls her entire class being forced to apologise to the principal individually for opting to wear their pyjamas to a free dress day.
[00:07:33] According to Sister Krupa, it sets a bad example for the younger students. Yeah, she was a tough one, but at least she was passionate about charity. Continuous efforts to raise funding for the school were never short. Constant joggerfons and candy bar sales would be tasked along with carnival style fundraisers twice a year.
[00:07:52] And not so fast, mum and dad. Let's not forget your contribution too. Sister Mary Margaret came after the parents who didn't donate enough to the church [00:08:00] on Sundays. On top of school tuition fees, it was custom to donate weekly through an envelope with your family's name on it. If it wasn't enough, expect to receive a letter threatening to raise your tuition.
[00:08:12] That was until the families called her out on the pressure. It was too much. Many families sacrificed vacations or home improvements to ensure the tuition costs granted the best education for their little ones. And still, God needed more. Sister Lana Chang held similar values too. One student recalls Chang losing her temper and confronting her mother for using poker as a study aid to teach addition.
[00:08:36] True story. So perhaps it was welcome news all round when the sisters decided to flip their game and retire in 2018. The church praised Sister Krupa in their newsletter, urging the parishioners to quote, take time and thank her for her generous service, end quote. She had given so much to the children, to the parents, her flawless reputation gleamed in the community.
[00:08:59] It was her time [00:09:00] now to be glorified, and with all this sudden free time on their hands, I wonder what's on the books for two newly retired educators. A cheeky beach vacation perhaps? Golf tournaments? Incarceration? Wait, what?
[00:09:21] If you didn't know already, it's customary to perform audits when there's a change of leadership in a school. No biggie, gotta make sure everything's shipshape for the new captain. So when the archdiocese conducted a financial review for the incoming principal, it appeared the numbers just wasn't adding up.
[00:09:37] A substantial amount of School funds have been misappropriated for what appeared to be personal use starting from 2008. The school processed the tuition fees by dividing and depositing them into several accounts, including a savings account and one established to pay for living expenses of the nuns employed by the school, but a closer look showed the money had been siphoned out of the accounts.[00:10:00]
[00:10:00] To where exactly begs the question. Further red flags began to surface when Sister Krupa herself instructed school administrators to destroy and alter financial records, and around the same time, a parent asked in the school meeting about an old tuition check that had an endorsement on the back that did not line up with the school's primary account.
[00:10:20] Colleagues reported their suspicions to Pastor Michael Mayers of St James Church, so it wasn't long before fingers were pointed and eyebrows were raised in the direction of our favourite old timers. There was no hiding it now, the sister's game was up. When confronted, the nuns could no longer hold their poker face.
[00:10:39] To justify her actions, Krupa dealt the hand that the money was owed to her, highlighting that the gender pay gap between priests and nuns is substantial, which in her eyes, apparently erases her wrongdoings within the church. To be fair to her, there are a lot worse annnnnd I'm not gonna finish that sentence.
[00:10:58] But eventually, she acknowledged her [00:11:00] wrongdoings and promised to cooperate in the ongoing probe and planned to make a full restitution to financially aid the damage that she had caused. In response to both confessions, the church and the archdiocese was reluctant to press charges, and on November 26th, 2018, they released a letter to notify the parents of the school, but would not disclose how much money was involved or how it was used, quote, After an internal investigation discovered embezzlement, The Sisters Congregation has agreed to arrange a full restitution for the benefit of the school of the funds that are found to have been misappropriated as imposing appropriate penalties and sanctions on each of the Sisters in accordance with the policies of the Order.
[00:11:43] At this time, the Archdiocese does not wish to pursue criminal proceedings against the Sisters. We have notified the police. but plan to address the situation internally. Myself and the Order pray that you have not lost trust or faith in the educators and the [00:12:00] administrators of the school. But just two weeks later, it's unknown why, but the church officials had a change of heart and contacted the police department, expressing their desire to prosecute.
[00:12:11] With ten years of records to sniff through, the police assigned additional staff to help find those who had submitted tuition checks, held account payment details, or donation information to calculate the exact amount stolen. In turn, the nuns were removed from their residence and placed in a religious house under the supervision of the conjulate for the next three and a half years, restricted from leaving the premises without permission or a chaperone.
[00:12:37] Jesus, what torture. With the cards laid out, they found that Krupa had diverted the school funds amounting to 835, 339 from the school's long overlooked Kova account to pay for expenses and send credit card charges. Expenses like round trips to Vegas and Lake Tahoe casinos. Substituting the light of the [00:13:00] lord for the neon gleams of the central Nevada strip.
[00:13:03] And apparently, hitting the tables wasn't a secret. Margaret spoke openly to both students and teachers about her short vacations, and claimed that Vice Principal Chang's wealthy relatives happily fit the bill each time. What saints. And as the school's bookkeeper, Margaret oversaw the school's monthly and annual reports to the school administration.
[00:13:23] It was effortless. The fake reports tricked the school into believing that the finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets safeguarded, which in turn allowed Krupa to maintain her access and control over the accounts. According to Courthouse News, when checks made out to the school were taken, Krupa would deposit them into a convert bank account.
[00:13:44] A month later, she would withdraw in a cheque and deposit it in a separate account belonging to another person, who would then cash the cheque and return the money to Krupa. It all made sense now. The school had operated on a shoestring budget for years, the school trips that never [00:14:00] happened, outdated textbooks that lined the bookshelves, and those little burnt cheeks caused by lunch breaks outside in unshaded areas.
[00:14:08] This was a manifestation of greed, an abuse of trust, and on a breakdown of an annualized basis, Kreuper and Chang had stolen the equivalent to 14 individual annual tuitions. But Pastor Meyers ensured the parishioners that no student or program at the school had suffered any loss of educational resources, opportunities, or innovations, but this didn't excuse the fact that both sisters had a lot to answer for.
[00:14:32] And on June 8th, 2021. Federal prosecutors filed charges against Krupa, who agreed to plead guilty to money laundering and wild fraud charges. Okay, maybe just the one then. Sister Chang, although initially implicated in the scheme, was not prosecuted. When questioned why, the US Attorney's Office said that only Krupa was to be charged in the case, and that the government considered the investigation closed.
[00:14:57] In a plea agreement, Krupa acknowledged her sins. [00:15:00] And ask federal judge Otis D. Wright to show mercy and spare her from prison. During a teleconference, she expressed remorse for what had happened, and claimed a mental illness she was not initially aware of had clouded her judgment. I have sinned. I have broken the law.
[00:15:17] And I have no excuses, Krupa told the judge. The crimes were a violation of my vows, the commandments, the law, and above all, the sacred trust that some had placed within me, end quote. Maybe this was a calling, towards a sweet release that just got out of hand. What I would give to be a fly on the wall in the early days.
[00:15:36] Did she hesitate, even just a little? On screen via a zoom window, saw five fellow nuns from Krupa's order. However, the sisterhood remained silent, reluctant to stand by her side this time. From the bench, Parents and former students took the opportunity to express how they felt upon learning of their teacher's actions.
[00:15:56] Students like Julia, who graduated in 2014, [00:16:00] she told the judge, quote, 'To know she has been taking money from my parents and my peers the whole time I was there was extremely shocking, and it sways me away from the Catholic Church. Trust shouldn't be broken like that, end quote, followed by Phil Ringler.
[00:16:14] Who, with his wife Debbie, sent five kids to St. James. The couple sacrificed family trips and restaurant meals to pay for their children, to attend a Catholic school that would build moral character. But instead, several of them now question their faith. Quote, We need to send a message that embezzling and betraying is not okay.
[00:16:32] No matter who you are, no matter what your age or circumstance, Hengla told the judge. Others urged the judge to sow leniency. Kevin Kearns, who met Krupa in 2011 when he enrolled his son in kindergarten at St. James, told the judge, quote, The church tells us to forgive those who are trespassed against us.
[00:16:52] I have used this to teach my son that we are all human. We all make mistakes, but the power of forgiveness is the most powerful tool we have. [00:17:00] Mark Brine, Cooper's defense attorney, circled back towards the fact that Principal's addiction was a mental illness, which he served along with the request for a probation of three years, instead of the maximum 40 years in jail she was facing.
[00:17:13] In his statement, He mentions the 80 year old had nowhere to go, quote, She's 80 years old, doesn't have any money, and is obviously not employable, end quote. Prosecutors, however, saw it differently. U. S. Attorney Poonen Kumar told the Washington Post, quote, Her actions were done before the money could be accounted for, displaying repetitive and deceptive behavior over and over again.
[00:17:37] She wanted more than she had, end quote. Torn between the parents and students who forgave her and those who demanded retribution for her theft, Judge Wright confessed that he had lost sleep over this case and could not bring himself to judge Krupa solely on the, quote, worst thing that she has done in her life.
[00:17:54] End quote Wright told the educator, quote, you've been one heck of a teacher. You can be proud of [00:18:00] that. But somewhere along the line, you just ran completely off the road. And I think you understand that, at least.... I hope you do. Nuns should realize that just by living their lives and living the way they do.
[00:18:11] They affect children for the rest of their lives. The overwhelmed judge then paused, placed his head in his hands and fell silent.
[00:18:24] On February 7th, 2022, sister Mary Margaret Krupa was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Wright rejected the proposed two years from the prosecutors, but acknowledged that he needed to set an example that, regardless of whatever status a person held within a community, wrongdoings committed by any individual would still need to be punished.
[00:18:45] Wright also ordered the sister to repay the full 835, 339 dollars in restitution to St James, but lowered the amount by 10, 000. To account for what had already been repaid. Accepting her fate, the sinner [00:19:00] promised to fall more closely in Christ's footsteps, and spend the rest of her days trying to make amends.
[00:19:05] Quote, I was wrong, and I'm profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused so many people. I apologize for the public scandal, the embarrassment, and the financial burden placed on the sisters in the religious community, end quote. That's step one completed, sister. Eleven more to go. Welcome to retirement.
[00:19:26] Remember, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But you're welcome to try and prove us wrong. Sending thoughts and prayers your way.
[00:19:44] Thanks for listening. Uncharitable is produced by me, Host Odeya. With the music used listed in the show notes below. To those who think they are struggling with a gambling addiction, or think you may know someone who is, please look at the support resources below too. I have [00:20:00] provided UK and US options.
[00:20:02] You are not alone, and there is help out there. If you found this episode interesting, I'm not one to tell you what to do, but you can always let me know by considering contributing to the community on Instagram, Reddit, or X. It gives me the motivation to carry on, and it helps others find the podcast too.
[00:20:19] Alright, that's it. Class [00:21:00] [00:22:00] dismissed.