The Rev. Kenneth Anderson, pastor of St. John Henry Newman Parish, 3698 Lyons St., has been asked to step down from his administrative duties while the Archdiocese of Chicago investigates his handling of parish finances.
In a letter sent Monday to the parish community, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago addressed the issue.
“You should know that serious questions have been raised about the administration of parish finances,” Cupich wrote. “We have therefore undertaken a review of parish finances and have asked Father Anderson to step away from his financial administrative duties while we do so.”
Anderson will retain his other duties as pastor during the financial review, and Pastor Wayne Watts of Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Parish in Wilmette will oversee the administration of internal finances, Cupich wrote.
While it is not known how long the financial review will take, Cupich wrote that Anderson is cooperating fully.
Anderson did not respond to a request for comment.
Financial problems are nothing new to the Archdiocese. Dwindling enrollment at Catholic schools and lower attendance at parishes has caused many to shutter or to merge with others over the last couple of decades. Sexual abuse scandals have cost the Archdiocese tens of millions of dollars. In 2019, the Chicago Tribune published a story about the financial woes of the Archdiocese, noting that it pledged $150 million for a scholarship trust and six years the fund held only a third of that total.
In 2022, as part of the Archdiocese’s Renew My Church program, Evanston’s four Catholic parishes were combined into two. St. Mary and St. Nicholas merged into St. John XXIII and St. John Henry Newman became the new designation for the combined St. Athanasius and St. Joan of Arc parishes. Church buildings retained their original, consecrated names, so the church used by St. John Henry Newman parish is St. Joan of Arc.
After the consolidation, St. Athanasius School joined St. John Henry Newman parish.