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  Monsignor's Resignation Stuns
Sudden Departure of Noted Clergyman at Cusp of Seminary Review Surprises Faculty and Students

By Carol Eisenberg
Newsday [Rockville Centre NY]
November 16, 2005

A well-regarded priest who oversaw the seminary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre for five years announced in a prayer service Friday that he was stepping down immediately, stunning faculty and students.

Msgr. Francis Schneider, 49, told those gathered in the chapel of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington that he was resigning for personal reasons, citing stress. He said Msgr. Robert Emmet Fagan would become interim rector.

But the timing surprised some faculty members - coming a few weeks after a Vatican-ordered evaluation of the seminary, which was part of a nationwide review in response to the U.S. clergy sex abuse crisis. It also came just a few weeks before the end of the semester.

"There was no advance word," one priest who asked not to be named said yesterday. "People were blown away. There was total shock and disbelief."

Sean Dolan, a spokesman for Bishop William Murphy, said yesterday that Schneider asked to be allowed to step down for personal reasons, and that Murphy accepted the resignation.

Dolan insisted there was no connection between the seminary's evaluation and Schneider's resignation.

A review of all 229 American seminaries was ordered by the late Pope John Paul II at the height of the sex abuse crisis. The sweeping inspections are looking at several factors, including evidence of a gay subculture, the teaching of church orthodoxy and the preparation of potential priests for lives of celibacy.

"The inspection did occur a few weeks ago," Dolan said of the evaluation. "But Msgr. Schneider's resignation has nothing to do with that."

Asked about the timing, Dolan acknowledged that "from a certain perspective, it would have been easier to wait until the end of the semester, but he felt he needed to resign immediately and to go on sabbatical."

Those at the Friday vespers service describe a somber scene: Schneider, who had just presided over the seminary's 75th anniversary as well as the preparation for the inspection, stood up and announced that friends and relatives had noticed he was showing signs of stress. He said that after consulting with Murphy, the two decided it would be best for him to step down.

After he finished speaking, Schneider reportedly genuflected, made the sign of the cross, then left the chapel in silence.

Schneider, who could not be reached, is a canon lawyer who also had served as diocesan vice chancellor and chancellor. He became seminary rector before Murphy's arrival but is thought to be close to the bishop.

"He is seen as someone on a fast track," said a priest who asked not to be named. "He was widely considered to be one of the most intelligent, talented and witty priests in the diocese."