On one of the most momentous days of the Rev. Joseph F. Sica's life - his 1983 ordination into the Catholic priesthood - organized crime leader Russell Bufalino and his wife were among friends and family attending a party that followed.That is one of the claims of prosecutors who say, almost 25 years later and 15 years after the death of Mr. Bufalino, that Father Sica lied to an investigative grand jury when he denied having a relationship with the reputed Pittston Mafia boss.
The unusual indictment of a Catholic priest and subsequent revelations about him have kicked up a colorful sideshow to the primary target of the grand jury and the Dauphin County prosecutor: Dunmore businessman Louis DeNaples.
The grand jury's real charge is to determine whether Mr. DeNaples concealed ties to organized crime leaders in sworn testimony before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board when applying for a slots license for his Mount Airy Casino and Resort.
Father Sica is a lifelong friend and close associate of Mr. DeNaples. He testified before the grand jury in August.
The resulting perjury charge that thrust him into the public spotlight also unveiled other curious details about the atypical lifestyle of a popular man known as "The People's Priest."
In addition to being a close associate of one of the most wealthy and influential people in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Father Sica owns a handgun, which he purchased last year, and possessed $1,000 in cash the day state police arrested him, the district attorney in the case said.
It also came to light that he amassed and fell behind on more than $200,000 in personal debts that forced him to file a request for bankruptcy protection in 1997, though he later withdrew it.
When he was arrested Jan. 2, Father Sica threatened one of the two state troopers who took him into custody. Father Sica claimed he had information about the trooper from a former law enforcement officer who now works at Mount Airy.
At a court hearing later that day, Father Sica acknowledged the threat and told the judge what he had said to the unidentified trooper was ''inappropriate.''
Efforts to reach Father Sica by telephone and at his residence were unsuccessful.
While the accusations and scrutiny have blemished the record of the diocesan priest, those who have known Father Sica long before this say the allegation of perjury, relationship with organized crime figures, and other unsavory details won't taint the image of a man they describe as a devout priest, generous friend and gifted communicator.
The DeNaples connection
Joseph Sica grew up in the close-knit Italian neighborhood of Dunmore known as Bunker Hill, where life revolved around St. Rocco's Church and the family dining room.
Rarely would the large but modest DeNaples house contain only members of the DeNaples family. Margaret and Patrick DeNaples' home often boarded recently immigrated relatives of neighbors or extended family members who had hit rough times. In one case, three children essentially orphaned were raised by the family.
In a 2006 interview with The Times-Tribune, Father Sica said he lived in the DeNaples home for a time. He became a close friend to the family and to Louis DeNaples, who was 12 years his senior.
As they grew older and Father Sica entered the priesthood, the two remained closely connected.
Father Sica celebrated Mass at Mr. DeNaples' Keystone Sanitary Landfill when it expanded.
He escorted Mr. DeNaples to hearings before the gaming board, sticking out among a team of high-powered lawyers, accountants and advisors. Before Mr. DeNaples' testimony, the entire team formed a huddle and placed their hands in the center as Father Sica led them in prayer, asking God for success.
He gained greater prominence at the Mount Airy opening, where the priest sat at Mr. DeNaples' left and cut the ribbon with oversized gold scissors alongside dignitaries such as state Sen. Robert Mellow. But Father Sica was the only person present with the credentials to bless the casino, and he did.
Blessings are a routine practice in the Catholic church.
Priests bless throats, pets, homes, businesses, farm equipment, food baskets and sometimes, as Father Sica has shown, casinos.
The apparent coziness between the church and gaming, and Father Sica's very public request for divine favor upon Mount Airy, concerns Catholics like Carl Mozeleski, of Clarks Summit.
"I know the blessing is a tradition, but gambling can also be a vice - an addiction that ruins lives," he said. "It ruined my uncle's life, and I don't think the church should be that involved."
The Catholic church does not condemn gambling. While some bishops have urged their congregations to move away from games of chance and alcohol sales as fundraisers, "The Big Six" still spins at church picnics and bingo remains a lucrative fixture at many parishes.
In fact, gaming on the East Coast owes much of its existence to the Roman Catholic Church.
After defeat at polls in 1974, a gaming referendum in New Jersey succeeded two years later thanks to an alliance between gaming interests and the Roman Catholic Church, explained David Schwartz, of the Institute of Gaming Studies at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
Priestly blessings at casino ribbon cuttings aren't unheard of, but aren't routine either, he said.
"I certainly see a lot of people praying in the casino after it opens," Mr. Schwartz quipped.
Because of such longstanding ties, many may identify Father Sica as Mr. DeNaples' personal priest.
But admirers say Father Sica also left a lasting impression on the faithful he served as pastor or chaplain.
'The People's Priest'
After a tornado devastated Lake Carey in 1998, survivor John Pasternak remembered the compassion Father Sica showed his wiped-out neighbors.
Father Sica was on the scene every day for several days, Mr. Pasternak remembers, delivering relief supplies and money, hugging and counseling victims.
At Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Tunkhannock, where he was pastor, Father Sica had a wading pool installed at a small park behind the church and hosted events in the church parking lot for teens.
"Most priests gravitate to older people. Father Sica was very kind and good to the young people," Mr. Pasternak recalled.
When Tom Richards' sister died in a motorcycle accident, she had no religious affiliation. Mr. Richards asked Father Sica, then assistant pastor at his church, St. Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre, to handle the service.
Father Sica didn't hesitate. Although he never met Mr. Richards' sister, he spoke with several people who knew her and delivered a personalized homily that brought everyone to tears.
Father Sica's generosity wasn't limited to his parishioners.
Mr. Richards was a nurse at Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre when Father Sica was chaplain. He often saw Father Sica administer last rites and console family members. Father Sica has an ability to put grieving families at ease, even injecting humor into grim circumstances.
Often, Father Sica went beyond administering the sacrament. In one case, he gave money to a grieving indigent family. When the homeless or poor would die, Mr. Richards said Father Sica would offer to personally handle services at St. Aloysius.
If Father Sica saw the emergency room was busy, he would bring the hospital employees trays of food so they could continue to take care of patients.
Working long hours as a nurse often prevented Mr. Richards from attending Mass and caused him great guilt, so much that he shared it with Father Sica.
"God will forgive you," he said Father Sica told him. "You are helping others, and that is your gift to God."
Father Sica's words were like a weight lifted off him, he said.
At Holy Rosary in Scranton, Father Sica used his connections to bring a well-known composer of liturgical music to the church for performances that attracted many people from outside the parish, recalled William Lazor, an active member of the church.
"He connected with people and cared tremendously about people," Mr. Lazor said. "Parishioners had good feelings about him, and he increased the spirituality and enthusiasm of the church."
Financial rumors rebutted
Holy Rosary was Father Sica's last pastoral assignment. Given the shortage of priests, clerics usually can count on a pastoral assignment within five years of ordination.
After Holy Rosary, however, Father Sica served as assistant pastor at St. Peter's Cathedral, Scranton, Our Lady of Snows, Clarks Summit, and St. Aloysius, Wilkes-Barre. Though he wasn't leading parishes, he was doing administrative work, teaching at Scranton Preparatory School or Bishop Hannan High School, or he was working as chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Scranton and Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre.
Diocesan spokesman William Genello said it is common for veteran priests assigned as chaplains or administrators to not also be assigned as pastors.
Father Sica's short tenures may have contributed to rumors of financial mismanagement that surfaced long before his arrest.
His 1997 request for bankruptcy protection reported more than $218,000 of personal debt, including two personal loans totaling $131,000 from First National Community Bank, the Dunmore bank of which Mr. DeNaples is chairman and a major shareholder.
He also owed $20,000 to L.A. Bank and $15,000 to Community Bank & Trust for personal loans.
His principle assets were a $23,400 certificate of deposit from FNCB and a 1996 Eddie Bauer Edition Chevy Blazer valued at $21,000.
For reasons unexplained in legal filings, Father Sica withdrew his bankruptcy request a few months later. Nevertheless, the public documents generated speculation.
Active parishioners at both churches, however, say rumors that the priest managed money poorly are false.
Mr. Lazor, former president of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and longtime member of Holy Rosary's parish boards, said rumors began after Father Sica's one-year stint at Holy Rosary.
At that time, members of churches in North Scranton convened for painful discussions about parish finances and the possibility of church mergers and closings.
A parishioner, without mentioning Father Sica by name, asked publicly about the church's one-time surplus, suggesting that money had disappeared. Holy Rosary's financial situation had a legitimate explanation, Mr. Lazor said - replacing the failed heating system at the church and school had drained coffers. Nevertheless, Mr. Lazor said, innuendo persisted.
While Father Sica's debt and bankruptcy add to speculation, Mr. Lazor sees those as unfortunate coincidences.
"People making those connections are not in possession of the facts," he said. "We have three CPAs in our community who are active with the church. I, or we, would know about any irregularities."
Mr. Pasternak has a similar take on rumors at his parish, saying Father Sica faced a similar situation having to resolve repairs and other issues with the church.
"When a priest gets a church, it's like buying an old house - he inherits problems," Mr. Pasternak said. "People aren't understanding that, and they are crucifying this man's reputation."
Two sides to Sica
Those who know Father Sica are left to reconcile two images.
On one hand, there is the Mafia apologist who owned a handgun, ran up almost a quarter-million dollars of debt and stands accused of lying before a grand jury.
On the other hand, there is the inspirational writer, homilist, educator and passionate servant of God and people.
Free on $20,000 bail, Father Sica has kept a low profile but continues to spread his message. A Web site, www.appleinspirations.com, features Father Sica under an animated apple tree. He tosses an apple that turns into a passage from his book, "Embracing Change: 10 Ways to Grow Emotionally and Spiritually."
That side of Father Sica continues to hold the faith of some supporters.
"The allegations will have no impact on those who truly know him, and I guarantee he will continue to have a positive impact on the Catholic community," Mr. Lazor said.
"For anyone who knows him, what he has done in his priesthood will far outweigh recent events," Mr. Richards said.
Father Sica's preliminary hearing on the perjury charge is scheduled for Jan. 25 in Dauphin County Court.
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