Greensburg Diocese asks county detectives to probe failure of worker background checks
The Westmoreland County Detective Bureau is reviewing a request by the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg to investigate what the diocese describes as a potential conspiracy to conceal the criminal background of a now-former Irwin parish cemetery employee.
Spokesman Cliff Gorski said Tuesday the diocese has asked county detectives to determine if the alleged concealment of the worker’s criminal background rises to the level of supporting criminal charges against any of those involved.
The matter is an active and ongoing investigation for county detectives, according to Melanie Jones, spokesperson for the county district attorney’s office.
The worker in question, Shon M. Harrity, 47, of North Huntingdon, was arrested on May 8 by North Huntingdon Township police, who have accused him of sexually assaulting a girl for two years. He is charged with rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and related offenses. He faces formal arraignment June 19 in Westmoreland County Court.
The diocese noted those charges are unrelated to the duties Harrity performed for the church. But, shortly after his arrest, diocesan officials discovered Harrity has a criminal record dating back to the early 200os, including guilty pleas of indecent exposure, open lewdness, obscene disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.
According to the diocese, Harrity was employed at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in North Huntingdon beginning in 2012. In 2023, when he was transferred to the cemetery of Irwin’s Immaculate Conception Parish, the safe environment coordinator at the North Huntingdon parish electronically forwarded an employee file disclosing that an FBI background check had disqualified him for employment.
At the Irwin parish, the safe environment coordinator failed to flag Harrity’s employee file, according to the diocese, which said a recent audit revealed several required clearance documents were missing from the file.
Each parish’s safe environment coordinator and the pastor is responsible for ensuring that each employee completes a series of child abuse trainings and passes three different criminal background checks.
According to the diocese, the Rev. John Moineau, the pastor of both the North Huntingdon and Irwin parishes, previously attested to the validity of all clearances in the parishes and signed a letter to the bishop that he personally reviewed them.
“I am outraged that (Harrity) was permitted to be employed at our parishes,” Bishop Larry J. Kulick said in a statement. “And I am beyond disappointed that our tireless efforts to raise the bar on safe environment training, required clearances and transparency were blatantly disregarded. This is exactly why we assign a safe environment coordinator in every parish and every school and every administrative office in the Diocese of Greensburg.
“Fr. John Moineau has resigned as pastor for the good of the parishes, the diocese and the church, and at the same time he will go on medical leave to focus on his health.”
Kulick said the resignation is effective immediately. The medical leave begins June 17.
Three parish employees are being placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
“I may live the rest of my life as the bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg who asked one of our most popular and beloved priests to resign,” Kulick said. “But I have a responsibility to the people of this diocese. I will not hide our mistakes. And I will root out any and all potential risks to the safety of children.”
Kulick said he has additionally ordered that: all priests and administrators personally review each employee and volunteer file in their parishes within a week; the diocese human resources office conduct a separate audit of clearances in all 78 parishes and 12 Catholic schools this summer; all clergy and employees take part in mandatory safe environment training sessions.
