By Michelle Han
Monsignor Thomas J. Gradilone, 75, served as pastor of the large and wealthy Roman Catholic church on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills for 18 years before retiring in 1998 and was known as a generous man, one who never turned a needy soul away.
But he became the subject of an official investigation when auditors for the diocese found approximately $2 million missing, apparently diverted from church collections and other funds over several years, Bishop Thomas Daily said.
Daily addressed churchgoers at the end of each service Sunday, speaking to a packed sanctuary with dozens of reporters and cameras lining the spacious room.
