An internal investigation by a Redondo Beach Catholic parish has found that two longtime nuns who worked at the St. James School misappropriated a “substantial” amount of school funds for their personal use over a period of years, according to a letter sent to school families Wednesday.
Msgr. Michael Meyers, the pastor at St. James Catholic Church, said in the letter that the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the nuns’ order, is cooperating with the parish and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to determine exactly how much money was taken by the school’s former principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, and former teacher Sister Lana Chang.
Kreuper retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year after nearly 29 years as principal, according to a church newsletter and a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Chang was an eighth-grade teacher for about 20 years and served as vice principal for the last several years, archdiocese spokeswoman Adrian Marquez Alarcon said. Chang retired at the same time as Kreuper.
Meyers said in the letter to parents that the matter came to light during financial reviews that followed a change in leadership at the school. Other staff members were not implicated or responsible, he wrote.
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